In lieu of the beginning of the NHL season, I have come up with predictions ranging from division champions to conference champions to, finally, a Stanley Cup champion. In this first installment of predictions, I will cover the Eastern Conference and its division champions. Tune in next week for the Western Conference, followed a week later by playoff and Stanley Cup picks.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division:

New Jersey will return to prominence after a sub-par season in 2005-2006. Led by Patrick Elias and Brian Gionta, and with the ever-steady Martin Brodeur in net, the Devils will claim the division’s top spot by the third week of the season and will not relinquish it, though pushed heavily by the surprisingly strong New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh will be a much improved team over last season, but will not be nearly as strong in goal or in their own defensive zone as every team above them in the standings. The New York Islanders will quickly discover that the Garth Snow Experiment and the 15-year contract of Rick Dipietro are not just bad dreams but a continuous nightmare that will plague the team for years to come.

Division Outlook
New Jersey Devils
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Islanders

Northeast Division:

Buffalo will look to return to within a game of the Stanley Cup and show the NHL that last season was no fluke. With solid goaltending in Ryan Miller and Martin Biron, playmaking up front with Chris Drury, Maxim Afinogenov, and a healthy Daniel Briere, the Sabres will have the offensive punch to compete almost every night and the defense to keep the puck out of the net. Ottawa, coming off another disappointing season, will see itself plummet from prominence as the loss of Martin Havlat will hurt more than expected, and Martin Gerber will not be able to replace Dominic Hasek as well as expected. Following the Sabres in the standings will be Boston and its rebuilt blueline and Toronto, which will once again not make the playoffs. Montreal, left with Cristobal Huet, will see that the sophomore slump is a terrible thing when your backup goaltender is David Aebischer.

Division Outlook
Buffalo Sabres
Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadians