HUNGRY: The script was there to be written, but the Avalanche got writer's block. With Ray Bourque acquired from the Bruins, the perfect feel-good ending would have been for the future Hall of Famer to win his first Stanley Cup. But when his Game 7 shot hit the post, the Western Conference championship went to the Stars. That shock should be motivation enough to put the Avalanche over the top. The team is deep and goaltender Patrick Roy is motivated in a season in which he will set the record for most regular-season victories. Joe Sakic is also motivated, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent. The question will be on defense. Sandis Ozolinsh is gone to the Hurricanes, meaning Adam Foote, a still young Martin Skoula and an aging Bourque need to carry even more of the load. The road is long and, as demonstrated last season, uncertain. Still, Colorado has too much on its side to fail again. Take cover, the Avalanche will win the Cup.
www.coloradoavalanche.com

2. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

COACH: Larry Robinson (sixth season, second with team).

LAST SEASON: 45-29-8-5, 103 points, won Stanley Cup.

WHO'S IN: C Chris Ferraro, LW Jim McKenzie, RW Turner Stevenson.

WHO'S OUT: D Brad Bombardir, C Steve Brule, RW Claude Lemieux, D Vladimir Malakhov, F Krysztof Oliwa, D Mike Van Ryn.

SOAP OPERA: There's trouble in paradise. After a thrilling run to the Stanley Cup, the team ran into contract trouble with three of the key cogs: defenseman Scott Niedermayer, forward Claude Lemieux and center Jason Arnott. Lemieux is gone. Arnott and Niedermayer are negotiating. Still, the Devils are the defending Stanley Cup champions with a rock-solid Martin Brodeur in goal and a coach who is such a fine motivator that he can make a man standing in the rain believe he is dry. Patrik Elias and Peter Sykora will likely flourish even if Arnott does not sign and the team has two of the league's most dynamic young talents in John "Mad Dog" Madden and Scott Gomez. And if Alexander Mogilny gets going, watch out. If the Devils can get a little deeper on defense, get a little tougher, after trading Oliwa, and give Brodeur a day off occasionally, they could repeat.
www.newjerseydevils.com

3. ST. LOUIS BLUES

COACH: Joel Quenneville (fifth season).

LAST SEASON: 51-20-11-1, 114 points. Lost to San Jose in Western Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: RW Dallas Drake, D Sean Hill, RW Chris Murray, G Dwayne Roloson, LW Reid Simpson, D Mike Van Ryn.

WHO'S OUT: G Jamie McLennan, F Scott Pellerin, D Ricard Persson, RW Stephane Richer.

REALITY CHECK: That's what the Blues went through last season in the playoffs after blowing through the regular season. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, not to mention the addition of players like Drake, Hill and Van Ryn. Add them to established stars like Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis, Pierre Turgeon, Pavol Demitra and goaltender Roman Turek and you are in fat city. The Blues play a terrific team game. They love to clog the middle, to force turnovers and counterattack. That they only ranked seventh on the power play is amazing given their firepower. Give that a tweak and get some defensive depth to help Pronger and Hill and this is a very dangerous team.
www.stlouisblues.com

4. DALLAS STARS

COACH: Ken Hitchcock (sixth season).

LAST SEASON: 43-29-10-6, 102 points. Lost to New Jersey in Stanley Cup finals.

WHO'S IN: LW Ted Donato, G Rick Tabaracci, C Shaun Van Allen.

WHO'S OUT: C Guy Carbonneau, D Sylvain Cote, D Dave Manson, D Jamie Pushor, C Brian Skrudland, C Scott Thornton.

REJUVENATED: The Stars have played 309 games the past three seasons, and with 395 man-games lost to injury last season, the team finally just wore out. Everyone, that is, except goaltender Ed Belfour, who won the inaugural Roger Crozier Trophy with a .919 save percentage and, at 35, seems in the best shape of his life. The problem with having such a dominating netminder -- and a pretty good defense led by Derian Hatcher -- is it covers up lots of holes. Dallas scored only 211 goals last season, only seven more than the Lightning, and was a dismal 19th on the power play. It's not like there isn't firepower there with players like Brett Hull, Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk, but it would help immensely if Hull plays the regular season like he did the playoffs. The Stars have one more season at Reunion Arena. They would like it to be memorable.
www.dallasstars.com

5. DETROIT RED WINGS

COACH: Scotty Bowman (29th season, eighth with team).

