Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Chris Kunitz must continue to develop into the leaders the Ducks need them to be, while Samuel Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer should continue to stifle opponents' best lines.
If Teemu Selanne returns, Bobby Ryan emerges, and Giguere plays the whole season, the Ducks could be a scary team come playoff time.
6. Edmonton
Well—finally a change from last year's playoffs!
Kevin Lowe did a great job this offseason in bringing in Erik Cole, Lubomir Visnovsky, and Gilbert Brule. Cole can put up the points as well as play responsibly in his own zone. His experience and leadership should be a welcome addition to a young locker room. Visnovsky should help solidify the defense.
But the talent at the forward position is Edmonton's real strength. Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff should both be point-per-game players this season, while the rapid growth of Sam Ganger, Dustin Penner, Robert Nilsson, and Andrew Cogliano will give the Oilers a real shot at winning their division.
The goaltending could be a real concern if Mathieu Garon can't shoulder the load, although Dwayne Roloson should be a good-enough option to at least keep them competitive.
Edmonton ended last season with a sensational stretch. If they can get out of the gate quickly this year, they should be back in the playoffs after years of watching from home.
7. Chicago
Another young, emerging team that didn't miss the playoffs by much last season.
Chicago will be led by youngsters Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, both of whom excelled in their rookie season and should continue to do so in the upcoming year. Patrick Sharp is a solid 30-goal scorer who doesn't seem to merit much press, but that doesn't appear to affect his play.
One of the many interesting subjects in the Windy City this year is whether Martin Havlat can stay healthy. Past experience doesn't bode well, but maybe this year Havlat will finally be able to display his tremendous talent.
The free-agent signings of Cristobal "Hip Hip" Huet and Brian Campbell, while financially questionable, greatly benefit on the ice. Campbell is a great puck moving defensemen who should more than fill the loss of Lang on the PP as well as bring leadership to a blue line as talented as they are young.
How Duncan Keith remains a mystery to some people is beyond me—but noticed or not, he is a defensive stud.
The signing of Huet seemed to set the stage for the Hawks to move underachieving Nikolai Khabibulin, but as things are Chicago will start the season with two No. 1's. Khabibulin may respond to Huet's arrival with great play, but it doesn't make sense to have $12 million locked up in goaltending.
Whatever happens, one thing is for sure—hockey is finally back in Chicago.
8. Minnesota
Okay, this slot was hard for me to fill. When a team nobody is confusing with an offensive powerhouse loses two of its top four point getters in Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston, it's difficult not to write them off.
Additionally, if franchise player Marian Gaborik isn't re-signed by the time the season gets underway, the situation in the dressing room may take a hit.
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