2020-21 NHL Season Preview: East Division

The newly aligned East division for the NHL season is a bit of us-versus-them scenario if you are a New Yorker. Three teams, the Rangers, Islanders and Devils (New Jersey-based) represent the New York City metropolitan area and the Buffalo Sabres are New York state strong. The other four East Coast clubs, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, pose formidable threats to nab all four division playoff spots and crown a non-New York entry as the East champion advancing to the 2021 NHL final four.
Let's get into the Us vs. Them:

EAST DIVISION

Boston Bruins

2019-20 finish: Lost to Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: More about who the Bruins lost: D-men Torey Krug (free agent signing with St. Louis) and Zdeno Chara (moved on to Washington when Boston indicated less playing time for long-time captain). But B's GM Don Sweeney did pick up forward Craig Smith, an underrated free agent signing.
What to know: Goalie Tuukka Rask is back in the nets after exiting the Toronto bubble during the playoffs due one of his daughters' illness. Rask and Jaroslav Halak are hard to beat and one big reason why Boston had the best regular-season record in the NHL last season.
Outlook: Leading scorer David Pastrnak is recovering from hip surgery but anticipated to reunite with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron (the new B's captain) by mid-February. That will plenty of time to earn a divisional playoff spot and be primed for what could one of the last Cup runs for this unit of elite forwards and goalies.

Buffalo Sabres

2019-20 finish: Did not make the postseason round of 24.
New faces: Forward and former league MVP Taylor Hall, plus centers Eric Staal and Cody Eakin.
What to know: Proven scorer Hall joins Sabres top star Jack Eichel. Hall and Eichel appear to be starting the season on a line with Tage Thompson, 23, acquired by former GM and now Kraken executive Jason Botterill. Hall admitted on opening day of training camp he didn't know much about the 6-foot-7 Thompson, who separated a shoulder in his only NHL game last season, rendering him out for the year. Hall told media members he is impressed with Thompson's ability to skate fast, handle/keep puck possession and shoot-all in that extra-large frame. "You see why he was drafted in the first round and why they're so high on him here," Hall said.
Outlook:Eichel is in his prime entering his sixth NHL season Thursday night when the Buffalo hosts Washingon in Thursday's opener. He and Hall looking promising, especially if Thompson is in sync. New centermen Staal and Eakin should stabilize the offense and forechecking efforts. Young star defensman Rasmus Dahlin is the real deal but the D-group depth might be thin. Young goalies Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark will be looking to make a difference with a 2017 Jason Botterill draft pick, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, appearing ready to debut in the NHL. Luukkonen is currently on loan to the HC TPS franchise in Finland's pro league.

New Jersey Devils

2019-20 finish: Did not make the postseason round of 24.
New faces: Head coach Lindy Ruff is the headliner. F Andreas Johnsson is a top six forward. Ryan Murray, Dmitri Kulikov and Sami Vatanen (expected in lineup later this month) should help Ruff bolster the defense.
What to know: MacKenzie Blackwood is a promising young goalie who was slated to work in tandem with two-time Cup winner Corey Crawford coming over from Chicago as a free agent. Best laid plans ... Crawford retired last week. G Scott Wedgewood, next on the depth chart, impressed Ruff in camp and will be the backup for now. The Devils claimed AHL stalwart Eric Cromrie on waivers from Winnipeg Tuesday.
Outlook:NJD is in rebuild mode but fans can keep the faith of being competitive if 2019 No. 1 pick Jack Hughes significantly improves over his rookie year by showing his aggressive off-season training since March will pay off. Nico Hischier is trending up and looking like a No. 1 center. While he is free agent after this season, Kyle Palmieri is a steady scorer and presence. The non-NYC teams in the division (including Buffalo in this case) will make it difficult.

New York Islanders

2019-20 finish: Advanced to Eastern Conference Final, losing to Stanley Cup champ Tampa Bay.
New faces: G Ilya Sorokin
What to know: Sorokin is a key piece of securing a postseason spot and advancing out of the divisional playoffs. He will be in the rookie of the year conversation all season and be part of a formidable 1-2 punch with Semyon Varlamov (we will find out who's No. 1 and who's No. 2 or 1A).
Outlook:Mathew Barzal, a restriced free agent, has signed and the former Seattle T-Birds will continue his ascent among the NHL elite. Barry Trotz might just be the best coach in the NHL and will keep this team in contention. One hunch: Defenseman Devon Toews will be missed.

