5 UP
Philadelphia Flyers
One would think GM Lee has been planning a parade route down Broad Street with the amount of trash he has been talking lately. Premature, perhaps. But definitely not without some foundation. A year ago, the same Flyers finished 63-82-15 for 10th in the Eastern Conference; today, the Flyers sit in 5th. It’s likely, the Flyers won’t hold this seed for long, but things are improving in the City of Brotherly Love.
Montreal Canadiens
Two years ago, Chuck’s Habs were the Jared Staals of the Northeast Division. Being in a division with Boston, Ottawa and Toronto can do that to a team. Fast forward to this year and even though powerhouse Tampa Bay has joined that almighty division, Montreal sits 3rd in the Atlantic and 4th in the conference. This team is here to stay and it’s no minor accomplishment.
New York Islanders
The New York Sharks, er..Islanders changed their philosophy this year. After being the odd team left out of the playoff picture in the east for multiple seasons, the GM Tony shifted his focus to categories he never focused on before: offence. With fan boy acquisitions of Thornton and Marleau, coupled with names like Byfuglien and Doan, this team can hurt you in more ways than one. With Niemi between the pipes, winning the goaltending battle won’t be easy either. This team is a major candidate for a 1st round upset in the east.
Anaheim Ducks
There is a popular theory in BBKL of stacking categories to be competitive. Though not everyone has been successful with it (see NYI before this year), GM Cliff is doing that in Anaheim and it is working. Nabbing the Sedin Twins who are now putting up numbers on the PK only helps. This team is going to finish near the top in the west. Don’t be surprised if it makes a run.
San Jose Sharks
When the season began, this team was a lock to be in the playoffs. Quickly though, it’s turning into a favourite to make it out of the west to the BBKL finals. Based on Nick’s weekly stat rankings, GM Shooker’s Sharks are at the top in multiple categories. If this team can get goaltending from Ondrej Pavelec – which WPG usually provides down the stretch as it chases a playoff run – there likely isn’t a team in the west that can stop it.
5 Down
Washington Capitals
Two years ago, Washington was rolling over teams on its way to the 1st seed in the East. That team has slowly regressed to a middle of the pack playoff team under new GM Thom. There are certainly loftier expectations of this team given the talent it boasts – names like Kessel, Brown, Keith etc. Perhaps, the players are underperforming. Or perhaps, GM Thom needs to adapt.
Boston Bruins
The defending BBKL Champs have lost a lot of their luster. The lack of depth is glaring. The Bruins have had to make many sacrifices with the lower salary cap, perhaps more than most teams. But keeping the core in place has been important for GM Kyle, who is using this season as a stopgap in order to rebuild Rome next year. That doesn’t mean this team is out of it though. This team is still very much a major threat.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings have won the President’s Trophy so many times, it’s hard to keep count. Not this year though. The West is a lot stronger and the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins out east may have a thing or two to say about that. But despite a poor start to the season, there is plenty of time for redemption here – this team’s true report card will come out in the post season.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus was out enjoying the easy West last season and thrived. Life’s not as easy in either conference these days. And with the amount of talent in the East, Columbus may be battling for the last guaranteed seed in the Metropolitan Division. To survive, new GM Dave will have to make some changes.
New York Rangers
This is the overhyped team in BBKL. Looks unbelievable on paper, but will it be that good once the games are played? With Dave Bolland now out long-term and other injuries to Visnovsky and Salvador, this team will have trouble getting the number of wins it needs. Luke Schenn being scratched this week and Varlamov committing felonies isn’t helping the cause either. Still should make the playoffs though, but it’s going to be a tougher road than initially thought.
