shakes
Pep City
It's like one guy has 4-5 accounts posting the same crap over and over again. At least change the script once in a while.
It's like one guy has 4-5 accounts posting the same crap over and over again. At least change the script once in a while.
prety much gotta agree .......a quick start is imperative too ......and leafs cant have kessel go a dozen games without a goal or lupul hurt ......pretty much bang on
prety much gotta agree .......a quick start is imperative too ......and leafs cant have kessel go a dozen games without a goal or lupul hurt ......pretty much bang on
zeke
The Dube Abides
- Mar 14, 2005
- 66,937
- 36,957
They overrate detroit philly and the rangers.
As for ottawa, they get some guys back from injury, but they lose their best forward and best defenseman from last season, and there's no chance their goalies can come anywhere close to matching last year's unsustainable .933sv%. And spezza's alredy hurt again.
As for ottawa, they get some guys back from injury, but they lose their best forward and best defenseman from last season, and there's no chance their goalies can come anywhere close to matching last year's unsustainable .933sv%. And spezza's alredy hurt again.
Daisy Jane
everything is gonna be okay!
- Jul 2, 2009
- 70,280
- 9,323
I think we're going to surprise people with how good we are. even if we finish 4th it's going to be a "secure" 4, ie - we're not going to wait until it all shakes out to see if we make the playoffs; everyone will know that the Leafs own that 1st WC spot.
The Apologist
Apologizing for Leaf garbage since 1979
I think Toronto and Ottawa battle for the division. Both have a good mix of scoring and defense and goaltending should not be an issue for either.
Boston and Detroit are next. I think too many people have bought into the 'inferior' east crap and Detroit is in for a shock. Their goaltending (to me) is still suspect an they have yet to even adequately replace Lidstrom. They're not getting any younger and with the crash and bang of the Atlantic, those bodies may not hold up. They also have Alfie now, which is a recipe for underachieving. Boston's offence seems suspect to me. I hope Iggy has something left in the tank. I guess we'll see if the Loui Ericksson hype train is legit. I think the Habs are a step behind the top four. They have some top guys (PK, Pac, Galchenyuk) but they just seem so streaky. You never know which Carey Price will show up, and what's plan B?
Tampa could finish anywhere in this division, but there are just too many holes, goaltending chief among them.
Florida is another team that you just never seem to know what you're getting. If Thomas can still play they may surprise people.
Buffalo? Well, at least they got Clarkson and Kessel suspended. That's something right?
Therefor,
1. Ottawa
2. Toronto
3. Detroit
4. Boston
5. Montreal
6. Tampa
7. Florida
8. Buffalo
Boston and Detroit are next. I think too many people have bought into the 'inferior' east crap and Detroit is in for a shock. Their goaltending (to me) is still suspect an they have yet to even adequately replace Lidstrom. They're not getting any younger and with the crash and bang of the Atlantic, those bodies may not hold up. They also have Alfie now, which is a recipe for underachieving. Boston's offence seems suspect to me. I hope Iggy has something left in the tank. I guess we'll see if the Loui Ericksson hype train is legit. I think the Habs are a step behind the top four. They have some top guys (PK, Pac, Galchenyuk) but they just seem so streaky. You never know which Carey Price will show up, and what's plan B?
Tampa could finish anywhere in this division, but there are just too many holes, goaltending chief among them.
Florida is another team that you just never seem to know what you're getting. If Thomas can still play they may surprise people.
Buffalo? Well, at least they got Clarkson and Kessel suspended. That's something right?
Therefor,
1. Ottawa
2. Toronto
3. Detroit
4. Boston
5. Montreal
6. Tampa
7. Florida
8. Buffalo
MapleLeaf4ever
Registered User
I honestly say its a toss up in the 1-5 spots. Obviosly the two Florida teams and Buffalo will be at the bottom, Miller being at a down slide in his career and Tampa and Florida stuck in constant rebuild. I think all five of them make the playoffs as they are much stronger than the metro teams. Washington and Carolina were only in contention because of the divisional title. I expect NYR, PIT, and Philly to make it with the Islanders and Devils giving the atlantic 5 seed a run for its money.
Each team has a few question marks to answer.
Boston: I don't see Iginla and Ericson as a question mark, good players always find a way to make things work, however the loss of Ferance and Peverly are the two glaring differences. The question now is can Hamilton and other Boston young guns step into the shut down rolls effectively enough. Also Rask just got big money, granted he was deserving of it but that doesn't mean he won't sit back now. If he stays focused and they get suitible shutdown replacements then the Big Bad Bruins will finish at the top regardless of the rest of the divisions sucess.
