*Official* Cenference Standings Prediction Thread

Let's see how everyone thinks the season will shake out:


West
1. Detroit
2. San Jose
3. Calgary
4. Chicago
5. Vancouver
6. St. Louis
7. Anaheim
8. Columbus
9. Minnesota
10. Dallas
11. Los Angeles
12. Nashville
13. Edmonton
14. Colorado
15. Phoenix/Hamilton/Winnipeg

East
1. Boston
2. Pittsburgh
3. Washington
4. Philly
5. Toronto
6. Carolina
7. Montreal
8. New Jersey
9. New York Rangers
10. Ottawa
11. Tampa Bay
12. Buffalo
13. New York Islanders
14. Florida
15. Atlanta

I'll have Boston beating San Jose in the Cup Finals.

All right, I’ll put my predictions in…by division

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

1. Pittsburgh…Defending champs start slow but win the division.
2. Philadelphia…Start strong but Emery has melt-down sometime during season. Pronger steadying influence.
3. New Jersey…Saint Jacques does what he can with what he has. Brodeur still strong, Parise drops off due to lack of help.
4. New York Rangers…if, if, if. Wild fans are used to it.
5. New York Islanders…there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Just not this year.

Northeast

1. Boston…the subtractions (Kessel, Hnidy, Ward, Yelle, ) are greater than the additions Morris, Begin. Still enough to win the division.
2. Toronto…yep I said it. Miracle year happens for the Leafs. We’ll see if it’s smoke and mirrors but the showdowns with the Bruins should be fun to watch.
3. Buffalo…Vanek, Roy, Pominville provide plenty of “Oh!”-fense, Miller keeps them in games…
4. Montreal…getting messier (not the Mark kind!) by the minute. Suspensions, high expectations from fans, head-case goalie, aging stars.
5. Ottawa…Not much in return for Heatly. Alfredsson will have to do a lot for this team.

Southeast

1. Washington…no problem scoring, additions of Knuble and Morrison help with leadership. Mysteries surround goal-tending and no-name defense.
2. Carolina…they’ll let the Caps race out to the division lead and play the snake in the grass role come playoff time.
3. Tampa Bay… this year they’ll start stronger and Stamkos will get better with St.Louis and Malone next to him.
4. Florida…the loss of Bouwmeester plus an unremarkable roster playing in a near empty rink spells a lost season for the Panthers
5. Atlanta…Kovalchuk rumors and his unhappiness with dog this team all season.


Western Conference

Central

1. Detroit…Still enough left to win the division. Plus they always seem to come up with somebody we’ve never heard of.
2. Chicago…they take a step backward this year but they have enough to push the ’Wings. Huet is twitchy, Hossa out ‘til December, Burish out longer.
3. St. Louis…a playoff taste last year plus steady development from the younger players make the fans take interest this year. Tough at home and they‘ll make hay within the division
4. Columbus...Nash and Mason aren’t enough to carry this team.
5. Nashville…Trotz will get everything he can out of this bunch but other than Weber, there ain’t much.

Pacific

1. Anaheim…loaded for a ‘Cup run. Koivu and Lupul nice additions with Boynton there to protect. Giguere will bounce back and if he doesn’t, Hiller is capable.
2. San Jose…they’ll focus towards the playoffs but the divisional grind will keep them from the top spot. Thornton too soft, Heatly unsure of his role.
3. Los Angeles…this IS the year. The hockey world has been waiting for the younger players to produce and with the addition of Smyth, he’ll provide leadership.
4. Dallas…a better, steady front office (Nieuwendyk) will help right the ship, but Morrow can’t carry the load. Brunnstrom needs to show he’s not a flash in the pan. Turco is on slide.
5. Phoenix…Ugh. A lost season.

Northwest

1. Vancouver…having a talented blueline crew in front of a fabulous goaltender will help the Canucks cruise to a division title. The addition of saltier players like Lukowich will keep opponent from taking many runs at the softer skill players.
2. Calgary…four HUGE defensemen and Kiprusoff will keep the puck out of their own net for the Flames but the need to improve on their scoring touch. New coach Sutter will add grit.
3. Minnesota…are the Wild pushing the rock up-hill for just one season or will it take longer? New faces from the top on down will make this the best season for selling scorecards at the perennial sold out Xcel Center. Will fans fill the seats for another year? A hot streak by Backstrom and scoring from unexpected sources could see the Wild contend for a playoff spot late.
4. Edmonton…a small-ish forward scoring threat plus inexperience at the blueline with make for another frustrating year for the Oil despite proven winners in coaching staff of Quinn and Renney. Khabibulin helps improve team between the pipes .
5. Colorado…No leadership, little experience and an unproven goaltender make this season a trying one for the Avs. A lottery team.

