Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

I know it's pretty late to be sending you a letter, and I've been kind of a prick this year, but this is a very special request. On Christmas Eve, when you're making your rounds, it would mean oh so much to me if you could please find it in your heart to run Glen Sather over with your sled.

Please do us all a favor in Rangerland, or as you may refer to it, the Island of Misfit Toys, and make sure you backup over him a few times as well. Make sure he's good and dead. Well, maybe "dead" is a bit harsh of a word, what with it being the Christmas season and all.
Let's make it easier for you, just make sure he's in a vegetative state and will be deemed unfit to continue as general manager of the New York Rangers. I'll even act really surprised and excited when I hear about it on the news Christmas morning!

I haven't been doing so well lately, Santa. Let me tell you why. You see, the Rangers and I have fallen out of love. Yes, the team I used to cherish with all my heart that's three sizes too small, has gone from perennial Stanley Cup contender to a mediocre collection of overpaid underproducers. I hate them. Of course I still love them deep down, but I'm ashamed of it, Santa. I'm ashamed! I tell my friends that I like the Blackhawks, because it's easy to make fun of a Rangers fan these days. And I hate getting picked on!

Mr. Sather is solely to blame for this transformation. He took a good team and made them unwatchable. He signed players like Wade Redden, Michael Rozsival and Chris Drury to long-term contracts that have killed his ability to surround them with a good supporting cast, sort of like Jonathan Taylor Thomas in I'll Be Home for Christmas.

I have a feeling that maybe without Mr. Sather in charge of things, in a year or two my Rangers can return to the form that made me fall in love with them after the lockout. I'm not going to get picky and ask you to let them win the Stanley Cup. I mean, if I was that desperate I would've went straight to Hell and just made a deal with the Devil. I just want them to be fun to watch again.

I'm sure you're a big hockey fan. It's pretty cold in the North Pole. Don't you see what he's done to this team? Don't give me that line about the Oilers in the '80s. He had Gretzky! And Messier!

Wait a minute, that reminds me. He's got Messier now too! Santa, if you take him out, the Captain will be back in charge! He'll never fail us!

If you can't come through on my one only wish this year, then at the very least could you please put me in touch with Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge? Maybe I'll try and scare Glen with the ol' Ghost of Rangers Future routine to get him to change his ways.

Also, could you please, for his sake, certainly not mine, bring John Tortorella a pacemaker this year? I don't think he asked for one, but he's going to need one pretty soon.

Thanks a lot Santa, I know it's last minute, but you've never let me down before. I'm sure you'll make this year the best Christmas ever!


Sincerely,

Mike



P.S. - Merry Christmas!

P.P.S. - Um, Brashear may have eaten your cookies. Sorry about that.

Peter Gammons To Leave ESPN Following Winter Meetings

Peter Gammons, 64, has reportedly released a statement that says he will be moving on from ESPN at the conclusion of the 2009 MLB Winter Meetings later this week to pursue new endeavors.

Gammons, who has been with ESPN since 1989, said that the decision to leave was "conflicted."

"I owe a great deal of my professional life to ESPN, having spent more than half of my 40 years in journalism working for the network, and the choice to move on was made with nothing but the strongest feelings for the people with whom I worked," said Gammons. "ESPN gave me a great deal more than I gave it, and will always be a huge part of who I am."

In 2004, Gammons was honored by the Baseball Writers Association of America as the recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing during the 2005 Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 31 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The established writer began his career with The Boston Globe in 1969 where he wrote a popular Sunday baseball column. From there, he moved on to Sports Illustrated where he covered a number of sports, including the NHL and college basketball in addition to Major League Baseball.

Gammons joined ESPN in 1989, as part of Baseball Tonight, where he worked through the 2009 season. Gammons provided years of analysis that helped the show win numerous Sports Emmys.

From 2006-08, Gammons also worked as a field reporter for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball telecasts and provided "Diamond Notes" for Sportscenter in-game highlights.

"As a print journalist moving to television, Peter was a pioneer who became a Hall of Famer," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president of production. "His contributions to ESPN will never be forgotten. We're sad to see Peter go, but understand his desire for new challenges and a less demanding schedule."

Click here to read ESPN's full statement regarding Peter Gammons.