Projected Finish: 1
Detroit: new time zone, new division, new game. Everyone knows that the East is more physically punishing than the West which tends to build better teams. Detroit is on the end of an era. When Datsyuk and Zetterberg go the last dynasty goes with them. Alfy comes in to bring some more talent to the top 6 making Brenan (Brunner?) expendable. However the same question marks from last season stand. This teams defense is in shambles, and the Offense is aging,fast. The Red Wings superstars are once again going to have to carry the team if they want to make the playoffs, this time however it won't be sitting on a plane that tires them out.
Expected Finish: 5
Tbc
Each team has a few question marks to answer.
Boston: I don't see Iginla and Ericson as a question mark, good players always find a way to make things work, however the loss of Ferance and Peverly are the two glaring differences. The question now is can Hamilton and other Boston young guns step into the shut down rolls effectively enough. Also Rask just got big money, granted he was deserving of it but that doesn't mean he won't sit back now. If he stays focused and they get suitible shutdown replacements then the Big Bad Bruins will finish at the top regardless of the rest of the divisions sucess.
Projected Finish: 1
Detroit: new time zone, new division, new game. Everyone knows that the East is more physically punishing than the West which tends to build better teams. Detroit is on the end of an era. When Datsyuk and Zetterberg go the last dynasty goes with them. Alfy comes in to bring some more talent to the top 6 making Brenan (Brunner?) expendable. However the same question marks from last season stand. This teams defense is in shambles, and the Offense is aging,fast. The Red Wings superstars are once again going to have to carry the team if they want to make the playoffs, this time however it won't be sitting on a plane that tires them out.
Expected Finish: 5
Tbc
Warden of the North
Ned Stark's head
Not going to comment on our division right now but I dont agree with their assessment of Philly. That defense is not good and the goaltending is very suspect.
Pierre Gotye
Registered User
Not sure if I'd put Detroit that high. They're good, but not that good. Only Boston and Pittsburgh are the most unquestionable teams there. Should be a wide-open race most of the season.
Pierre Gotye
Registered User
Yeah that's high. They've certainly added more depth at forward, but haven't done much to improve their D. Beyond Robidas and Dillon there isn't much there to carry them into the playoffs.
Gobias Industries
Registered User
MapleLeaf4ever
Registered User
Continued from #32
Ottawa: I personally like this lineup right accross the board, Spezza is a solid two-way set up guy, bobby Ryan is a 30 goal guy that brings speed and physicality, and I always enjoyed CMac who brings more speed to the team. Kharlsson has quickly become the best Defender in the league, miles above even the likes of Letang, Doughty and Sutter. Not to mention a solid duo of Craig Andersin and Robin Lehner, this team is tough to spot weaknesses. The only real glaring weakness is that they are young, if you can call that a weakness, not a single cup winner is on the team and the loss of an experienced leader like alfy could hurt the team more than we may think. However it also could not effect the team at all with Paul "the walrus" McLain behind the bench.
Expected Finish: 2
Montreal: I felt this team overachieved greatly last season. And down the stretch I really felt they proved it. It was tough to rank this team ahead of Detroit but they are a team that very well could take the division again. Carey Price, if he can return to form, is more than capable of keeping pucks out of the net even without Theriens system and I believe he is poised for a big comeback year. And they'll need it. This is by far the most overated team going into te season. For tough was they added one knuckle buster, who probably won't be dressed every night, and then bergevin basically said he ha enough size on his team of smurfs when he signed another amused in Briere. Defensively Subban was unjustly awarded the Norris trophy over Sutter who carried Minesota to the playoffs and I personally don't think he's that good in his own end (Phanuef 2.0 with less physicality, more ego, albeit a much nicer shot). Markov I felt was still their best all around D and he's glass waiting to be shattered. If he goes down then this team collapses. If he stays healthy then they squeak in as a wild card. I don't quite know why but somehow teams will have trouble with this cluster duck of mid-liners and they'll get the wildcard.
Expected Finish: 4 (hoping teams shoot high on price and punish the midgets)
Toronto: Im going to have to show some bias here, I really like this leafs team. Last leafs team I liked as much as this was going into 03-04 season. They got problems this year but for the most part they are good problems. Who's the number one out of two talented young goalies, can kadri play at a ppg now that he's a twenty three year old, how awesome will kessel play this year? The only truley troublesome issue right now is the impact of the Clarkson suspension. With Liles now having to be sent down in order to make room for a replacement player. On the plus side we get to see how Morgan Rielly fares, but if injuries occur then difficulties will come the leafs way especially with the marlies getting reworked as a new batch of young talent enters the system. I think this team can be very sucessful but it hangs on dealing JML. I hope somebody claims him as otherwise his contract could put the leafs off cap wise for another couple of years or more depending on buyouts.