Playoff standings

Eastern Conference Western Conference

1. Washington 1. Detroit
2. Boston 2. Vancouver
3. Pittsburgh 3. Anaheim
4. Philadelphia 4. San Jose
5. Carolina 5. Chicago
6. New Jersey 6. Calgary
7. Toronto 7. St. Louis
8. Tampa Bay 8. Los Angeles

Stanley Cup Finals

Pittsburgh Vs. Anaheim

Ducks in five.

I made my predictions back in early to mid August, but I don't think that things will change that much, so I will just stick with them:

Western Conference Predictions:

Quote :

#15: Colorado Avalanche

The Avs look to enter rebuild mode for the first time since moving from Quebec back in 1995. Trading away winger Ryan Smyth to the Kings was a step in the right direction as they move forward with a younger core. With long-time team captain Joe Sakic retiring, no clear number one goalie and a brand new front office running the show, look for the Avs to finish in the basement of the Western conference in the 2009-2010 campaign.

#14: Phoenix Coyotes

For the past few seasons, fans in the desert have had little to cheer about. To make matter worse, they've been the talk of the NHL all summer with the team filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Jim Balsillie trying to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario. Seemingly continuing to re-build since their last playoff run in the spring of 2002, fans in Arizona should be familiar for what lays ahead for this troubled franchise.

#13: Nashville Predators

After falling short of the playoffs last season after being part of them in each of the four seasons prior, the Nashville Predators look to finish in a similar fate this coming season. With the emergence of Finnish goaltender Pekka Rinne and a strong group of young and talented blue-liners, the Predators look to be set defensively. Their weakness however remains up front with mediocre scoring talent at best. In the Western Conference, you need more weapons if you are to succeed.

#12: St. Louis Blues

Last season, the Blues were the Cinderella story of the Western Conference finishing 9-1-1 in their final eleven games to clinch their first playoff berth since the NHL lockout. With a young group of talented players sprinkled throughout the line-up, they were easily dispatched in a first round sweep by the Vancouver Canucks. If the Blues are to take the next forward, they need to add more talent; something they have failed to do this summer other than the lone signing of goaltender Ty Conklin. That just simply isn't enough when most other teams in the Western Conference have gotten stronger this off-season.

#11: Minnesota Wild

Many fans in the State of Hockey have waited for a more open style of hockey to watch at the Xcel Energy Center, and for the first time in their short history, they will get a chance to see just that. New head coach Todd Richards promises an up-tempo, aggressive and attacking style of hockey, but unfortunately, the Wild's roster doesn't fit that mold quite yet. Fans of Minnesota should be patient with the complete overhaul that the Wild will be sure to get over the next couple of seasons. With time, the Wild can be a true contender in the Western Conference and a team to be feared come playoff time. It's up to Todd Richards and new General Manager Chuck Fletcher to follow through on actually living up to those expectations.

#10: Los Angeles Kings

Long a team buried deep in mediocrity, the Kings look to climb their way out of the Western Conference basement with the off-season acquisitions of Stanley Cup winning defenseman Rob Scuderi and veteran scoring winger Ryan Smyth. The Kings have some of the best young talent throughout their roster in the NHL and head coach Terry Murray has started to bring out the talent of these players. But is it enough? Maybe with a little more time. Their goaltending still remains suspect, and even now with a legitimate number one scoring line, they look thin elsewhere. Kings fans should continue to remain patient (it's not like you don't know how, right?). Their future looks brighter than almost any other team in the NHL.

#9: Columbus Blue Jackets

For the first time in their short existence, the Columbus Blue Jackets made their first post-season appearance last season versus division rival and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Although they were swept in a quick four games, the Jackets now have some playoff experience and a head coach in Ken Hitchcock that knows how to win in the playoffs. Armed with some great young forwards and with the re-signing of captain Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets will have no problem scoring goals. Add in offense with a great young and talented blue line and future all-star goaltender and fans in Ohio finally have a team to be proud of. The only thing that will keep them out of the playoffs this season is the lack of making an impact during free agency when so many other teams in the Western Conference got better.

