*Montreal Canadiens: The storyline seems too good to be true for Montreal: heading into the 100th season of Canadiens hockey, the Habs have assembled, arguably, the best team La Belle Province has seen in over a decade. With the additions of C Robert Lang and LW Alex Tanguay to a young, talented offence, scoring goals should not be a problem for the Flying Frenchmen. The only question marks for the Habs are in net, where phenom G Carey Price must prove he is ready to be an elite goaltender, and on the front line, where the enigmatic RW Alexei Kovalev must be a point-per-game player if Montreal hopes to finish atop the Eastern Conference.
*Buffalo Sabres: Lost in the drama of last year's departure of C Chris Drury, C Daniel Briere, and D Brian Campbell, was the fact that Buffalo's offence remained one of the most dangerous in the league. General Manager Darcy Regier has stockpiled young talent like C Derek Roy, RW Jason Pominville, and LW Thomas Vanek to lessen the damage of the exodus of talent from Buffalo. The Sabres' defence failed the team last season, but with the acquisition of Craig Rivet, the back end should no longer be a weakness. Look for G Ryan Miller to lead Buffalo back to the playoffs.
Ottawa Senators: The window of opportunity for the Senators has almost completely closed. After a three-year run as the most talented squad in the Northeast division, Ottawa has gradually slipped onto the playoff bubble. While the Sens still boast the best line in the league-RW Dany Heatley, C Jason Spezza, and RW Daniel Alfresson-their secondary scoring is almost non-existent and their defence is among the weakest units in the East. On the bright side, at least Ottawa doesn't have to worry about their backup goalie allegedly threatening to kill a senior citizen this season, as G Alex Auld has replaced Ray Emery-who is now playing in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
Boston Bruins: The Bruins proved last season that they are one of the toughest teams in the NHL, but don't expect a repeat of last year's 94-point performance. Boston finished 25th in the league in scoring last season, and will need C Patrice Bergeron to show no ill effects from last January's season-ending injury if they hope to vanquish their scoring woes. Perennial Norris trophy candidate Zdeno Chara will continue to be a rock on the blue line, but it's tough to expect journeyman G Tim Thomas to repeat last year's career season. The Bruins will finish just short of the playoffs.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs have the inside track in the race for John Tavares. Without C Mats Sundin, Toronto's top six forwards are the worst in the league-anytime RW Nik Antropov might be your leading team's leading scorer, you're in trouble. The only bright spots are G Vesa Toskala and D Thomas Kaberle, who deserve better than this woeful mess. No matter what Sundin decides, the Stanley Cup drought will reach 41 years in Toronto.
*-denotes playoff team
2008 Woodie Awards
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