LAST SEASON: 48-24-10-2, 108 points. Lost to Avalanche in Western Conference semifinals.

WHO'S IN: C Boyd Devereaux.

WHO'S OUT: C Darryl Laplante, C Igor Larionov, C Stacy Roest.

ONE MORE TIME: This may be the last chance for the Red Wings in their current form to win another Stanley Cup. Make no mistake, the rebuilding will come, but not quite yet. There's still plenty of life left in the old guard that produced the second-best points total in team history. The Red Wings have it all offensively with Energizer types Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov. Chris Osgood, despite a peanut-gallery mentality from the media and fans who seemingly want him to fail, is solid, though he was slowed last season by a knee injury. The defense is another story. Despite the presence of Lidstrom and Chris Chelios, the team was ninth in goals-against and there is little depth. The players would deny it, but complacency may have started to creep in. That is bad. If the Red Wings don't win now, this group may not get another chance.
www.detroitredwings.com

6. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

COACH: Craig Ramsey (fourth season, second with team).

LAST SEASON: 45-25-12-3, 105 points, lost to New Jersey in Eastern Conference finals.

WHO'S IN: C Rob Murray, C Derek Plante, LW Paul Ranheim, LW Kevin Stevens, D Michal Sykora.

WHO'S OUT: LW Craig Berube, D Adam Burt, C Eric Lindros, G John Vanbiesbrouck, C Todd White, LW Valeri Zelepukin.

BETTER OFF: Don't worry, the Flyers will do very well without Lindros. John LeClair is signed, Keith Primeau is not holding out and Brian Boucher proved a capable goaltender who will not melt down in pressure situations. Add a likable coach in Craig Ramsay, who instituted a philosophy of short shifts, and you have the makings of a real contender. The trouble starts behind the top two lines, which gave the Flyers almost nothing last season. And for all Boucher's heroics, he no longer has Vanbiesbrouck as a safety net. The defense is strong, but it would be nice if it could pop more than the 29 goals -- 14 from Eric Desjardins -- it produced last season.
www.philadelphiaflyers.com

7. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

COACH: Pat Quinn (15th season, third with team).

LAST SEASON: 45-30-7-3, 100 points. Lost to New Jersey in Eastern Conference semifinals.

WHO'S IN: LW Shayne Corson, D Dave Manson, LW Gary Roberts.

WHO'S OUT: D Bryan Berard, LW Wendel Clark.

TOO NICE: That was basically the knock on the Maple Leafs, who for two seasons, under Quinn's direction, have toiled under the assumption that speed and skill minus grit and aggressive physical play will win. But after the Devils and Stars battered their way to the Stanley Cup finals, Quinn relented. The coach and general manager signed free agents Roberts and Corson in hopes of raising the grit factor. There may not be a more important member of the team than goaltender Curtis Joseph. When he struggles, so do the Leafs. The problem is, the rest of the team relies on him too much. As a result, the Leafs are not great in their end, and the forwards rarely backcheck. Mats Sundin leads an offense that boasted six 20-goal scorers, but had trouble cranking it up in the playoffs.
www.torontomapleleafs.com

8. FLORIDA PANTHERS

COACH: Terry Murray (11th season, third with team).

LAST SEASON: 43-33-6-6, 98 points. Lost to New Jersey in Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: C Igor Larionov, G Roberto Luongo, RW Olli Jokinen.

WHO'S OUT: LW Cam Stewart, G Mike Vernon, RW Oleg Kvasha, RW Mark Parrish, G Mikhail Shtalenkov.

WHO'S HOT?: Pavel Bure, that's who. The Russian Rocket scored 58 goals last season and contributed mightily to a team that scored goals within three minutes of each other 24 times. The problem is, Bure is not paid to play defense and his 95 giveaways were a team high. Florida got the 39-year-old Larionov from Detroit to provide some stability. Mike Sillinger, acquired from the Lightning in trade, was a great pickup for a team that perpetually struggles on faceoffs. Now, if the defense can move the puck reliably through the defensive zone, and Luongo and Trevor Kidd are solid in goal, the Panthers may have something. Ray Whitney, who scored 29 goals last season, is a fine complement to Bure. But it is Bure who must complete the picture with a more complete game.
www.flpanthers.com

9. WASHINGTON CAPITALS

COACH: Ron Wilson (seventh season, fourth with team).

