Tim Sassone's NHL Eastern Conference preview

Eastern Conference

1. Washington

In Tomas Vokoun, the Capitals think they finally have a goalie that can win the Stanley Cup. Time will tell if the Caps are good enough defensively as a team to win it all. A very good offense, led by Alex Ovechkin, should be helped by the addition of big and gritty forwards Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer.

2. Pittsburgh

With Sidney Crosby, the Penguins are hands down the best team in the NHL. They're pretty good without him, too. How many games Crosby can play should he recover from the two concussions he suffered last January is anyone's guess. The Pens won't rush him. Evgeni Malkin is primed for a big year, and the Penguins play great defense.

3. Boston

Let's see how the Bruins handle the Stanley Cup hangover. Another great year from Tim Thomas in goal would help. Led by Thomas and defenseman Zdeno Chara, the Bruins had the second best defense in the NHL, and that shouldn't change. This team is big, strong, deep and built for the playoffs, but nobody repeats anymore.

4. Philadelphia

Will adding goalie Ilya Bryzgalov make up for the loss of offensive stars Mike Richards and Jeff Carter? Let's find out. There is plenty of firepower left in Claude Giroux, Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk, plus Jaromir Jagr was brought back from Russia to help. The Flyers are a dangerous team again.

5. Tampa Bay

Even with the expectations higher, there aren't a lot of holes on this team. Goalie Dwayne Roloson will be 42 next week so the key is keeping him fresh. The Lightning likes to trap and wait for chances with its explosive offense, led by the dynamic 1-2 punch of Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos.

6. Montreal

The Canadiens could be a top-four team if things fall into place. They need a healthy season from Andrei Markov on defense, for starters, which is a tall order considering he has torn his ACL twice. Goalie Carey Price is an all-star and defenseman P.K. Subban is an emerging force on the blue line.

7. N.Y. Rangers

Watch out for the Rangers. Brad Richards gives them four difference-making forwards, joining Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is already elite and coming into his prime years. Richards is so good that he could give the Rangers a new feel about themselves.

8. Buffalo

The Sabres added three impressive pieces in center Ville Leino and defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr, but the key always will be Ryan Miller in goal. Miller was banged up last season and didn't have a superstar year. If that happens again, as improved as the Sabres are, they will struggle to make the playoffs.

9. Carolina

The Hurricanes probably lack the depth and experience to match the eight teams better than them in the East. Eric Staal is one of the best players in the league, but the defense ranked 22nd last year and put a lot of pressure on goalie Cam Ward to win games by himself. That should be the case again.

10. Toronto

It's difficult to see the progress GM Brian Burke has made with a franchise that hasn't won a Cup since 1967. The Maple Leafs' season will ride with goalie James Reimer, and there are those who believe he is only average. The offense still depends too heavily on Phil Kessell, who needs help from free agent pickup Tim Connolly.

11. New Jersey

Unfortunately for the Devils, Jacques Lemaire did not want to return to coach. New coach Peter DeBoer inherits the league's worst offense, which should be helped by the return to health of star winger Zach Parise. But which Ilya Kovalchuk will show up? Goalie Martin Brodeur is 39 now and not the dominating force he used to be.

12. Winnipeg

Forget all the hoopla surrounding the return to Winnipeg. The Jets/Thrashers still have a lot of holes past Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Zack Bogosian and Tomas Enstrom. Goalie Ondrej Pavelec was very good at times last season in Atlanta, but needs to be more consistent in front of the NHL's second-worst defensive team.

13. Florida

GM Dale Tallon made massive changes, bringing in Brian Campbell, Tomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg, Sean Bergenheim, Tomas Kopecky, Ed Jovanovski and goalie Jose Theodore. There's also a new coach in Kevin Dineen. The Panthers will be more fun to watch, but the jury is still out on them, especially with Theodore in goal.

14. N.Y. Islanders

There is hope here finally, thanks to a good group of young forwards, but the Islanders aren't anywhere near being a playoff team. Defense will again be a shortcoming and who is the goalie here anyway: Rick DiPietro, Al Montoya or Evgeni Nabokov? It seems the Islanders haven't had stability in goal since Billy Smith.

15. Ottawa

There's nothing to be optimistic about here. The Senators were 29th offensively and 25th defensively, and neither part of their game has improved. Center Jason Spezza and winger Daniel Alfredsson must do it all again up front. The Senators are going to need goalie Craig Anderson to be great every night. Good luck with that.

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