Is this thing on?

*blows the dust off*

Hello motherpuckers! We are a little over two weeks away from training camps opening up, and with that, the season will not be far behind. Time to shake off the cobwebs of inactivity the off season has oh so generously placed upon on, and look towards the 2011-2012 regular season. Only way I know how to welcome in the season is with previews, predictions and breakdowns. So let's get to it. However, I would be remiss to start anything without mentioning the latest in an unfortunately growing list of former player leaving us all too soon. Wade Belak was found dead in a condo in Toronto today. I have heard conflicting reports of how he died, but common theme is suicide. He is the third player to found dead this year along with Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien. There seems to be a connection between "enforcers" and suicide/accidental death now that the league should certainly look into in some fashion before this becomes even more common.

now, on to the "fun" stuff....


NORTHEAST DIVISION:
last season's standings.

Boston 46-25-11
Montreal 44-30-8
Buffalo 43-29-10
Toronto 37-34-11
Ottawa 32-40-10

The Northeast Division is one of the toughest divisions in hockey. The three most recent Vezina trophy winners are in this division. Tim Thomas-Ryan Miller-Tim Thomas. That's a nice goaltending sandwich right there. Of course we also have Carey Price, who finally staked his claim as the legitimate #1 goaltender in Montreal. How good does that Halak trade look now? And the upstart James "Optimus Reim" Reimer who managed to displace both former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastian Giguere and Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson as the Maple Leafs starter and goalie of the future. Rounding out this goaltending pinwheel is Craig Anderson. He had a bit of a let down year last season, compared to 09-10, but started to bounce back after being traded to Ottawa. If you like goaltending, you'll love this division.

Boston Bruins: Last year's Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins will enter the season largely unchained. Nothing drastic in terms of roster moves this off season, which will either help or hinder them coming into this season. Gotta love the ambiguity of that statement. With a mostly identical roster, you bring back chemistry and familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt does it not? The Bruins have won the ultimate prize. While one is never enough, there is always the dreaded "cup hangover" to contend with next season. The Bruins certainly have the tools to compete for the cup again without a doubt, but they are their own biggest obstacle this year.

Montreal Canadiens: Free agent pick up of Erik Cole was a bit of a surprise, but a solid pick up to help bolster their offense. The biggest surprise was the extension given to Andrei Markov, who has had nothing but injuries the past few seasons. It seems like Montreal is banking on Markov overcoming the injury bug. Perhaps Pierre Gauthier is looking to beat the odds two years in a row with this signing. Will Peter Budaj be a better backup than Alex Auld? With the amount of games Carey Price plays in a season, it probably won't matter. In an already tight divisional race every year, it's quite possible the Habs will be even more competitive.

Buffalo Sabres: Apparently the Sabres new owner was like a kid in the candy store come July 1 this summer. Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and trading for Robyn Regehr mark the key off season moves for the now free spending Buffalo Sabres. Whether or not Ehrhoff and Leino will be worth their hefty pay will be a big question mark. Leino played his first full NHL season last year and appeared to be out of gas down the stretch. Ehrhoff had two good years in Vancouver and cashed in big time with a 10 year deal. While Buffalo is a solid team, they're not as good or deep as Vancouver. Will these moves come to get Buffalo over the hump, or will they be ones the Sabres ultimately lament? One move they will not regret is bringing in Robyn Regehr. He can act as the older mentor for Tyler Myers which he was lacking last season. Look for Myers to have a much more consistent year this year, which will also help Buffalo greatly.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Tim Connolly, John-Michael Liles, Matthew Lombardi (good news on his part, concussion symptom free) and Cody Franson are the newest players to don the blue Maple Leaf emblazoned sweater. Draft picks Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy look to be solid prospects to come up in the future. For now, this is going to be the Optimus Reim show. Will James Reimer be a flash in the pan, like so many goalies before him (even Brian Burke has called him out on this possibility), or will he be new coming of Felix Potvin? There is a very real possibility that the Maple Leafs will become more like their division counterparts in the respect that they will go only has far as their goalie(s) will allow. Tim Connolly will also need to stay healthy to be an effective pivot for Phil Kessel. Connolly hasn't played more than 75 games since 2002-2003, and has lost almost two full seasons due to concussions, so that will also be something to watch up in Toronto. Regardless of all that, the Maple Leafs will need to get off to a better start than previous seasons if they wish to have a shot at making the playoffs. Something they haven't done since before the lockout.