LAST SEASON: 44-26-12-2, 102 points. Lost to Pittsburgh in Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: LW Craig Berube, D Sylvain Cote.

WHO'S OUT: LW Jim McKenzie; D Nolan Baumgartner.

TALE OF THREE SEASONS: The Capitals were 13-16-7 on Dec. 31, went 31-10-5 the rest of the way and then lost in the first round of the playoffs. The defense was there. The goaltending? Olaf Kolzig, who will miss the start of the season after arthroscopic knee surgery, won the Vezina Trophy and played more minutes (4,371) than any other goalie. So what was the problem? The Caps had just two 20-goal scorers. And what does it say when a reformed tough guy Chris Simon leads the team with 29? It means trouble if malcontent Peter Bondra, assuming he isn't traded, doesn't get past the 21 he scored last season, or if more pleasant surprises like Jeff Halpern and his 18 goals aren't found. It figures that with such an anemic attack, the power play also suffered despite having Adam Oates as quarterback. Until the Capitals find some pop -- Stephane Richer was not the answer -- figure them to go down again once the playoffs start.
www.washingtoncaps.com

10. SAN JOSE SHARKS

COACH: Darryl Sutter (seventh season, fourth with team).

LAST SEASON: 35-37-10-7, 87 points. Lost to Dallas in Western Conference semifinals.

WHO'S IN: LW Scott Thornton.

WHO'S OUT: RW Ron Stern, LW Dave Lowry.

NO FLUKE: Those of you thinking the Sharks' shocking victory over the Blues in the Western Conference quarterfinals was a fluke, think again. This is one of those teams no one likes to face. The Sharks are a feisty, up-tempo team that gets a big push from its big three of Owen Nolan, a training camp holdout, Jeff Friesen and Vincent Damphousse. The team has increased its point totals for four consecutive years and is poised for its first winning regular season. With no impact players added over the summer, the organization is counting on maturing players to keep the momentum going. It would help if the goaltending, headed by Steve Shields, was more consistent, and if special teams took an upturn. Interesting stat: Despite Nolan's league-high 18 power play goals, the Sharks were 15th in the league in efficiency. Don't underestimate the effect of the series with the Blues. It's the kind of thing that pushes close-knit teams like San Jose over the hump.
www.sj-sharks.com

11. BUFFALO SABRES

COACH: Lindy Ruff (fourth season).

LAST SEASON: 35-36-11-4, 85 points. Lost to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: LW Dave Andreychuk.

WHO'S OUT: G Dwayne Roloson, LW Geoff Sanderson.

HASEK WATCH: The Sabres jump exponentially in these rankings if Dominik Hasek is healthy and in the right frame of mind to make his final (we think) season in the NHL a memorable one. Even when he returned from a serious groin injury, still rusty and hurting, Hasek led a late Buffalo charge into the playoffs. The additions of Doug Gilmour, Chris Gratton and Vladimir Tsyplakov didn't hurt. But the point is, as Hasek goes, so go the Sabres. The team would do a lot better if Michael Peca rebounds from a disappointing season and the Sabres can find a true No. 1 center. Gilmour makes plays and Gratton can win faceoffs, but there is no one big, point-producing presence. Even Miroslav Satan slipped from 40 to 33 goals because of a sputtering power play that had the league's lowest efficiency (10.5) and constantly changing lines.
www.sabres.com

12. OTTAWA SENATORS

COACH: Jacques Martin (eighth season, sixth with team).

LAST SEASON: 41-30-11-2, 95 points. Lost to Toronto in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: D Ricard Persson, C Alexei Yashin, C Todd White.

WHO'S OUT: G Tom Barrasso, RW Kevin Dineen, C Joe Juneau, LW Yves Sarault, D Patrick Traverse, C Shaun Van Allen.

HE'S BACK: Much this season depends on the state of mind and willingness of Yashin. If he is ready to play, and plays well, the Senators move up in these rankings. If he sulks and the dressing room splits, the Senators can go south. Ottawa has much to recommend it such as a good power play and a staunch defense that should be help by Persson, a free agent from St. Louis. But he doesn't add the toughness the team has lacked. The Senators also must divide up the scoring a little better. The team had five 20-goal scorers, with Marian Hossa and Shawn McEachern getting 29 each, but after that, the pickings were slim. Goaltending is also on thin ice with Patrick Lalime and Jani Hurme.
www.ottawasenators.com

13. PHOENIX COYOTES

COACH: Bob Francis (second season).

