Atlantic Division Preview

Revamped Rangers look like class of the division

When you think of the Atlantic, you think of regional rivalries. Long-standing grudges held over from season to season, decade to decade. This year features some electric divisional storylines: long-time Rangers nemesis from the Islanders of the 1970s and early '80s, Bryan Trottier, becoming the coach of the Blueshirts, and the villainous Bobby Holik crossing over from the Meadowlands to Broadway.

Part of the reason for the changes in New York was the Rangers' fourth-place divisional finish and their division-low seven wins against their Atlantic counterparts. That has to change this year, particularly their 3-6-1 record vs. their neighbors from Long Island and New Jersey. The Islanders, in fact, led the Atlantic with 11 divisional wins, while the division-winning Philadelphia Flyers posted the best mark against the entire East with 33 wins.

The challenge for these Rangers will be focusing on hockey on a nightly basis instead of becoming soap-opera fodder for the local tabloids. Of course, with a little early momentum, those same scribes will make them the toast of the town.

OK, what does Holik really mean to the Rangers, besides adding to their size in the pivot? He brings an edge to the team that will make it harder to play against. Darius Kasparaitis fits into the same mold as a guy who is miserable to match up against. The pair should help the Rangers turn around their 7-10-1-2 record vs. divisional foes of a year ago, which was worst among the five teams in the Atlantic.

Holik, in particular, excels in rivalry games, and his numbers reflect his focus on these critical contests. Last season with the Devils, he was a dominating point-per-game performer and a plus-7 in 20 divisional games, while posting a more modest total of 15 goals, 19 assists and an even mark in 61 tilts against the rest of the league. By contrast, Eric Lindros struggled with just 13 points and a minus-6 rating in 18 divisional games, while boasting 60 points and an impressive plus-25 in 54 games outside the division. In that light, Holik's hidden value becomes more visible, and the case for optimism more obvious.

Further improvement for the Blueshirts should be readily apparent in the defensive schemes implemented by assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld. As a head coach, his teams were always well prepared and represented a tough night on the schedule for the opposition. One area of defensive concern is the penalty kill, where the Rangers finished dead last a season ago, surrendering nearly a goal a game when down a man. And while the personnel is better suited to defend on the PK -- reference Holik and Kasparaitis again -- they figure to be busy again this year, with muckrakers Krzysztof Oliwa, Sandy McCarthy and Matthew Barnaby all in the mix up front.

Speaking of the forwards, they are precisely the element with which first-year head coach Trottier can make the most meaningful impact. How so? Quite simply, he needs to come up with the proper blend and balance within his four-line rotation. Actually, that decision alone will influence the Rangers' new look and ultimate success: Will Trottier favor a four-line scheme, as he was accustomed to in Colorado? Or will he opt for a shorter bench, as was the case when he was an assistant in Pittsburgh? Youngsters Jamie Lundmark and Rico Fata -- and the organization as a whole -- would benefit from a four-line approach. After all, it is hard to win it all without using all your personnel.

This team has the personnel and physical attributes to represent the East in the Stanley Cup finals. The daunting task ahead is proving that they have the collective mental disposition and discipline to live up to their prodigious potential.

It is a case of déjà vu for head coach Ken Hitchcock. He inherits a team very similar to the one he took over in Dallas. Actually, with regard to personnel, this Flyers team is further along than the Stars were when Hitchcock assumed bench-boss duties there in 1996. Still, the similarities are striking: strength down the middle -- especially with the addition of quintessential third-line center Michal Handzus; a rugged, if somewhat slow-of-foot, blueline corps; and an eccentric No. 1 netminder in Roman Cechmanek.

The focal point from the outset will be the power play, and with good reason. The Flyers were abysmal last season with the man advantage, scoring only 39 times. Their inability to count on the crucial goal while up a man hurt them in their matchups with the better teams, finishing only three games above .500 against teams with winning records. Improved power-play production will allow the Flyers to reverse that trend this season. It also will signal an upturn in productivity for Mark Recchi and John LeClair, both of whom posted lower than usual offensive totals, mostly due to the inept power-play output.

Those two aside -- and adding wingers Simon Gagne and Justin Williams to the top-six forward mix -- the Flyers are not very deep on the flanks. That is especially true if Hitchcock is to maximize the functionality of Handzus on the third unit. Veterans Paul Ranheim and Donald Brashear work on the fourth line, as does tough Todd Fedoruk. But who fits with Handzus? That’s where youngsters Pavel Brendl and Alexander Drozdetsky have to make a case for consideration. They’ll have to earn their way, though. The dilemma is that Hitchcock is a coach predisposed to playing veterans on his third and fourth lines, and the Flyers organization is hardly in the mood to endure the learning curve youth begets. Yet without an infusion of offensive prowess, the Flyers risk becoming a predictable two-line team -- something Hitchcock abhors almost as much as rookie mistakes.

Can a team caught in the quandary of contradiction find a way to contend?

Whether out of necessity or foresight, general manager Lou Lamoriello's change of focus from size to speed is intriguing. The Devils set the model in the East for physical teams. While his divisional rivals ice teams made in the Devils' former image -- namely with towering centermen controlling the middle -- Lamoriello has reformulated his team by adding smaller, speedy players up front. Equally telling is the Devils' makeup on the blueline, where once physical play and conscientious conservatism ruled the day; they now have three passive, fleet-skating rearguards in Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski and Oleg Tverdovsky roving on the blueline.