Yankees Get Granderson, D-Backs get Jackson in Three-Team Deal

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Yankees have added all-star center fielder Curtis Granderson in a three-team trade involving the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks receive starting pitcher Edwin Jackson from Detroit and former first-round pick Ian Kennedy from the Yankees, while the Tigers claim left-handed reliever Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson from New York and starter Max Scherzer and set-up man Daniel Schlereth from Arizona.

Granderson had 30 HR and 71 RBI near the top of the order last season for Detroit, despite hitting just .249.

The Tigers, who had the fifth highest payroll in the league in 2009, were the talk of the Winter Meetings thus far, as they looked to cut excess salaries by dealing some key players. Granderson is due just $5.5 million in 2010, but his salary could rise to up to $15 million in 2013 if he hits potential performance bonuses.

The Yankees gave up prospect Austin Jackson, who was expected to crack the team heading into 2010. Many people inside the Yankees' organization compared Jackson potentially to Granderson, so dealing a player who may become as good as the one you're getting back makes fiscal sense.

Granderson figures to start in center field for the Yankees in 2010, which may mark the end of Hideki Matsui's time in pinstripes. The Japanese-born free agent had been relegated to just DH duties in 2009, and Granderson's speed and versatility makes Matsui all the more expendable.

Phil Coke will join Jackson in Detroit. The lefty reliever had an up-and-down 2009 season with New York, finishing with a 4.50 ERA and 49 K in 60 innings pitched. The Yankees also dealt Ian Kennedy to Arizona. Kennedy has a career ERA of 6.03 in three disappointing seasons with New York after coming up as a highly regarded prospect.

The Diamondbacks will also add starting pitcher Edwin Jackson from Detroit, while sending Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to the Tigers in return.

Jackson is arbitration-eligible this winter, and his salary could increase to up to $5 million from the $2.2 million he made this season. He went 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA, good for seventh in the American League. Jackson also had 162 strikeouts in 214 innings pitched.

Breaking News: Hofstra Eliminates Football Program

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The Hofstra Pride football team's 52-38 victory over Massachusetts on Nov. 21 will be its last as the university chose Thursday to cut the program from its athletic department.

Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz announced at a press conference this morning that after 69 years of competition in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Hofstra will cut funding to the football team.

"This has been a two-year process, and has nothing to do with the win-loss record," said Rabinowitz. "It is a decision made by the Board of Trustees to better use in the long run those resources for academics."

According to Rabinowitz and Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes, the amount of money that went into the football team, or any team in the Football Championship Subdivision for that matter, far surpassed the revenue it generated for the university.

The decision was announced just 11 days after Northeastern University, also a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, decided to shut down its' football program after 74 years. According to Rabinowitz and Hayes, though, Northeastern's actions did not play any role in their decision.

The resources saved will be put towards making the university more affordable to students in need. There is $2.8 million in scholarships awarded annually that will now be available to offer to other students as academic awards and grants.

Despite the rich tradition of Hofstra football, and a handful of alumni in the NFL, Rabinowitz says the board examined every part of the budget, including athletics, which they hadn't looked at in some time.

"We want to play at the highest level of every sport we are playing in," Rabinowitz said. "We even looked into making the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision, but we would have to renovate the stadium, and nobody was inviting us to join a conference, so to be a 1-A independent was not feasible."

"The branding we want is 'Hofstra University: Highest quality in everything, but academics first,' " said Rabinowitz.

Athletic director Hayes met with both head coach Dave Cohen and the members of the 2009 team, who finished 5-6 to discuss the board's decision.

"We know it's hurtful to players and coaches," said Hayes. "But we are doing everything we can to make this as appropriate a situation as we can for those involved."

Hofstra players that choose to stay at the school will still be granted the scholarships they were promised when they enrolled. Hayes also said that he will aid any players that will look to transfer to other schools to continue their football career.

Read Rabinowitz's full statement.

Adelphi Men's Soccer Left Out of NCAAs

The Adelphi men's soccer team, despite its' 13-2-4 record, was left out of the the NCAA Division-I tournament when the 48-team field was revealed Monday night.

The Panthers, led by freshman sensation Issa Tall, breezed through the Atlantic Soccer Conference. On Sunday, they defeated Longwood, 2-1, to capture the school's second conference tournament championship. Tall, who led the team in scoring with 16 goals, found the back of the net in the second half to extend the lead to 2-0.

But winning both the ASC regular season title and the conference tournament proved to be too little to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and a chance to play for the College Cup.
"We were hoping to get in, since we tied Princeton early on," said head coach Carlo Acquista. "But the NCAA is very meticulous in the way they grant at-large bids."

