Western Conference Preseason Rankings

1. San Jose Sharks-The Sharks get the nod here because they are the best team every regular season. There's no reason it should change now. By adding two solid goaltenders in Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki, the battle for the starting job will motivate both goalies to perform well. Add that to an already stellar offense, the Sharks have what it takes to maintain their regular season dominance. Playoffs are still a completely different matter.

2. Vancouver Canucks-Certainly ambitious to put the Canucks ahead of the Stanley Cup champions. However, the Canucks have an easier division to compete in with the only other team in the division to make the playoffs being the eighth seeded Avalanche last year. The Canucks have a solid consistency on offense, defense, and in the net that will key them to finishing second.

3. Chicago Blackhawks-To think the defending champs will not win their division is on the border of insanity. Yes they lost some of their depth and their goalie, however the core remains. Toews, Hossa, Kane, and Keith are four of the best players in the league and three of the four are age 27 or younger. This group will play virtually identical to its style last year by getting into a high scoring game and simply eliminate difficult shots for Marty Turco.

4. Detroit Red Wings-A healthy Red Wings team is sure to provide better competition for the Blackhawks in the Central Division. The addition of veteran Mike Modano will likely be overlooked and while he does not have the skill he once possessed, the respect he has within that locker room could go a long way. The key is going to be Jimmy Howard's sophomore campaign. Honorable mention Nick Lidstrom's return.

5. Los Angeles Kings-The Kings have some of the best young talent in the NHL. Lead by Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick in the net, the Kings will learn from their playoff experience last year and will likely make a conference semi-finals appearance this year.

6.Phoenix Coyotes-Phoenix drops off from it's remarkable run last year since the club in it's state of financial crisis, was strapped in terms of improving the team. However, the Coyotes still have a lot of talent and leadership (Shane Doan), a great head coach (Dave Tippett), and an elite goaltender (Ilya Bryzgalov) that will help sustain their success.

7. Anaheim Ducks-Things are looking up on the frozen pond of Anaheim. The move of (Cherry Hill native) Bobby Ryan from wing to center gives the Ducks a tremendous 1-2 punch in terms of f0rward lines. Ryan will center future Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne (yes, he is a HOF player) while Ryan Getzlaf centers the top line alongside Corey Perry. If Jonas Hiller can have a productive season, look for the Ducks to be back in the playoffs and perhaps be a dark horse.

8. St. Louis Blues-No it's not a j0ke, the Blues will be the final playoff team in the West. The addition of Jaroslav Halak with the phenomenal young talent of foward T.J. Oshie and defenseman Eric Johnson will get the Blues back to the postseason.

9. Nashville Predators-The Preds lost one of their greatest franchise leaders in Jason Arnott. It will be extremely difficult to overcome his loss. Combine that with the loss of goalie Dan Ellis, a very reliable backup goaltender to steal some games and it comes back to haunt them.

10. Colorado Avalanche-The Avs surprised everyone with their playoff appearance and tremendous series with the Sharks. However, the Avs problem is not from within. While they did not do much to improve themselves in the offseason, other teams have acquired more talent. So while the Avs haven't hurt themselves, they haven't helped themselves either.

11. Calgary Flames- It's going to be a long year in Alberta. The Flames play a gritty style and yet their only key addition was bringing back center Olli Jokinen to team up with Jarome Iginla. Calgary has some of the most loyal fanbases in the league and they are going to be stuck with mediocrity.

12. Minnesota Wild- The Wild will look to continue their transition from a trap system to a high pressure system, yet still lack the personnel to do so. Mikko Koivu is by far their best player and goalie Niklas Backstrom looks to bounce back after an injury-filled season last year. Still, the Wild just don't have the horses yet to compete with the elite teams of the conference.

13. Columbus Blue Jackets- Steve Mason is the key to the Jackets getting back to their successful ways. The offense has the parts it needs with Rick Nash and R.J. Umberger providing a great 1-2 punch. It's Mason and the spotty defense that will be the key to any improvement.

