TOP TEAMS IN THE NHLBY: BRUCE STREBINGER

WESTERN CONFERENCE

WITH THE WEST BEING THE DOMINATE CONFERENCE IN THE NHL FOR ALMOST A DECADE, IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THE BEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE PLAY IN THE WEST. THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS AND THE LOS ANGELES KINGS WINNING THE PAST 4 CUPS, PROVE THE WEST IS BEST. !BUT THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT A POWERSHIFT IS HAPPENING FROM WEST TO THE EAST. IN ORDER FOR THE EAST TO WIN THE CUP YOU STILL GOT BEAT THESE POWERHOUSE TEAMS IN THE WEST. !

ANAHEIM DUCKSTHE FAVORITES TO WIN CUP THIS SEASON ONLY GOT STRONGER THIS SUMMER AFTER A DISAPPOINTING CONFERENCE FINALS LOSS TO THE BLACKHAWKS. LEAD BY RYAN GETZLAF, COREY PERRY, AND RYAN KESLER, THE DUCKS LOOK TO BE EXPLOSIVE ON THE OFFENSIVE SIDE. ADDING SPEEDY FORMER NEW YORK RANGER CARL HAGELIN WILL OPEN UP THE ICE FOR THE SAID STARS. THE ONLY QUESTION THE DUCKS STILL HAVE IS GOALTENDING. FREDERIK ANDERSEN HAD A SHAKY PLAYOFF RUN, AND CONTRACT EXTENSION OF YOUNG BACKUP JOHN GIBSON SHOWS A LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE DANISH NETMINDER.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

WHAT HASN’T BEEN SAID ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS? THE TEAM IS A DYNASTY WINNING 3 CUPS SO FAR THIS DECADE. LOSING KEY PLAYERS LIKE PATRICK SHARP AND BRANDON SAAD THIS SUMMER TO STAY UNDER THE SALARY CAP IS GOING TO HURT THEM. BUT THEY STILL HAVE JONATHAN TOWES, PATRICK KANE, DUNCAN KEITH, AND A CONFIDENT COREY CRAWFORD IN NET. IT’LL BE HARD TO BELIEVE THEY WON’T BE A SERIOUS STANLEY CUP CONTENDER COME SPRING.

LOS ANGELES KINGS !FOR A TEAM THAT MISSED THE PLAYOFFS LAST SEASON DEFENDING THE CUP, THE KINGS ARE GOING TO BE A HUNGRY TEAM THIS YEAR. ADDING MILAN LUCIC FROM BOSTON THIS SUMMER ONLY MAKES THE BIGGER AND STRONGER. ANZE KOPITAR MIGHT BE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, AND IS HITTING HIS PRIME. GOALIE JONATHAN QUICK, WHO THRIVES UNDER PRESSURE IS GOING TO HAVE A FULL SEASON OF IT. THERE IS NO REASON NOT EXPECT THIS TEAM TO BE IN THE HUNT COME SPRING. DON’T FORGET ONE YEAR AGO THEY WERE THE DEFENDING CHAMPS.

DALLAS STARS !THE STARS WERE BUSY THIS OFFSEASON ACQUIRING PATRICK SHARP AND JOHNNY ODUYA FROM CHICAGO. PLUS ADD SOME STABILITY IN NET WITH FORMER CUP WINNING GOALIE ANNTI NIEMI (WINNING IN CHICAGO NO LESS), THESE STARS ARE A REJUVENATED GROUP. LEAD BY TYLER SEUGIN AND JAMIE BENN, THE STARS HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON. PLUS HOW CAN WE FORGET THE “PESKY STARS” FROM THE 2014 PLAYOFFS? KEEP AN EYE ON THIS TEAM COME SPRING.

CALGARY FLAMES !LIKE THE COLORADO AVALANCHE IN 2013-2014 THE FLAMES CAME OUT OF NOWHERE, STOLE A PLAYOFF SERIES WIN. AND THEY DID IT WITH HAVING SUBPAR PUCK POSSESSION STATS. THE FLAMES STILL HAVE A LOT TO PROVE, AND WITH TASTE OF SUCCESS WILL BE EAGER TO MAKE A STATEMENT. WINGER JOHNNY GAUDREAU IS COMING OFF A HUGE ROOKIE YEAR THAT HIM WIN THE CALDER WILL BE LOOKING TO PROVE HE’S NOT A ONE YEAR WONDER. GOALIE TANDEM JONAS HILLER AND KARI RAMO WILL HAVE TO HAVE TO PLAY THEIR BEST ALL SEASON HAVING TO FACE THE PROVEN TEAMS MENTIONED ABOVE.

