1. Anaheim -- Bulked up over the off season
2. Chicago -- Made some great moves over the off-season. Still have more than enough depth and star power to look like a true playoff contender. I've got the Ducks for winning the Cup, but it would be great for hockey if the Hawks were able to take it again. 4 times is certainly a legit dynasty.
3. Minny -- Has legit star power at almost all positions. Decent depth too.
4. St. Louis -- Ready to reclaim their title as the kings of the choke.
5. Calgary -- Added some good players without losing any of their core over the off-season, young players can't be any worse and Hudler being on a contract year leads me to think that this is the worst they could do this year.
6. L.A -- Healthy, rested and Kopitar and Lucic being on contract years make this an interesting team to follow this year. They could certainly do better than this.
7. Nashville -- This team has exactly what you need to get into the playoffs. A world class goalie and an incredibly deep blueline.
8. Winnipeg -- Tons of players at a great age, Buff and Ladd on contract years, some amazing prospects fighting for jobs and sick depth all across the board. They might not have a single player who can score a ton of goals, but they've got 4 lines peppered with guys who will put up decent point totals. Sick depth indeed.
9. Edmonton -- There isn't a single aspect of the Edmonton Oilers that doesn't look much better this year. A legit coaching staff for the first time since when? I honestly can't answer that question. A goalie with great advanced stats for the first time since when? Cujo? Roli? 2 scoring lines that not only look good on paper but are actually expected by many outside of Edmonton to produce for the first time since when? Since our dynasty? When was the last time Oil fans could sleep soundly knowing that their team has 12 forwards who actually belong in the NHL? Then there's the blueline and the only thing that makes me squeamish is Ference's contract. Nikitin on a contract year feels great. However Sekera, Klefbom and Fayne are going to be used they're going to play some great minutes for us. If Gryba and Schultz falter big time Nurse will be coming up to rush the puck and crush some skulls. And then there's the farm team. Tons of youngsters who're ready to take it to the playoffs again. That winning atmosphere will assure us that happy and confident players will be coming up for injury replacements. This is the year that we stay far away from the 30th overall spot in the standings. And hey, if we somehow win the lottery again, they can't blame us for tanking this time around.
10. Dallas - They were probably bottom 5 in both blueline depth and goaltending last year. Adding Niemi and Oduya isn't going to fix that. Niemi is a decent starter on a good team, but with this group of d-men in front of him... jeez, he's lucky he got 3 years out of Dallas, because his career is going to be destroyed. Side note: Dallas is spending 10.5 million per year on goaltending for the next 3 seasons. Has this ever happened before? This is flat out insane.
11. San Jose - Unproven goaltending, Marleau, Ward and Thorton get a year older. Martin is too old for the west. This coaching staff is way in over their head. If they don't come out strong this team will implode and possibly go fire sale after the Christmas break.
12. Colorado - Suffers the horrible fate of playing in the central. Iggy, Tanguay, Beauchemin and Stuart are a year older. Their bottom six fowards are way too weak and I don't believe in their blueline ability to keep the team over 0.500.
13. Vancouver - This is going to feel SOOOO good. It's going to feel so good that we're eventually going to have to have a Vancouver thread stuck to the top. Goaltending? Nah, they traded their best goalie for peanuts. Scoring? Sedins are a year older. So is Vrbata. They're all 34. Nobody else on this team belongs on a scoring line. If Brandon Sutter looked out of place playing center in the East. Just wait until the west gets ahold of him. Their forward depth is flat out brutal. Then there's the blueline. Hamhuis is going to be overplayed and he won't mind because he's on a contract year. Elder will put up good offence in certain situations, but this team lacks a #1 d-man and some can argue that they're lacking a #2 past Hamuis at this point. This team is ripe for the burning and it's going to be one of the bright spots of the season for Oil fans.
14. Arizona -- This is a development year for them for sure. Their group of youngsters are no joke. They're just not ready to do anything significant yet.
