Yo Ed,
I find it amusing that other teams fans don't give respect to the South East Division teams. It is ridiculous. I find their games much more entertaining to watch. A lot of the other divisions are so boring that you already know the result of the game and the type of game they are going to play.
With the emergence of the Panthers finally, the South East looks like a 4 horse race. The Canes, Panthers, Lightning and the Capitals. Who will last the distance who knows. At the moment, the Capitals looks to be slowly dropping off the pace. Come the end of the season it will be a race in three I reckon. So far the series between the Canes, Panthers and Lightning have been quite even with the Lightning dominating the Canes just recently in a brutal affair. Lets not forget the Thrashers who can be more of a nuisance value in the division with these team with divisional and Stanley Cup aspirations
The test of a divison is to see when the division is decided. If it is decided early then it was an easy division. Which is why for many seasons the South East has been thought of as a weak division. However, to the divisions credit, they have produced stanley cup winners in Atlanta and Washington. Don't forget the playoff exploits of Tampa Bay. I wonder if their GM somehow gave them what Claude Lemieux have every time playoffs come around. Whether they are 8th or 6th, this team always seem to cause the first upset in the playoffs.
I find it interesting to see the mindset of the GM's and where they are at. Panthers are only looking to make the playoffs and win the division. The Canes and the Lightning are only waiting for the playoffs to come around as they have eyes for the Cup.
All I can say to the other teams outside of the South East, Be wary of them. There will be 3 teams making the playoffs within this division.
So we shall see what transpires...
Regards
An Educated South East Fan