Pacific:
1) Anaheim-Losing Beauchemin will hurt more than they think, but in a weak Pacific this team still has plenty of talent to rack up the regular season points.
2) Calgary-Adding Hamilton and Frolik solidifies a lineup that may have undergone some regression this year. Goaltending is still up in the air, but the depth is undeniably good should one of them falter.
3) L.A.-Great top 6 forwards, great goaltending, great top pairing defenders. However, horrible defensive depth will keep this team from being near the top of the standings.
Central: *First of all, this is a tough division that will have very little separation from top and bottom.
1) Minnesota-This team has been building for a while and last year showed what happened when they got halfway decent goaltending. This is a team with a LOT of depth, especially on defense. They also play an aggressive style of game that tends to win more now a days in the NHL.
2) St. Louis-This is still a very good team, but it's beginning to look like their window is closing. Goaltending continues to be a question mark. Decent scoring options, but they do still need to do it by committee. Strong top 4 defensemen.
3) Colorado-Had a big regression last year, but injuries to a defensive group that had poor depth played a significant role, and the young forwards had uncharacteristically poor seasons. Very good forward group and very strong goaltending. A top 4 of Barrie, Beauchemin, Johnson, and Zadorov should be good enough to get them back in the playoffs.
Wildcard:
1) Nashville-incredibly strong defense group, top 3 goaltender in the league (as long as he's healthy), and enough offense from guys like Forsberg, Neal, and Ribeiro to get the job done. They could use one more exceptional scoring forward to really be a contender.
2) Winnipeg-mostly lateral or backwards moves this off-season, but still a young team that has the horses to be competitive. Goaltending is questionable, but there are several options including Hellebuyck (sp?). Should be good enough to be in the playoffs again.
Non-playoff teams:
9) Dallas-all offense, no defense, mediocre goaltending. It should be a lot of fun to watch Dallas this year, but they don't have enough on the back end to make the playoffs. They'll make a run for it though.
10) Chicago-call it a Stanley Cup hangover. Call it massive roster turnover. Whatever it is, I have a feeling that the 'Hawks are going to struggle for most of the year in a very competitive division where everyone will be gunning for them. I just don't think they have the depth to stay on top next year.
11) Vancouver-Desjardins is still a very good coach, and will get more out of this roster than most, but this is still a team on the decline with few young players ready to step in. Miller is now the de facto starter, and Markstrom may take over by the end of the year. The defense is mediocre and not necessarily awful, but won't be a difference maker for this team. The Sedins are aging and the rest of the forwards aren't very scary offensively, but Desjardins will get enough goals out of this group to at least be competitive.
12) San Jose-Trusting in Martin Jones to be their starter could be risky. L.A. backups have often not looked nearly as good as starters on other teams. They have a decent top 3 defenders, but Burns may be needed more on forward yet again. The Sharks still have two young studs in Pavelski and Couture, but there's a serious lack of scoring depth in the organization, and Thornton and Marleau are yet another year older. Not to mention Pete De Boer being a step down from McLellan should set them back again.
13) Edmonton-They started to plug some organizational holes, and I doubt Chiarelli will sit on his hands the rest of the year. Lots of young and unproven talent, and lots of work to be done in terms of team defense, but McLellan is the right guy for the job. The defense is definitely better than last year, but is still pretty poor overall. However, I do predict some solid improvement, but it may take half a season to retrain the on-ice talent.
14) Arizona-likely an absolute bottom feeder this year. Do not expect much more than hard work and Tippet defense this year from the Coyotes. Yet more drama surrounds the team off ice which will likely keep any significant improvements from occurring any time soon. Might be the absolute worst team in the league this year (Hmm...ok, maybe the Leafs
).