Division Shake Up: What to Look For
As Mike's previous two post pointed out, the NHL will be a very different place come the 2013-14 season with the Eastern and Western conference have undergone a dramatic re-alignment and now it has become far more simplied with the East sporting two separate divisions with the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions and the West also having two divisions with the Pacific and Central Division. With new leagues come new rivalrys are long gone are the days of the dull Southwestern Division and sadly Vancouver will not fight for a sixth straight Northwest Division. But what will the big match ups be? Let's take a look in more detail.
Atlantic Division
This division promises plenty of thrills with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens doing battle for a playoff place- there is no love lost between Leafs and Habs fans and this fixture never fails to entertain. But the clash that will have everyone talking will be when the Ottawa Senators meet the Red Wings which will see recent Detroit defector Daniel Alfredsson return to the Scotiabank Arena for the first time- what reception he will get remains to be seen! This will be a division with a great mixture of strength and skill and its final positions will be anyones guess. You have to feel sorry for the Florida Panthers though because they really feel like the odd one out here- though it will be fascinating to see new boy Aleksander Barkov flexing his muscles against the big boys.
Metrpolitan Division
The inclusion of the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals will make for equally interesting viewing as each team can bring something different to the table. The Penguins have to be clear favourites for this one with their offence but you can never count out the Alexander Ovechkin led Caps and after a 3rd hart trophy he will be eager to add a Stanley Cup to his collection. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a team rebuilding but losing new signing Nathan Horton to injury will seriously hamper their chances, New Jersey will no doubt be shaken by the loss of Kovalchuk will be looking to bounce back quickly after a disasterous season last year. But one team to look out for will be the Philadelphia Flyers who after adding Vincent Lecavalier to their roster could be a contender.
Central Division
This division is possibly the weakest one on show for next season with only cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks being the strongest team. But we cannot rule this division out just yet as we have a Minnesota Wild side led by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and will seemingly add a least one more star before the season starts, the Dallas Stars team have the new addition of future star Tyler Seguin which can boost their offence and all eyes will be on number one draft pick Nathan Mackinnon as he makes his bow with the Colorado Avalanche. Nashville Predators are a team that can occasionally spring a surprise and with hot prospect Seth Jones on the books, this could spark a new whole new beginning! This division may not be the most watched in the league, but it will prove the best display of young talent.
Pacific Division
Finally now we come to the Vancouver Canucks who in this division join the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers among others in a division which on the surface may not appear exciting, but will nevertheless prove close. Vancouver have a lot to prove after two fruitless seasons gone by and with John Tortorella now managing the bench- events will prove unpredictable. The Kings came close to making the final last year and will be people's pick for this division. But you can never rule out the Ducks who at the Honda Center are tough to beat, especially when Ryan Getzlaf is on form. Edmonton has a lot to prove with their young line of number one picks and will new coach Dallas Eakins, their progress will be noted.
Whatever the scores, we are guaranteed to have one of the best seasons of hockey for sometime next season so lets gets the beers on ice and wait for that first puck to drop- the old divisions may be gone, but this new idea will see some much closer action!
Atlantic Division
This division promises plenty of thrills with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens doing battle for a playoff place- there is no love lost between Leafs and Habs fans and this fixture never fails to entertain. But the clash that will have everyone talking will be when the Ottawa Senators meet the Red Wings which will see recent Detroit defector Daniel Alfredsson return to the Scotiabank Arena for the first time- what reception he will get remains to be seen! This will be a division with a great mixture of strength and skill and its final positions will be anyones guess. You have to feel sorry for the Florida Panthers though because they really feel like the odd one out here- though it will be fascinating to see new boy Aleksander Barkov flexing his muscles against the big boys.
Metrpolitan Division
The inclusion of the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals will make for equally interesting viewing as each team can bring something different to the table. The Penguins have to be clear favourites for this one with their offence but you can never count out the Alexander Ovechkin led Caps and after a 3rd hart trophy he will be eager to add a Stanley Cup to his collection. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a team rebuilding but losing new signing Nathan Horton to injury will seriously hamper their chances, New Jersey will no doubt be shaken by the loss of Kovalchuk will be looking to bounce back quickly after a disasterous season last year. But one team to look out for will be the Philadelphia Flyers who after adding Vincent Lecavalier to their roster could be a contender.
Central Division
This division is possibly the weakest one on show for next season with only cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks being the strongest team. But we cannot rule this division out just yet as we have a Minnesota Wild side led by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and will seemingly add a least one more star before the season starts, the Dallas Stars team have the new addition of future star Tyler Seguin which can boost their offence and all eyes will be on number one draft pick Nathan Mackinnon as he makes his bow with the Colorado Avalanche. Nashville Predators are a team that can occasionally spring a surprise and with hot prospect Seth Jones on the books, this could spark a new whole new beginning! This division may not be the most watched in the league, but it will prove the best display of young talent.
Pacific Division
Finally now we come to the Vancouver Canucks who in this division join the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers among others in a division which on the surface may not appear exciting, but will nevertheless prove close. Vancouver have a lot to prove after two fruitless seasons gone by and with John Tortorella now managing the bench- events will prove unpredictable. The Kings came close to making the final last year and will be people's pick for this division. But you can never rule out the Ducks who at the Honda Center are tough to beat, especially when Ryan Getzlaf is on form. Edmonton has a lot to prove with their young line of number one picks and will new coach Dallas Eakins, their progress will be noted.
Whatever the scores, we are guaranteed to have one of the best seasons of hockey for sometime next season so lets gets the beers on ice and wait for that first puck to drop- the old divisions may be gone, but this new idea will see some much closer action!
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