East's Wish List: Penguins only one not in need of a thing from Santa
Teams can't go shopping on the last weekend before Christmas because of the roster freeze, but they're all still hoping for something from Santa. Here's the wish list.
Atlanta Thrashers: Locking up Ilya Kovalchuk for life. The Thrashers are for real this season, but things could come apart quickly if they trade their captain because they can't re-sign him.
Boston Bruins: Finding the right wingers for Marc Savard would be nice. So would a power play that's as good a special team as the penalty killing unit.
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| The Devils' Martin Brodeur, who has played in a goalie-record 1,030 games, is still the backbone of the team. (Getty Images) |
Carolina Hurricanes: Being able to maximize the return on marketable assets. It might be the only way for Carolina to salvage something from this lost season.
Florida Panthers: Being better at home. You can't draw fans if you don't win and the Panthers have done that fewer times than anyone in their own building.
Montreal Canadiens: Getting something good for Jaroslav Halak. The backup goalie wants a trade, Montreal wants to accommodate, and there are teams in need of No.1-A type.
New York Rangers: So much to ask for, they look greedy. But somebody other than Marian Gaborik to provide some offense on a regular basis would do the trick.
New York Islanders: A second half by John Tavares that helps the Isles make the playoffs and gets him the Rookie of the Year award that is still very much up in the air.
New Jersey Devils: Martin Brodeur having enough left for the playoffs. He's playing as much as he always does, and that's hurt him in the last few postseasons. He's going to the Olympics, too.
Ottawa Senators: Alexei Kovalev becoming the player the Senators expected, especially now that Jason Spezza is on the shelf for a while.
Philadelphia Flyers: A shiny new lab set. So much talent here, yet so little chemistry. But there's enough time left to experiment and fix things.
Pittsburgh Penguins: They have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury down the middle, and they're pretty healthy. What else could the Pens wish for?
Tampa Bay Lightning: Coming up with a face-saving way to deal with Vinny Lecavalier. Tampa Bay's captain is obviously in a funk there and the team really can't afford him anymore.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Better penalty killing. That's the one part of Toronto's game that hasn't improved since the start of the season.
Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin staying healthy.