Despite good showings against tournament-bound teams like Princeton and Stony Brook, a key early-season loss to Brown University was one of the deciding factors that kept the Panthers on the outside looking in, as Brown secured one of the final at-large bids.

The Atlantic Soccer Conference is not one of the 21 conferences across the country who's tournament champion is granted an automatic bid.

Stony Brook University, who will face Brown in a first round game in Providence, Rhode Island, was granted a spot as the representative of the America East Conference despite finishing the season with a 6-9-4 record.

A Bronx Tale for the Ages: The Night the Yankees Won No. 27

Pandemonium. Euphoria. Ecstasy.

All words that could be used to try and describe the scene outside Yankee Stadium Wednesday night immediately following Robinson Cano's flip to Mark Teixeira to end the 2009 World Series. The proud people of New York, including yours truly, danced, laughed, and cried the night away in the area surrounding the stadium, celebrating their team's 27th World Championship.

There hasn't been a truly perfect night in the World Series since 1956, but if you were in the Bronx, you would've been convinced otherwise.

For spoiled-rotten Yankee fans, (let's face it, we all are) this night was the perfect ending to a season packed with special moments. It had been nine years since the Yankees last danced around the Shea Stadium infield as the kings of the baseball world, an eternity for most of us. But for a younger generation of fans, it is the first time many of us will truly savor the flavor all winter long.

Despite my best efforts, I was unable to obtain tickets to be inside "The House that Jeter Built" for what I was sure would be the final game of the year. So instead, I gathered a cavalry of friends and headed to The Dugout, a bar conveniently located directly across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe in the right field corner of the stadium. Besides, I was quite aware that ESPN Radio was giving away tickets to the game during a commercial break of the Michael Kay show, which was being broadcasted from the bar.

Before heading into the bar, and continuing the drinking that had ceased at the 161st street subway station, we headed to the McDonalds for a pit stop. There, waiting in line to order like any other schmo, was Scott Caan. Yes, Tweeder from Varsity Blues, the guy from the Ocean's movies and who's a total prick to Eric on Entourage.

While grabbing a photo with him, my friend offered up the biggest slam-dunk stupid question he could've at the time.

"Hey Scott," he said. "So you uh, going to the game?"

"No, I'm just going to McDonalds in the fucking Bronx," he replied as I laughed out loud at my friend.

Sure, pal. Pretend like you're not a B-lister on your best hair days. Hell, I bet my buddy Fox wouldn't even show him on t.v. when they did their celebrity fly-bys at some point during a lull in the game. I was right.

So into the bar we went, seeking out Michael Kay and his free tickets. I was dead set on giving myself the best chance I could to be inside the Stadium. I refused to give up hope.
We each filled out a raffle form and made our way to the front of the roped off area where their stage was set up. He was flanked by the ever-opinionated Don LaGreca, who I can't get enough of even if he's a Mets and Devils fan, and the lovely (yet slightly past her prime) Bonnie Bernstein. All I kept thinking was "Holy living Christ, Michelle Beadle used to be on this show. Why couldn't she wait to take that big promotion, knowing I'd come find her?!" I questioned my faith for a moment, then focused back to the issue at hand: Getting those tickets.

The show hosted a guest speaker, Mike Missanelli, with a bit of a Philadelphia bias. Safe to say the Yankee faithful in attendance didn't take too kindly to his prediction that the Phillies would force a game 7. The ensuing chants of "ASS-HOLE!" and "DOUCHE-BAG!" were enough to make ESPN Radio go to a commercial break not once, but twice. Michael Kay, who was loving every second of it, couldn't keep a straight face when he asked us to tone the chants down a bit, at least while they were on the air. That's the sort of thing you could only find in the Bronx. From then on, you could feel it. There was no way it wasn't going to happen tonight. The stars had been aligned.

The show went to a commercial again around 7:30, the time when they would announce the winner of the tickets. At this point, I was having too much fun to care that I had a better chance of being struck by lightning indoors than I did of being at the game. The raffle came and went, the winner, a pair of gentlemen who had been conversing with a few ESPN personalities just a few minutes prior, but I didn't care. I was up for the next round of drinks, so I began to head back to the bar when I heard one of the ESPN interns call out to the crowd.

