[Caged Great]

1. LA Kings - They should be good enough everywhere to be on top
2. Minnesota Wild - Could use a goalie, but the rest of the team is strong
3. Anaheim Ducks - Solid everywhere
4. Dallas Stars - Good team.
5. St. Louis Blues - Still Good
6. Colorado Avalanche - Major improvements. D's a little bit mediocre, but a deadline acquisition or two and they'll be good.
7. Edmonton Oilers - Brodeur = Playoffs, even if he does suck.
8. Chicago Blackhawks - I don't know why, but I think they'll struggle this year, but will be good in the playoffs
9. Columbus Blue Jackets - Getting there
10. San Jose Sharks - With some luck, could get in there, but each of the 6-11 teams is close so it really comes down to sim chemistry.
11. Phoenix Coyotes - Could sneak into the playoffs, or finish close to the bottom. Hard team to peg.
12. Calgary Flames - Ward was good, but not any more. They'll fall back a bit.
13. Vancouver Canucks - Lots of in between players at all levels. Not enough great players, not enough poor ones. Could go through a rebuild, or make a charge for the playoffs.
14. Detroit Red Wings - The need too many pieces to fill out a good roster
15. Nashville Predators - Rebuilding

EAST

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - Pens should be at the top, but I don't think they'll go far in the playoffs.
2. Montreal Canadiens - I think the Champs will repeat
3. Philadelphia Flyers - Lots of good youngsters and vets. Should be dangerous.
4. Ottawa Senators - Fleury + Staals = profit? Should be good in the playoffs
5. Washington Captials - Re-worked their roster a bit, should be decent.
6. New York Rangers - Despite moving some contracts, they should be good enough in the weak east
7. Buffalo Sabres - A slight slide due to the loss of some of their depth but still a good team
8. Carolina Hurricanes - Keeps getting better
9. Atlanta Thrashers - Lost too many good players in my opinion, and will miss by a couple points
10. Toronto Maple Leafs - Not quite there yet
11. Boston Bruins - Could use a bit of a rebuild, but still decent
12. New York Islanders - Lundqvist adds 10 points to the Isles, but should be in a dogfight with the Panthers this season
13. Florida Panthers - The Panthers aren't great, but they do have some decent players. Should be enough to keep them out of the basement.
14. New Jersey Devils - Rebuilding team is rebuilding.
15. Tampa Bay Lightning - The worst luck out of any team I've seen. How many of their players just happen to have their ratings go in the toilet. Almost 30 million dollars tied up this year in players, that really could be in the AHL based on ratings. Horrid luck.