NHL season preview: How they'll finish

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 50-19-13; first in conference; lost in third round.

The skinny: Defenseman Brian Rafalski was a nice off-season addition. The Red Wings will continue to pile up the points in the weak Central Division and still play the puck-possession game better than anyone in the league.

2. San Jose Sharks

Last season: 51-26-5; fifth in conference; lost in second round.

The skinny: They'll miss Dave Hannan on defense, but GM Doug Wilson has assembled an impressive roster, headed by MVP candidate Joe Thornton. Losing backup goalie Vesa Toskala could be a problem if Evgeni Nabokov goes down with an injury.

3. Vancouver Canucks

Last season: 49-26-7; third in conference; lost in second round.

The skinny: As long as Roberto Luongo is playing goal behind a rock-solid defense, the Canucks will be in contention in the West. They could use more scoring behind Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Markus Naslund.

4. Anaheim Ducks

Last season: 48-20-14; second in conference; won the Stanley Cup.

The skinny: The defending Stanley Cup champs will have a tough time repeating, especially if defenseman Scott Niedermayer makes up his mind to retire. Expect defenseman Chris Pronger have a monster season and win the Norris Trophy.

5. Minnesota Wild

Last season: 48-26-8; seventh in conference; lost in first round.

The skinny: Watch out for this team if Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra can stay healthy and provide consistent offense and goalie Niklas Backstrom repeats last year's 23-8-6 finish. Gaborik could be a sleeper MVP candidate.

6. Calgary Flames

Last season: 43-29-10; eighth in conference, lost in the first round.

The skinny: Mike Keenan takes over behind the bench and will make a difference as only he can, but the Flames will go only as far as goalie Miikka Kiprusoff takes them. And that could be far into the postseason.

7. Dallas Stars

Last season: 50-25-7; sixth in conference; lost in first round.

The skinny: If the Blackhawks are going to make the playoffs, the Stars need to be one of the teams to drop off, and it could happen if they struggle to score. Hard to believe Mike Modano now is 37 years old but still going strong.

8. Nashville Predators

Last season: 51-23-8; fourth in conference; lost in first round.

The skinny: Gone are Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, Scott Hartnell, Tomas Vokoun and Kimmo Timonen, but there's still plenty of talent. Losing Steve Sullivan for at least three months (back surgery) won't help. Is Chris Mason a No. 1 goalie?

9. Colorado Avalanche

Last season: 44-31-7; ninth in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Avs made two huge free-agent signings in left wing Ryan Smyth and defenseman Dave Hannan that could pout them back to the playoffs. Smyth is expected to play with ageless Joe Sakic. Goalies Peter Budaj and Jose Theodore must step up.

10. Blackhawks

Last season: 31-42-9; 13th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Hawks will be improved, but how much? They should score more goals, but there are questions galore on defense, and the Hawks need to prove they can win consistently at home. It looks like they are still a bit short but getting there.

11. St. Louis Blues

Last season: 34-35-13; 10th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: Paul Kariya was a nice pickup, and defenseman Erik Johnson, the first choice in the 2006 draft, could be an impact player. The Blues were 27-18-9 after Andy Murray took over as coach last season and look headed in the right direction.

12. Edmonton Oilers

Last season: 32-43-7; 12th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Oilers need Ales Hemsky and Jarret Stoll to stay healthy, but even then a lack of depth up front could be a problem. Acquisitions Joni Pitkanen and Sheldon Souray should make the defense considerably better.

13. Los Angeles Kings

Last season: 27-41-14; 14th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Kings added Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy, Tom Preissing, Brad Stuart and Kyle Calder, but who's going to play goal, Jason LaBarbera? Rookie Jonathan Bernier might keep the job if he shows he's ready.

14. Phoenix Coyotes

Last season: 31-46-5; 15th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: It's going to be another long season for coach Wayne Gretzky. The Coyotes' biggest off-season acquisition was winger Radim Vrbata, so enough said. Consider it another rebuilding year out in the desert.

15. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last season: 33-42-7; 11th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Blue Jackets don't seem to be getting any better despite all those high draft picks. Ken Hitchcock is a good coach, but he's not going to be able to work miracles with that defense.

Eastern Conference

1. Ottawa Senators

Last season: 48-25-9; fourth in conference; lost in Cup Finals.

The skinny: Goalie Ray Emery still isn't recovered from off-season wrist surgery, which puts the spotlight on backup Martin Gerber. It's a contract year for Dany Heatley, and he just might be the leagure's MVP. John Paddock is the new coach.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last season: 47-24-11; fifth in conference; lost in first round.

The skinny: Why can't the Penguins win the Stanley Cup? They have the best player in the game in Sidney Crosby, tons of offense and an improved defense, adding veteran Darryl Sydor and a very good goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury. They'll challenge.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Last season: 40-34-9; 11th in conference, missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Hurricanes missed the playoffs one year after winning it all, but that won't happen again. The defense could be a weak link, which means goalie Cam Ward must be as good as he was in the playoffs two springs ago.

4. New York Rangers

Last season: 42-30-10; sixth in conference; lost in second round.

The skinny: The Rangers are serious about winning the Cup, having added Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to an offense that already included Jaromir Jagr. There are holes on defense, but goalie Henrik Lindqvst can cover up for a lot of mistakes.

5. New Jersey Devils

Last season: 49-24-9; second in conference; lost in second round.

The skinny: Brent Sutter takes over as coach of a team made weaker by the losses of Brian Rafalski and Scott Gomez to free agency. Goalie Martin Brodeur will take the Devils to the playoffs, but he can't play in 78 games again and stay fresh.

6. Buffalo Sabres

Last season: 53-22-7; first in conference; lost in the third round.

The skinny: With Chris Drury and Daniel Briere gone, the Sabres lost a lot of skill and leadership, but don't count them out. Thomas Vanek is a star, Ryan Miller is a top-end goalie, and the defense remains young, quick and skilled.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last season: 44-33-5; seventh in conference; lost in first round.

The skinny: The Lightning still have goalie issues and will go as far as Johan Holmqvist takes them. The big three of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards leads what should be a very good offense once again.

8. Atlanta Thrashers

Last season: 43-28-11; third in conference; lost in the first round.

The skinny: By no means are the Thrashers a lock to make the playoffs with so much depending on how goalie Kari Lehtonen performs. This will be a high octane offense again led by the dynamic 1-2 punch of Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa.

9. Philadelphia Flyers

Last season: 22-48-12; 15th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Flyers finally have a top goalie in Martin Biron and added some excellent players in Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul. A return to the playoffs is a definite possibility.

10. Florida Panthers

Last season: 35-31-16; 12th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Panthers have a lot of good things going for them starting with the acquisition of goalie Tomas Vokoun, who was a difference-maker in Nashville. Center Stephen Weiss could be ready for a breakout season into the league's elite.

11.Montreal Canadiens

Last season: 42-34-6; 10th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: The Canadiens are young and added veterans Bryan Smolinski and Roman Hamrlik for stability. This should be one of the quickest teams in the NHL, but it will need goalie Cristobal Huet to be the difference to make the playoffs.

12. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last season: 40-31-11; ninth in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: Goalie Vesa Toskala and center Jason Blake were nice pickups, but there are depth problems up front, especially with No. 2 center Kyle Wellwood out indefinitely (sports hernia) and Mark Bell a question mark for off-ice reasons.

13. Washington Capitals

Last season: 28-40-14; 14th in conference; missed the playoffs.

The skinny: It's not out of the question to think the Caps could challenge for a playoff spot. Alexander Ovechkin now has some help on offense in free agent Michael Nylander and rookie of the year candidate Nicklas Backstrom.

14. New York Islanders

Last season: 40-30-12; eighth in conference; lost in first round.

The skinny: The Isles added a whole new first line of Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko, but this team will miss Jason Blake's 40 goals. Goalie Rick DiPietro still hasn't shown if he's going to be an elite No. 1.

15. Boston Bruins

Last season: 35-41-4; 13th in conference, missed the playoffs.

The skinny: Manny Fernandez was acquired for stability in goal, if only he can stay healthy. Zdeno Chara leads a slow defense and is coming off a subpar season. Centers Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron lead two competent scoring lines.