"Okay, Yankees fans, now it's time for ESPN Radio 1050 Trivia. The first person to yell out the answer to the following question will win..."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Another chance at winning those ever-coveted tickets? I started shoving (tossing, really) people out of my way and back to our prime spot 10 feet in front of their set. On the way back up, I heard the question:

"Derek Jeter is second all-time in Yankees' regular season stolen bases. Who is first?"

I knew the answer instantly. It was only a matter of getting to the front before someone beat me to the punch. En route to our spot along the velvet rope, I heard other people's audacious attempts to answer the question.

"Willie Randolph!" "Mickey Mantle!" "Mickey Rivers!" Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

"Alfonso Soriano!"

That was my favorite response. I stopped dead and gave him a look as if to say, "Really, man? So Soriano, in his whopping three full seasons as a Yankee, had the most stolen bases in franchise history? Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to that. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

I shoved him out of my way, and yelled the only answer that made sense, the right one.

"Rickey Henderson!"

The intern looked and pointed at me. "Correct!"

Did I do it? Did I win tickets to game 6 of the World Series? Was I going to see the team that means as much to me as my family reach the pinnacle of the sports universe in person? My wildest hopes and dreams had finally come true!

...Or so I thought. The intern walked over to me and offered me a signed copy of Mike Lupica's newest novel "Million-Dollar Throw."

As he and my friends congratulated me, I let out a profanity-laden cry, the likes of which haven't been seen since Rocco's outburst in The Boondock Saints.

No disrespect to the most accomplished columnist in the New York media, but what the hell man? Not only did I not win tickets, but I had to carry a damn book around all night too? Bogus start to the night if you ask me. But hey, at least my friends got a good laugh at my expense. Make that a few good laughs if you count my number of conversations with Michael Kay, and the glares from Bonnie.

The game finally started and we moved to the front portion of the bar, and posted up right under a flat-screen tv. Pettitte looked sharp early on, but so did Pedro.

But in The Dugout that night, doubt did not exist. As far as we were concerned, it was only a matter of time before the Yankees' bats would come alive.

Matsui's two-run home run in the bottom of the third set off the first of many celebrations in the Bronx that night. The Bombers had come to the ballpark ready to dethrone the previous World Champs.

When the Phillies cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth, I wondered if this game would go down as one of the greatest games in postseason history. I wondered if we'd see something to the effect of a tight game ended by a dramatic walk-off home run, followed by a wild dance.

Okay sorry Philadelphia. Kinda. But I promise that'll be the last cheap shot I'll take at you until the flag is raised at Opening Day next year. That would be your National League champions flag, not the World Series champions one. We open up 2010 on the road. But seriously, I sincerely apologize.

But anyway, I began to get excited about the idea of a game for the ages. My dad talks often about the famous "Reg-gie!" game of 1977, and it seemed like Hideki Matsui was determined to make this the Godzilla game of 2009. In the words of the oft-spoken Nick Swisher, "And Matsui, six RBI? ....Whaaaaat!"

The Yanks opened up a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, and the countdown was on. When Pettitte came out of the game after surrendering a two-run dinger to Ryan "The friendly World Series ghost" Howard I swore I could feel the bar shaking. I felt the ovation he was given from the Stadium crowd in the building next door like I was standing on first base.

Damaso Marte, who has gotten the Bleacher Creatures and the rest of the Yankee faithful back on his side, followed Joba Chamberlain in relief and promptly mowed down Utley and Casper Howard. Then with one out in the eighth inning, Joe Girardi made his last walk to the hill in 2009. The stadium, the bar, and Yankees fans everywhere rejoiced, just as the Phillies' supporters cringed. Every baseball fan knew what was coming next.

Enter Sandman. The right-center bullpen door opened, and out walked a man who had already closed out four World Series-clinching games. Five more outs. With a lack of champagne in the bar, (what were they thinking?) my friends and I switched from beer to Red Bull. For reasons still unknown, we found ourselves grasping these 12-oz cans counting down the final seconds of the 2009 baseball season.

In stepped Shane Victorino. One out to go before these Yankees were finally immortalized. To his credit, the Flyin' Hawaiian did everything in his power to prolong the game. He fouled off what seemed like 100 two-strike pitches from Mo. Each time the roar in the bar got a little higher. And then finally...




Pandemonium, euphoria and ecstasy simultaneously rolled into one as the streets of the Bronx instantly filled with Yanks fans going wild. In the time it took our camp to open our Red Bulls and spray them amongst the hundreds hosing each other down with assorted alcohol and exit the bar, there was already a pit forming in the street that rivaled the eye of a hurricane.