Ottawa Senators: Ahh the redheaded stepchild of the Northeast Division. They really are the Edmonton of the Eastern Conference...but without all that 1980's glory. After a great run to the cup finals against the Ducks, the Senators have consistently gotten worse and worse. This team is completely dependent on their top line for essentially all their offense. Couple that with a goalie who has an injury report longer than my arm, and you have a recipe for disaster. Drafting Mika Zibanejad goes towards bringing depth and youth down the middle, but that's assuming the young Swede will be able to crack the line up immediately. I'm not so sure that will happen, and so once again, if anything happens to Spezza or Alfredsson, the Sens could be in serious trouble...unless Craig Anderson pulls some of Avalanche magic and carries this team on his back like he did in 09-10 for Colorado.


Predictions: I want to say Boston will win their division again, but I think Buffalo has made some much needed additions to take the top spot. A healthier Atlantic Division will make it a tall order for the other teams in the east to make the playoffs, but once again it is possible for over half of this division to make the playoffs. I'm going to call it like this though.

Buffalo
Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa

Yes, I might be predicting it a possibility that Toronto actually ends the dry spell of playoff appearances. That said, don't plan the parade yet, Leafs Nation. It's a long hard road to get there, and they have to play much better out of the gate to make it plausible. Otherwise, it's the Habs in the third spot and taking one of the 6th-8th spots in the East.


Other divisions to follow shortly, so keep your pants on. Also, new season, new reminders. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Here Lies Da Islanders

'Ey yo! you shuda voted!

Ok, now that I've gotten that awful accent out of the way, let's look at the bleak future of the New York Islanders. Votes are still be tallied, but as of 11:30PM it's looking like 58% say no, 42 yes on a new arena for the Islanders. While this certainly isn't the last hope for the Islanders, it doesn't look too good for the near future.

The Islanders have a dramatic history in the NHL, with their four consecutive Stanley Cup wins in the 1980's, to a franchise put firmly in the skids of mediocrity, to the point where they've essentially been an AHL+ team. I won't rehash all the stupid things Mike Milbury has done as Gm, because he's too oblivious anyway, and we all know them well enough by now. Rest assured he's somewhere forming more idiotic opinions about hockey with Pierre McGuire, who's probably dreaming of Sidney Crosby and Mike Richards. Alas, I digress.

It's no secret that the Nassau Coliseum is one of the most outdated and antiquated facilities in the league right now. It's a pain in the ass to get to, and no one wants to go there anyway to see the Islanders lose another game. Even their own commentators dread watching them play. Don't believe me? Go ahead, click here and see for yourself. Anyway, it's easy to see why the average fan, and those not familiar with the game would vote down a measure to pay for a new arena to be built for a team as woeful as the Islanders. However, they are a young team with tremendous talent that will be, if they can stay healthy, an exciting group to watch.

Update: the AP is calling the vote at approximately 11:40pm as a NO for the new arena. So now Charles Wang and the Islanders will have to explore new avenues to secure a new building. Does this mean the team will be fleeing the island? I highly doubt it at this point, but I can't lie, it's not a bad idea. The Islanders are currently under contract through 2015 with the city/arena so there is still time to go ahead and get something done. With the talent the Islanders have on the rise, it would be nice to see them start to turn it around in a new building, with actual fan support. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, months and even years it'll be worth keeping an eye on. A team like the Islanders won't be moved easily, so the league could possibly get involved. Will it actually come that? Who knows. All we do know is that this part of the Islanders saga is over, but a new one is just beginning.