i think the Wings end up 4th in the conference, Hawks 1st or 2nd. i reeeeeally like what the Kings did by getting smyth and scuderi, but they're still at best 7-8 unless kopitar emerges as a top 10 center in the league sooner than i expect. i think, right now, you can possibly safely say that Colorado and maybe Phoenix end up out of the playoffs. i don't like the Preds, but i never do. i think there's a good chance that the Jackets fall back to earth a bit. don't really like dallas either, but turco SHOULD bounce back unless he really is just an awful goalie. anaheim is not the force they were on defense. losing pronger is a HUGE blow. sbisa, boynton, and mccarthy don't even begin to end up on the level pronger has been at the last few years. they probably improved their offense a bit, but i'm not convinced they're a better team than they were last year. as of right now, i'd say something like this seems likely: *1. Chicago *2. Calgary *3. San Jose 4. Detroit 5. Vancouver 6. St. Louis 7. Minnesota 8. Los Angeles (obv. optimistic but I think they have a real good shot) it should be a really, really tight finish again.