Music: {allcanada} Ryan Miller should keep Sabres cut above rest of Northeast Division

2009-10 record: 45-27-10, third in the East

Arrivals: Ds Shaone Morrisonn and Jordan Leopold and C Rob Niedermayer (free agents)

Departures: D Henrik Tallinder (signed with the New Jersey Devils), D Toni Lydman (signed with the Anaheim Ducks), LW Tim Kennedy (arbitration walk-away)

Goaltending: General managers certainly had it right when they selected Ryan Miller (41-18-8, 2.22 goals-against average, .929 save percentage) as the Vezina Trophy winner. No one was better than Miller last season. He's the thinking man's goalie, the king of self-analysis and self-motivation. There's no question he's Buffalo's best player.

What's happening: The Sabres had 12 players who scored 10 or more goals in 2009-10, and they could have at least that many this season. Buffalo's strength is the consistency of its depth. General manager Darcy Regier has assembled a team that seems to have scoring potential on all four lines. The Sabres provide a big challenge for opposing coaches, because it's difficult to know where to place defensive emphasis. This team has the potential to produce 250 goals without having a 30-goal scorer; it totaled 234 last season without one. Another strength is coach Lindy Ruff's ability to milk all he can out of his lineup. He will have an evolving defense to work with, but he has faced that challenge. It helps that 6-8 defenseman Tyler Myers has the potential to go from rookie of the year to a Norris Trophy candidate.

Key question: How will the Sabres' revamped defense fit? It's not easy to replace Tallinder and Lydman, who were steady performers for a long time in Buffalo. They were a combined plus 23 last season. Will Morrisonn and Leopold provide the same defensive reliability? Leopold undoubtedly will help the Sabres' transition game.

Outlook: It will be Miller time again as the Sabres ride their superstar to a playoff berth.

No. 6 Boston Bruins

2009-10 record: 39-30-13, sixth in the East

Arrivals: C-W Nathan Horton and C Greg Campbell (trade with the Florida Panthers), C Tyler Seguin (first-round pick in 2010)

Departures: D Dennis Wideman (traded to the Panthers)

Goaltending: Young Tuukka Rask (22-12-5, 1.97, .931) came of age so quickly that $6 million goalie Tim Thomas (17-18-8, 2.56, .915) has been pushed into a backup role. The Bruins could use Thomas' $5 million cap space, but it's challenging to move a big-ticket goalie.

What's happening: The Bruins were the Eastern Conference's lowest-scoring team last season. GM Peter Chiarelli took a bold step to beef up the offense by acquiring Horton. Injuries played a big role in the scoring woes, so the news that Marc Savard still has concussion symptoms is troublesome. His injury allows No. 2 overall pick Seguin to play at his natural position of center. He's a skilled, intelligent player who could be among the Art Ross contenders in a few years. The Bruins' strength will be defense and goaltending, providing Rask doesn't go through a second-year slump. With Zdeno Chara playing 25-plus minutes a game, the defense should be first-rate. Chara wasn't a Norris Trophy finalist, but he was plus 19 on a team that couldn't score. He is plus 56 over the past three seasons.

Key question: Will the Bruins miss Wideman? Their defensive depth is eroded a bit, but Johnny Boychuk's development last season gave Chiarelli the confidence to make the move. As long as Boychuk duplicates his 2009-10 effort and the Bruins don't run into major injury issues, their defensive depth probably isn't a major concern.

Outlook: If the Bruins can increase their scoring by 15%, they can win their division. But even if they fall short of hitting that mark, they are a playoff team.

No. 8 Ottawa Senators

2009-10 record: 44-32-6, fifth in the East

Arrivals: D Sergei Gonchar (free agent)

Departures: Ds Anton Volchenkov (signed with the Devils) and Andy Sutton (signed with the Ducks), C Matt Cullen (signed with the Minnesota Wild), RW Jonathan Cheechoo (contract bought out)

Goaltending: The Senators' higher-priced goalie is backing up their youngster this season. Brian Elliott (29-18-4, 2.57, .909) will make $900,000 this season while Pascal Leclaire (12-14-2, 3.20, .887) makes $4.8 million as his backup. Elliott outperformed Leclaire last season.

