The way the Kings and Blackhawks started alternating Stanley Cup wins, it was fair to wonder exactly just when the Eastern Conference would emerge as the champ. Especially considering the depth of strong teams in the West, with the Blues, Ducks, Sharks and Predators waiting for one of the powers to slip.
The Penguins' breakthrough this spring was big for them, and it was big for the Eastern Conference. It signaled the end of the dominance in the West and re-established the Penguins as the gold standard to which to compare teams trying to win it all.
Last week, we established the five characteristics that made the Penguins great. Here’s a refresher:
1. Franchise center(s)
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts
4. Three skilled scoring lines
5. Mobile puck-moving defense
The Penguins put the East back in play and the Atlantic division is the home of a couple teams built to emerge as the best in the East. Here’s a look at how the rosters in the Atlantic stack up to the Penguins (in order of last season’s finish):
Note: Here's a look at how the Metro teams stack up, and where the Pacific teams stand.
Florida Panthers
1. Franchise center(s): Check. Aleksander Barkov has grown into every bit the player Dale Tallon expected him to be when he grabbed him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2013. His points-per-game rate jumped from 0.51 in 2014-15 to 0.89 last season. He’s strong, he’s responsible on both sides of the ice and if he can avoid injuries, his growth should continue this season.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Tallon built this team perfectly in acquiring the most important pieces in drafting Barkov and Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad carries himself with the poise of a player much older on and off the ice and is a future captain.
“I don’t say much but I try to raise spirits and have fun,” he said this week of his leadership style. “I like to focus and be aware of the details it takes to win hockey games.”
He’ll be in the Norris Trophy conversation before too long.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: New general manager Tom Rowe was busy giving big money to key players on the roster, with a lot of the best young talent drafted under Tallon now graduated to second and third contracts. But they still have one more season of Ekblad on his entry-level deal, and Michael Matheson is expected to contribute on his entry-level deal.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: This is one area the Panthers don’t quite stack up to the other Eastern Conference top contenders. They’re strong down the middle with Nick Bjugstad a strong No. 3 center if Barkov and Vincent Trocheck are in the top six, but it’s going to the take the emergence of a player like Jared McCann, acquired from Vancouver, to give the third line the forward skill needed to hang with the Penguins and Lightning in the East.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: This was an area of focus for Rowe this offseason, with the revamped defense resulting in the additions of Keith Yandle, Jason Demers and Mark Pysyk. This defense can certainly move the puck, but it will also miss Brian Campbell, who was quietly a major part of the Panthers' surprising success last season.
Total: Four out of five. The Panthers are built the right way, a credit to Tallon, whose blueprint is all over this team even if his influence isn’t what it once was. Depth is a concern, but Florida has the pieces to emerge as an Eastern Conference contender.
Tampa Bay Lightning
1. Franchise center(s): Check. It was overshadowed by the huge trades made the same day, but Steven Stamkos' decision to take less to stay in Tampa Bay sets the Lightning up as serious Cup contenders for years.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Victor Hedman is fantastic. No debate here.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: The surprising turn of the Jonathan Drouin saga was another critical development in Tampa Bay. He has star potential and he still has one more season left on his entry-level deal. At some point, the Lightning will also get contributions from Slater Koekkoek and Adam Erne.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: This is another strength of the Lightning. Their top nine gives Jon Cooper tons of flexibility, but ultimately he has guys like Valtteri Filppula, Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Killorn available to populate his third line. That’s pretty good. The only thing that could mess this up is a prolonged holdout by Nikita Kucherov.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: The combo of Hedman and Anton Stralman put the Lightning in fantastic shape on this front. Andrej Sustr is a pretty darn good skater for a guy who is 6-foot-7. Nikita Nesterov is a good puck mover, too. In a perfect world, the Lightning would have one more strong skating defenseman, but with a salary cap, this is anything but a perfect world.
Total: Five out of five. Considering how difficult it is to repeat, and the challenges ahead on that front for the Penguins, the Lightning are the Eastern Conference’s best candidate to win it all.
Detroit Red Wings
1. Franchise center(s): It’s a transition season on this front for the Red Wings. Pavel Datsyuk is now in Russia and Dylan Larkin, who broke into the league on the wing, projects as a possible franchise center but isn’t there yet. Henrik Zetterberg is 35 years old and coming off one of the least productive offensive seasons of his career. The key will be developing Larkin into a player who can take the baton at center in Detroit.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Nope, and this is a serious problem for the Red Wings who, four years later, still haven’t come close to replacing Nicklas Lidstrom. It’s an impossible task, for sure, but if this franchise wants to return to its previous heights, it needs to find a way to land a bona fide No. 1 defenseman.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Check. GM Ken Holland was able to spend big in free agency in large part because he has a lot of good, young (cheap) talent at forward. Larkin still has two seasons left on his entry-level deal, and a player like Andreas Athanasiou has the potential to be a real bargain with a salary in the $600,000 range.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Forward depth is a strength of this team. With the young forwards like Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha NHL-ready, coach Jeff Blashill can put together a fast, young, skilled third line that could present matchup problems for opposing teams.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Mike Green, Danny DeKeyser, Brendan Smith and Alexey Marchenko are all mobile, puck-movers. The problem with this defense is that there are too many players you want populating pair two and three, and not enough top-pairing caliber defensemen. Half a credit here.
