Last time I took a look at some of the ongoing changes that the Atlantic division has made, today I am shifting my focus to the Northeast division which is sure to stir up some controversy....

Northeast Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
I'll start out with the Leafs who have had a busy off-season thus far making many roster changes. The UFA additions the Leafs made were signing the likes of Nik Hagman and Jeff Finger. Hagman I don't have a problem with at 3 million a year, but we will have to see if he gets the big money syndrome and stops producing now that he's making money. The most ridiculous signing has to be Jeff Finger, sure he deserves a chance but at 3.5 million a season? That's incredibly ridiculous for a guy who has played 94 games and has proven nothing. Not to mention, he was benched most of last playoffs in Colorado. It appears with this signing that Fletcher caught a bit of the JFJ illness, it must be something in the coffee at the ACC.

It wasn't all bad news for the Leafs, they successfully got rid of Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft. Dumping these 2 salaries, even if it's taking a small cap hit, is very much worth it. They both were overpaid for not producing, and Toronto is doing well at moving on by getting rid of these contracts.

Another move by Toronto this off-season is acquiring Mikhail Grabovski from the Canadiens for a prospect and a 2nd round pick. Grabovski has a tonne of potential but can be lazy at times. It's a good trade for both teams as Montreal has no room to work Grabs into their current lineup even though he is NHL ready, and Toronto is rebuilding and Grabs will be a good addition for that.

Overall this off-season I am giving Cliff Fletcher and the rest of the Leafs brass a B. It would have been a B+ or A- but the signing of Jeff Finger brought it down, everything else has been all mostly positive this off season for the Leafs with the exception of the Sundin debacle, but that's another story in itself.

Ottawa Senators
There is a lot of question marks surrounding this team. They could be a great team, or could be a complete flop. They have yet to land a big name D-man and having lost the ever fading Redden as a UFA, they are hurting on the back end. They signed Jarrko Ruutu and Shean Donovan, but come on, what are they really going to help? Ruutu is the poor mans Sean Avery, and the Senators already have a pest in Chris Neil. The addition of Alex Auld isn't bad for the Sens, he is a good backup goalie and he was impressive when he came in for Boston last season. The problem is, the guy he is backing up is probably a back-up caliber goalie as well. Martin Gerber needs to re-find his game or he will be in for another season like last.

A real positive for the Senators came in the form of a subtraction, that being the buy-out of Ray Emery. Emery was nothing but a cancer for that team and with him gone they should have a different attitude.

The Senators are getting a C+ for their efforts this off season. They didn't improve their team at all through any key additions and they still need to land a big name D-man. Despite them not having a productive off-season, they should still make the playoffs with the big 3 of Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson.

Boston Bruins
A decent off-season for the B's as they didn't lose anyone of significance and were able to add Michael Ryder who was in the doghouse all last year in Montreal. The addition of Ryder should help an ever improving and young Boston squad, unfortunately with today's NHL market they had to pay him 4 million dollars a year. Ryder at his best is not worth 4 million a year.

There isn't a lot to say about this Boston team as they were relatively not busy this off-season, they had around 6.5 million to spend and spent 4 of it on Ryder. If they want to make another move they could try to unload Manny Fernandez and his 4.3 million dollars and give Tuuka Rask a shot.

The Bruins will fittingly get a big B this off season. They are young, and only getting better, I expect a good season from the B's because sometimes staying the same pays off.

Buffalo Sabres
Another team that has been relatively quiet this off-season as the only major player they got was Craig Rivet. That makes Rivet their highest paid, and best defenceman on this team, that is definitely an issue. Rivet will help replace the departed Dimiti Kalinin though, which is a good start for Buffalo.

What I am calling a big mistake by the Sabres this off-season is shipping out Bernier for a couple of picks. Unless this guy was being a real issue in the dressing room, or was having personal problems in the Buffalo area, I don't see the reason for trading a very good developing player.

I will give the Sabres a C this off-season. It may seem low and harsh, but Rivet is on a decline in his career and Bernier was on the up and up. These moves don't make sense for a team that needs some desperate help. I really hope they are shifting their focus to re-signing Ryan Miller before too long or it could be a very bad couple years in Buffalo.

Montreal Canadiens
Last, but certainly not least I get to my Montreal Canadiens who were some-what movers and shakers this off season. The big addition for the Habs was getting Alex Tanguay. This could really work out either way for the Habs and it truly is a gamble on a player who appears is on a downswing but may just need this change of scenery. Another big addition for the Habs, and you have to promise not to laugh, but it's Georges Laraque. Now it is crazy to pay an enforcer 1.5 Million a season, but Montreal NEEDED this guy, someone to step up and kick #### so the small-sized Canadiens are no longer pushed around. Perhaps the best move by the Canadiens was getting Andrei Kostitsyn signed on for 3 more years and at a cheap 3.25 million at that. This kid is going to be awesome and I am happy that no one threw an offer sheet at him (Kevin Lowe).

Montreal dealt away a great up and comer in Grabovski to the Leafs. As much as this sucks because he has a tonne of potential, it had to happen as Grabs was just going to be the odd man out in Montreal and he deserves to play in the N.

There was some personnel loss to the Montreal roster with the departure of Michael Ryder and Mark Streit but at the price tags they left for, it is alright. The big loss for the Canadiens, which isn't really a loss at all is still not being able to sign Mats Sundin. If the Canadiens were to go over the top and be a solidified contender, they would need a Sundin-like player to do it.

This off-season seen Montreal make some changes but the core of the team stayed the same. I am giving them a B for the efforts of Gainey and crew. The additions of Tanguay and Laraque will help the team out a lot more then Ryder and Streit would have.

Final Grades
Leafs B
Senators C+
Bruins B
Sabres C
Canadiens B

I am expecting a 3 way fight between the Canadiens, Bruins and Senators next year to win this division. Next time I will finish off the Eastern Conference by grading the worst division in the East last year, the Southeast. We'll see how the Capitals, Hurricanes, Lightning, Thrashers and Panthers all did.