Eastern Conference

1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Washington Capitals
4. New York Rangers
5. Boston Bruins
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Buffalo Sabers
9. Ottawa Senators
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. Florida Panthers
12. Tampa Bay Lightning
13. New York Islanders
14. Toronto Maple Leafs
15. Atlanta Thrashers

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Dallas Stars
3. Calgary Flames
4. Anaheim Ducks
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. San Jose Sharks
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Colorado Avalanche
9. Edmonton Oilers
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Phoenix Coyotes
12. Minnesota Wild
13. Nashville Predators
14. St. Louis Blues
15. Las Angeles Kings

Heading into the season, the Western Conference looks to be the more dominant Conference, on paper. I believe Chicago Blackhawks will be the biggest suprise this year. They made key off-season moves and with their high scoring forwards, they will be a tough team to beat. Detroit comes in even stronger, but I do not see them repeating. The big question is, can Osgood really do that again? Dallas, Calgary and Vancouver should each make strong playoff runs.

Montreal looks to again be the dominant team in the Eastern Conference this season. Boston Bruins will be a big surprise at the start of the season, they are heading in the right direction. With Bergeron back, they have a strong top 2 lines. Their defensive game is what will hold them back in playoffs. Montreal is built to win this year and they will be expecting nothing less.

This season should be an exciting one. I hope everyone enjoys their season and wish all these teams good luck.

LA Kings- The LA Kings certainly did not get any better this off season. They are still in desperate need of a goaltender and some veteran leadership. All the Kings did this offseason was get more younger and inexperienced. Although they have alot of young talented players this year, they will end up with the same result as last season, last place. They have a promising future but that's all they have.

Phoenix Coyotes- The off season started off with a bang for the Phoenix Coyotes, landing allstar Oli Jokien in a trade with the Florida Panthers. With the  adding of Jokinen, Coyotes seen Radim Vrbata leave the team in the free agency market. The Coyotes are returning a pretty solid core of defenceman to play in front of an average goaltending duo. They have some fire power from their forwards, but not enough to get to the next level. Phoenix again will only be an
average team this year, finishing in the middle of the league.

San Jose- Coach Ron Wilson just could not lead this team to where it had the potential to go. The hiring of new head coach Todd McLellan may be the best  move the Sharks made this off season. They are hoping their new coach can make them play up to their potential and capture a Stanley Cup. Losing defenceman Brian Campbell looked to hurt the Sharks in a big way this offseason, but that was before they quickly replaced him. Signing veteran defenceman Rob Blake and acquiring Dan Boyle just adds to an already impressive defence core. They are built to make a strong cup run this year, and with a new coach they may just be capable of that. It will be a battle between the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars to capture the Pacific Division this year.

So, the Red Sox didn't make any moves. Johan Santana was dangled in front of them, they said no thanks, we'll hold on to Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury, and John Lester, we still have use for them, go ahead and give the Mets a call. The offense is the same, the rotation is basically the same, the bullpen is the same. Change, according to the Sox, not such a good thing.

Offense: A

The only thing that keeps the Red Sox from being an A+ is the possibility of aging. Manny Ramirez had a season most players would gladly take (.296, 20 homers, 88 RBI), but it was below average for him, and injuries are becoming a problem. Mike Lowell had a fantastic year, the best of his solid career, but he's 35, and could be looking over the precipice as well. Thing is, these are only minor concerns when you have Big Papi himself, David Ortiz (.332, 35 and 117) in the middle of the lineup and the Greek God of Walks, Kevin Youkilis, at first, along with still-rising talents Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. The difference between A and A+ is tiny, you know.

Projected Lineup 1 Crisp CF 2 Youkilis 1B 3 Ramirez RF 4 Ortiz DH 5 Lowell 3B 6 Drew LF 7Varitek C 8 Pedroia 2B 9 Lugo SS

Starting Rotation: B

Aging in one case, inexperience in another, may be a little more challenging for the starting pitchers. Curt Schilling is having shoulder woes, has been battling injuries seemingly forever, is 42, and sliding (9-8 last year, 3.87 ERA), and Lester, though obviously talented, has only a few starts under his belt. Here's the big however for the rotation: There's still Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett, two guys you may have heard of, and Clay Buchholz on the doorstep in case of injury or inconsistency. Again, a little bigger problem, but still relatively minor. Most teams would kill for the Red Sox' issues.