Five minutes later, you couldn't move from the back wall of the stadium to under the awnings of the bar and stores across the way. The crowd seemed to go on for miles, and we all wished this moment would go on forever. Television cameras did their best to capture the rapture of reaching a twenty-seventh heaven.

Amidst the madness, I was separated from my party for a little while. But it didn't matter. On this night, everyone wearing pinstripes was the best of friends.

As fans began to exit the Stadium after the trophy ceremony, the crowd grew. Police fought their way through the crowd to keep the peace, but they weren't needed.

Perhaps the most exceptional part of the night wasn't Matsui's six RBI, or Pettitte's 18th playoff victory, or the fact that a team led by Derek Jeter won a World Series 13 years after they did it for the first time. It was the way New York handled themselves.

Boston damn-near tore down Fenway in 2004. Los Angeles fans were arrested by the handful in June after the Lakers beat the Magic to win the NBA Championship.

But New Yorkers? We sang and danced until we couldn't stand anymore. We did it right, both on the field and off.

Hm, maybe that night was pretty perfect after all.

2009 Eastern Conference preview

The final week of September is arguably the most intriguing week in North American sports. College football begins it's conference schedule, the NFL standings begin to take shape, the pennant races in baseball couldn't be hotter, and the start of the NHL season is mere hours away.
The Penguins return to the ice this season looking to make it out of the Eastern Conference for a third straight year, the Bruins begin with a gaping hole on their first line where Phil Kessel used to be, and the Capitals, maybe the most talented group of skaters in the East, still don't know who their starting goaltender is.
With that said, the Eastern Conference looks wide open heading into the 2009-10 season. Let's look at how it could shape up:
*Denotes division winner

*1. Pittsburgh Penguins - The easy pick. Despite losing defensemen Rob Scuderi, the hero of game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, and veteran Hal Gill, the Penguins are top to bottom the most well-rounded team in the East, and maybe the league. Crosby, Malkin & co. will avoid the dreaded Cup hangover, at least long enough to have a strong regular season. Look for the power play to make drastic improvements from the unit that was 20th in the league last season, assuming power play quarterback Sergei Gonchar stays healthy. Young defensemen Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski will make tremendous strides to make the Pens' blueline corps as effective as their marquee centers.

*2. Washington Capitals - Does the world's most dynamic player finally have enough help to take the Caps to the finals? The additions of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison, as well as the quiet resurgence of Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom would lead one to believe so. Throw in Norris Trophy candidate Mike Green, who showed up to Canadian Olympic Camp in great shape after a terrible postseason showing against the Rangers and Penguins, and you've got a group of budding stars that will make divisional opponents cringe in warmups.
Despite having a dominant group of skaters, there are many questions between the pipes. Coach Bruce Boudreau hasn't tipped his hand as to who will be the starting goaltender, but has hinted that last season's playoff savior, Seymon Varlamov, may start the season in Hershey with the team's AHL affiliate.

*3. Boston Bruins - Last year's regular season conference champions made the last big splash of the offseason, trading Phil Kessel to Toronto. The cap-strapped Bruins were forced to trade the restricted free-agent forward to the Maple Leafs, leaving them with a gaping hole among their top six forwards. Though the trade will most likely benefit the Bruins over the long haul, their window of opportunity may be closing before the draft picks they received blossom into impact players.
Marco Sturm will be called on to alleviate some of the scoring woes they'll surely face without Kessel's 36 goals from a season ago. If Patrice Bergeron can manage to keep himself in the lineup, the trade won't hurt them too badly, but that's a big if. Also, keep in mind that Marc Savard, who wasn't invited to the Canadian Olympic Camp over the summer will most likely be playing with something to prove as well. Don't count them out of the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, which could drastically change the landscape of the conference.
Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas returns between the pipes for the Bs, but will face a more strenuous workload over the Olympic break as the probable starter for the Americans.

4. Philadelphia Flyers - With the addition of veteran defenseman Chris Pronger, it seems as though the Flyers are attempting to return to the days of the Broad Street Bullies. Pronger, who has led teams on long playoff runs in Edmonton and Anaheim brings the bite to go along with Scott Hartnell's bark. Jeff Carter will try to build on a breakout season where he found the net 46 times, good for second in the NHL, while at the same time forgetting about a dismal playoff effort in which he missed several open net opportunities. Young forwards Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk, the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, could both have strong rookie seasons, which would give the Flyers a ton of secondary scoring.
GM Paul Holmgren has taken a great risk in net by signing Ray Emery. If he regains the form he had in Ottawa in 2006-07, when he took them to the Cup finals, Holmgren will look like a genius. But if Emery becomes the cancer that got him exiled from the NHL in 2008, it may cost Holmgren his job.
Assuming Emery can keep it together in what seems to be his last shot in the NHL, look for the Flyers to go places in 2009-10.

