Eastern Edge

  This week, I conclude with the second part of players that find themselves in interesting situations heading into their respective training camps. It could be that spiffy new hotshot rookies, first-round pick or a new player coming to the team via off-season trade or free agency. It could even be that player coming off [...]

  There are always players with interesting questions heading into their respective training camps. It could be that spiffy new hotshot rookie/first round pick or a new player coming to the team via an offseason trade. Maybe it's a big free-agent signing. It could even be that player coming off of an unusually good or [...]

  The New York Islanders missed the playoffs last season. On the positive side of the ledger, they replaced head coach Jack Capuano with Doug Weight, a change that was applauded by every Isles fan outside of the Capuano family. All things considered, the Isles survived expansion without sacrificing a roster player and avoided signing [...]

  The New York Rangers made some pretty big personnel changes this offseason. Up front, gone are top center Derek Stepan, Brandon Pirri and Oscar Lindberg. On the blueline, stalwart defensemen Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein are no longer on the roster. Solid backup goaltender, Antti Raanta left as part of the Stepan deal. [...]

  The Summer of 2017 was a tumultuous one for the Montreal Canadiens. Gone are the numbers three (Andrei Markov), four (Alexei Emelin) and five (Nathan Beaulieu) in average ice time per game, all defensemen. To make matters worse, they traded their top defense prospect in Mikhail Sergachev, although they did receive a very dynamic, [...]

  If we judge success by the number of Stanley Cups won, and we probably should, the Penguins are now tied with the Oilers for the most Stanley Cups amongst non-Original Six teams. They have two of the games top players in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, a couple of world class talents in Kris [...]

The Columbus Blue Jackets just had their most successful season in franchise history, finishing third in their division (and the Eastern Conference) with 50 wins and 108 points. It was a surprising result, considering that the team finished 15th in the conference the previous season.   It would be hard to talk about the Blue [...]

  Last season, Washington was the odds on favourite to win the Stanley Cup, but once again, fell short in the playoffs. The Capitals lost in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. A case could be made that had Washington won that game seven instead of Pittsburgh, they might have been [...]

  Happy Fourth of July to our American friends. The Ottawa Senators were the only team to qualify for the postseason with more goals allowed than goals for. They allowed the tenth fewest goals against while ranking 22nd in goals scored. […]

  For the first time in 25 years, the Detroit Red Wings didn’t have a partner when the music began to play for the annual post-season dance. Most everyone agrees that this was inevitable and ultimately a good thing, allowing the franchise to restock the prospect shelves with some higher-ranked draft picks. Those shelves aren’t [...]