| Subject: Eastern Conference Preview |
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GWHL Staff
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Date Posted: 22:26:57 08/29/04 Sun
Halifax:
Coming off a year on tops of their conference, Halifax is a team to be reckoned with once again. Blessed with depth in every position and a who?s who of league stars look for GM Stephen Holidinsky to do little as the season begins. If pre season showed us anything it is that Halifax is the team to beat if anyone else wants to be sitting in 1st place at years end. The only concerns that could be had by Halifax is that, although the team has depth in positions, they don?t have numbers. With concussion prone Eric Lindros and Chris Pronger off of wrist surgery in the off season leading a myriad of superstars, staying healthy through an 82 game schedule may be questionable. An unfortunate injury to a player in ANY position could severely hurt the team.
Quebec:
The Quebec team is one of paradoxes, underachieving last year and with high hopes going into this season. Led by superstar warrior Mario Lemieux, along with veteran Rob Blake and scoring sensation Pavol Demitre, Quebec is a team with skill to showcase today and a balance of young talent only waiting for their opportunity in the spotlight. A blue collar team if ever one could be defined, look for Quebec to vastly improve this year on last year?s performance.
Montreal:
Montreal begins this season surrounded by question marks. Can Tkachuk perform to his capabilities? Will Bertuzzi step up to form? Can Nabokov maintain his star composure behind a questionable defence? Can management come to terms with all-star Paul Kariya? Expect a move to be made for a defenseman who can shore this team up and at that point, expect Montreal to be considered a contender for the cup. With youth in the wings waiting for a shot and enough player depth to almost field a second team out of the city, Montreal is a contender in the making.
Steeltown:
Shackled by the payrolls of few and yet carried by the hard work of a balanced and hard working support staff, expect to see moves out of Steeltown. With more than 50% of the Steeltown payroll tied up in 3 players that many would consider questionably overvalued, and a support cast of prospects that will some day be the impact with which to build a team, expect a complete purge from this team if they do not make the playoffs. With Chechmanek playing in front of a defensive corps that has little talent, the offense will be called upon night after night to score more than there share of goals.
London:
London is a team that needs to make some hard decisions. With a questionable depth chart but some serious names on the roster, a few moves would make this team a contender today. With Peter the Great leading a potent offense and the tandem of Nicklas Lidstrom and Roman Hamerlik taking care of pucks in front of Kolzig this team has the potential to go deep into the playoffs. But with little in the way of picks, the prospects coming up will not be enough to retain long term growth in this city. London needs to decide if it wants to win today or tomorrow. With no moves, expect middle of the pack mediocrity.
Toronto:
What can be said about Toronto. Almost in complete rebuild mode it is difficult to make any predictions simply because we can expect very few of the top line players on this team to complete the season in Toronto. The top line of Fedorov, Deadmarsh and Fleury as good as any top line in the league will be the Toronto team. Toronto?s second through forth line would not crack half the teams in the GWHL. Thibault will be very busy with an inexperienced defense in front of him night after night. In rebuild mode, Toronto has made some smart moves for youth and picks and you can expect more of the same. With many names that a cup contender would love to have, expect many moves from the GM of this soon to be younger team.
Charlottetown:
Another team looking to make moves, Charlottetown is composed almost entirely of people with question marks surrounding them. With plenty of kids with which to build a future core, Charlottetown looks to be a smaller team at the end of this season. Veteran Chris Osgood will be able to steal a few wins for this young team, although come April they will have plenty of time to work on their handicaps.
Ottawa:
Ottawa is an example of what every GM wishes they had during rebuilding. Expect a shameless fall from grace from last year?s second place in the conference as Ottawa builds a team that others will fear in years to come. With a well balanced offense that lacks a true superstar and a defensive corps led by Aucoin in front of Theodore, Ottawa will be hard pressed to make next years playoff run. New GM Jim Boylan may factor in as inexperience in the dealings may begin to show, but it would be pretty difficult to make a mistake with the Who?s Who of upcoming superstars on the roster as they begin to move into the pros.
Prediction:
1) Halifax
2) London
3) Quebec
4) Montreal
5) Ottawa
6) Toronto
7) Steeltown
8) Charlottown
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