Friday, October 2, 2009

2009-2010 Season Preview: The Northeast Division

As we count down the final days leading up to the 2009-10 regular season, let's take a look at each of the 30 teams with the official DGB Season Preview. Today, we conclude the series with a look at the Northeast Division.



Montreal Canadiens

The good: Spent the off-season creating a roster full of dynamic forwards who are perfectly suited to playing a creative, up-tempo offensive system.
The bad: Hired Jacques Martin to coach them.
Biggest question mark: After posting an adequate 2.83 in the regular season and a terrible 4.11 in the playoffs, can Carey Price get keep his "average cigarettes smoked at one time" average under 2.50 this year?
Fearless forecast: Hal Gill suffers a career-ending knee injury due to a series of accidental headbutts from teammates.


Boston Bruins

The good: Are extra-motivated after getting their annual "Winning is everything, unless losing would be slightly cheaper" speech from Jeremy Jacobs
The bad: Mike Komisarek has vowed to continue his feud with Milan Lucic, greatly increasing the likelihood that Lucic will spend time on the injured reserve list with severely bruised knuckles.
Biggest question mark: Will chemistry suffer now that entire team is no longer united by their desire to punch Phil Kessel in the face?
Fearless forecast: With a little luck, will finally be able to get the national sports media to notice Boston.


Buffalo Sabres

The good: Thanks to various off-season moves the Bruins, Leafs, Habs and Senators will be engaged in an intense four-way rivalry all season long, leaving the Sabres free to play without the distraction of anyone remembering they're in this division.
The bad: Are the only franchise in history to have their star player actually prefer playing in Edmonton.
Biggest question mark: Did we ever figure out what's wrong with Ryan Miller's face?
Fearless forecast: Buffalo sports fans will end up having to endure something really terrible, and the rest of us will laugh.


Ottawa Senators

The good: Are coming off one of the best post-season performances in team history.
The bad: Early reports from training camp suggest that Jason Spezza's lazy neutral zone drop passes to the other team don't look quite as crisp this year.
Biggest question mark: How will the team respond to the March firing of whichever coach they hire when Cory Clouston gets fired in November?
Fearless forecast: Top prospect Erik Karlsson will be one of the very best 165 lb defencemen in recent NHL history, according to his tombstone.


Toronto Maple Leafs

The good: For the next few years will have the distinct advantage of not being distracted by any of this "who should we draft with our first round pick?" talk.
The bad: Are paying Mike Komisarek $4.5M a year, which seems like a lot for a penalty box timekeeper.
Biggest question mark: If you punch another player so hard that his brain stem flies into the net, that counts as a goal, right?
Fearless forecast: Brian Burke has built a tough, young, exciting team that has all the pieces to make the playoffs and even contend for the Stanley Cup, unless they lose on opening night to the Habs in which case all is lost and the season is a writeoff.




14 comments:

  1. Last night's game was painfully nostalgic, wasn't it?

    Nostalgic of the last few years, that is.

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  2. @Louie
    Opening night last season, we won against the defending Stanley Cup champions, and how did that season turn out?

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  3. "Brian Burke has built a tough, young, exciting team that has all the pieces to make the playoffs and even contend for the Stanley Cup, unless they lose on opening night to the Habs in which case all is lost and the season is a writeoff. " LOL

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  4. The Sens one is beautiful. Had to link to it on Silver Seven.

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  5. ha ha, not exactly fearless forecast when its the next day! good to see the players haven't changed even though they are on different teams. Komi taking dumb penalties, Gill caughing it up behind the net, etc.

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  6. Kary:

    I'm not talking about opening games but rather your typical recent Leaf game i.e. squandering leads.

    Does anyone else agree that the best Maple Leaf memory post-lockout has been when we knocked the Canadiens out of the playoffs in that crazy final game in 2007?

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  7. I don't know, that game was forever marred by Raycroft's clutch goaltending throughout. Thank God we no longer have a goaltender who consitently allows weak goals and throws away won games.

    Best Leaf memory post-lockout was Sundin's 500th and Bell's hit. Kinda sad that's all we have after five years.

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  8. You know you have no choice but to blog about this right?!

    I'm a leafs fan but that is material worthy of self deprecation (that doesn't mean to shit on oneself does it?)


    http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/kurtenblog/archive/2009/10/02/kb-chats-ron-wilson-s-cheat-sheet-revealed.aspx#

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  9. "Biggest question mark: Did we ever figure out what's wrong with Ryan Miller's face?"

    LOL, I've wondered that for a lot of years myself. I guess he was just born with a symmetrical imbalance.

    Louie, I would agree that the crazy Game 82 against Montreal is at the top of the post-lockout list, along with Mats' 500th goal in OT, shorthanded, to complete the hat trick.

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  10. Smithy/Lewis

    Yeah good call on the 500th.

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  11. http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/kurtenblog/archive/2009/10/02/kb-chats-ron-wilson-s-cheat-sheet-revealed.aspx#

    please? maybe a secret cheat sheet for each team in our division?!

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  12. This is Pat Yellope...David's mom. David was so upset that the Bruins lost to the Caps that he drove off and beat up a tree. If you hear from him please let me know. We are worried.

    Pat

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  13. "Fearless forecast: Brian Burke has built a tough, young, exciting team that has all the pieces to make the playoffs and even contend for the Stanley Cup, unless they lose on opening night to the Habs in which case all is lost and the season is a writeoff."

    Truer than any of us imagined...

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