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 Atlantic Division Underachieving a running theme in Atlantic
Posted: Tuesday September 28, 1999 03:10 PM
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Ticker) -- What do you do if you're the general manager of the marquee team in the league in the most prominent city in the country and you've missed the playoffs two years in a row? If you're Neil Smith, you spend a lot of money on high-priced free agents. Whether that helps the New York Rangers return to the postseason is another question. With The Great One now The Gone One, Smith needed someone with talent and marketing value. And with the help of none other than Wayne Gretzky, the Rangers signed mighty mite Theo Fleury to help in their playoff quest. The 5-foot-6 right wing was lured away from Colorado, where he recorded 24 points in 15 regular-season games after being acquired from Calgary. Veteran left wing Valeri Kamensky also was brought in from Colorado to help bolster New York's offense. He scored a mere 14 goals in 65 games last season after three straight 20-goal campaigns. Smith is hoping Kamensky can make a complete recovery from the knee injury that cut short his 1998-99 season. The Rangers have high hopes for right wing Pavel Brendl, the fourth overall draft pick, after trading solid two-way right wing Niklas Sundstrom to Tampa Bay. Brendl had 73 goals and 134 points in 68 games for Calgary of the Western League last season. While Smith believes he can step right in, Brendl more likely is a year away. With the loss of Jeff Beukeboom to retirement and Chris Tamer to expansion, Smith needed blue line help. He completed the Colorado hat trick by signing defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre and also adding Stephane Quintal from Montreal. The Rangers should not have any problems in net with Mike Richter, who posted a 2.63 goals-against average and four shutouts last season. Free agent Kirk McLean, Richter's rival in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, will be the backup after Dan Cloutier was dealt to the Lightning. There still are many questions that must be answered before the Rangers can return to the playoffs. Does Adam Graves have another 30-goal season in him? Can aging wingers John MacLean and Kevin Stevens still produce? Can talented right wing Todd Harvey avoid injuries? Will Manny Malhotra develop into a productive center? If only half of these questions are answered positively, it may be enough for New York to return to the postseason, and for Smith to keep his job. As for the other New York team , one only can wonder in what direction Mike Milbury is leading the Islanders. Milbury traded away last season's top three scorers and did not receive much immediate help in return. Trevor Linden, who was brought in to score and provide leadership, was dealt to Montreal after a not-so-welcome stay on Long Island. All-Star winger Zigmund Palffy was sent to Los Angeles with center Bryan Smolinski for a host of prospects, including pudgy center Olli Jokinen and hulking defenseman Mathieu Biron. If the Isles hope for any respectability, Felix Potvin must rebound from a dreadful 3.71 GAA and return to the form that made him one of the league's top netminders. Wade Flaherty figures to be the backup, although former first-round pick Roberto Luongo is making that decision a difficult one for first-year coach Butch Goring. The once-heralded defensive corps has been reduced to Kenny Jonsson. Gone are former blue-chip prospects Scott Lachance, Vladimir Malakhov, Bryan McCabe and Bryan Berard. Among returning scorers, only Mariusz Czerkawski scored as many as 20 goals last season, and his numbers don't figure to improve with the lack of talent around him. The Isles are destined for a last-place finish and their sixth straight season out of the playoff picture. Once again, the Flyers are a force to be reckoned with ... but they must prove they are contenders. General manager Bob Clarke and coach Roger Neilson believe no changes were necessary for Philadelphia to make another run at the Cup.
Oft-injured superstar Eric Lindros is fully recovered from the mysterious collapsed lung that ended his 1998-99 season, but he needs to rebuild muscle strength in his chest before he can again become a dominant force. A healthy Mark Recchi and a full season from Keith Jones will help, and leading goal-scorer John LeClair should be ready for the season after aggravating a back injury in mid-August. The always reliable Rod Brind'Amour will produce once he returns from a broken foot, and the Flyers are hoping Mikael Renberg can regain his scoring touch and that Valeri Zelepukin can continue his improved play. Defensively, the Flyers sorely need Eric Desjardins to bounce back from knee surgery and Chris Therien to blossom into the force he was expected to become. Dan McGillis is a hard-hitting force and has made people forget about Janne Niinimaa. The main question for Philadelphia is in goal. Can 36-year-old John Vanbiesbrouck rebound from an inconsistent season and lead his team to the finals? He singlehandedly carried Florida to the finals in 1996, but age is not on his side. Add the fact that an unproven Brian Boucher figures to be his backup and goaltending looks to be a concern. Super Mario is back in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately for Penguins' fans, it's not on the ice. The Pens return virtually the same team that ousted top-seeded New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs before succumbing to Toronto. Jaromir Jagr, the best offensive player in the game, ran away with the scoring title with 127 points despite a nagging groin injury. The Hart Trophy winner makes the players around him better, as evidenced by the 83-point season Martin Straka posted. German Titov, Kip Miller and Jan Hrdina also benefited from playing alongside Jagr, and a full season with Alexei Kovalev should keep the Pens a productive unit, unless Jagr and coach Kevin Constantine again butt heads. Defense figures to be Pittsburgh's main problem, especially with Darius Kasparaitis -- the Pens' most physical presence -- unsigned. He is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and planning to train in Europe until general manager Craig Patrick comes up with a better effort. Without Kasparaitis, the defense lacks a heavy hitter to strike fear into opposing forwards, making goaltender Tom Barrasso's job that much more difficult. The Devils have become more predictable than an Alexei Yashin holdout -- dominate the regular season and bow out quietly in the first round of the playoffs. And with no major offseason moves, does a similar fate await this time around? New Jersey can expect the usual solid seasons from Bobby Holik, Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott. Left wings Brian Rolston and Patrik Elias enjoyed success in 1998-99, with Rolston netting 24 goals and 57 points and Elias adding 17 and 50. But Elias was holding out for a new contract, joining teammate Brendan Morrison in the Czech Republic. The Devils' once-dominant defense is becoming old and slow, with 35-year-olds Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko leading the pack. It's time for Scott Niedermayer to finally break out and become the dynamic offensive force everyone believes he can be. Former assistant coach Larry Robinson has returned to help push Niedermayer. Goaltending is never a concern for the Devils, with Martin Brodeur and Chris Terreri guarding the net. Some say, however, that Brodeur has become too comfortable. His 39 wins, four shutouts and 2.29 GAA in 1998-99 prove otherwise.
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