LAST SEASON: 39-35-8-4, 90 points. Lost to Colorado in Western Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: C Joe Juneau, LW Brad May, RW Landon Wilson.

WHO'S OUT: D J.J. Daigneault, RW Dallas Drake, G Bob Essensa, D Lyle Odelein.

TEAM TURMOIL: Okay, the current owner wants to sell to a group that includes Wayne Gretzky, but the owner does not like Gretzky's high profile. He also is mad Gretzky's group has been talking to holdout goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. So he banned Gretzky, who reportedly will have a 20 percent stake in the team, from the Coyotes locker room. Give Gretzky credit, he knows where to start building. Khabibulin must be in net if the Coyotes are to break a playoff-series losing streak that has reached 10. Not that the Coyotes will fall apart with Sean Burke, but there is nothing like the "Bulin Wall." It is also not enough that Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk lead an offensively talented group. There seems to be little chemistry between the players, especially on the power play, which struggled without a quarterback on the point and was the league's second-worst. Phoenix's two stars must also learn some discipline. It's nice to stick up for yourself, but those are two guns the team needs on the ice. Little depth on defense doesn't help.
www.nhlcoyotes.com

14. LOS ANGELES KINGS

COACH: Andy Murray (second season).

LAST SEASON: 39-31-12-4, 94 points. Lost to Detroit in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: LW Stu Grimson, D Mathieu Schneider.

WHO'S OUT: D Garry Galley, LW Steve McKenna, D Sean O'Donnell.

QUESTION MARKS: There is much to like about this team. Luc Robitaille, at age 35, scored 36 goals, defenseman Rob Blake was oustanding and the team improved 25 points. Imagine if Jozef Stumpel hadn't been hurt and Bryan Smolinski had not faded so dramatically in the second half of the season? The Kings may not have bombed to the Red Wings in the playoffs and run their post-season losing streak to 12. Los Angeles can score. Ziggy Palffy had 27 goals and Glen Murray had 29. Killing the Kings were a lack of speed and hard work on the penalty kill that ranked 21st in the league. More bad news came over the summer with the loss of Galley to the Islanders and O'Donnell, who had developed into a rugged back-liner, to the Wild. Still, Los Angeles has the talent to be a force in the Western Conference.
www.lakings.com

15. NEW YORK RANGERS

COACH: Ron Low (sixth season, first with team).

LAST SEASON: 29-41-12-3, 73 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: D Vladimir Malakhov, D Sandy McCarthy, C Mark Messier.

WHO'S OUT: RW Alexandre Daigle, RW Rob DiMaio, D Kevin Hatcher, G Milan Hnilicka, LW Darren Langdon, D Mathieu Schneider, LW Kevin Stevens, C P.J. Stock.

NEW BLOOD: After a third consecutive non-playoff season, the Rangers needed to shake things up. They did by bringing back Messier after a three-year banishment to Vancouver, general manager Glen Sather and Low. Messier, 39, was brought back more for his leadership than production, whichslipped to 17 goals, 37 assists last season. But the Rangers need the kind of kick Messier can provide in bringing together what had become a fractured dressing room. Winning close games is critical. The Rangers were an abysmal 1-33-8 last season when scoring two or fewer goals. They also need to pick up the defense that ranked 23rd in the league. New York has some good pieces with Theo Fleury, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch and Petr Nedved. The trick will be making them all fit.
www.newyorkrangers.com

16. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

COACH: Ivan Hlinka (first year).

LAST SEASON: 37-37-8-6, 88 points. Lost to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

WHO'S IN: C Kip Miller.

WHO'S OUT: D Peter Popovic, G Ron Tugnutt, C Tyler Wright.

WORLD'S BEST: When you have Jaromir Jagr, things just don't seem to bad. The 28-year-old led the league with 96 points (42 goals, 54 assists) despite missing 19 games with injuries. The question is, can the rest of the parts complement the big gun. The goaltending is solid with Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who had 23 victories last season before going down with an ankle injury. The most interesting development will be how much room Hlinka, a proponent of defesne and goaltending, gives Jagr and Alexei Kovalev. An upgrade on the power play is needed as is the team's play away from home. The team has just three winning road records in 33 seasons.
www.pittsburghpenguins.com

17. VANCOUVER CANUCKS

COACH: Marc Crawford (seventh seaon, third with team).