#8: Edmonton Oilers

Oilers fans in Edmonton, Alberta have been let down the past three seasons after their magical run to the Stanley Cup Finals in the summer of 2006 by missing the playoffs in each of those three seasons. Hopefully the addition of Pat Quinn behind the bench should help them regain the winning tradition that fans of this franchise are used to. Edmonton is my dark-horse pick this season to get into the playoffs and do some damage. Armed with some of the best young talent up front that can score and skate with the best of them, look for Edmonton's skilled forwards to do some damage this season. Losing a top goaltender in Dwayne Roloson was rectified by signing Nikolai Khabibulin and with a capable D-corps that can shut down opposing offenses as well as score, Edmonton looks well rounded. The addition of Pat Quinn is only going to help this team, something that fans in Rexall Place have been craving since that magical 2006 summer.

#7: Dallas Stars

After a one year coaching hiatus, former Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings head coach Marc Crawford became the new Dallas Stars head coach. Crawford brings a winning tradition to Dallas with a Jack Adams Award in 1995, a Stanley Cup Championship with the Avalanche in 1996, and a career coaching record of 470-361-100-52. In just that one signing, the Stars become better on paper. The question is, will it translate into success on the ice? Crawford is known for his up-tempo and attacking style of play, something that should benefit the players that Dallas has. The team was riddled with injuries last season, which caused them to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. If the Stars can stay healthy, Crawford can help this team inflict some damage on its Pacific Division foes. Players and fans of the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks should take note.

#6: Vancouver Canucks

General Manager Mike Gillis has had a busy off-season. Rumors have it that he is working on a long-term contract extension of goaltender Roberto Luongo. At the NHL Entry Draft, he was able to select a fantastic forward in Minnesota Golden Gopher Jordan Schroeder who has a bright future ahead of him. Last but certainly not least, he seemingly waited until the last minute by re-signing Daniel and Henrik Sedin on day one of Free Agency. While some may look upon the Canucks as not doing much during the off-season compared to other teams in the NHL, nothing really needed to be accomplished other than making sure to re-sign the Sedin twins as Vancouver is still one of the top teams in the Western Conference. While many other teams' fans complain about "the trap" that the Canucks seem to use at times, head coach Alain Vigneault opened up the offense last season which resulted in Alexandre Burrows, Ryan Kesler and the Sedin twins all having career years. The Canucks have a great crop of players and if they can lock up Roberto Luongo long-term this season, look for the Canucks to continue to have repeated success in the next few seasons.

#5: Chicago Blackhawks

Fans in Chicago got to watch one of the most exciting teams in all of hockey last season after many years of terrible play. When you are bad for that many seasons though, you get rewarded with plenty of great draft picks and the Blackhawks certainly cashed in when they were given the opportunity. Already armed with young sniping forwards Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg, the Blackhawks looked set. During the first day of free agency however, the 'Hawks dropped another bomb on the NHL world. They were able to sign arguably the top player in free agency, winger Marian Hossa. With this group of forwards, Chicago has arguably the best offense in the NHL. Their only question mark remains in the goaltending position after losing Nikolai Khabibulin to free agency. If Cristobal Huet can step up his game, the Blackhawks could be the team to beat in the West this year. Looking at Huet's past though and you see an incredibly streaky goaltender. He is certainly capable of carrying a team, but when he is bad, he is bad. The upcoming 'Hawks season can be quickly summed up by asking, "which Huet shows up in net?"

#4: San Jose Sharks

For whatever reason, the hockey gods haven't been to nice to the San Jose Sharks. Over the past five seasons, they have won the Pacific Division title 3 times (the other two seasons finishing in second) and finishing each season with an average of 107 points. During those same five years, they haven't been able to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Last year seemed to have been the hardest pill to swallow; winning the President's Trophy, yet falling to the eighth seeded Anaheim Ducks in the first round. Whatever the problem is, this is the year they need to figure it out. Already in cap trouble with less than $1,000,000 available, they still have several roster spots to fill. Many Sharks fans are voicing their opinion and are clearly frustrated, and who can blame them? General Manager Doug Wilson has had a talented team for a while now, but they've fallen short of expectations year after year. Is it time for him to go? If the Sharks falter again this season after being a top team in the West, then he should be fired. Not succeeding is one thing. Not succeeding and destroying your teams future with horrible cap management is another. This team isn't going to win the Pacific Division this year. They are going to need to dump some of their assets just to get in under the salary cap. The Sharks could have a very disappointing year that many fans don't yet realize. Stay tuned.

