Eastern Conference Review

September 24, 2008 10:57am CDT

This week we take a look at Eastern Conference players who will get an opportunity to make an impact on their clubs this season. They may not all be first-liners, but they should get a regular shift at least. Depending on their situations, some may even get special-teams duty. Be careful to examine their roles in light of these considerations.


Atlanta - Bryan Little, Brett Sterling

Little is projected as the potential first-line center, which means the chance to play alongside franchise player Ilya Kovalchuk. Perhaps a bit short in stature at 5-foot-11, he is a solid 200 lbs and was regarded as a skilled scorer throughout a prolific junior career. He should also be the main pivot on the Thrasher power-play. Sterling is another small forward (at 5-foot-8) but does play with a great deal of energy. He was a top scorer in the AHL and he may well earn a look on the second scoring line for the Thrashers.


Boston - Manny Fernandez, Milan Lucic
The Bruins have waited a long time to see how Fernandez might look as their top goalie after acquiring him from Minnesota. After a frustrating time on the injury list most of last year, he will get that chance this season. He has a career 2.49 goals against average in 297 appearances. Lucic started the year as a role player, and was injected into games to make a physical impression with his energy level. He evolved over time into a more capable well rounded force that had some scoring ability by season's end. That profile has elevated him to a power forward role on the second line to start this season.


Buffalo - Clarke MacArthur, Andrej Sekera
MacArthur showed midway through last season that he could be a player earning a regular shift on a NHL roster after spending a couple of years honing his skills in a fine AHL program with the Sabres' affiliate in Rochester. He tallied 15 points in 37 games last year and should dwarf those totals early this time around. Sekera made an impression with the Sabres after being inserted into the lineup late last season. He has good offensive instincts and should see some time on the power-play as he gains a comfort level with a full year under his belt.


Carolina - Brandon Sutter, Anton Babchuk
If bloodlines mean anything, then Sutter is a shoe-in for a fine NHL career. He may be more of a role player than any sort of regular shift guy at the start of the season, but we expect him to hit the fast track as he soon gains the confidence of teammates and coaches. He needs to fill out his 6-foot-3 frame before realizing his fullest potential. Babchuk returns from a season in the Russian league having excelled offensively, which is an area where the 'Canes have been traditionally substandard. The addition of Joe Corvo and Janni Pikanen give Babchuk skilled blue-liners to play with as well.


Florida - Shawn Matthias, Kamil Kreps
The departure of Olli Jokinen has created an opportunity for centers in Florida, which means Mathias might be arriving at the right place at the right time. At 20, the 6-foot-3, 210 pound Mathias has the physical attributes to go along with a scoring touch, and will be more attractive if paired on a line with Nathan Horton. Kreps played in mostly defensive roles last season, something that many young centers are asked to do early in their careers. He will move up to third-line duty, and if he shows any kind of offensive upside he may graduate to a scoring-line position.


Montreal - Maxime Lapierre, Kyle Chipchura
These two centers are in competition with one another for a fourth center or third-line wing position at best. Chipchura is more solidly built and has the more successful junior hockey resume. Lapierre has been a good fit in previous cameos because he is a more fluid skater. They would have both made the grade if Robert Lang was not added recently. Injuries are inevitable to every team, so we should expect to see both of them at the NHL level at some point this year.


New Jersey - Rod Pelley, Andy Greene
Pelley was a big-time scorer in college at Ohio State. As a pro, he has not yet displayed that scoring touch. As this lineup is veteran-filled he may have to hang around as a depth forward again to start the year, and will need to score to get a promotion. Andy Greene has the skill to be more of an offensive defenseman than he showed last year. If he can start the season more confidently, we may see a spike in his totals, as there is not much offensive prowess on this blue-line corps.


NY Islanders - Kyle Okposo, Blake Comeau Okposo is another physical power forward who has spent some time in the minors for a couple of seasons, yet will get a big chance to show his wares on the top line this year. Another former World Junior champion, he has played in many pressure games to aid in his development. Comeau is another young forward who has slowly climbed through the ranks. On a team with such a thin forward complement, he is also in line for more minutes owing to his strong two-way play.


NY Rangers - Pat Rissmiller, Dan Fritsche Rissmiller and Fritsche are poised to earn minutes among the top three lines, owing to the departure of Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan,. Rissmiller comes over from San Jose as a 29-year-old with imposing size at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and is viewed in some quarters as a potentially late-developing player. Fritsche comes over from Columbus having scored 10 goals last season. Among the Rangers forwards he may be capable of much more production.


Ottawa - Jesse Winchester, Alexander Nikulin
Winchester is auditioning on the top right-wing spot alongside Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley in order to free up Daniel Alfredsson on a second scoring line. If Winchester impresses, he will be a prized addition to any fantasy roster. Even if he slides down to second or third-line minutes, he may still be a 20-goal guy. Nikulin has played a few years in the Russian Super League and made the move to North America last season notching 50 points for Binghampton in the AHL. The Sens have brought him along deliberately and like what they see so far. He is a solid bet to make the big club and should put up decent numbers in his rookie NHL season.


Philadelphia - Steve Eminger, Steve Downie
Eminger was a skilled offensive blue-liner in junior hockey but never found his niche in Washington. He fits the Flyers profile of skill with toughness, having amassed 221 penalty minutes in 212 career games. A fresh start with the Flyers could spur him to greater heights as they do not have many offensive-minded blueliners here. Downie is already near the head of the class in terms of being despised by opponents. He was a top-scoring junior and hopes to start and play the entire year on the big club after a suspension-marred rookie campaign.


Pittsburgh - Janne Pesonen, Kristopher Letang
The Pens signed the 26-year-old out of the Finnish elite league, where he was the leading scorer. In some quarters, he is viewed as one of the best European imports to come into the NHL this season. If he can stick among the top two scoring lines, he would be a great sleeper pick. Letang is a young defender with a big upside, as Ray Whitney slid a bit last year and Sergei Gonchar is now 34-years-old. Letang will get more time in key situations in the near future.


Tampa Bay - Matt Carle, Evgeny Artyukhin
Matt Carle was brought in to provide some scoring punch to this blue-line. He has not yet delivered to his potential, but this circumstance may be ideal for him. At 23, this big defender will grow with the offensive core. Artyukhin is a big man at 6-foot-5, 254 pounds who has a nasty side, having earned 183 penalty minutes in 44 games. The surprising element in his game is that he is allegedly a smooth skater. If he can keep up with some of the scoring forwards in Tampa, he could be a nice surprise pick.


Toronto - Michal Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin
The Maple Leafs makeover may be highlighted by these two Russian imports. Grabovski was acquired in an offseason deal with Montreal and is going to start the year as the pivot for veteran Russian forwards Alexei Ponikarovsky and Nik Antropov. His offensive skills should be a nice complement there. Kulemin is an explosive forward who has been brought along slowly. However, he may earn a spot as part of the new wave of youth here. He has the reputation for scoring highlight-reel goals as a skilled playmaker.


Washington - Eric Fehr, Chris Clark
Fehr was limited by a back injury for most of last season, but he did gather himself to be effective down the stretch and into the playoffs. The big winger will be an asset to the scoring lines if he continues to use that size to his advantage. Clark returns to the fold as the team's captain after playing only 18 games last year. He enjoyed a career year playing with Ovechkin two seasons ago, and may get the chance to recapture that magic.