Overall this incarnation of the leafs is tough, skilled and strongly put together for a playoff run. A few improvements can be made, but they aren't far off from a cup and could very well shock people this season. Step aside Boston, The Bay Street Bullies are Back!
Expected Finish:3
Ottawa: I personally like this lineup right accross the board, Spezza is a solid two-way set up guy, bobby Ryan is a 30 goal guy that brings speed and physicality, and I always enjoyed CMac who brings more speed to the team. Kharlsson has quickly become the best Defender in the league, miles above even the likes of Letang, Doughty and Sutter. Not to mention a solid duo of Craig Andersin and Robin Lehner, this team is tough to spot weaknesses. The only real glaring weakness is that they are young, if you can call that a weakness, not a single cup winner is on the team and the loss of an experienced leader like alfy could hurt the team more than we may think. However it also could not effect the team at all with Paul "the walrus" McLain behind the bench.
Expected Finish: 2
Montreal: I felt this team overachieved greatly last season. And down the stretch I really felt they proved it. It was tough to rank this team ahead of Detroit but they are a team that very well could take the division again. Carey Price, if he can return to form, is more than capable of keeping pucks out of the net even without Theriens system and I believe he is poised for a big comeback year. And they'll need it. This is by far the most overated team going into te season. For tough was they added one knuckle buster, who probably won't be dressed every night, and then bergevin basically said he ha enough size on his team of smurfs when he signed another amused in Briere. Defensively Subban was unjustly awarded the Norris trophy over Sutter who carried Minesota to the playoffs and I personally don't think he's that good in his own end (Phanuef 2.0 with less physicality, more ego, albeit a much nicer shot). Markov I felt was still their best all around D and he's glass waiting to be shattered. If he goes down then this team collapses. If he stays healthy then they squeak in as a wild card. I don't quite know why but somehow teams will have trouble with this cluster duck of mid-liners and they'll get the wildcard.
Expected Finish: 4 (hoping teams shoot high on price and punish the midgets)
Toronto: Im going to have to show some bias here, I really like this leafs team. Last leafs team I liked as much as this was going into 03-04 season. They got problems this year but for the most part they are good problems. Who's the number one out of two talented young goalies, can kadri play at a ppg now that he's a twenty three year old, how awesome will kessel play this year? The only truley troublesome issue right now is the impact of the Clarkson suspension. With Liles now having to be sent down in order to make room for a replacement player. On the plus side we get to see how Morgan Rielly fares, but if injuries occur then difficulties will come the leafs way especially with the marlies getting reworked as a new batch of young talent enters the system. I think this team can be very sucessful but it hangs on dealing JML. I hope somebody claims him as otherwise his contract could put the leafs off cap wise for another couple of years or more depending on buyouts.
Overall this incarnation of the leafs is tough, skilled and strongly put together for a playoff run. A few improvements can be made, but they aren't far off from a cup and could very well shock people this season. Step aside Boston, The Bay Street Bullies are Back!
Expected Finish:3
FlareKnight
Registered User
The Leafs could certainly end up 4th in the division, but frankly I think the whole thing is a tossup.
How Detroit will fare in the East and how this division will fare about Detroit is an unknown. This is going to be a pretty rough division for all teams involved and there's no guarantee Detroit will hold up.
Ottawa will be interesting to see. One would assume they'd be in good shape with how far they went with all those injuries. But I can remember Leaf teams that could carry on when critical injuries emerged. Teams can rally around injuries and play above the level they can when they have those elite guys to rely on. But they could just be really good.
Of course predictions are just silly to try and do in the first place. Major injuries will usually throw a wrench into even the best thought out predictions.
How Detroit will fare in the East and how this division will fare about Detroit is an unknown. This is going to be a pretty rough division for all teams involved and there's no guarantee Detroit will hold up.
Ottawa will be interesting to see. One would assume they'd be in good shape with how far they went with all those injuries. But I can remember Leaf teams that could carry on when critical injuries emerged. Teams can rally around injuries and play above the level they can when they have those elite guys to rely on. But they could just be really good.
Of course predictions are just silly to try and do in the first place. Major injuries will usually throw a wrench into even the best thought out predictions.