#3: Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames look to take the Northwest Division crown in the 2009-2010 season. A quick look at their roster, and you can see why. They are extremely well balanced from top to bottom. Up front, you have one of the game's best well-rounded players in Jarome Iginla. He alone makes your team better. The Flames also have a great young crop of forwards that will only get better with experience. On defense is where it gets scary. The Flames now have two of the NHL's best defensemen in Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester. Also add in Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich and fit them in with either Phaneuf or Bouwmeester and you have the best top 2 defensive lines in the game today. In net, you also have Miikka Kiprusoff who has been shaky the past couple years but also has William M. Jennings and Vezina Trophy to his name. All together, they are the best team in the Northwest Division and if they can stay healthy, don't be surprised to see them make a deep run in this years' playoffs.

#2: Detroit Red Wings

Score one goal and you are going to overtime. Get another goal there, and you win your second Stanley Cup in as many years. Just getting to the Stanley Cup two years in a row is something very rare in today's well-balanced league. For the Detroit Red Wings though, it's almost to be expected. Some might have predicted when the NHL returned from the lock-out that dynasties such as the Detroit Red Wings wouldn't be able to exist because of the salary cap. But what other teams lack, the Detroit Red Wings possess; Flawless management. The Red Wings lead the way in terms of scouting, drafting and developing their players. Justin Abdelkader, Pavel Datsyuk, Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen, Darren Helm, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Brett Lebda, Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg were all players drafted by Detroit and all of these players are in the starting line-up each night. To get each of these players to want to stay long-term and stay within a winning environment is what makes this team so special. It is un-matched by any NHL team and it's what keeps the winged-wheel rolling. Look for Detroit to win the Central title again and to continue their dominance within the Western Conference. Do they get to the Stanley Cup Finals again in the summer of 2010?

#1: Anaheim Ducks

Ever since the 2006-2007 season, the Ducks have lacked secondary scoring. Enter Saku Koivu, who turned down a long-term offer from the Minnesota Wild to play one year in the OC with his friend and countryman Teemu Selanne. The Anaheim Ducks are one of few teams throughout the NHL that can employ two lines of attack. On line one you have Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. On line two you have Joffrey Lupul, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. Randy Carlyle is one of the league's top coaches and giving him two lines to score with is something every opponent should fear. Finishing last season in the eighth seed was deceiving. Anaheim wasn't a normal eighth seed where they didn't have the talent to be any higher. The team suffered some things that they couldn't control like injuries and then also went through some things that they could control. Careless penalties and undisciplined play come to mind. If they can get those two things under control, this team is capable of running through the rest of the Western Conference all the way to the Cup Finals. The questions remains though, can they or more importantly, will they do so? This is a team that has made it's success playing the game with reckless abandon and it has proven successful in the past. After all, they won the Stanley Cup in 2007 playing tough-man hockey. Can they do it again this year? It certainly shouldn't surprise anyone if they do.

Eastern Conference Predictions:

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15: New York Islanders

Well, I guess one positive you can take if you are an Islanders fan is that your team just drafted a player who looks to explode onto the NHL scene much like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin did when they were drafted. Forward John Tavares was part of a lot of hype in excitement on Long Island and for good reason. Tavares broke several records while playing in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) including most goals scored during the regular season by a 16-year-old in the 06-07 season (a record previously held by Wayne Gretzky) with 72 goals scored. Looking at what else they did to add to their weak offensive attack during the off-season and you can't help but scratch your head at what General Manager Garth Snow was doing during free agency. I guess instead of worrying about who he wants to score his goals this year, he can instead try and figure out how he is going to split equal playing time between three capable number one goalies.

#14: Atlanta Thrashers

Adding Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina can only help this struggling franchise. Despite perhaps having the biggest kept secret in the NHL in Ilya Kovalchuk (who has 557 points in 545 career games over his seven seasons with the Thrashers), the Thrashers look no closer to someday actually returning to the playoffs, let alone win a post-season game. Many will argue that general manager Don Waddell has been trying desperately to make his franchise better this off-season, but will it really help? Goaltender Kari Lehtonen just went under the microscope to repair a herniated disk in his back. Rumors are that he will be ready to go by training camp, but can one really put all their faith in that when he is injured as often as he is? If Atlanta fails to do some damage in the Eastern Conference, Thrasher fans better start to prepare themselves for Ilya to be traded by this season's trade deadline as Waddell will be continuing to acquire assets for the future. He's finally started to do just that this off-season. Unfortunately, you can't repair a franchise that is this poorly assembled in one summer.

