Money in the bank: with a new owner—and actual cash to pay players like Daniel Alfredsson—Ottawa looks like a sure thing to capture its division crown - Eastern Conference: Northeast Division

Hockey Digest, Nov, 2003 by Jeff Goodman

THE OTTAWA SENATORS, DESPITE all of their ownership issues a year ago, excelled on the ice, and they will be the heavy favorites to claim the Northeast Division for the second straight season. It's not that the Senators, who came within one game of going to the Stanley Cup Finals, made a flurry of offseason acquisitions. It's more that no one else in the entire division did much of anything to help themselves.

The biggest mores in the division came on the management side with new--and hopefully stabilizing--ownership in both Ottawa and Buffalo.

The Senators not only boast the division's top offense--but they also have the most stability in net with Patrick Lalime, who was outstanding a year ago. That would have been a crazy statement a year ago with the season that Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore was coming off, but the Habs netminder was average--at best--last season.

Other than Ottawa, it doesn't appear as though the division has any other team capable of making a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup. The Boston Bruins have a new coach and no proven goalie, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an anemic offense and an aging goalie, and while Buffalo may have a new, improved ownership situation, the Sabres just don't have enough talent quite yet.

Mediocrity will likely be the rallying cry of the other four teams, which all may have a shot at making the postseason, yet no chance at advancing. If the Bruins can find a goalie, things may be different. If the Leafs can find offense beyond Mats Sundin and Alexander Mogilny, maybe they have some hope. If Theodore returns to the form that made him a dominant player in the game two seasons ago, anything possible in Montreal. And if Buffalo can get all of its young players on the same page and also get much-improved play from goalie Martin Biron, they could get past the first round.

However, that's plenty of ifs, which is why the Senators should not only cruise to the division crown, but maybe even take the ultimate prize.

1. Ottawa Senators

THE SENATORS DIDN'T DO A TON during the offseason, but then again they didn't really have to. This is a team that racked up the most regular-season points in the NHL and took the eventual champions, New Jersey, to seven games in the Eastern finals. Despite failing to add any big-name free agents, Ottawa has enough weapons up front to make it all the way there this season.

On the attack: The offense was third in the league last year and expect more of the same fireworks this season. Daniel Alfredsson racked up 27 goals and 78 points and Marian Hossa led the team with 80 points. Center Bryan Smolinski, acquired late last season, inked a four-year, $10 million deal, and another key pickup last season was getting 24-year-old winger Vaclav Varada from Buffalo. Don't be surprised to see top prospect Jason Spezza with the big club all season. Todd White is also coming off a solid year.

Under fire: Wade Redden, the anchor of the defense, will be around a while after signing a three-year, $14.1 million deal in the offseason. Redden had 10 goals and 35 assists last season and his 45 points were 11th among NHL defenseman. The Senators lost Magnus Arvedson, but they will still have a reliable group that includes 25-year-old Chris Phillips, 26-year-old Zdeno Chara, and veteran Curtis Leschyshyn.

Between the pipes: Patrick Lalime just turned 29 and is coming off the best season of his five-year career, finishing 39-20-7 with a 2.16 GAA and eight shutouts. He has also raised his game to the occasion in the playoffs for the last two seasons with a 1.39 GAA in 2001-02 and a 1.82 mark last season. Lalime's backup, Martin Prusek, wasn't bad when he got the chance, going 12-2-1 with a 2.37 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 18 regular-season contests.

Behind the bench: It didn't take long for coach Jacque Martin's contract to be extended by the new ownership. He is a great X's and O's guy, but he will need to motivate this group in order to win the Stanley Cup.

Bottom line: New owner Eugene Melnyk opened up his pocketbook right away, signing Smolinski and Redden to multiyear deals. This is a team that has almost all the pieces to not only get to the Stanley Cup, but come away with a victory in the finale.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs

OTHER THAN COACH PAT QUINN losing his general manager status, there wasn't a whole lot going on in Toronto this summer. The Leafs, perhaps bloated by many late-season acquisitions, weren't active in the free-agent market despite failing to advance past the first round for the first time in four years.

On the attack: It all starts with Mats Sundin and Alexander Mogilny, but there isn't a whole lot of firepower after that. Guys like Travis Green, Mikael Renberg, Owen Nolan, Darcy Tucker, and Robert Reichel are solid, but none can be counted upon to put up numbers. One source for more offense may be Nik Antropov, a big winger who put up 45 points in 72 games last season. This is a club that will have trouble scoring goals and that will put a lot of pressure on an aging goalie and a suspect defense.