5. Montreal Canadiens - GM Bob Gainey has completely overhauled Les Habitants heading into 2009. While dealing with the departures of Mike Komisarek, Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev, Chris Higgins, Gainey and the Habs welcome in Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri, Travis Moen, Paul Mara and Jaroslav Spacek. It remains to be seen if Gionta and Gomez can jell again like they did in New Jersey a few years ago, because neither was very good without the other after Gomez left for New York. The Kostitsyn brothers, who are almost the only remaining players from last season's squad, will also need to take on leadership roles. Regardless, this team looks like a first-round exit waiting to happen.

6. Carolina Hurricanes - The Hurricanes enter the 2009-10 season with as few changes as one could imagine to a core of players only three years removed from the Stanley Cup. Cam Ward, perhaps the best playoff goaltender in the NHL, returns after a strong campaign besting Martin Brodeur and Tim Thomas in consecutive playoff rounds. GM Jim Rutherford has done an outstanding job of managing a team at a mid-level market on its' best day, making sure it survives and stays in the hunt. He's done it by surrounding his stars with tough, gritty players that will do anything to outwork the opponent such as Matt Cullen, Scott Walker and Ray Whitney, who at 37, refuses to show his age on the ice.

7. New York Rangers - Wow, speaking of first-round exits. The Rangers enter the season with nearly as many new faces as returning ones to a starting lineup that blew a 3-1 series lead in the first round against Washington last season. Gone are the likes of Zherdev, Gomez, Betts, Naslund, Sjostrom, Mara and Korpikopski. Fans are buzzing about the addition of Marian Gaborik, who if healthy could challenge for the scoring title. But chances are he will be watching at least a few games from a Madison Square Garden suite by December.
Head coach John Tortorella will have a full year to implement his run-and-gun style of play that will expose Henrik Lundqvist to a significant amount of odd-man rushes, making him even more important to the team's success than he has been in the past. However, with the Olympics looming, and Lundqvist's eagerness to defend Sweden's gold-medal run from 2006, one wonders if he will have a better time handling the extended workload than he did four years ago, when the Rangers were swept in the first round by New Jersey.
Either way, it seems as though this squad is a top-six forward away from being a serious contender.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Bold prediction alert: The Maple Leafs will make the playoffs. Brian Burke doesn't know the meaning of the word "rebuild." He'd prefer "retool." Rather than blow up one Canada's national treasures and continue to bottom-dwell for the better part of the next decade, Burke is going for it now. The addition of Phil Kessel gives this team the added scoring touch they needed to sneak up on teams, when he comes back in November from offseason shoulder surgery. Burke has already left his signature mark on the penalty box, with the additions of Colton Orr, Garnet Exelby, Wayne Primeau and Mike Komisarek. A staple of his teams going back to his Anaheim days, Burke's Leafs will contest the Flyers for the title of the "Beast of the East." With the signing of Francois Beachemin and last year's fifth-overall selection Luke Schenn coming into his own, the Leafs have a very formidable blue line that should make an average netminder, Vesa Toskala, have a career year.
They'll be in the hunt, but look for Burke to go out at the deadline and get some more scoring help to push this team into the playoffs and get Canada crazy about the Leafs for the first time in years.

9. New Jersey Devils - The Devils, who at the start of each of the past two to three seasons didn't look all that impressive on paper, found ways to win games. Surely, it's easier than it seems when you've got one of the best goaltenders in history manning the pipes. But this year, the Devils parted ways with two key components from their previous playoff-bound squads: John Madden and Brian Gionta. Patrik Elias will also miss time beginning the season, trying to finally correct a groin problem that has plagued him since the lockout. For this team to crack the top eight, Zach Parise needs to find scoring help from the likes of Travis Zajac, Brian Rolston and even rookie Patrice Cormier. It just doesn't seem feasable. The Devils' consecutive playoff berth streak will end at 12.