EASTERN CONFERENCE THE NHL HAS BEEN DOMINATED BY THE WEST DURING THE PAST 6 SEASONS. WITH THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS WINNING THREE STANLEY CUPS AND THE LOS ANGELES KINGS WINNING TWO, THIS HAS LEFT THE EAST WITH ONLY ONE CUP. THAT ONE CUP CAME FROM THE BOSTON BRUINS BACK IN 2011, DEFEATING THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS IN 7 GAMES. BUT THE BRUINS (AND THE KINGS) FAILED TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR, RAISING THE QUESTION OF A POWERSHIFT IN THE EAST. !SO WHAT DOES THE EAST LOOK LIKE NOW? THERE’S A LOT OF UP AND COMING TEAMS TO LOOK OUT FOR. MAJOR TRADES DID GO DOWN THIS SUMMER TO FINALLY GIVE THE EAST THE BOOST IT NEEDS TO DETHRONE THE WEST.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING !THE DEFENDING EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS CAME UP SHORT LAST YEAR IN THE FINALS AGAINST THE BLACKHAWKS. THE UNCERTAINTY OF STEVEN STAMKOS CONTRACT EXTENSION AS THE OFF SEASON DRAWS TO AN END IS THE HOT TOPIC IN TAMPA AT THE MOMENT. BUT THERE’S A LOT TO GET EXCITED ABOUT REGARDLESS OF THE STAMKOS SITUATION. GOALIE AND PLAYOFF HERO BEN BISHOP IS BACK TO FULL HEALTH, AND THE YOUNG TALENT OF TYLER JOHNSON WILL ONLY MAKE THEM STRONGER MOVING FORWARD.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS !THE NEW ADDITION OF PHIL KESSEL FROM TORONTO WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST HEADLINES OF THE SUMMER. ALREADY PLANNED TO BE ON A LINE WITH ONE OF THE GREATEST IN THE GAME TODAY SIDNEY CROSBY. THE FIREPOWER OF THE PENGUINS IS UNMATCHABLE IN THE EAST. NOT TO MENTION EVGENI MALKIN, WHO IS A WORLD CLASS PLAYER IN HIS OWN RIGHT IS DUE FOR A MONSTER YEAR. THE ONLY REAL QUESTION THE PENGUINS FACE IS KEEPING THE PUCK OUT OF THE NET WITH MARC-ANDRE FLEURY NEEDING HIS REGULAR SEASON FORM IN THE SPRING AS WELL.

MONTREAL CANADIENSWITH GOALIE CAREY PRICE COMING OFF A CAREER YEAR THAT HAD HIM CAPTURE NEARLY EVERY AWARD A PLAYER CAN WIN, A STANLEY CUP IS ALL THAT’S MISSING. MAKING ONE KEY MOVE FOR MUCH NEEDED RIGHT WINGER ALEX SEMIN, THE HABS ARE LOOKING TO MAKE ANOTHER DEEP PLAYOFF RUN. STARS SUCH AS MAX PACIORETTY AND P.K. SUBBAN ALWAYS MAKE THE HABS A TOUGH TEAM TO PLAY AGAINST. THE BIG QUESTION WILL BE IF THEY CAN SCORE GOALS.

NEW YORK RANGERS !THE BLUESHIRTS LOST A FEW PLAYERS THIS OFFSEASON BUT STILL HAVE THE CORE, AND HENRIK LUNDQVIST IN NET. ONLY ONE SEASON REMOVED FROM REACHING THE STANLEY CUP FINALS, AND CAPTURING THE PRESIDENTS TROPHY LAST SPRING. THE RANGERS LOOK TO BE BACK IN FULL FORCE COME PLAYOFF SEASON. THE QUESTION IS WITH A AGING LUNDQVIST, AND SOME NEW FACES IN THE LOCKER ROOM, WILL THE TEAM HAVE ENOUGH GAS IN THE TANK FOR ANOTHER DEEP PLAYOFF RUN?

WASHINGTON CAPITALS !MAYBE THE TEAM THAT MADE THE MOST HEADLINES THIS SUMMER. THE CAPS RESIGNED BRADEN HOLTBY, SIGNED US OLYMPIC HERO TJ OSHIE, AND ADDED GAME 7 SPECIALIST JUSTIN WILLIAMS. OH, AND THEY HAVE ALEX OVECHKIN AS WELL. THE CAPITALS HAVE POSITIONED THEMSELVES AS THE TEAM TO BEAT THIS SEASON THE EAST. IN REALITY, ANYTHING SHORT OF A CUP IN THE US CAPITOL THIS SPRING WILL BE CONSIDERED A DISAPPOINTMENT OF A SEASON.

Thanks for watching! And go Oilers!-Bruce