Now that we’re in the home stretch, all that’s left for this 2011-12 season is a little bit of posturing and last-minute scrambling. So besides the few teams that are still in the mix, we basically know which teams are; ramping up for the playoffs, analyzing for the draft, or begging for the off-season and a fresh start next year. Here is an in-depth analysis of where each team stands, and their plans for the relative future. Let’s start with the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic and Southeast Divisions:
Atlantic Division
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Current Position: 4th
Probable Finish: 1st
Possible Finish: 1st, 4th, 5th
Current Status: Fighting for Presidents Trophy, playoff bound
Possible First Round Opponents: Buffalo, Washington, Ottawa
Probable Playoff Finish: Stanley Cup Finals
Draft Ranking: Late first round pick
Position Targeted: Best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: With basically their whole team signed through the 2012-13 season, not much is needed for this top team to be a contender again next year. Although it will be interesting to see how Crosby handles the rigors of the playoffs.
Status Next Season: Playoff team
Team: New York Rangers
Current Position: 1st
Probable Finish: 4th
Possible Finish: 1st, 4th
Current Status: Fighting for Presidents Trophy, playoff bound
Possible First Round Opponents: Philadelphia
Probable Playoff Finish: 2nd round
Draft Ranking: Late first round pick
Position Targeted: Best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: The Rangers have the best goalie in the league, and one of the best defensive units. They do have some signings to make to lock up that back-end, but I don’t see that being a problem. So with that taken care of, some more fire power upfront wouldn’t hurt.
Status Next Season: Playoff team
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Current Position: 5th
Probable Finish: 5th
Possible Finish: 4th, 5th
Current Status: Playoff bound
Possible First Round Opponents: New York Rangers
Probable Playoff Finish: 1st round
Draft Ranking: Late first round pick
Position Targeted: Defenseman, best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: With so much young talent on the team, another year of growth and cultivation is as good as anything, but they do need to figure out what they are going to do with some of their veterans. Jagr, Kubina, Voracek and Carle remain unsigned for next season, and of course Pronger’s status and future is unclear right now. Still a solid youthful squad without those guys anyway.
Status Next Season: Playoff team
Team: New Jersey Devils
Current Position: 6th
Probable Finish: 6th
Possible Finish: 6th
Current Status: Playoff bound
Possible First Round Opponents: Florida, Washington
Probable Playoff Finish: 2nd round
Draft Ranking: Mid first round pick
Position Targeted: Defenseman, best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: They have two serious situations to deal with this off-season. The first is Parise. They need to get this guy signed, as he is a big piece of their puzzle right now. The other is Brodeur. He might play another year, but there is also a really good chance he could retire. Either way, neither him nor Hedberg are signed next year.
Status Next Season: Playoff team (provided they address the above issues)
Team: New York Islanders
Current Position: 14th
Probable Finish: 14th
Possible Finish: 14th, 15th
Current Status: Awaiting the draft
Possible First Round Opponents: N/A
Probable Playoff Finish: N/A
Draft Ranking: Top 5 pick
Position Targeted: Defenseman, best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: The biggest thing working against the Islanders is the division they’re in. They have to play 24 games against the best teams in the league. The good news is they are getting more competitive. They have a ton of young talent up-front, and re-signing Nabokov was a great move. They do have a lot of work to do on the back-end though, and might want to hit free agency pretty hard.
Status Next Season: Will be fighting for a playoff spot
Southeast Division
Team: Florida Panthers
Current Position: 3rd
Probable Finish: 3rd
Possible Finish: 3rd, 7th-9th
Current Status: Holding on to 3rd, but still fighting for a spot
Possible First Round Opponents: New Jersey
Probable Playoff Finish: 1st round
Draft Ranking: Mid-late first round pick
Position Targeted: Forward
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: Florida was a surprise this year. They went into “free-agent day” with guns blazing last year, buying up anything and everything. They then took those spare parts and turned them into a pretty good-looking club, taking their team from third last in the league last year, to third best in the East this year. The only problem is they may have to do it again as they have a ton of expiring contracts to deal with, and the bad thing about finishing so high is; they won’t be getting another Huberdeau in the draft this year.
Possible Finish Next Season: Will be fighting for a playoff spot
Team: Washington Capitals
Current Position: 8th
Probable Finish: 7th
Possible Finish: 3rd, 7th-9th
Current Status: Fighting for a spot
Possible First Round Opponents: Boston, Pittsburgh
Probable Playoff Finish: 1st round
Draft Ranking: Mid first round
Position Targeted: Best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: A big shake-up is needed. This should be the same cup contending team we have seen over the last few years. I think there could be a problem in the dressing room (can’t blame coaching anymore). Anyways, they do have a bunch of key players with expiring contracts. Which includes Semin, Knuble, Green, Wideman, Carlson, and Vokoun. They need to route out the problem, make some moves, and fix this team asap. They still have a good nucleus.
Status Next Season: Will be fighting for a playoff spot
Team: Winnipeg Jets
Current Position: 10th
Probable Finish: 10th
Possible Finish: 10th-13th
Current Status: Long shot to make the playoffs
Possible First Round Opponents: N/A
Probable Playoff Finish: N/A
Draft Ranking: Top 10 pick
Position Targeted: Defenseman
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: It was a pleasant surprise for Jets fans this season, but it looks like they will fall a little short. So as we look towards next season, they may have to work a little harder to win at home as some of the allure will have surely worn off. Management decided to stand pat last year (which ended up being a good decision), but they certainly don’t have that luxury this year. Their D is pretty much locked up, but they have a lot of work to do up-front, and both their goaltenders are in need of contracts. It will be an interesting off-season to say the least. The unfortunate part is that I don’t see them luring any top-notch talent to Manitoba anytime in the near future.
Status Next Season: Fighting for a playoff spot
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Current Position: 11th
Probable Finish: 11th
Possible Finish: 10th-13th
Current Status: Long shot to make the playoffs
Possible First Round Opponents: N/A
Probable Playoff Finish: N/A
Draft Ranking: Top 10 pick
Position Targeted: Best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: It was a really disappointing season for Tampa after making the conference final last year, and they now have two glaring problems that need to be dealt with. Number one is goaltending. Roloson is 42 now, let the poor guy retire! Signing or trading for a top goaltender is an absolute must. The other problem is the age (and on going injury status) of top snipers St. Louis, and Lecavalier. GM Yzerman has to decide if he is going to load this team up and try to win now, possibly at the expense of the future, or ride it out and build around Stamkos and the future. It just doesn’t look like they have the luxury to do both. And that is pretty much the way the team is set up for the off-season. Their key players are all locked up, and that’s pretty much it. So do they fill the spots with call-ups and spare parts? Or do they go after that top-tier talent?
Status Next Season: Fighting for a playoff spot
Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Current Position: 12th
Probable Finish: 12th
Possible Finish: 10th-13th
Current Status: Awaiting the draft
Possible First Round Opponents: N/A
Probable Playoff Finish: N/A
Draft Ranking: Top 10 pick
Position Targeted: Best available
Free Agency and Off-Season Moves: Carolina will have basically the same team returning next year unless some major moves are made. They have some young talent, but not enough to make a serious impact. My advise would be to move all of their secondary talent for picks and prospects and do this thing right. Staal and Ward are in their late 20’s, but only a semi re-build is needed. The problem is, I think, they think, that they are good enough to win now. I guess we shall see…
Status Next Season: Long shot to make the playoffs
There you have it boys and girls. Please feel free to add comments below! And remember, the rest of the divisions are upcoming!
