Southeast offseason: Division's northernmost team on rise
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Fifth in a six-part series
No one calls this the South-least Division any more, but with consistent also-rans like the Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and lately the Tampa Bay Lightning, the temptation remains.
Thing is, the Lightning won a Stanley Cup five seasons ago. Since then, so have the Carolina Hurricanes, who remain a competitive team. And these days, no one laughs when you talk about the Washington Capitals as a contender for the NHL's top prize.
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| Brendan Morrison will fit in nicely on the Capitals' second line this season. (Getty Images) |
• B/R: Southeast grades
Here's a graded look at what the Southeast teams have done this summer in reverse order of last season's finish:
Washington Capitals
Had Ovechkin scored for Washington on an early breakaway in Game 7 against Pittsburgh, the end result of the Eastern semifinal series might have been different. Instead, the memory of losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion should serve as motivation for a Washington team that looked to be on the cusp of greatness all last season. The Caps might even be better now, especially if playoff goaltending sensation Simeon Varlamov proves he wasn't a 21-year-old flash in the pan.
The Capitals made two significant changes this summer, bringing in winger Mike Knuble and center Brendan Morrison to replace Russia-bound Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov. Knuble is only a little younger than Fedorov at 37, and he's a 25-30 goal guy who will do the dirty work for Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in front of the net. Morrison still has the wheels at age 34 to fit in with Alex Semin on the second line.
Knuble and Morrison come a lot cheaper than Fedorov and Kozlov, which is critical for the Caps who have essentially focused on keeping the rest of last year's squad together, but are pushing the cap limit. If only they could pawn Michael Nylander off on somebody. Grade: A-
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes were healthier than they had been since winning the 2006 Stanley Cup, so it's probably no surprise they were back in the mix. Carolina's core players are still around from the title squad and GM Jim Rutherford has moved the other parts around effectively enough to keep this team on a winning track when injuries haven't been a factor.
Rutherford has been busy again in that regard this summer, getting Tuomo Ruutu to re-up before an arbitration hearing, and Erik Cole and Chad LaRose to re-sign after hitting the free-agent market. Carolina will have some new faces next season with Andrew Alberts and Aaron Ward adding some toughness to the blue line and Tom Kostopoulos filling a depth role up front. The most notable absence will be defenseman Frantisek Kaberle, who was bought out. Grade: B
Florida Panthers
Hard to imagine a team falling off radar it was barely on, but the Panthers have managed that neat trick in what has seemed like a summer of suspended animation for the organization.
Florida has been among the most low-key teams in the league this offseason, in part because the Panthers don't have a full-time general manager these days, but mainly because the organization is in the process of being sold. So while a New York investment group works out the purchase details, the Panthers have managed to do little more than tinker with a lineup that missed the playoffs for the eighth straight time last season.
Interim GM Randy Sexton has made the best of a bad situation, salvaging something for Jay Bouwmeester by acquiring Jordan Leopold and a draft pick. Sexton also brought in center Steven Reinprecht and backup goalie Scott Clemmensen while dumping troublemaker Nick Boynton and Karlis Skrastins from the blue line and Brett McLean from the forward units. Florida's biggest move was getting David Booth to sign an extension before anyone could tender him an offer sheet. Grade: C-
Atlanta Thrashers
You have to wonder what Thrashers GM Don Waddell thought when the organization brought in Rick Dudley as his assistant in June. Dudley is one of the most respected talent judges in the game, but he left a Chicago organization that might be on the verge of a Stanley Cup for Atlanta, which has essentially gone nowhere since joining the league in 1999 with Waddell at the helm.
That's probably one reason Atlanta hasn't been able to announce the news it really wanted to this summer, a contract extension for Ilya Kovalchuk, but the Thrashers are at least trying to convince their franchise player they are moving in the right direction and that it will be worth sticking around.
Atlanta dipped into the free-agent market for big forward Nik Antropov and traded for Pavel Kubina, and their first draft choice in June, Evander Kane, is already signed and is likely to crack the lineup at age 18. If everything breaks properly for the Thrashers this season -- meaning a big, injury-free season from goalie Kari Lehtonen and continued progress by budding young stars Bryan Little and Tobias Enstrom -- they could be in the mix for a playoff spot. But there's still a long way to go for this team. Grade: C-
Tampa Bay Lightning
OK, this summer hasn't been as much fun as last one for Tampa Bay, although watching the infighting between owners -- especially Len Barrie being forced to prove he can still afford to be one -- had its amusing side.
Internal politics aside, the Lightning still appear to have serious financial issues, but that hasn't stopped them from moving and shaking. Still, the team has taken a more rationale approach to things with GM Brian Lawton apparently firmly in control of the hockey decisions.
Tampa Bay didn't trade away franchise player Lecavalier or weaken what was a pretty decent offense even with Vaclav Prospal's buyout, but the Bolts upgraded their troubled defense significantly by signing free agents Mattias Ohlund and Matt Walker, drafting Victor Hedman and adding Antero Niittymaki as the back up goalie. Grade: B
