Conceding the fact that a dozen games or so are a small sample size, I don’t consider assuming that every team in the NE will make the playoffs to be a ridiculous statement.

The Boston Bruins, with star forward Bergeron back in the lineup, have gone nowhere but up. With good offensive depth, Chara anchoring the defense and All-Star Thomas in between the pipes, expect a solid season bettering the former.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have proven to all that hard work pays off. Of course, great defense, coaching and netminding surely doesn’t hurt. Rearguards like Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina and their peers: Colaiacovo, Van Ryn, Frogren, Stralman(among others) round out a decent defensive unit. Proven number one Vesa Toskala will have another great season, always ready to shut the door. Albeit their offensive depth leaves much to be desired, effort beats out skill and the Leafs’ forwards are indicative of that; outshooting the opposition more often than not. Expect them to be in the hunt to make the playoffs.

The Buffalo Sabres have goaltending, offense and although to a lesser extent, defense. With Vanek leading the way and Roy, injury prone Conolly, Afinogenov, Pominville, Stafford completing their crop of forwards, they should end up in the mid-section for goals scored by season’s end. Essential will be to keep the pucks out of their net, as that part of their game has not shown promise, even though Miller is often there to shade their poor defensive efforts. Expect them to end up anywhere between 6th and 9th.

The Ottawa Senators lack, and have been lacking for the better part of their history, one thing and one thing only: Goaltending. With offensive stalwarts like Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley and defensive experts like Jason Smith, Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov, a true-blue number one would truly shed some light upon them. Auld has proven to be one so far, but can he really maintain his Vezina-worthy numbers? Brian Elliott, whom many consider the cure to this problem, is a year away from grabbing the reigns in nets. Disgruntled fans dispute puckmoving as an issue, however, the replacements from last year’s crew have been superior offensively(Kuba is leading defensemen in assists, Picard shows flashes of brilliance and Schubert has been quite impressive) Also note-worthy: highly touted prospect Brian Lee is currently in the AHL and shall be called up, most probably, when the injury bug hits and he proves that he’s there to stay. Bryan Murray has publicly stated that he’s in search for a veteran defenseman with the right years on his contract.

The Montreal Canadiens, subsequently to a second round exit, still possess arguably the deepest offense in the league. Alex Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, the Kostitsyn brothers, Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, Robert Lang and co. are a treat to watch, and a nightmare to play against. The defense varies from mediocre to great with the likes of none other than Andrei Markov leading the way. Goaltending shows promise with young and skillful Carey Price expected to make the jump and become the team’s number one goalie, latterly to shedding 20+ pounds.

All in all, this division may prove to be the best of all.