#13: Tampa Bay Lightning

The playoffs definitely seem out of reach this season, but after general manager Brian Lawton stockpiled his franchise with offense last off-season, this season he has taken the opposite approach in hopes of being a more balanced team. During the 2009 NHL entry draft, Lawton selected defensemen Victor Hedman second overall who possesses excellent size, explosive skating and has great puck sense and ice vision. Many experts have deemed him the next Nicklas Lidstrom; definitely a great player to build your team around. The Lightning also signed defensemen Mattias Ohlund and Matt Walker on the first day of free agency and later added former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster to help bolster the back end. Also added in the off-season were wingers Stephane Veilleux and Todd Fedoruk and goaltender Antero Niittymaki. While adding players that you feel will help you succeed is great, Tampa Bay proved last season by doing the same thing that it is tough to build team chemistry with such a large roster turn around. Unfortunately for Lightning fans, it looks like a mirror image to the start of last season. Bolts fans could be in for another long and frustrating year.

#12: Florida Panthers

Last season, the Florida Panthers missed the postseason despite finishing with the exact same record as the eighth seeded Montreal Canadiens. While they were that close to making the playoffs last season, don't look for them to get that close again. This is a franchise who has missed the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons now and during that time, last seasons was the closest they've been to returning. The Panthers lost a franchise defenseman in Jay Bouwmeester and if Florida's management wants to pass off Jordan Leopold as a legitimate replacement, they are doing a dis-service to not only themselves, but the fans in south Florida. While Florida seems to have a good young crop of forwards, they lack a true superstar up front and after losing their best player in Bouwmeester and not replacing him with someone of equal talent, this roster has gotten worse, not better. Fans in south Florida have been growing more and more impatient over the years, and who can really blame them?

#11: Toronto Maple Leafs

While Toronto hasn't been in the playoffs since the 03-04 season, Leaf Nation should be happy that they finally have a general manager whose track record can give them hope that they will be able to not only return to the playoffs, but actually cause some damage when they finally do return. In Brian Burke's first off-season as general manager of the Leafs, he was able to add strength and toughness to the blueline by signing Mike Komisarek. With Komisarek and the addition of defensemen Francois Beauchemin, Toronto now has two defensemen who can man the point on the power play, something they've always lacked. Burke also added toughness up front with the signing of enforcer Colton Orr, but as Orr was the only free agent forward addition, you have to wonder how deep Toronto's scoring will be beyond their first line. That's not to say that the Leafs don't have the ability to score goals as they ranked in the top third in goals scored last season. Toronto's success just might fall on the shoulders of highly touted Swedish netminder Jonas Gustavsson, a player that Burke personally courted to Toronto. If he can live up to expectations, Toronto just might surprise many this coming season. In a stacked Eastern Conference though, Leaf fans shouldn't get too optimistic. With a couple more seasons with Burke at the helm, this team just might be onto something.

#10: Ottawa Senators

This is a team that possesses a lot of offensive potential, but unfortunately for the fans of Ottawa, their arguable best player requested a trade only to change his mind at the last moment once he didn't want to play in Edmonton. What effect Dany Heatley will have on his team remains to be seen. It might not have an effect, but it could be disastrous. The prediction of the Senators at the 10th spot in the East is assuming that latter. I don't see how Heatley won't have a negative effect to the chemistry of a team that has been the story of NHL news throughout this summer. If for some reason, Heatley and the team can move past the circus that he created in July, they could make the playoffs. With the brutally talented line of Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, the Senators have a top line that can be rarely matched by any other team in the NHL. With the off-season addition of sniper Alex Kovalev, he can provide even more secondary scoring to a team that has no problem scoring goals. At last seasons trade deadline, the Sens acquired goaltender Pascal Leclaire from the Columbus Blue Jackets, someone who was a number goalie before he got injured. With Ottawa fixing the goaltending problem that they've had ever since the Ray Emery days, and adding even more scoring to one of the league's top offenses, Ottawa just might surprise this season. Unfortunately, I see all of the Heatley drama causing too many problems, which really is a shame when they have a team that has tons of talent.