Projected Rotation: Beckett, Schilling (?), Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Lester

Bullpen: A+

Here you go, Red Sox Nation, here's your A+. It's tempting to end this discussion with just the following: Hideki Okajima setting up Jonathan Papelbon. But that wouldn't be thorough enough, since you have solid help in the form of Mike Timlin and Julian Tavarez, a good long man in Kyle Snyder, and Manny Delcarmen's no slouch. Now to give in to temptation: Hideki Okajima setting up Jonathan Papelbon.

Conclusion

The New York Yankees are still a threat, but the Red Sox have now dealt with them effectively, and they're possibly not even a playoff team this year. The Toronto Blue Jays have improved, but not enough to challenge the Sox just yet. The story with Baltimore and Tampa Bay is that they're still Baltimore and Tampa Bay. The Sox big challenge may come in the ALCS against the jacked-up Detroit Tigers. Then, and only then, will we see this team truly challenged.

Prediction:

96-66, 1st in American League East

The Braves made their moves as well, bringing back Tom Glavine from the Mets and allowing Andruw Jones to walk away to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the first time a new face will be in center field for the Braves since 1996. But the question is, in the pressure cooker of this hot division, did the Braves move forward or step back?

Offense: B-

As a replacement for Jones, the Braves bring in Oakland's Mark Kotsay. This may be red flag number one: Kotsay played in only 56 games last season, hitting just .214. If Kotsay rounds back into form, he'll be solid, but he'll put up nowhere near the power numbers or defensive presence that Jones did. There are hot young bats all around, like first baseman Mark Teixeira (17 homers and 56 RBI in only 54 games with the Braves after a trade from the Texas Rangers), catcher Brian McCann (a solid .270, 18 homers and 92 RBI) and right fielder Jeff Francoeur (105 RBI's). It's a minor step back from the league's second ranked offense of a year ago, and if health holds, it could be another banner year for the bat in Hotlanta.

Projected lineup: 1 Kotsay CF 2 McCann C 3 C.Jones 3B 4 Teixeira 1B 5 Francoeur RF

6 Diaz RF 7 Escobar SS 8 Johnson 2B 9 Pitcher's spot

Starting Pitching: C-

 

Not many baseball fans would pick the Braves, historically a great pitching team, to have the rotation as their weak link, but it may well be the case now. John Smoltz is back and still solid, but he'll be 41 on May 15, and his numbers did recede some last year (14 wins, down from 16, 3.49 ERA up from 3.06 in 2006). Glavine is at the end of the line, and struggled mightily last year. And the Braves have Mike Hampton, he of the two missing seasons due to left elbow surgeries and the torn hamstring in his first inning of Mexican Winter League ball this past year, penciled in at the five spot, and only unproven, little-used rookies as backup. Tim Hudson may be their most reliable starter, and given his injury history, that may be a little scary to fans of the Braves as well.

Projected Rotation: Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine, James, Hampton

Bullpen: C

 

Of only slightly less concern is the bullpen. Rafael Soriano will come into camp as the closer, and he did fairly well in that role last year (9 converted in 12 opportunities last year), and veteran Mike Gonzalez, if healthy, could push him for the ball in the ninth if he falters. And they would be just about the only names in the bullpen that fans may recognize. To say that this unit is a little shaky going into 2008 may end up being an understatement.

Conclusion

 

The offense took a slight step back, the rotation may be dealt another huge blow if injuries and age hit hard, and the bullpen is young, unproven, and perhaps unreliable. They'll eke out a over-.500 season on talent and offense alone, but Atlanta is still another year away from returning to what seemed to be a birthright just three seasons ago, the NL East title.

Prediction: 82-80, 3rd in National League East

2008: The Orioles enter spring training in full-on rebuilding mode, still reeling after their tenth straight losing season, trading away Erik Bedard for five Seattle Mariners, Brian Roberts possibly next, Miguel Tejada already gone. Things look bleak, and fans have to ask, how can it get any worse?

Offense: C-

All in all, believe it or not, the offense had little to do with the team's lack of success. Right fielder Nick Markakis had the breakout superstar-type season the Orioles figured they would soon get from him (.300, 23 homers and 112 RBI), and the team overall hit .272, good for sixth in the league, not a lot of power, but not bad. This season, the power may be even more of a problem, but they do have an upgrade in left field from the Tejada to Houston trade in Luke Scott (a solid 18 homers and 64 RBI) and Adam Jones may be a superstar in the making. If Roberts hangs around, he's one of the best leadoff hitters in the game (50 of 57 in steals, .432 on-base percentage). The offense won't be the worst thing you'll ever see...