Total: 2.5 out of five. The Red Wings would do well to spin some of the young depth at forward into a defenseman capable of playing on a top pair. Easier said than done. Until that happens, this is a team capable of making the playoffs, but not one you’d expect to make noise when they arrive.
Boston Bruins
1. Franchise center(s): Patrice Bergeron is on the short list of centers you feel great building around.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: At 39 years old, it’s hard to give Zdeno Chara the full mark here, especially as the Eastern Conference gets faster and faster. But he’s still Chara, so we’ll give half a point here.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: David Pastrnak is on the final season of his entry-level deal, and provides good value there. Frank Vatrano provides depth on his entry-level deal. At some point, some of the young draft picks GM Don Sweeney has collected will start to bubble up to the big team and help on this front.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Anchored by Bergeron and David Krejci, the Bruins' top six can play with anybody, but it starts to thin out at lines three and four, especially if David Backes plays the wing in the top six. Ryan Spooner is the key here. The Bruins have depth but not necessarily Stanley Cup-caliber depth at forward.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Nope. Depth on defense is a concern in Boston, and something Sweeney still needs to address for the team to get back into the playoff hunt.
Total: 2.5 out of five. The Bruins are a bit like the Red Wings -- a former powerhouse still trying to find its way in an evolving game.
Ottawa Senators
1. Franchise center(s): Nope. Kyle Turris and Derick Brassard are both good NHL centers, but neither is franchise-caliber.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Erik Karlsson is fantastic.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Curtis Lazar is on the final season of his entry-level deal, and there’s solid prospect depth in this organization where a couple more contributors should be arriving soon.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a good, young player, and at some point guys like Logan Brown and Colin White will arrive to give the Senators more forward depth, but they’re just not quite there yet.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Cody Ceci provides a nice mix of size and puck-moving ability behind Karlsson. Dion Phaneuf is slotted into the right place on the second pair. But this isn’t a Stanley Cup-caliber defense.
Total: Two out of five. There are some nice pieces in Ottawa, just not enough to get overly excited about the Senators this season.
Montreal Canadiens
1. Franchise center(s): Alex Galchenyuk has all the skill in the world, but he’s still not at the point where he’d be put in the same conversation as some of the top two-way, franchise centers who win Stanley Cups. He still needs to round out his game to get there.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Whether or not you liked the P.K. Subban-for-Shea Weber swap, there’s no doubt you can win a Stanley Cup with Shea Weber as your No. 1 defenseman. The clock may be ticking there, but in the short term, Weber is still one of the best.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Guys like Charles Hudon, Michael McCarron and Martin Reway are at the point now where they could help in the NHL consistently. Reway, especially, is an intriguing prospect, who Insider prospect guru Corey Pronman called a “brilliant offensive player.”
4. Three skilled scoring lines: It’s going to take the emergence of some of the Canadiens' young players to really get excited about the third and fourth lines in Montreal, even with the addition of Andrew Shaw.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Mobility is a concern for a defense built around Weber and Andrei Markov. There are some physical players on this defense, and they won’t be easy to play against, but teams with speed could give this team problems.
Total: Two out of five. The Canadiens have Carey Price, so you can’t count them out for anything this season. But we saw last season just how dependent they are on their goalie, and they remain just as vulnerable this season.
Buffalo Sabres
1. Franchise center(s): The Sabres are beautifully constructed down the middle, with Jack Eichel playing the role of franchise centerman. He’s not quite there yet, but he will be and earns Buffalo the check mark.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Rasmus Ristolainen is headed down this path, but I’m not quite ready to declare him a franchise, No. 1 defenseman in the same breath as guys like Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban and Duncan Keith.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: As long as Eichel is on his entry-level deal, this is a nice advantage for the Sabres, and ownership in Buffalo has shown they will spend to surround the young players with expensive veterans.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: With Sam Reinhart slotted to play with Jack Eichel on the wing, the Sabres' third line will likely consist of Johan Larsson, Marcus Foligno and Brian Gionta. That’s not going to scare too many teams.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Dmitry Kulikov is a good skater and adds mobility to the Sabres' defense, but this blue line is still a work in progress and isn’t one you’d put in the same category as the Stanley Cup contenders.
Total: Two out of five. If Ristolainen continues his path towards becoming a No. 1 defenseman and the Sabres can continue to build out depth and skill, this team is on the right path. They’re just not there yet.
Toronto Maple Leafs
1. Franchise center(s): Auston Matthews won’t show up in Game 1 as a franchise center, but he will get there. In landing Matthews, the Maple Leafs checked off the hardest part of a rebuild. We’ll give them the check here.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Morgan Rielly is really good and has meshed well with Mike Babcock, who will bring out the best in him. He’s just not at the point yet where we’d give him No. 1 franchise defenseman status.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: No shortage of guys here. The Maple Leafs have a lot of great young talent coming and when the time is right, will surround them with the right, expensive veterans.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: This depends entirely on who makes the team out of training camp, but with the potential additions of Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, the potential is there for three really skilled lines in Toronto.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Not yet, and the return of Roman Polak doesn’t help the cause.
Total: Three out of five. The Maple Leafs are coming, but there’s still building and development to do. Give this team two years and it’s going to be really, really good.