Even with the notion that anything could happen during a lockout shortened 2013 NHL season, the Ottawa Senators were the only Eastern Conference Canadian team who were supposed to make the playoffs. Even then they were considered a bubble team, a fact that saw many analysts and predictions foresee them missing the cut. In fact, those who saw all three of Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa making the playoffs, even if it did come to fruition, are most likely not a great hockey source. That’s how ridiculous an idea it was.
Yet going into the 2013-14 NHL season all three of these franchises are looking to build on 2013 campaigns that can only be deemed as successful. Ottawa made it all the way to the second round of the playoffs with half of their team on the IR, Toronto made the playoffs for the first time since the lockout and pushed the Bruins to the brink while the Canadiens took home the last Northeast Division crown despite many predicting they finish dead last in the conference.
Needless to say none of these three teams will catch anyone off guard during the upcoming season, which poses questions as to which one of these teams will succeed under their new-found expectations. All three will be pressed harder and for longer than they were in 2013 to prove that what happened that season was not a fluke but a reflection of progress within the respective organizations.
The Ottawa Senators will be under the biggest scrutiny and for good reason. They went the farthest of the three last season and had a tumultuous off-season. The main reason they were considered a playoff surprise was due to the fact that the team sustained so many injuries. Should they have been healthy even those who penciled them in as a playoff miss would not have been shocked.
After showing what they can do without Erik Karlsson, Craig Anderson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek for major periods during the season the expectation is that with these players returning the team should improve exponentially. Local legend and Captain Daniel Alfredsson may be gone but add in the acquisitions of Bobby Ryan, Joe Corvo and Clarke MacArthur, this is a team who on paper should contend for the Atlantic Division title.
But plenty could go wrong for the Senators, although some would argue not much more than what transpired this past season. Anderson’s massive save percentage is fairly unsustainable. Although highly unlikely given his impressive skill set Erik Karlsson could struggle to maintain the same kind of influence that saw him run away with the defenceman scoring title and take home the Norris Trophy two years ago. Meanwhile, everyone is aware of Spezza’s injury problems and each time he suffers another one matters only get worse for both his career outlook and the morale of the team.
However, after showing a great amount of heart and determination, not to mention organizational depth, the Senators should be up for any challenge that awaits them in 2013-14. Expect them to contend in the Atlantic Division. At worst they improve only minimally and have problems internally due to the absence of Alfie, although they should still have enough raw talent to lock up a playoff spot. At best this team could be a Stanley Cup contender with a healthy Spezza and Norris caliber Karlsson.
As for the Montreal Canadiens sizable expectations are always present with the historical franchise. The team is still very much in the rebuilding process and GM Marc Bergevin made the right decisions in not making any major free agent splashes this summer. Most of the teams future already lies within its midst and will continue to develop. The club is certainly not at the stage where it can overpay for risky free agent signings in the hopes that they will bring the team a championship.
But while the Canadiens were arguably the least active team in the Atlantic division this summer, although Buffalo weren’t up to much either, they did make a couple of helpful additions. First and foremost is the homecoming of Daniel Briere, who has been on the Canadiens shopping list for a long time. The main reason for Briere’s signing, at least publicly, seems to be his incredible ability to put up points in the playoffs where he will certainly help a team too easily shutdown by Craig Anderson. George Parros also joins the fold to add grit as well as Douglas Murray providing depth on the back end.
However, while just about everything went right during the 2013 regular season the team did show instances of their former bottom of the league selves during the final month. While Carey Price can be one of the best in the game when things are going well his ability to slip back into mediocrity is concerning. Meanwhile, the Habs got a huge boost from Andrei Markov who was finally healthy and contributing. While there is depth within the program the ever possible loss of Markov to injury coupled with the fact that Alexei Emelin will be out of commission for the first couple of months could really hurt the Canadiens.
Either way the Habs find it far more difficult to make the playoffs this time around, but it is still a distinct possibility. At worst they are a fringe playoff team ahead of Florida, Buffalo and most likely Tampa. At best this is a team that could put up a good fight for second place in the division, maybe even the division title considering their historic ability to take crucial points away from the Bruins. Expect another playoff campaign for the Habs, although they have the least to lose of the three should they miss out on a trip to the dance.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, considering what transpired last season, expectations are the highest they have been for almost a decade. The way the playoffs played out had many believing that if Toronto had been able to hang on during that infamous third period the team would have made it all the way to the Stanley Cup final. Anything but another birth in the playoffs will not be considered good enough for the team who were the most active this offseason in the entire division.
The Leafs are now bigger and better. David Clarkson was one of the biggest fish in the free agent market and adds both size and scoring to the Leafs frontline. He will look nice alongside Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. Meanwhile, the Leafs also made a solid addition to their bottom six, signing Stanley Cup hero Dave Bolland. Fans will learn to love this acquisition maybe more than any other. Paul Ranger could be another solid signing if he can regain the form he showed in Tampa prior to going AWOL. Finally, Jonathan Bernier was brought in to make the goaltending situation more sturdy and competitive.
But all of these acquisitions have cost the Leafs a significant amount of cap space. Two crucial pieces, Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson, remain unsigned. Signing both of these key pieces with the limited amount of cap space remaining looks bleak now for Dave Nonis. The one signed will most likely be Kadri, although it remains to be seen and could certainly prove a distraction to start the season if not resolved. The Leafs centre situation becomes significantly more concerning without number 43.
This is of course far from the only thing that could be a problem for the Leafs this season. They failed to bring in another top four defender to allow players like Dion Phaneuf reasonable m
inutes. They were close to signing Rob Scuderi, who would have been a nice fit, but now have to spread the minutes by committee. The forward group, while talented, is not deep. A possible Kadri holdout coupled with injuries up front would probably be devastating. Moreover, David Clarkson is a very risky free agent signing and represents why the Leafs may have moved too quickly this offseason. Not to mention the centre position is now inexplicably worse after the surprise buyout of Mikhail Grabovski.
The perennial problem remains, and becomes even harder to solve with some of the long-term contracts signed. Toronto needs a legitimate number one centre, both Bozak and Kadri will have to improve immensely and unexpectedly to fill that gap. Furthermore, they really needed a top four minute eating defencemen to ease the load on other shoulders, especially if they fail to sign Franson. At very, very best they could encompass the “contender” title that was loosely thrown around last season. At worst they miss the playoffs and Dave Nonis’s five year contract proves to be as ridiculous as most consider it. They likely make the show, but don’t expect too much more.
Surprising teams is easy, especially in a shortened season. All three of these clubs probably benefited from the fact that the opposition didn’t see them as much of a threat until the final buzzer had sounded. They will not have the benefit of the doubt this time around and it should be intriguing to see how each of these improved squads deal with the pressures of new expectations and new opposition.
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