Projected Lineup: 1 Roberts 2B 2 Mora 3B 3 Markakis RF 4 Scott LF 5 Jones CF 6 Millar/Huff 1B 7 R. Hernandez C 8 Huff/Millar DH 9 L. Hernandez SS
Starting Pitching: E

... because the rotation may take that "honor." Jeremy Guthrie looked solid until he hit the wall hard in the second half, and he could pull down double-digit wins if his conditioning is better this season, but he is possibly the only one with that kind of shot. Daniel Cabrera continues to entice and enfuriate the orange and black with his potential, but wildness (108 walks in 204.1 innings) continues to be his downfall. Troy Patton looks to be the fourth starter, he of three career starts for the Astros, and Garrett Olson is the five, another young Bird who couldn't find the plate last year (32 innings, 28 walks). Which leads to the bullpen.

Projected Rotation: Guthrie, Loewen, Cabrera, Patton, Olson

Bullpen: D+

...which got shelled due to overwork last year. Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker, the veteran specialists acquired in free agency last year, did solid jobs and did their best to hold the house of cards together. Danny Baez was beyond ineffective and is now injured. Chris Ray showed more potential yet again, but he got hurt last year and will miss significant time this year as well, leaving George Sherrill, a lefty specialist acquired in the Bedard trade, as the best possible closer candidate standing. Not good, and that's a huge understatement.

Conclusion:

For the first time since the Tampa Bay Rays entered the league, they may have a legitimate shot to climb up to at least fourth in the American League East, as the Orioles have only been just barely holding them there of late. Success may be measured in how many losses shy of 100 this team accumulates and if manager Dave Trembley makes it through the year. The future looks bright, but Charm City is still at least two years from breaking out the shades.

Prediction: 63-99, fifth in American League East

The Politically Correct Experiment (no offense!) will apparently continue in the desert, as the D-backs made no moves offensively and added Cy Young contender Dan Haren from the Oakland Athletics to an already stuffed rotation. Will it yield the same results?

Offense: D

As previously stated, the D-backs offense was this side of putrid, barely scoring more runs than they allowed (687 to 662), and, for most of the year, that wasn't the case. Left fielder Eric Byrnes is a player any organization would love to have: he puts up the numbers (.286, with 21 homers and 83 RBI's), he's gritty and scrappy (the title of his XM show is “Hustle,” after all) and he's all about the team. And there's a few other good pieces, like Chris Young in centerfield, who slugged 32 homers (but only drove in 68 runs with them) and veteran second baseman Orlando Hudson, but here's the rub, if anyone in the outfield goes down, there's nothing on the bench to replace them (Jeff Salazar played only briefly and mostly unmemorable, newcomer Chris Burke hit .229 in 111 games). Arizona is playing with dangerous cards on offense going into the season.

Projected Lineup:

1 Upton, RF, 2 Hudson 2B, 3 Byrnes LF, 4 Young CF, 5 Jackson 1B, 6 Reynolds 3B, 7 Drew SS, 8 Snyder C, 9 pitcher's spot

Starting Pitching: A

So, you have Brandon Webb, 2006 National League Cy Young Winner, last season you add ageless wonder Randy Johnson, and, before his injury, he looks pretty decent (4-3, 3.81 ERA, 72 strikeouts in 56 innings), and Doug Davis and Micah Owings stepped up admirably to pick up behind Webb (18-10, 3.01 in 236 innings). Pretty good rowing, right? But the D-backs weren't resting on their laurels, they wanted more, and they got Haren, Oakland's great young righthander. So, you can add 15-18 wins, and another possible Cy Young contender, and, if Johnson is healthy, a three-headed monster that very few teams can come close to competing with.

Projected Rotation:

Webb, Haren, Johnson, Davis, Owings

Bullpen: B

Jose Valverde was the one at the gate in the ninth inning last year, and he shut it 47 times on the opposition. But something told the Arizona front office that they could do better, so they shipped Valverde off to the Houston Astros in exchange for Chad Qualls and Burke, and recently named Brandon Lyon the closer. So, at the back end of the bullpen, there's Qualls and Tony Pena setting up Lyon. All three are possible closers, all three had magnificent seasons last year. Maybe the front office is on to something here.

Conclusion

The Diamondbacks went 92-70 last year on the strength of pitching, and won the division in a three-way dogfight with Colorado and the San Diego Padres. They are apparently hoping for the same this year, having made no significant upgrades to their anemic offense. With the addition of Haren and a even more formidable bullpen, this team may end up winning most games 2-1, and that's plenty good enough to once again win the West. October, though, may be another story yet again.

Prediction 91-71, 1st in National League West