Atlanta – The Thrashers won 12 of their last 18 games to finish up last season in strong fashion. Although the playoffs still seem out of reach again this season, note that we should see continued improvement from this club as the team continues to adjust to coach John Anderson’s systems. Early last season it was evident that the Thrashers had more issues than expected in terms of the adjustment phase with their coach. However, they were a better team later in the season. If goalie Kari Lehtonen can stay healthier this season (he missed nearly half of last season), Atlanta could surprise a lot of prognosticators with a better than expected 2009-10 season.

Carolina – Goalie Cam Ward is among the league’s top goaltenders. He enjoyed a big post-season performance last year, as did the Hurricanes as a team. It was a huge run in the second half of the season for the Canes. They carried that momentum in the playoffs and now, after a solid post-season, they can carry that same momentum forward to this season! The Canes have six key veterans who have contracts that expire at the end of this season. As a result, the 2010-11 season could definitely begin a rebuilding phase in Carolina. That’s why the Hurricanes decided to stand pat in the off-season and that’s why we expect a big push from the Canes this season as they aim to get the job done before the roster purge begins. Carolina is solid offensively and down the middle but the concern is their defense and how the Canes couldn’t stop the talented Penguins in the conference final. Having Ward between the pipes is a huge asset but, ultimately, the inability to stop other team’s high powered forwards is what could keep the Canes from reaching their destination once again.

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Florida – Eight seasons without making the playoffs. That’s currently the worst post-season drought in the league. The loss of defenseman Jay Bouwmeester won’t help matters for the Panthers. They just missed the playoffs last season and head coach Peter DeBoer did a great job with the talent on hand as the Panthers truly had their best season in years. However, the loss of Bouwmeester plus goalie Craig Anderson – now in Colorado – is significant. Although Tomas Vokoun is the starting netminder in Florida, he was plagued by bouts with inconsistency last season. Anderson filled in well when called up on but now Scott Clemmensen is the back-up. Florida isn’t loaded with a lot of big scorers and that creates a problem. They have to get goals by more of a “score by committee” approach. Their lack of offensive ability also showed up in the shootouts where they won just 3 of 13 last season. If the Panthers young forwards really have a breakout season, this could the year Florida finally sneaks into the post-season. If not, then look for more frustration down in South Florida.

Tampa Bay – The Lightning should be on the way up! Tampa Bay added Mattias Ohlund, Matt Walker, Kurtis Foster and David Hale to the defense. The future on the blueline also looks brighter with the Lightning drafting Victor Hedman. Offensively, Steven Stamkos had a strong second half last season and Vincent Lecavalier is certainly capable of bouncing back from a subpar season. Keep in mind that the defensemen listed above will also help out in the leadership department as well. We like the direction of this team under coach Rick Tocchet and we believe that the signing of left winger Alex Tanguay will also provide a boost to a very talented group up front. In between the pipes, if Mike Smith is healthy, the Lightning should absolutely end up returning to the post-season after missing out last spring.

Washington – In certain respects, the Capitals were close, very close, to hoisting the Stanley Cup. Last season they took the Penguins to a 7th game before getting knocked out in the second round of the post-season. Yes, of course, that’s the same Pittsburgh team that eventually hoisted the Stanley Cup after knocking off the Red Wings in June. However, for all their explosive talent up front, there are still concerns on the blueline and back around their own cage in Washington. In terms of defense, the Capitals often make mistakes in crucial situations. The Caps defense lost a key leader with the departure of Donald Brashear. Offensively, they took a hit with the defections of Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Federov to the KHL. How much could this possibly impact Alex Ovechkin? Also, in between the pipes, can Jose Theodore rebound from his late season struggles? If not, just how fast can Simeon Varlamov gain the key experience he still needs. Just as an example, Varlamov was quite shaky at times in the Penguins series. So, as close as the Caps were to the Cup last season, losing to the eventual Champions, their goaltending and defense could go a long way toward whether or not they are able to take that next step. We feel there are too many questions marks going into the season to “bank” on much improvement from Washington this season as they truly could regress if the goaltending situation does not get settled.