The Southeast Division underwent a lot of change in the offseason.
The Capitals took advantage of a weak division last year and were able to run away with the Eastern Conference. Washington will look to avenge its early exit in the playoffs with a strong showing in 2010 and are still the favorites in the division.
Carolina showed promise after going to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2008 season. The team, led by Rod Brind'Amour, Ray Whitney, and Eric Staal stumbled out of the gates and was unable to make up lost ground when they got hot late in the season.
The 'Canes decided to go young and turned the team over to newly-anointed captain Eric Staal. This year they will look to younger players for bigger roles after Whitney's departure and Brind'Amour's retirement.
The Lightning came into the 2009 with large expectations as well. At one time the team was holding down the sixth seed in the playoffs and looked primed to avenge the two pitiful seasons preceding their 2009 campaign.
Instead the team finished poorly down the stretched and finished with the same amount of points (80) as the Hurricanes.
The Thrashers su ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Schreier
NHL 2010-11: Notable New Faces in the Southeast Division
August 16th, 2010 by Tom Schreier Leave a reply »
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