PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The Southeast Division will once agian prove to be interesting this coming season. With the rise of the Washington Capitals, the debut of Steven Stamkos, and some new head coaches in Florida, Tampa, and Atlanta, trying to predict the Southeast will be as tough as ever to do.
Here is a look at the Southeast Division
Washington Capitals Reasons they will succeed: League MVP Alex Ovechkin will try to improve on a remarkable 65 goal, 112 point campaign in 2007-08, supported by a talented cast that includes rookie-of-the-year finalist Nicklas Backstrom, rising defensive star Mike Green, third-year captain Chris Clark, Michael Nylander, and the still-effective Sergei Fedorov. The one big difference will be in goal. The Caps signed former Avalanche netminder Jose Theodore to a two-year, $9 million contract to replace Cristobal Huet, who departed to Chicago via free agency. It remains to be seen whether Theodore can retain the stellar form he displayed in the second half of last season. Meanwhile, grinder Brooks Laich will try to improve on a career-best 21-goal campaign, along with Boyd Gordon, David Steckel, Matt Bradley, Viktor Kozlov, and Donald Brashear providing additional depth. Head Coach Bruce Boudreau won the Coach of the year trophy and should prove last season was no fluke. Reasons they will fail: Washington blueline’s be shaky at times. Michael Nylander’s return from a shoulder injury that kept him on the shelf for half a season gives the Caps extra depth at center. If he does not return to form the Caps offense will rely heavily on Ovechkin again. Boudreau tends to get the most out of his charges, but he will have to squeeze more consistency out of a talented team that could get inclined to take some nights off. Should the Caps get complacent, they’ll need another thrilling end-of-season run to reach the Big Show. Rookie watch: Francois Bouchard, the former second round pick of the Caps in 2006 will be counted on to give the Caps some additional offensive. A former star in the QMJHL for Baie-Comeau, Bouchard was a scoring machine his last three seasons scoring 33, 45, and 36 goals in 205 games. How they will do: Look for the Caps to repeat as division champs. Boudreau will get the most out of them the same way he did in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. They should finish as the conferences second seed. Florida Panthers Reasons they will succeed: The Panthers did their annual tease by just barely making missing the playoffs. This year might be the year they break the rule by having a solid defense and goaltender. The Olli Jokinen saga is over, and guys like Nathan Horton will step up and lead the team on the ice. New Head Coach Peter DeBoer was a solid head coach in the OHL for the Kitchener Rangers. His ability to work with youth will make him an instant hit in the locker room. Reasons they will fail: No offense. The Panthers will miss Jokinen. If some of the promising young talent don’t finally put things together those rumors of the team moving out of south Florida might finally become a reality. Rookie watch: Shawn Matthias, a high scoring center with the Belleville Bulls (OHL) will be given a shot at filling the void left by Jokinen. He could be a dark horse for the Calder trophy for rookie-of-the-year honors. How they will do: If the Panthers can find some offense, look for the Panthers to make the playoffs as the eighth seed. If not, it’s another year of looking forward to the draft. Look for another tease and an ninth place finish in the conference. Tampa Bay Lighting Reasons they will succeed: A ton of off-season changes will provide the Bolts with a turnaround in the standings. Steven Stamkos will be the lead candidate for the Calder. The offense will be much improved. Removing the touch-as-nails John Tortorella with Barry Melrose will prove interesting. Melrose will make the players accountable. Reasons they will fail: Stamkos turns out to be a bust, the loss of Brian Boyle, and the lack of goaltending proves to be too much for the offense to overcome. Rookie Watch: It’s all about Stamkos. Look for him to win the Calder with Kyle Turris out in Phoenix giving him a run for his money. How they will do: The Bolts will be much improved, but will the lack of a true # 1 goaltender prove to once again be the teams Achilleas heal? Look for Tampa to just barely miss the playoffs. Carolina Hurricanes Reasons they will succeed: The Carolina Hurricanes ended their 2007-08 season with a feeling of unfinished business. The Canes were in first place in the Southeast division for the majority of the season, but it wasn’t until the last day of the regular season that their fate was sealed. A solid mix of youth and veterans, along with a bounce back year from Cam Ward will keep the Hurricanes competitive. Rookie Zach Boychuk, the Carolina Hurricanes’ first round draft pick (14th overall) in this years NHL Entry Draft, will start the season on the Hurricanes roster. Normally junior players aren’t kept around this long since he was just drafted four months ago, but with Boychuk’s shooting accuracy, great stick handling, and overall skill level, he may be sticking around for the rest of the season. If so, he will fill Justin Williams role on the team. Adding help on the blueline will make the Canes a tough team to play every night. Reasons they will fail: As with the Panthers, the offense will be a no-show. Look for a tough showing on the scoreboard. Rookie watch: See Zach Boychuk for details. Brandon Sutter will also look to make a name for himself. The 6 foot 3 inch Sutter was the 11th overall pick last year in 2007, and was a solid performer for Red Deer (WHL). How they will do: Unless Boychuk or Sutter help on offense the Canes are in trouble. Winning the cup seems like ages ago. If they can stay healthy, which is already becoming an issue out of training camp, the Canes will avoid being a lottery team. In our view they will miss the playoffs. Atlanta Thrashers Reasons they will succeed: New Head Coach John Anderson who led the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup in the AHL last season finally gets his crack at the NHL level. Having Iiya Kovalchuk is still one of the leagues best snipers and is a threat every time he is on the ice. Reasons they will fail: The Thrashers will still struggle to score goals, Kari Lehtonen never lives up to his billing, and some of the youth aren’t ready for prime time. The Rookie watch: Zach Bogosian, the third overall pick in the this years draft, will be counted on to be the Thrashers anchor on the blueline that the Thrashers will need for years to come. How they will do: Unless the Thrashers find some offense, and Lehtonen starts to show why he was drafted second overall in 2002, the Thrashers will once again be a lottery team. We don’t see the Thrashers do better than ninth overall. Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com Adriel Bettleheim and Sue Cunningham also contributed to this article.
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