#9: New York Rangers

The New York Rangers lost Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev, their top three goal scorers last season. To offset this, general manager Glen Sather signed one of the top free agents available this off-season in Marian Gaborik. At $37.5 million total over five years ($7.5 million per season), many fans in Minnesota see this as an over-payment as Gaborik has a career of nagging groin problems. If he is able to stay healthy though, Gaborik could really light up the lamp this season as he is one of the top offensive threats in the entire NHL. However, despite the possible top line of Gaborik, Chris Drury and free agent addition Ales Kotalik, the Rangers don't look to have the offensive depth that they had last season which might prove to be disastrous as they ranked 28th in scoring last season. The Rangers have the talent, but also have a lot of question marks.

#8 Buffalo Sabres

A lot of fans of the NHL have already written off the Sabres this season because of their lack activity during this off-season but I'm not sure why. Before goaltender Ryan Miller was injured last season, the Sabres were one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Also injured last season was first-line center Tim Connolly who missed 34 games with back and rib injuries. Also injured for 18 games during the season was top defenseman and team captain Craig Rivet. With a healthy roster, there is no reason to think that the Sabres won't be able to return to the playoffs. The Sabres have one of the league's best forwards in Thomas Vanek who can light up the lamp with the best of them. His line-mates Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville are no slouches either. When healthy, Connolly is capable of being a point-per-game player. Pominville, at only 26 years-of-age is capable of putting up respectable numbers as well. With a number one line that can score with the best of them and one of the best goalies in the league, look for the Sabres to cause some noise this coming season.

#7: Montreal Canadiens

It's amazing to see such a complete turn around of a roster is just one year. At the start of last season, the Canadiens had Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Mike Komisarek who have since departed Montreal. During the summer in response to those departures, general manager Bob Gainey has added forwards Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, and Travis Moen, defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill and former Florida Panthers head coach Jacques Martin. While some might argue that such a large turn around would mess with team chemistry, it's hard to see how this team won't be able to succeed with this much talent. If there's one area that Montreal isn't stacked in, it's in net. Back in the spring of 2008, Cristobal Huet was traded by Montreal to Washington in favor of Carey Price taking over the starting job. Since that time, Price has continually crumbled under the pressure of playing in Montreal. A lot of criticism has been thrown his way, but if Price can play up to his talent level, Montreal could be a top team in the East this year. With so many new factors this season, it's tough to rank Montreal any higher. This is a team though that is as talented as anyone in the NHL and it should be no surprise to anyone if they make a run during the playoffs.

#6: New Jersey Devils

With Jacques Lemaire now leading the way in New Jersey, there has been a lot of negative reaction from fans of the Devils thinking that he is going to hold back impact players such as Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston because of his defensive coaching style. One of the biggest myths surrounding Lemaire is that he holds back players. It couldn't be any further from the truth. Just ask Brian Rolston. When Rolston was informed earlier this summer that Lemaire would be his coach again, Rolston had this to say: "I am extremely happy that Jacques will be coaching me once again. I truly believe he is one of the best hockey coaches in the game.” Lemaire's history in the NHL should speak for himself. He is one of the best coaches when it comes to working with and meshing young players and veterans and helping each player maximize their potential. With a roster as talented as New Jersey's, fans should welcome Lemaire back to New Jersey with open arms. Losing Brian Gionta and John Madden hurts, but the addition of Lemaire as coach should help.

#5: Carolina Hurricanes

As the post-season started in April, seemingly no one gave the Hurricanes a chance both against the third ranked New Jersey Devils and the first ranked Boston Bruins despite having one of the best offenses in the league. Carolina also has the benefit of having some of the best team chemistry in the league because they always seemingly keep their line-up in tact year after year. Head coach Paul Maurice is considered one of the top head coaches in the league and that is certainly tough to argue since the Hurricanes went 33-19-5 after he joined the club after general manager Jim Rutherford fired Peter Laviolette. With one of the top centers in the league in Eric Staal, one of the top goalies (even though many under-rate him) in the league in Cam Ward, the Hurricanes are a formidable opponent for anyone. As tough as they were throughout the playoffs, Pittsburgh's explosive offense had no problem dispatching the 'Canes in a quick four game sweep, in large part to the Hurricanes defensemen not being able to handle Pittsburgh's talent. With the Hurricanes not losing anyone in the off-season and being able to bolster their below average blueline with towering defenseman Andrew Alberts, look for the Hurricanes to be just as good if not better than last year's team. With a full season of head coach Paul Maurice behind the bench, the Hurricanes just might be able to knock off the Washington Capitals for the Southeast Division crown.

