FanNation - The Republic of Sport

This is the most interesting conference in the league..., the wild wild west has 10 playoff type teams and only 8 can get in..., going to be a long season out west.

#1 - Detroit Red Wings - Defending champions, the best run franchise with arguably the best defense in the entire league. And now they signed Hossa for one season..., going to be interesting how he meshes with Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Defensively, they're getting long in the tooth but with Lidstrom, Chelios, Rafalski and Stuart manning the blue line, it only makes Osgood and Conklin's jobs easier.

#2 - Dallas Stars - Perhaps the second best team in the league..., they literally stole Richards from Tampa at the deadline and added a wild card in Avery. If Avery comes to play every night and his distractions are at a minimum, this could be the West champions. Turco's an all star with an impressive resume and should be his old self this season.

#3 - Calgary Flames - Adding Bertuzzi raises question marks but Cammelari doesn't..., he's a solid scorer who played on a bad team for the past few years..., his totals will go up playing alongside Iginla, as everyone's does. Kipper's got to pull through and that defense ahead of him has a Norris in waiting in Phaneuf..., this could be his year.

#4 - San Jose Sharks - Picked by a lot to win the Cup last season (me included at one point) this team got a lot bigger and tougher on the blue line, signing Blake and trading Carle for Boyle. They're going to be a favorite again with Nabokov (who should've won the Vezina!) and the defense but, Thornton and Co. has to score and score often. Their road record was horrible and to win the Cup, you got to win on the road..., San Jose couldn't do that at times last year.

#5 - Anaheim Ducks - Losers in the first round last season. Anaheim's going to be a tough team to play against and with Bertuzzi gone, it opens the door for Ryan to finally get a lot of playing time. Giguere's going to be stellar again and defensively, they're strong. Pronger and Neidermayer are getting older and slower but can still be effective and if Selanne returns, they'll score a lot of goals. Morrison's the question mark..., out last season and returning to a different team will put a lot of pressure on him. Hope he can take it.

#6 - Chicago Blackhawks - Missed the playoffs by 3 points last year and they had awesome years by their rookies Toews and Kane. Now, adding Campbell and Huet to an already good lineup only solidifies their run to the playoffs. If they can deal Khabibulin for a young player who can step into the team, they'll be only better..., I love their defense and think Campbell will fit in perfectly in Chitown.

#7 - Minnesota Wild - After losing Demitra and Rolston and Parrish, this team is on the decline..., Backstrom and Harding can only do so much. Scoring will drop off, their defense isn't as good as advertised and probably won't be serious playoff contenders this season. And if they deal Gaborik which I think they will, they may not even make it but, with him, they will.

#8 - Colorado Avalanche - was thinking about Columbus taking this spot but, Colorado's going to be #8. Sakic's return for one season, coupled by the signings of Raycroft and Tucker this off season makes them a playoff team. Budaj should get the more ice time in net and with Tucker, Smyth and Wolski adding some toughness..., Colorado will take the eighth place.

Columbus, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Phoenix, Nashville and St. Louis will all be on the outside looking in this off season..., Columbus will take a run with Umberger, Torres and Nash but, it won't be enough. Nashville and Vancouver didn't do a lot this off season, Edmonton will contend but fade and St. Louis can make a serious run if they can acquire a little more scoring. Los Angeles..., will finish dead last in the conference again and until they get a decent goaltender (Khabibulin???) will continue to sink. They haven't been a good team since Gretzky left and won't be until..., well, maybe never.