More than ever, the attack will originate from the backline, augmented by quicker, shorter routes taken by the forwards through the neutral zone. If any team hopes to prosper from the league's renewed emphasis on interference calls, it is the Devils, especially if they use their feet to pressure and pursue on the forecheck against their bigger, slower counterparts. So, despite the shift in emphasis to skating -- maybe as a direct result of it -- this Devils team has the chance to get off to a terrific start. To do that, though, new head coach Pat Burns has to adopt a more aggressive forechecking strategy than he has in the past, and the power play must click immediately. To that end, though, Tverdovsky is not a strong power-play quarterback -- despite his offensive skills -- and newcomer Jeff Friesen has not become the natural finisher once projected.

Still, with the continuity of couplets Joe Nieuwendyk-Jamie Langenbrunner, Scott Gomez-Sergei Brylin and John Madden-Jay Pandolfo, Burns has a strong foundation on which to build his offense. For this to work, Brian Gionta and Christian Berglund, both of whom fit into a free-skating philosophy, have to chip in with production. They cannot just take up space at even strength.

The assumption here is that the excellence of goaltender Martin Brodeur will smooth over any rough spots in the Devils' changeover. He needs to be sharp from the outset to give his teammates confidence in their new approach and buy his new coach some time to bring things together. Still, the greatest challenge facing Burns will be avoiding the usual dip in effectiveness when a team is in transition. Burns will try to guide New Jersey's move from setting the precedent in the East to chasing the one set by the top teams in the Western Conference -- at once tricky and interesting.

Last year, the Isles rode a fast start all the way to the postseason, enjoying the journey. The desired destination is less likely this year, unless they improve their consistency.

From reborn to reality -- that is what this season represents for the Islanders. Last season's fast start was just what the newly reconstituted Isles needed. This season's start is one filled with uncertainty with captain Michael Peca on the shelf recuperating from reconstructive knee surgery. His presence and situational excellence is a tremendous loss for the Islanders, forcing second-year coach Peter Laviolette to juggle his personnel behind top centerman Alexei Yashin. The good news is that he has options, with Shawn Bates, Dave Scatchard and newcomer Jason Wiemer all capable of being effective at either center or wing.

Furthermore, the departure of right winger Mariusz Czerkawski paves the way for youngster Juraj Kolnik and veteran Martin Chabada to battle for that vacated roster spot. On the left side, Raffi Torres might be ready to stick with the big club in his third pro campaign. His edgy, up-tempo game seems tailor-made for Laviolette's coaching style, particularly in light of Peca's early-season absence. Added depth is critical this time around for the Isles, as Laviolette displayed a propensity to shorten his bench in his first season -- a trait that led to his overworking his top four defensemen. The addition of veteran Mattias Timander should help immensely here, making for at least a legitimate five-man rotation on the backline. Still, Laviolette's habit of relying on too few will be hard to break in the face of the first-half adversity of going it without the team's leader.

That puts the play of goaltender Chris Osgood at even more of a premium. After a phenomenal introduction on the Island, he was wildly inconsistent as the season wore on. Lapses and letdowns have plagued his mostly stellar career. That tendency threatens to undermine an already delicate balancing act awaiting the Islanders this year.

This is an odd ensemble collection of bit players with whom to surround megastar and central character Mario Lemieux -- hoping his performance alone can elevate that of the entire cast.

The big assumption here is that it the roster make-up matters at all because Lemieux is going to stay relatively healthy and be able to compete at a high level all season. And if you look at the long-shot veterans invited to camp -- Alexandre Daigle, Alexander Selivanov, Vladimir Vujtek and Marc Bergevin -- it seems apparent that the Pens do not have a reliable gauge regarding the expectations of their youngsters. Now, if Lemieux does stay healthy and if these players who are walking the last mile of their careers mesh and produce, then Pittsburgh will have a one-year reprieve in terms of relying on its prospects, who are in various stages of development.

Even if youngsters Shane Endicott, Konstantin Koltsov and Tom Kostopoulos fail to make the roster, the performance of 20-something centermen Milan Kraft and Kris Beech will largely dictate the Penguins' success. The pair has fewer than 200 games of experience combined, yet both will need to produce offensively behind Lemieux. And without Martin Straka, head coach Rick Kehoe begins the season looking for any kind of help on a very weak left side -- a possibility for Kraft because of his deficiencies in the face-off circle.

So if the frontline is a menagerie of mix 'n' match/fix 'n' patch, at least Lemieux and Alexei Kovalev provide an offensive presence. There is no such figure on the blueline. Again, just like the situation up front, do the Penguins see what youngsters Brooks Orpik and Ross Lupaschuk bring to the NHL level, or do they try to get by with their assemblage of refurbished rearguards? It's a tough call because it is hard to win in this league relying on young players in so many instances.

A situation that needs to improve this season and likely wouldn't with a youngish lineup is the Penguins' effort against the league's elite. The Pens were brutal against the best last year -- 15 games under .500 against foes with winning records, while posting a plus-2 mark against the league's lesser lights. Under those circumstances, it is easier to understand their visitation of various veteran options first. Yet, the tradeoff becomes the lost benefit of having as many of their top prospects as possible experience Lemieux's legend and aura as a teammate. Certainly a perplexing predicament.

Factor in a risky goaltending scenario, and the Penguins' standing in the 2002-03 campaign becomes even more muddled. Johan Hedberg has performed beyond expectations since coming to Pittsburgh, but his workload appeared too much at times last season. Backup Jean-Sebastien Aubin struggled in the role, as many goalies do when they are in their mid-20s with starter aspirations. It is clear that this is hardly a healthy environment and it probably never will be unless Aubin gets more starts. If that's not the intent, maybe this is the ideal spot for the Penguins to forsake youth and offer up one last chance to a proven veteran backup.

Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for CNNSI.com.

 

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