#4: Philadelphia Flyers

With the fifth ranked offense last season, Philadelphia had no problem scoring goals. Their blueline was considered a promising one and the addition of Chris Pronger is the perfect addition to turn the Flyers defense into one of the best D-corps in the Eastern Conference if not the NHL. Adding Ray Emery could pay off hugely if he can return to the Stanley Cup form he had when he led the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring of 2007. Because of the abundance of centers that Philadelphia has going into the season with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Ian Laperriere, there have been rumors of moving Briere to right wing at the start of training camp. If this happens, head coach John Stevens will have many options of mixing and matching his top two lines; two lines that are very deep and can be considered one of the best two line scoring combinations in the NHL. Overall, Philadelphia looks like it can be a very dangerous team this season, one that I can definitely see making a run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

#3: Pittsburgh Penguins

The defending Stanley Cup Champions obviously don't have much to prove since they are the champs, but because they are the defending Cup Champions, I felt that it was only right to predict that they'd win the Atlantic division. While I feel that they still have a good team, losing defensemen Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill will certainly hurt. If one thing can be learned from last season though, head coach Dan Bylsma is for real. With two of the games top stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins can never be taken lightly as they can bury the puck at any given time. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury silenced many critics this summer as he led his team to a Stanley Cup victory after many had criticized that he would never be able to win a Stanley Cup, all during a post-season where he had many tremendous saves. Overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team to beat this season, until they are eliminated from the playoffs. No team is as dangerous and can score quicker than the Pens.

#2: Boston Bruins

Boston shocked everyone last season as they dominated everyone during the regular season in route to the top seed in the Eastern Conference only a year after barely squeaking into the playoffs. Playing a perfect version of transition hockey, Boston finished second to only Detroit in goals scored and finished first in goals against. Bringing back basically the same squad from last year, head coach Claude Julien will look to duplicate last seasons success but applying the same tactics this season. Leading that charge will be Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas. Thomas had a 36-11-7 record last season in 54 games played. He had 5 shutouts with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .993 save percentage. Thomas played equally as well in the playoffs and his team was one overtime goal away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. All that Boston needs to do to get to where they were last season is to continue playing the way that they were this season while staying healthy. If they can do so, look for Boston to be a consistent threat once again in the 09-10 season.

#1: Washington Capitals

With the most dangerous player in the NHL in Alexander Ovechkin and a great supporting cast, the Washington Capitals look to advance further than they did last season. With the emergence of Semyon Varlamov during the playoffs, the Capitals might have found a long-term solution in net. With him and Jose Theodore in net, you have two capable goalies to share the duties to make it easier on each other. That could certainly bode well if the Caps hope to make a deep playoff run. Although Washington lost Sergei Federov and Viktor Kozlov to Russia's KHL, they looked to off-set those losses by obtaining forwards Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison. On defense, Mike Green is coming off of a 73 point season which is just insane. Aside from Green though, Washington's defense isn't all that deep and even Green isn't the best "defensive" defensemen on the team. If Washington is to falter this season, it's going to be because of their lack of talent on defense. Maybe Ovechkin and company can help hide Washington's weak defense by just burying the puck. Going into this season, the Caps remind me an awful lot of 06-07 Buffalo Sabres; a team that can score as often as anyone, but is purely built on offense, something that you cannot solely rely on in today's NHL. I think that during the regular season, the Caps will run through the Eastern Conference, but come playoff time, it will be much more difficult to win once the competition is more on level with them. Look for Washington to come out firing on all cylinders this season. The question remains though, can they do more than just score goals?

A few things have happened in the NHL since I wrote these pieces, mainly the Heatley to San Jose deal and the couple of additions Vancouver made, but I still will hold to these seedings.

I feel that it will be a Philadelphia and Anaheim cup this year, with the Ducks also winning the cup.

Before yo rip my predictions, let me just say that you never know. I just go on intuition and not what is on paper.

I am ranking by final points, not playoff position with divisional winners being top 3. I think in the West there is a big drop off after the top 8 while the East is more even top to bottom. I think Chicago is going to flop. Here is my big SC prediction

Washington over St. Louis
I might be putting St. Louis a year or 2 ahead of schedule, but this team had some of the most underrated young talent in the league.

