The Southeast might not be the biggest hockey hotbed in the nation, but its teams, with superstars like Alexander Ovechkin, sure know how to play.
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In years past, the Southeast Division would have been thought of as the “weaker sister” in the NHL. The division is located in an area of the continent where hockey has not been traditionally strong, and its hockey teams have traditionally followed suit. However, despite the lack of overall success the Southeast Division has had in the past decade, every year it seems at least one of its teams performs exceedingly better than the competition. The Florida Panthers began the trend by making the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, losing to the eventual champion Colorado Avalanche. Then in 1998, the Washington Capitals made their appearance in the Final against Detroit, again losing. In 2002, the Carolina Hurricanes lost in the Final to the Red Wings as well, before the Tampa Bay Lightning broke the division’s losing streak by capturing the first-ever Stanley Cup in both team and division history. The very next season (following the lockout), Carolina returned to the Final and won Stanley Cup for themselves.
In 2007, however, the Southeast Division did not have an overly dominant team. The Atlanta Thrashers, the last of the division’s five teams to have never made a Cup Final appearance, won the division crown with just 97 points as the Southeast was the only division in the NHL last season without a 100-point team. Atlanta’s totals would have been good enough for an eighth seed had the team played in the Western Conference, and the Thrashers were handily swept by a much better New York Rangers team in the first round of the playoffs. The division’s only other playoff competitor, the Lightning, were also beaten in the first round by the New Jersey Devils.
As the 2007-08 season gets ready to kick off, there are many questions and few answers for the Southeast Division’s teams. Can the Tampa Bay Lightning overcome their lack of goaltending to return to Stanley Cup form? What will it take for Carolina, just two years removed from the ultimate prize, to become competitive again, after missing the playoffs last season with virtually the same roster? The ‘Canes did reacquire centers Matt Cullen and Josef Vasicek, but were those two players really the glue for their 2006 Stanley Cup run? How will the Thrashers respond after such a bitter disappointment in their first playoff bid? Can Florida or Washington make big enough strides with their young rosters to be competitive this season? Only time will tell.
Predicted order of finish:
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Atlanta Thrashers
- Florida Panthers
- Washington Capitals