14. Dallas Stars- Remember when the Stars used to be one of the best teams in the league year in and year out? Those days are long gone as the Stars prized acquisition last year was a young, but talented goalie who had been injured all year. Kari Lehtonen looks to begin anew in Dallas and keep them in games with the little offensive weapons they have.


15. Edmonton Oilers- The Oil can have the same start to their preview as the Stars. Any dynasty that existed has almost completely faded. Four years after coming within a period of winning the Cup, the Oilers are now a laughing stock. There is some reason for hope though. Taylor Hall, the 2010 number one overall pick will certainly put this passionate fanbase back in the seats. He has exceptional skill, speed, and goal-scoring ability that will hopefully get the Oil back on the path to where it belongs as a legitimate contender.

East coming up tomorrow, no playoff predictions until the playoffs arrive.

Halfway Through Preseason, Flyers Making Progress

Sergei Bobrovsky

The Philadelphia Flyers posted a 3-0-1 record to open their first half of the preseason. Fans had a chance to get a look at some new faces in the organization.

Among them are veterans such as Bill Guerin, Andrej Meszaros, Sean O'Donnell, and Nikolai Zherdev.

While all of these players are familiar in NHL circles, some of the young talent the Flyers have acquired was on display as well. The prospects getting the most attention have been forward Mike Testwuide and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky, 22, has received high praise thus far due to his agility and focus. That focus has been evident in the shootout where Bobrovsky has a 2-1 record (the loss went 11 rounds). With the severity of the injury to Michael Leighton unknown, Bobrovsky now has a possibility of making the team out of camp.

Testwuide on the other hand, will likely not make the team despite showing brilliant flashes of skill, speed, and strength in the action he has seen. He will be sent to Adirondack to get an idea of what it is like to play an entire professional season.

With all this in mind, here are things to watch for over the final week of preseason:

-Chris Pronger: Pronger has been making progress in his rehabilitation and there is an outside chance he may try to play in Buffalo on Sunday, but do not count on it. Regardless, the Flyers must make sure he is 100 percent and not rush him back. He can afford to miss a couple extra weeks.

-Guerin/Carcillo/Powe Battle: Dan Carcillo did not make his task of retaining his roster spot easier for himself by getting ejected against the Minnesota Wild Saturday night. Head coach Peter Laviolette will tolerate his antics in control, but when he gets out of hand it will be hard to justify keeping him. Guerin had his best game by far on Saturday, seeming to look more comfortable. Darroll Powe still plays a solid role on the penalty kill, but will that be enough to retain his spot? Time will tell.

-Zherdev/Giroux: Nikolai Zherdev and Claude Giroux are already showing an unbelievable chemistry with Zherdev posting three goals in three games. Giroux has highly praised Zherdev's hands and positioning putting to rest for the moment Zherdev's flaws that worried the organiztion when they signed him (attitude, effort, etc.). If Zherdev continues to put the puck in the net, no one will be talking about it.

That's all for now, my first set of team rankings will be posted at the end of the week.

Guerin Offered Tryout Contract

Bill Guerin, who seems to have played for every NHL team there is (eight to be exact) will try to make a ninth.

Guerin, 39, was offered a tryout contract by the Flyers and will be with the team when they begin camp on Friday.

Guerin was instrumental in bringing a Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh two years ago. Last year Guerin scored 21 goals and added 24 assists for 45 total points. He then scored four more goals and had five more assists in the playoffs for a total of nine points.

A veteran presence like Guerin's would be invaluable to last year's Eastern Conference Champions. The Flyers have a lot of young forwards and Guerin's addition would be best comparable to Mike Knuble.

Here's some potential risks:

-If Guerin does enough to force the Flyers to keep him (which I think he will) how much is it going to cost the Flyers with limited cap space? This would force the Flyers hand on one of their young forwards (Dan Carcillo or Darroll Powe) off the roster and I'm not sure if the Flyers want to risk youth development for only having Guerin for a year.

-The tryout contract has language in it that allows Guerin to walk away at any time and sign with another team who gives him a legitimate offer.

