ESPN Has an article heralding the Southeast division for it’s bright future… stating that the division could very well be a beast in 10 years time with the Lightning leading the way… And in a lot of ways I agree with them as I do think Florida is about to turn the corner and Atlanta is already on the verge… Carolina is an underachiever a little too often and Washington is rebuilding.
The biggest disagreement I had with this article was about Vincent Lecavalier being a future scoring title holder and Hart Trophy candidate… As of right now, I see Vinny as a solid center but if there is anyone on the Lightning that is a future Hart trophy candidate and Scoring title winner — it’s Brad Richards. He has not wavered and has been consistent since coming into the league and being a runner up for the Calder Trophy several years ago. If he showed more grit and was a Penalty Kill mainstay, he’d rank up there with St. Louis as a great all around player.
1 Comment until now
Ten years into the future is way too far to be looking ahead. 90% of the players currently on the SouthLeast’s rosters will have long since departed, including some of the superstars. For all we know, this might be the peak for the division. Or, it might just turn into the great division they predict. But there is no way to tell based on the past season or two.