MapleLeaf4ever
Registered User
Because as I stated "Good players find a way to make things work" Ericson has been playing in a low key market his entire career. He's a very good player consistent 25 goal scoarer and brings a bit more physicality than post concusion Hortan. Iginla is also much better than Jagr is at this point of his career. Better skater better passer and brings a canon of a shot. I see them as upgrades.
Commander Clueless
Hiya, hiya. Pleased to meetcha.
- Sep 10, 2008
- 15,538
- 3,429
Seems like a fairly reasonable prediction to me.
I think Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal are a toss up for those two spots. All three of them have a lot of ???s.
That's not to say Detroit and Boston will necessary end up 1 and 2, but I'm fairly confident both will make the playoffs.
As for those the other side of the East, I really do think people are underrating New Jersey. I see them at the very least in 5th, battling with Philly, Washington, and NYR for those 3 playoff spots. Can't see the Pens missing.
I think Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal are a toss up for those two spots. All three of them have a lot of ???s.
That's not to say Detroit and Boston will necessary end up 1 and 2, but I'm fairly confident both will make the playoffs.
As for those the other side of the East, I really do think people are underrating New Jersey. I see them at the very least in 5th, battling with Philly, Washington, and NYR for those 3 playoff spots. Can't see the Pens missing.
Gobias Industries
Registered User
I could see us finishing anywhere from 4th to 10th.
With relatively young unproven goaltending and a lack of a #1 C, it's difficult to make an accurate assessment.
With relatively young unproven goaltending and a lack of a #1 C, it's difficult to make an accurate assessment.
MapleLeaf4ever
Registered User
TheLeastOfTheBunch
Franchise Centre
Agreed. Bernier, Reimer are the big factors for the Leafs, and an improved offence from the defence (Ranger, Gardiner > Holzer, Kostka, and Rielly > O'Byrne) could help sustain a high shooting percentage again this season.
MapleLeaf4ever
Registered User
What 10 teams do you see trumping the leafs. I can tell you now any renemants of the old South East will be at the bottom, Columbus road Bobrovsky hard and in a full season would not have finished as high as they did. New Jersey is the Marty and Cory show with nothing listed infront, The islanders road Tavares as far as he took them and Buffalo is aweful. So there's half the confrence right there with only the islanders being remotely close to trumping them out. #1C to kessel is like first line wingers are to Crosby, nice to have if they can fit but otherwise go with whatever meshes with him. Kadri is the closest thing to a #1C lets see how he pans out before we bring up the whining for that again. As for the goalies, Riemer now holds the franchise record for best SV% in a season and Bernier was solid last year. You got two young talented keepers here. No need to worry
The CyNick
Freedom of Speech!
- Sep 17, 2009
- 11,364
- 2,032
very pedestrian picks from tsn
I don't recall what their predictions were last year, but my guess us they had philly and likely even jersey in the playoffs. most people who make predictions just look at last years standings, and make a couple minor changes to come up with the new predictions.
few people actually call drastic jumps or drops year over year, yet they usually happen.
I have no idea what will happen this year. I think the leafs could win the division, but also think they could miss the playoffs. I don't see boston as the juggernaut they were last year, and I have no clue why people are picking detroit, who barely made the playoffs last year, to walk in this year. personally I think the physical play in the east will wear on their dusty bones. montreal and ottawa coups be great or bad, I'm not sure which.
I don't recall what their predictions were last year, but my guess us they had philly and likely even jersey in the playoffs. most people who make predictions just look at last years standings, and make a couple minor changes to come up with the new predictions.
few people actually call drastic jumps or drops year over year, yet they usually happen.
I have no idea what will happen this year. I think the leafs could win the division, but also think they could miss the playoffs. I don't see boston as the juggernaut they were last year, and I have no clue why people are picking detroit, who barely made the playoffs last year, to walk in this year. personally I think the physical play in the east will wear on their dusty bones. montreal and ottawa coups be great or bad, I'm not sure which.
I'd never write off DetroitFor all the hype, i dont think Ottawa is *quite* there yet. Another season or two and they could be a real powerhouse, but it's not like we've ever been unable to beat them. I think they'll be in the same dogfight as use, for the last two playoffs spots.
therealkoho
Him/Leaf/fan
Now we have the media on board!
This can only mean one thing. We, are, getting... (kinda) good?
I remember when they were all morons always picking the Leafs to finish way out of the money
seriously though The Leafs in the 2-3-4 slot seems plausible, considering the teams below them at least imho do not have a shot to finish ahead of the 4 above them
as well and good as Montreal finished last year, Price is looking more and more average as the years go along, Montreal needs great goaltending to get in
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