-The style of play worries me. Sure Guerin had to grind it out once in a while for the Penguins. But when Sidney Crosby is your center, not much work will be necessary besides being in the right position. It worries me if Guerin can handle the relentless attack and physicality of head coach Peter Laviolette's system.

It certainly will make for a competitive camp. Camp and the season are soon upon us get ready!

New Tiebreaker Rule to Be Approved

According to Frank Seravalli's column and EJ Hradek of ESPN, the NHL will approve a rule change of how tiebreakers will be used at the end of the season.

The change is in the event a tiebreaker is needed at the end of the season to determine playoff seeds.

The tiebreaker is still total wins, however the only wins considered are those in regulation and overtime. Prior to this ruling it was all of a team's wins (regulation, overtime, and shootout).

Here's my take on the rule:

-It's unnecessary: Why is this needed? If a team wins a game, they win a game. The NHL can only blame themselves since they instituted the shootout in the first place.

-Mindset: This changes nothing on the ice itself. Teams are still going to execute their game plans in order to win, even if that means stalling to the shootout. Teams with shootout skill depth (Penguins, Blackhawks, etc.) have no more incentive to go for it all at the end of overtime now than they did last year.

-Over-the-Top: Another rule being considered is switching from 4 on 4 in overtime to 3 on 3 with less than three minutes to play. How much more can the game be devolved? The game was meant to be played 5 on 5, not in a roller hockey, nonsense style.

We'll see if the changes have an actual impact come April. Training camp is just around the corner get ready!

Cote Retires, Becomes Phantoms Assistant

Riley Cote retired Monday after spending parts of four seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Cote, 28, was then named as an Assistant Coach to the Flyers AHL affiliate the Adirondack Phantoms.

"I will do the best job I can to help teach and develop all the players in Glens Falls on and off the ice," he said. "I'm looking forward to a new challenge in life."

While the Flyers were often criticized for using a spot on a player who played one or two shifts a game, there is no denying the kind of heart Riley Cote possessed. He did whatever was asked of him and was fearless in sacrificing himself to give his team a spark. That said, this move does relieve the Flyers of some cap space that they were not likely to use.

Also, it has been reported within the past couple of days that Chris Pronger may not be ready for the start of the season.

Pronger had arthroscopic knee surgery and has been rehabbing ever since to start getting ready for training camp.

If unfortunately Pronger does miss some time, better off early in the year than in April and May when it matters. This is why the Flyers addressed defensive depth in the offseason. That's all for now, probably won't be picking up until around training camp.

Gagne Traded to Tampa Bay

The inevitable has happened, Simon Gagne is no longer a Philadelphia Flyer.

Gagne was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning today for defenseman Matt Walker and a 4th round pick according to Frank Seravalli.

This move gets the Flyers back under the cap and probably concludes their moves for the offseason.

With Ilya Kovalchuk resigning with the New Jersey Devils today, it should make for another great division battle this upcoming season.

Carcillo and Zherdev Sign, Gagne Likely Out

The Flyers have come to terms with wingers Dan Carcillo and Nikolai Zherdev, putting the Flyers in the range of $2.5 million over the league salary cap.

This likely means that Simon Gagne's career as a Flyer is over. The only satisfaction I can take from Gagne departing is the fact he has never been more respected by the fans as much as he is now. Coming back from a broken foot when the Flyers were on the verge of elimination, Gagne helped carry the Flyers to the Stanley Cup.

That being said, the Zherdev signing is a smart one because:

-Youth: Zherdev is only 25 and has already shown he can put points on the board. He can best be compared to filling in the void left by Joffrey Lupul from last year.

-Single Year Contract: Like Ray Emery, Zherdev has a history of behavioral issues. He can be lazy and have inconsistent effort, but when his game is on he can be very dangerous. For a one year contract, there is very little risk involved.

By signing Carcillo, the Flyers avoided arbitration and got back the Energizer Bunny of their team. Carcillo, also well known by his nickname Carbomb, flies around the ice and is never afraid to take the body. While he does have his flaws, his flashes of skill, grit, and agitation outweigh them.

More to come if/when a Gagne deal gets done.