New York Rangers

2019-20 finish: Did not qualify for the postseason round of 24.
New faces: No. 1 overall 2020 draft choice and forward Alexis Lafreniere, drop the mic.
What to know: Forward Artemi Panarin is a bonafide scoring superstar and will take some pressure off Lafreniere-who is likely to not need it. And don't forget that Lafreniere takes some pressure off 2019 No. 2 overall draft pick, Kaapo Kakko, who will be better this season.
Outlook:The "Blueshirts" have a shot at divisional playoffs if Igor Shesterkin can fill the large goalie skates of Henrik Lundqvist, who was planning to haunt NYR as a Washington Capital until a heart condition shelved the beloved Swede at least for this NHL season. Alexandar Georgiev will pair with Shesterkin. If they are household hockey names by April, the Rangers will be rolling about a year or two ahead of the Stanley Cup master plan for this Original Six franchise.

Philadelphia Flyers

2019-20 finish: Advanced to second round of 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs before falling to the New York Islanders.
New faces: D Eric Gustafsson
What to know: Carter Hart, the former Everett Silvertips star goalie, has Flyer faithful comparing him to Ron Hextall (that's a huge compliment). Ivan Provorov is is a legitimate star on defense and it will be interesting to see trajectory of D-man Cam York, fresh from his gold-medal captaincy and stellar play for Team USA in the World Juniors.
Outlook:Stacked division but no reason why Philly can't place first and/or advance to the NHL semifinals if they keep performing within coach Alain Vigneault's system. The forward group just keeps getting better. Joel Farabee was a breakthrough example last season and guess here that Nolan Patrick does the same this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins

2019-20 finish: No. 5 seed Penguins lost in Qualifying Round to No. 12 Montreal.
New faces: F Kasperi Kapanen, F Mark Jankowski, F Colton Sceviour, D Mike Matheson, D Cody Ceci
What to know: Pens GM Jim Rutherford remains one of the best in the game. His offseason tend to sneaky-good on a yearly basis. Kapenen could be the revelation in this year's New Faces list, even if Jankowski did score the first goal of the NHL season Wednesday. Oh, and Sidney Crosby offered a highlight-reel goal just as a reminder that he still has the offensive skills. Fans are amped about Sid vs. Ovi (see next team entry) and they should be. John Marino's rookie year as a two-day defenseman was overshadowed by Vancouver's Quinn Hughes and Colorado's Cale Makar.
Outlook: Pittsburgh should land a divisional playoff spot. Never count out Crosby and fellow star center Evgeni Malkin, backed by scoring power from Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust and Jason Zucker among others. Kapanen playing with Crosby will help both players. Rutherford made a crucial decision in goal, letting Cup-winner Matt Murray go to Ottawa in free agency (a move that was in part motivated by the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft for the Kraken. The Pens are keeping and will be protecting Tristan Jarry, who was the league's leading goalie during the first half of last season, then his save percentage dipped below average (.897) in the second half.

Washington Capitals

2019-20 finish: Lost to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup.
New faces: Starts with head coach Peter Laviolette, but other potential high-value additions to an already deep roster includes forward Conor Sheary, defensemen Justin Schultz and Zdeno Chara, goalie Craig Anderson.
What to know: Alex Ovechkin, the Cap's great No. 8, will face superstar rival Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh teammates, eight times in the new divisional alignment. Enough said. Well, not really. Adding Boston's long-time captain Chara pushes the Washington roster average age over 30, the oldest team in the league.
Outlook:The Capitals project to be a divisional playoff squad. It's hard to doubt the top-six forward group of Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Tom Wilson, Jakub Vrana, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. Elite defenseman John Carlson (15G, 60A) was the team's leading scorer and handles touch matchups on the defensive end. Ilya Samsonov gets his chance to be a true No. 1 with Braden Holtby signing with Vancouver. Veteran Craig Anderson, who subs for sidelined Henrik Lundvist, will likely prove valuable to handle some key games in the condensed season. Laviolette is a pro and hunch here is he gets the most out of this team. In this deep division, we'll see how far that takes Ovi and the 2018 Stanley Cup champs.