Atlantic

REGARDLESS OF HOW THE NHL's labor negotiations turn out, the Flyers are one of the few teams that barely will be affected. They're a money machine compared to most other franchises, which is why they confidently re-signed captain Keith Primeau in June to a four-year, $17 million deal.

Primeau was a revelation in the postseason, easily Philadelphia's best and most intense player. No one bought more into coach Ken Hitchcock's system over the last two years, and Primeau was rewarded for it.

"For our organization, Keith is the most important player on our club," GM Bob Clarke insisted. "He's our leader. Before we could go forward with other signings, we felt we had to get Keith signed."

Even with that move, going forward is problematic for the Flyers. They are a much better defensive team than when Hitchcock took over in 2002. They are deeper. Their goalkeeping woes appear solved with Robert Esche, who was a standout for much of Philly's three playoff series.

But there is a growing feeling around the NHL that the Flyers missed their chance, as currently constructed. Many of their veterans either are near the end of or past their primes, or have become injury prone. While John LeClair, Tony Amonte, Eric Desjardins, Vladimir Malakhov and, most significantly, Jeremy Roenick remained factors, their impact figures to decline soon. Perhaps rapidly.

For the Flyers to win the Cup for the first time in more than three decades, they must extract another strong season from that core group. And they need continued development by Simon Gagne, Branko Radivojevic, Joni Pitkanen and Radovan Somik. Plus more solid work from Kim Johnsson, now their best defenseman; Alex Zhamnov, a key addition last spring; Michal Handzus; Sami Kapanen; Marcus Ragnarsson; and recent pickups Mark Knuble and Turner Stevenson.

2003-04 Record:    W    L    T   OTL    GF    GA   Pts.

                  40   21   15    6    229   186   101

2003-04 Offensive Leaders

POINTS:                                   Mark Recchi, 75
GOALS:                                    Mark Recchi, 26
ASSISTS:                                  Mark Recchi, 49
POWER-PLAY GOALS:                         Mark Recchi, 14
SHORTHANDED GOALS                       Eight tied with 1
GAME-WINNING GOALS:                        Simon Gagne, 6
SHOTS:                                   Simon Gagne, 211
SHOOTING PERCENTAGE:                   Mark Recchi, 15.6%
PLUS/MINUS:                              John LeClair, 20

2004 Draft

RD.  SEL. PLAYER           POS.  CLUB (LEAGUE)

 3    92 Rob Bellamy         RW  New England (EJHL)
 4   101 M. R.J. Anderson     D  Centennial (USHSW)
 4   124 David Laliberte     RW  P.E. Island (QMJHL)
 5   144 Chris Zarb           R  Tri-City (USHL)
 5   149 Gino Pisellini      RW  Plymouth (OHL)
 6   170 Ladislav Scurko      C  Spisska Nova Ves (Slovakia)
 6   171 Frederik Cabana      F  Halifax (QMJHL)
 8   253 Martin Houle         G  Cape Breton (QMJHL)
 9   286 Triston Grant       LW  Vancouver (WHL)
 9   291 John Carter          C  Brewster (Ind. Jr.)

Top Prospect

CENTER JEFF CARTER SPENT MOST OF LAST season in juniors, where he tore it up for Sault Ste. Marie with 66 points (36 goals) in 57 games. He was promoted to the AHL Phantoms, performed well in the playoffs, and his next stop should be the Flyers.

Just 19, the tall Carter would fit well into a lineup where tie could learn from the likes of Primeau. He's not ready to be a star, but his future is bright enough that he warrants attention from Hitchcock this year.

2. New Jersey Devils

DESPITE THEIR EARLY DEMISE IN the playoffs, getting throttled by the Flyers, the Devils still should be among the elite of the league--particularly if they don't have to deal with the myriad of issues that plagued them last season.

There are many question marks surrounding this franchise so a move in the opposite direction wouldn't be a shock.

The most serious of those issues is coach Pat Burns' battle with cancer. There's also Scott Stevens condition after post-concussion syndrome that cost the seemingly indestructible defenseman more than half of last season. And where the Devils will wind up playing home games down the road; they want out of the Meadowlands.

Still, New Jersey wound up with 100 points and finished just one point in back Of Philly in the Atlantic.

Of course, they never dealt with a long-term absence by their unquestioned leader, Stevens. In his absence, Scott Niedermayer took the spotlight and had a Norris Trophy season. A force offensively from the blue line, Niedermeyer had his best defensive year, too.

With players like the Scotts in front of him, plus Brian Rafalski and Colin White and newcomer Richard Matvichuk, goalie Martin Brodeur has a comfort level few others enjoy. That doesn't mean Brodeur isn't still the best netminder in hockey, because he is. He won his second straight Vezina last season and can turn any game in New Jersey's favor with his saves and stickwork.

The Devils allowed 164 goals, 22 fewer than anyone else in the East and easily the fewest in the league. They limit scoring opportunities on Brodeur and they know he will make a great majority of the tough stops, anyway.