What's happening: The arrival of Gonchar, one of the NHL's top power-play point men, adds another layer of danger to a reasonably strong offense. Gonchar's skill on the point should get Ottawa's power play into the top 10. This team could produce six 20-goal scorers if Peter Regin takes the next step in his development. Daniel Alfredsson, Alex Kovalev, Milan Michalek, Mike Fisher and Jason Spezza give Ottawa a strong cast of potential scorers. It seems as if every season there are rumors about Spezza's future in the organization. Spezza isn't the all-around center some fans want him to be, but he has 475 points in 464 games. The defense won't be as challenging to play against because of Volchenkov's departure, but Gonchar became a reasonable defensive player while with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chris Phillips can play a shutdown role, and young Erik Karlsson is improving.

Key question: Is the goaltending good enough? The team was last in goals allowed among Eastern playoff teams. Elliott has potential, but his .909 save percentage is mediocre in today's game.

Outlook: Senators GM Bryan Murray seems to have made the only move he needed to make to ensure his team hangs on to a playoff spot.

No. 11 Toronto Maple Leafs

2009-10 record: 30-38-14, last in the East

Arrivals: RW Colby Armstrong, LW Clarke MacArthur and D Brett Lebda (free agents); LW Kris Versteeg (trade with the Chicago Blackhawks)

Departures: LW Viktor Stalberg (traded to the Blackhawks), C Jamie Lundmark (signed with the Nashville Predators)

Goaltending:Jean-Sebastien Giguere (10-15-7, 2.85, .907) and Jonas Gustavsson (16-15-9, 2.87, .902) are both important to the Maple Leafs' hopes for success this season and beyond. Giguere, a 2007 Stanley Cup champion, was acquired last season to help the Leafs immediately get into the playoffs. But Gustavsson, 25, is their goalie of the future. Their game split will depend on their level of play.

What's happening: GM Brian Burke's philosophy is to build out from the goaltending and defense. In his third season at the helm, the Leafs have solid goaltending and defense. But the offense is a work in progress. Versteeg, who should play on the top line, and Armstrong will help. Armstrong is a perfect fit for Burke because he offers muscle and grit to go with a potential to score 15 to 20 goals. But Burke had hoped to do more. He didn't trade D Tomas Kaberle for offensive help because he couldn't get fair return. That gives Toronto a noteworthy defense that includes Dion Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Kaberle and Luke Schenn.

Key question: Can the Leafs, who dealt several scorers in the winter, score 220 goals? That would be a good guess for how many goals they would need to have a shot at the playoffs.

Outlook: The Maple Leafs probably are about two 20-goal scorers and a few points short of making the playoffs.

No. 13 Montreal Canadiens

2009-10 record: 39-33-10, eighth in the East

Arrivals: C Lars Eller (trade with the St. Louis Blues); C Jeff Halpern and G Alex Auld (free agents)

Departures: G Jaroslav Halak (traded to the Blues), C Dominic Moore (signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning), LW Sergei Kostitsyn (traded to the Predators), C Glen Metropolit (playing in Switzerland), D Paul Mara (signed with the Ducks), D Marc-Andre Bergeron (free agent)

Goaltending: After GM Pierre Gauthier chose to deal Halak, Carey Price (13-20-5, 2.77, .912) might face more pressure than any goalie in the game. If he stumbles, fans could be merciless. He was booed in his first preseason loss. Price, who signed a two-year deal, has loads of potential but has yet to prove he can carry a team by himself.

What's happening: Montreal fans were giddy with hockey fever in the spring. It was as if the clock had been turned back to the 1950s, '60s or '70s. Halak became an instant hero after knocking off the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds. But Halak is gone, and the good karma has been erased by fans' anger over that deal. But regardless of whether that deal was made, Montreal barely made the playoffs last season. The offense and defense are solid, but the Canadiens aren't going to dominate at either end. Top forwards Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri are smallish scorers, meaning Montreal is frequently at a size disadvantage. The best summer news for the Canadiens was Gauthier's ability to re-sign leading scorer Tomas Plekanec to a six-year deal.

Key question: What's Plan B if Price struggles? Auld, 30, hasn't played full time since 2005-06. There are younger goalies available, and perhaps that's why the Canadiens were willing to deal Halak.

Outlook: After an exciting spring in Montreal, it could be a dreary fall and winter. The Habs could miss the playoffs.