Dallas Stars - This is an interesting team and I think they may be one of the best in the league. Dallas is very deep up front with players like Mike Modano, Brendan Morrow, Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro. They added super pest Sean Avery and highly touted Swedish forward Fabian Brunnstrom. With great goaltending by Marty Turco and a solid defense led by Sergei Zubov, the Stars look prepared to take a run in the West. Dallas will be disappointed if they don’t win there division and at least make in to the conference final.

Detroit Red Wings – Defending champs and perennial favorites, the Red Wings seemed poised to have another great season. They added Marian Hossa to play on the top two lines and will team up with Datsyuk and Zetterberg to score a lot of goals. They have a  great defense headlined by Nik Lidstrom and solid goaltending from Osgood. If this team stays healthy, its hard to say that aren’t the Cup favorites this year, anything less then the Stanley Cup will be a disappointment.

Edmonton Oilers - Goals, goals and more goals, Edmonton is an offensive power house this year. They are deep and young up front with players like Ales Hemsky, Eric Cole, Shawn Horcoff and Sam Gagner. They also have a solid defense, and goaltending. The key is Mathieu Garon in net, if he is good the Oilers should be a playoff team.

Florida Panthers – This team has been selling potential for years and soon they will have to live up to that potential. They lost there best player in Jokinen in the off season, but made a trade for Brian McCabe who should fit in nicely with Boumeester. They have solid goaltending and some good young forwards, but I still don’t see them as a playoff team.

Los Angeles Kings – Sorry Kings fans, but they are horrible again. They have some good pieces up front with Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Frolov. Still have a lack a defense and no goaltending, the Kings look like they will finish last in the West.

Minnesota Wild - Hard team to explain this year, they have been close a few times, but didn’t do much to improve there team. They are solid and play a good defensive game, but may not score enough goals. They still have dynamic forward Marian Gaborik for at least this year, but they might trade him if they are not fighting for a playoff spot. I don’t think they are a playoff team this year.

Montreal Canadiens - The Canadiens are good and I think East favorites this year, Strong forward lines with players like Kovalev, Tanguay, Lang and Higgins. The key to there success will be whether or not young goalie Carey Price can be as good as they think he is. If Price is good and the defense holds up, look for Montreal to have a great year. Anything less then an appearance in the East final will be a failure.

Nashville Predators – The Preds are having a lot of financial problems, and continue to have low player salaries. They are not as good as they were last year, but still have some good players in Arnott, Erat, Dumont and Hamhuis. They might be a surprise team this year and fight for a playoff spot.

New Jersey Devils - One of the most consistent franchises in the NHL, the Devils will be much of the same this year. As long as Brodeur is with this team, they will be contenders. They are not great, but they are good enough to compete in the East with players like Elias, Gionta and Rolston. Solid defense will be the way they win, the same old boring Devils team.

New York Islanders – Well not much to say here, they are not good. Not much to talk about they have very little talent and won’t compete in the Eastern Conference. They have a good goalie in Dipietro, but ultimately that won’t be enough.

New York Rangers – The Rangers expect to compete in the East this year. Led by great goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist and a solid group of forwards with Drury, Gomez and Naslund. Defense is the way they are going to win hockey games, they will play a solid team game. They need good years out of guys like Prucha and Zherdev to add secondary scoring and balance to the line up. Look for the Rangers to be near the top of the Eastern Conference and compete for the East title.

Ottawa Senators – The Sens are looking for a bounce back season. Last year they started off looking like one of the best teams in the league, but faded and lost out in the first round of the playoffs. They still have great forwards in Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson and they will score enough goals. The defense is a question mark, but the real problem is in net with Martin Gerber. Ottawa needs Gerber to play better then he has in his entire career and the defense may not be good enough to cover up mistakes. The dynamic forwards will help the Sens compete, but they will have to battle for one of the final spots in the Eastern Conference.