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And, we have finally made it to part five of six, as we look to the Northeast Division in the Eastern Conference. Boston has commanded this division for the last couple of seasons, but many of the bottom-feeders were busy on day one.

Montreal Canadiens

2011-2012 By the Numbers:

—–> 5th in the division, missed the postseason.

—–> 19th in goals scored per game, 28th in power play percentage.

—–> 11th in goals allowed per game, 2nd on the penalty kill.

Day 1 Additions:

G — Cedrick Desjardins – Unless you enjoy battles for the backup role between the pipes, this isn’t a guy to watch too closely in 2012-2013. He signed a two-way contract and will likely spend most of the year in a lower league. However, in two NHL starts for Colorado last season, he was very impressive (2-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%).

D — Alexei Emelin – Last season was his first in NHL and he was thrown into the fire for the Canadiens. He played about 17 minutes per game and must have done enough to prove his worth to Montreal. Overall, he had just seven points and a negative 18 rating, so he will need to improve that in his second year.

D — Francis Bouillon – In my opinion, this was a smart move by the Canadiens. Bouillon is an experienced veteran that won’t collect many points (11 last season), but he will punish opposing offensive players and is still capable of doing a solid defensive job as a 36-year-old.

RW — Colby Armstrong — If you want speed, this is your guy. In his career, when he plays for the majority of the season, he can fill up a stat sheet (six seasons of 20 or more points), which could be great news for a struggling Montreal attack. My best bet would be that Armstrong sees his time as a third-line forward.

RW — Michael Blunden — The value of this addition is hard to predict at this point. Blunden had just four points last season and missed numerous games due to injury. He will need to get healthy if he plans to play a large role in 2012-2013.

RW — Brandon Prust — Out of all of the forwards that Montreal added on July 1st, this one is my favorite (probably explains why he was given the biggest contract). Prust brings the capability to score 20 or 30 points each season, and he is a tough attacker that has played in all 82 games the last two seasons.

Toronto Maple Leafs

2011-2012 By the Numbers:

—–> 4th in the division, missed the postseason.

—–> 10th in goals scored per game, 10th in power play percentage.

—–> 29th in goals allowed per game, 28th on the penalty kill.

Day 1 Additions:

C — Jay McClement – He will be a strong forward to throw into the mix in Toronto. Last season in Colorado he posted 17 points on 10 goals, which should be pretty close to what he does in 2012-2013.

The Maple Leafs also added goalie Jussi Rynnas, defenseman Michael Kostka, and forwards Ryan Hamilton and Matt Frattin. None of these players have spent significant time in the NHL, so I wouldn’t expect a whole lot from them next season.

Buffalo Sabres

2011-2012 By the Numbers:

—–> 3rd in the division, missed the postseason.

—–> 17th in goals scored per game, 16th in power play percentage.

—–> 18th in goals allowed per game, 19th on the penalty kill.

Day 1 Additions:

D — John Scott – Contrary to Montreal and Toronto, Buffalo wasn’t too anxious to make any moves on the first day of free agency. However, adding Scott was something that they did simply to add toughness to the club. He will spend a great deal of time in the penalty box and from time-to-time will supply some solid defensive play.

Ottawa Senators

2011-2012 By the Numbers:

—–> 2nd in the division, eliminated in the first round of the postseason.

—–> 4th in goals scored per game, 11th in power play percentage.

—–> 24th in goals allowed per game, 20th on the penalty kill.

Day 1 Additions:

D — Mike Lundin – Last season he missed a great deal of time due to a sports hernia. But, the good news is that he shouldn’t be affected by that moving forward. His role in Ottawa will be as a protector of the crease, and if the Senators are lucky, he’ll put up 10-15 points along the way.

LW — Guillaume Latendresse — My concern with the Senators moves thus far is that they are depending a bit on players with injury history. Now, I admit that Lundin should be fine; but, Latendresse is coming off of a major concussion issue, which should concern those in Ottawa. However, if he can get healthy, he is a gifted scorer.

Boston Bruins

2011-2012 By the Numbers:

—–> 1st in the division, eliminated in the first round of the postseason.

—–> 2nd in goals scored per game, 15th in power play percentage.

—–> 6th in goals allowed per game, 11th on the penalty kill.

Day 1 Additions:

None. It seems as if a number of former Bruins were on the move Sunday, but nobody new was brought to Boston. But, they did re-sign a number of guys in the weeks leading up to ‘Free Agent Frenzy’.

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Ice Insiders Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive