Experts learned a lot about teams over the summer and through the preseason. Pittsburgh will be favorites in the Eastern Conference and San Jose in the west and while these two squads are tops in the latest power rankings, things could change dramatically once teams take the ice for real.
One of the biggest stories in the league last year was the fact that not one team from Canada made the playoffs. All seven teams appear to have improved over the summer with Montreal and Edmonton the likeliest biggest movers in the standings, but watch out for the young Toronto Maple Leafs, they might be a year or two away from becoming a force in the league, but they will be fun to watch and could surprise the experts and battle for a top eight spot in the east this season.
Detroit is finally looking average and after 25 straight years of playing for the cup, could this be the the season they finally miss out? Odd Sharks still has the franchise as one of the ten best in the league, but several NHL experts are predicting are projecting a poor finish for the Red Wings and that streak to finally end.
The latest power rankings have Dallas, Nashville, and St Louis all in the top-5. The Stars have been hit hard by injuries already and depth will be a concern. The Predators and Blues enter their regular season openers with more optimism and should challenge for the best point total in the league, but only if they remain healthy.
On the other end of the spectrum, experts figure the struggles in Vancouver to continue with many picking the Canucks to finish last in the Western Conference and earning the first pick in next years draft.
