Northeast division - team analysis

Boston Bruins

EAST PROJECTION 9TH 2002-03 36-31-11-4, 7th

HOT

NOT [check]

The last important hole that must be filled is the No. 2 center slot, vacated when Josef Stumpel went to the Kings in a salary dump during the summer.

TRUTH: C Brian Rolston, who has averaged 26 goals and 60 points the past three years, is perfectly suited for the second line. The more significant problem is finding the right kind of No. 3 center. The Bruins learned in last year's playoff loss to the Devils the value of a tenacious checking center such as John Madden. Madden and his line shut down Joe Thornston's high-scoring line. The Bruins just don't have that sort of gritty player--a Dale Hunter, Guy Carbonneau or Mike Keane--to win a big faceoff or frustrate the opposition's star.

SECRET: Under former coach Robbie Ftorek, the Brains tried to be an attacking team, with the defense joining the rush. The result: A complete breakdown of team defense much of last season. Under new coach Mike Sullivan, the Bruins will go back to basics, stressing responsible, patient play. The team is confident it has enough gifted attackers to again be one of the highest-scoring teams but must stop giving up so many easy goals.

SCOUT'S TAKE: "There will be a better atmosphere with the new coach. People really like Mike Sullivan. Felix Potvin should stabilize the goaltending, and they've got a lot of good forwards. They have to be better defensively."

BREAKTHROUGH

D Jeff Jillson, 23, has carried a "big-time potential" tag since he was the Shark's first pick (14th overall) in 1999. A Summer conditioning program should help him show off his fine two-way skills.

Buffalo Sabres

EAST PROJECTION 11TH 2002-03 27-37-10-8, 12TH

HOT [check]

NOT

LIE: The new owners say they no longer are shackled by the chaotic ownership situation of recent years, that they are committed to building a winning team and will spend the money necessary to make it happen.

TRUTH: The Sabres are forecasting a payroll of $33 million, down $5 million from last season. They quite possibly overpaid for C Chris Drury (his four-year deal is worth $15 million) and seem headed for long battles with their top forward, Miroslav Satan. They avoided further disaster, however, when they signed one of their best defensemen, Jay McKee.

SECRET: Clearly, the expectations are very high for Drury, whose reputation largely was built on of a handful of big goals he scored while playing for the Avalanche. One role Drury is expected to fill: main quarterback of a power play that must improve on last year's 14.4 percent, 20th-ranked success rate if the Sabres are to have any hope of reaching the playoffs. With Drury at the point, C Daniel Briere will be the go-to guy down low.

SCOUT'S TAKE: "They helped themselves by adding Andy Delmore and Drury. They've got a good battle with three goalies, but I'd have to say they're a long shot to make the playoffs."

BREAKTHROUGH

RW Maxim Afinogenov, 24, has blinding speed but battled concussion symptoms early last season and played only 35 games. However, he is ready to erupt as an explosive offensive force, which this team desperately needs.

Montreal Canadiens

EAST PROJECTION 13TH 2002-03 30-35-8-9, 10TH

HOT

NOT [check]

LIE: G Jose Theodore, with members of his family facing loan-sharking charges, will find it impossible to play under the intense media spotlight in Montreal and will have to be traded.

TRUTH: Theodore, as likable a player as there is in the Habs' locker room, will weather the storm. The best role model for Theodore: Devils G Martin Brodeur, who played superbly in helping his team win the Stanley Cup last season, despite undergoing a very public breakup with his wife. Theodore took questions about the issue from reporters before the season and then told them he would not address the subject again. He is liked and respected enough that even the hard-digging Montreal media might back off. On the ice, Theodore has a lot to prove. He is under a lot of pressure to return his game to the high level he achieved in 2001-02, when he won the Vezina (top goalie) and Hart (regular season MVP) trophies. To help him get back there, this summer he worked harder than ever--while avoiding the TV commercials, golf and nightlife that occupied much of his time the previous offseason and put him at a disadvantage from the start.

SECRET: Many predicted new G.M. Bob Gainey would bring in his own coach when he took over, but instead he gave a vote of confidence to Claude Julien. It's believed, however, if the Habs start poorly, Gainey will call in old teammate Doug Jarvis who is coaching the Hamilton farm club.

SCOUT'S TAKE: "I don't think they're a real good team. Theodore is the man, and if he gets hot he can carry the team. Honestly, it's a rebuilding year."

BREAKTHROUGH

C Chris Higgins, a smart and skilled center from Yale, is expected to play a regular shift. He has the two-way tools to be a top playmaker.

Ottawa Senators

EAST PROJECTION 1ST 2002-03 52-21-8-1, 1ST

HOT [check]

NOT

LIE: G Patrick Lalime, blamed by more than a few Senators fans for last spring's heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Devils in the conference finals, is not good enough to take the team all the way.

TRUTH: Actually, Lalime is widely considered to be one of the five or 10 best goalies in the league and can be counted on to shoulder a workload heavier than most other goaltenders. The feeling by most in the locker morn and with management is that he is capable of getting the job done. Which, when it comes down to it, is all that matters. If Lalime falters, the Senators' options in the system lack experience: G Martin Prusek, whose stock fell slightly last season, still is regarded as an able backup with potential. But spirited G Ray Emery, a top-notch prospect seen as the future in net for the Senators--he can stop the puck and doesn't mind fighting--will push Prusek. Don't be surprised to see Emery and Prusek get about the same amount of action as backups, just in case.

SECRET: Sometimes the best moves are the ones a team doesn't make. And the Senators pretty much stood pat with the powerhouse team of last season that came so close to the Stanley Cup finals. The only significant move was not re-signing LW Magnus Arvedson, who signed with the Canucks.

SCOUT'S TAKE: "They're the best team in the division, probably in the conference. They're very well-coached. They have a bunch of highlight forwards. Lalime is good, and it's a really good, underrated defense."

BREAKTHROUGH

Some might say C Jason Spezza, one of the most heralded prospects to enter the NHL in years, already has broken through. But Spezza, who spent 43 games in the AHL last year, has bulked up and should leap forward to stardom.

Toronto Maple Leafs

FAST PROJECTION 6TH 2002-03 44-28-7-3, 5TH

HOT

NOT [check]

LIE: Leafs officials annually insist they are committed to bringing the Stanley Cup back to Toronto, and they will spend whatever it costs to add the missing pieces to a veteran squad.

TRUTH: Fans have come to regard those as empty words, believing management is more concerned with the bottom fine than the on-ice product. New G.M. John Ferguson Jr. walked into a firestorm: Fans are demanding a winner, but his bosses are telling him he can't spend a dime more than last year's payroll of $55 million.

SECRET: The Leafs would love to trade RW Darcy Tucker, a guy with talent and a very feisty nature. The departure of a cheap-shot guy such as Tucker might signal a change in philosophy for the Leafs, considered the dirtiest team in the NHL in recent years. And it might help their penalty killing; the Leafs faced the most power plays in the league last season.

SCOUT'S TAKE: "They just seem to he an old team, really just a patchwork kind of team. It's not a team that scares you very much. Detroit got old, too, but they plugged in some really good young players. Toronto didn't do that."

BREAKTHROUGH

C Nik Antropov, who has immense talent, has been injured a lot. This summer, he added 15 pounds of muscle, pushing him to 230, and is projected to be closed to a point-a-game player--but staying healthy was a problem in camp.

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