The Boston Bruins won the Northeast Division last season with 103 points en route to ultimately winning the Stanley Cup,  but they’re going to have some tough competition this time around for the division crown; most notably from the Buffalo Sabres. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadians improved themselves, as well, while the Ottawa Senators are in the midst of a rebuilding project.

With that said, here is my entirely premature 2011-2012 Northeast Division preview.  Sure, it can and probably will change between now and the beginning of the season, but with such little going before training camp begins, I thought It would be fun to try on my forecasting glasses.

I’ll also admit to having a touch of Buffalo bias.  It’s hard not to be excited about this organization these days following the impact it’s seen since Terry Pegula took over this past year. Titles are certainly never won on paper, but for once it’s nice to enter a campaign with the Sabres, at least on paper, among the teams to beat.

So without further delay.

Continue reading ‘The Premature 2011-12 Northeast Division Forecast’