10. Ottawa Senators - Poor Bryan Murray. The Senators' general manager was abused all summer by diva winger Dany Heatley, who demanded a trade to a select few teams. With a trade in place that would send Heatley to Edmonton and make the Senators a better team in the mean time, Heatley declined to waive his no-trade clause to be sent to what's become the NHL's Siberia. He regrouped, and finally sent his star player to San Jose, getting Jonathan Cheechoo, who's coming off a pretty significant sophomore slump, and Milan Michalek. Murray also managed to sign Alexei Kovalev, after he was shown the door by Montreal, and Pascal LeClaire to sure up the team's question marks in net. LeClaire is the key to this team, who's been without a true number one goaltender since Ray Emery in 2007. If he can regain the form he found in Columbus, the Senators will be in the playoff hunt until the very end, but will finish on the outside looking in.

11. Buffalo Sabres - Another year, another pair of Sabres' mainstays leaving Buffalo. This time, it was Maxim Afinogenov and Ales Kotalik. Granted, GM Darcy Regier brought back Mike Grier for a second tour of duty in Buffalo, but it seems as though the clock is ticking for the core group of Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford. This is a team headed in the wrong direction, and just three years removed from being the class of the Eastern Conference.
Come February, it'll be interesting to see if Ryan Miller can wrestle the starting job away from Tim Thomas for the US Olympic team. Sadly, that's the most intriguing storyline surrounding this team heading into the season.

12. New York Islanders - The savior has arrived on Long Island. John Tavares fever will be in full swing on Opening Night. Islanders' fans are eager to find out if he will have a Crosby-like impact immediately, or a lackluster begin to a career that Steven Stamkos had in Tampa Bay last season. Scott Gordon begins his second year as the Isles' bench boss as their youth movement will finally start to materialize into a formidable opponent. It seems as though Kyle Okposo will only miss a minimal amount of time despite leaving a preseason game on a stretcher after feeling the wrath of Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Snow made some interesting moves to ensure he will have a decent contingency plan should Rick DiPietro's health fail him again. Martin Biron and Dwayne Rolosson give the Islanders three legitimate number one keepers. Assuming the Isles are out of it in March, look for one, if not two, of them to be on the move, for even more draft picks in the upcoming 2010 Entry Draft.

13. Tampa Bay Lightning - Now that it seems as though captain Vincent Lecavalier will finish his career in Tampa, the Bolts can look forward to climbing back into contention for a playoff spot, but not just yet. Second-overall pick Victor Hedman and free-agent acquisiton Mattias Ohlund headline a sub-par defensive group that will be playing in front of streaky Mike Smith in goal, who's one of the team's fiercest competitors. The forwards, in addition to Lecavalier, are led by an aging Martin St. Louis, and Stamkos, who will be looking for a breakout season in his sophomore campaign. Coach Rick Tocchet is excited about his squad for 2009, but there's a good chance he's the only one.

14. Florida Panthers - The Panthers went all-in last year, deciding not to trade puck-moving defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, and got burned. They finished with the best seat in the house for watching the playoffs, at ninth in the East. You can't blame them for trying to rejuvenate a fan base that has been dead since the days of John Vanbiesbrouck. The Sunrise Express, comprised of Nathan Horton, budding star David Booth and Stephen Weiss give the Panthers one of the top scoring units in the league, but other than that trio, there's nothing to get excited about. Goaltender Tomas Vokoun seems lost at times, and previous Devils' backup Scott Clemmensen will challenge for starts for the Cats.

15. Atlanta Thrashers - What to do with Ilya Kovalchuk? Don't ask general manager Don Waddell, he has no idea. Though he's been trying to sign Kovalchuk to a long-term extension since last season, he holds the key to the 2009 playoff race. If dealt to a team in the bottom half of the playoff standings, look for them to upset one of the top four teams in the first round, and even make a deep playoff run. But the future of the Thrashers is certainly looking up, if Kovalchuk decides to stay. His supporting cast of Bryan Little, who scored the quietest 30 goals in the NHL last season, and Evander Kane, this year's fourth-overall pick could become the top line in the Eastern Conference in two years. Defenseman Zach Bogosian will be looking to build off a solid rookie campaign. Waddell also just signed speedy forward Maxim Afinogenov, Kovalchuk's fellow countryman, to a one-year contract. This team has promise to climb out of the cellar, but they'll certainly spend at least one more year there before they make any progress.

Playoffs: Philadelphia defeats Pittsburgh in Eastern Conference Finals, 4-2.