West
1. San Jose
2. Detroit
3. Anaheim
4. St. Louis
5. Calgary
6. Vancouver
7. Chicago
8. Columbus
9. Minnesota
10. Nashville
11. LA
12. Edmonton
13. Dallas
14. Colorado
15. Yotes

East
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Philly
4. New Jersey
5. Boston
6. Tampa Bay
7. New York Rangers
8. Ottawa
9. Toronto
10. Florida
11. Carolina
12. Buffalo
13. Montreal
14. Islanders
15. Atlanta

I was debating if I wanted to go with my gut feelings or go with logic. I decided to just put up my gut feeling picks, feel free to bash them!

West
1.Chicago
2.Anaheim
3.Calgary
4.San Jose
5.Detroit
6.Vancouver
7.St. Louis
8.Minnesota
9.Edmonton
10.Columbus
11.Nashville
12.Dallas
13.Los Angeles
14. Phoenix
15.Colorado

East
1.Washington
2.Boston
3.Pittsburgh
4.Philadelphia
5.New York Rangers
6.Tampa Bay
7.Buffalo
8.Carolina
9.New Jersey
10.Florida
11.Toronto
12.Ottawa
13.Montreal
14.New York Islanders
15.Atlanta

And I will go with Anaheim beating Washington for the cup. I put the Wild at 8th because I think its very hard for anybody to really predict how they will do with all the variables to consider, so I just stuck them in the middle. Thats my .02

My totally unscientific guesstimation, based off predicted change in goal differential and how that might influence standings:

East:

Boston
Washington
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
New Jersey
NY Rangers
Carolina
Montreal
Buffalo
Florida
Toronto
Ottawa
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
NY Islanders

Atlantic division should be toughest in hockey. I have Philly nosing ahead of the pack, with Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and NY Rangers close behind. Islanders should improve quite a bit, but not enough to move out of the cellar.

Boston will run away with the Northeast because of lack of quality contenders, although I expect they are weaker this year. Montreal edges Buffalo for second in the division and the last playoff spot. Toronto is much improved as well, still not convinced Ottawa has goaltending or defense.

Washington should win the Southeast pretty handily, although Carolina will be strong as well. Florida takes a big step back while Atlanta and Tampa Bay take big steps forward, just not enough to get in the dance.

West:

San Jose
Chicago
Calgary
Detroit
Vancouver
St. Louis
Columbus
Minnesota
Anaheim
Dallas
Nashville
Edmonton
Los Angeles
Phoenix
Colorado

I have the Central as the second strongest division in hockey, with Chicago just edging out Detroit. I'm not convinced about Huet, but they are incredibly strong defensively and the offense will increase when Hossa returns. Detroit is Detroit, they should improve upon a bad defensive year, but they lost a lot of offense and at some point in time Osgood will start to slow down. St Louis will be improved enough to edge Columbus, with Nashville bringing up the rear.

The Northwest will still be quite competitive. I have Calgary on top because I think Kipper has a rebound year, especially with Bouwmeester in front of him, and Phaneuf should improve with less pressure. They lost Cammi though, so that sets them back. Vancouver is just on their heels, I have them starting slow with a new defensive corps, but Lou will have a better year. I have the Wild over Edmonton by a good amount because a healthy Burns and Havlat as well as improved defense and Sykora will aid them quite a bit. Should score and let in more goals, but they were so stingy last year that I think we'll improve. Colorado continues to flop.

San Jose runs away with the division and I have them even stronger than last year. A big dropoff, then Anaheim, who will miss Pronger and Beauchemin and ultimately the playoffs. Dallas should improve quite a bit if healthy, but not enough to get them over the hump due to Turco's massive question marks (and five hole). Los Angeles continues to improve, but I just don't see the goalie yet. Phoenix also improves by a large margin, but they were so awful last year I don't see them making too much noise.

Playoffs:

Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in the East
Chicago over San Jose in the West
Pittsburgh wins the Cup on strong goaltending and proven playoff performers

I hope that we'll all respect individual opinions, celebrate correct predictions and be able to laugh at our own dart throwing abilities...

Thanks to all that have thrown themselves out there!

I'm still trying to find just how far off my predictions were last year

After the pathetic showing by both Boston and San Jose last night, I may want to re-think my predictions!!!

Philly and either Chicago or St. Louis in the cup.

MuckandGrind wrote:

After the pathetic showing by both Boston and San Jose last night, I may want to re-think my predictions!!!

heater -3

thorton -2

what will they do once they make the playoffs and teams start punching them in the face?

i think the sharks want cheechoo back