LAST SEASON: 30-37-15-8, 83 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: G Bob Essensa.

WHO'S OUT: C Mark Messier, C Darby Hendrickson, LW Brad May, G Garth Snow.

FUN TO WATCH: The Canucks have the NHL's top two rookies in Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The goaltending is solid with Felix Potvin and the addition of free agent Essensa from the Coyotes. Players like Markus Naslund, who had 27 goals, and Andrew Cassels, who had 45 assists, can move the puck. So what if Messier is no longer around. The way the Canucks are going, the old man would have slowed the team down. Vancouver hasn't been in the playoffs for four years, but a 25-point improvement last season left the organization feeling good. A few things need to be tweaked like the penalty kill and getting some offense from the defense. If the goaltending stays solid, the Canucks could be in the post-season.
www.orcabay.com/canucks

18. MIGHTY DUCKS OF ANAHEIM

COACH: Craig Hartsburg (sixth year, third with team).

LAST SEASON: 34-36-12-3, 83 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: RW Jim Cummins, G Jean-Sebastien Giguere, D Chris O'Sullivan, C German Titov, D Patrick Traverse.

WHO'S OUT: LW Ted Donato, LW Stu Grimson, D Kevin Haller, C Jorgen Jonsson, C Kip Miller, D Fredrik Olausson.

TOP HEAVY: Winger Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne accounted for 35 percent of the club's 217 goals. So it wasn't difficult to figure out that if you stop those two, you could stop the Ducks. So Anaheim brought in Titov to shore up the second line and added Traverse to improve an already good defense. The Ducks still have a few holes to fill if they are to get back to the playoffs. Goaltender Guy Hebert stumbled through the second half of the season, so the promising Giguere was acquired from Calgary. There also is the matter of the power play, which inexplicably was 14th in the league. Some of that is the reluctance of the Ducks to get in front of the net and produce gritty goals off deflections and screens.
www.mightyducks.com

19. EDMONTON OILERS

COACH: Craig MacTavish (first season).

LAST SEASON: 32-34-16-8, 88 points. Lost to Dallas in Western Conference quarterfinals.

WHO'S IN: D Eric Brewer, LW Patrick Cote, LW Josh Green.

WHO'S OUT: C Boyd Devereaux, C Jim Dowd, D Roman Hamrlik, G Bill Ranford, D Bert Robertson, RW Alex Selivanov, C German Titov.

ENIGMA: The Oilers have a lot going for them. They have one of the league's better goaltenders in Tommy Salo, a fairly stout defense led by Janne Niinimaa and a great top line led by Doug Weight. The problems: there is no experienced backup goaltender, the bottom half of the defense will be turned over to youngsters and after Weight's line, the Oilers really don't score much. MacTavish is expected to inject some enthusiasm into the mix, but the team needs a little more grit as well. Edmonton was 4-24-3 when trailing after two periods. Another worry: when it counted at the end of last season, the Oilers went 7-9-1 with just two victories.
www.edmontonoilers.com

20. MONTREAL CANADIENS

COACH: Alain Vigneault (fourth season).

LAST SEASON: 35-38-9-4, 83 points, missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: D Darryl Shannon, C P.J. Stock.

WHO'S OUT: LW Shayne Corson, RW Jim Cummins, RW Turner Stevenson.

HISTORY: The Canadiens missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The last time it did that was 1921, which was the second season of a three-year drought. Look for the Habs to match that pace after a summer in which it lost Corson, its on-ice leader, and did little to upgrade. It would have been nice to add some offensive punch. Montreal allowed just 194 goals last season but scored just 196, third-lowest in the league behind the Thrashers and Islanders. The team also must get off to a better start than the disastrous 12-24-5-1 start that doomed last season. The Canadiens do have some things going for them like goaltenders Jeff Hackett and Jose Theodore, a deep defense and a fine coach in Vigneault who kept pulling strings until he found the combinations that gave Montreal a 23-14-4-3 finish.
www.canadiens.com

21. CAROLINA HURRICANES

COACH: Paul Maurice (sixth season).

LAST SEASON: 37-35-10-0, 84 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: LW Rob DiMaio, D Kevin Hatcher, LW Darren Langdon, D Sandis Ozolinsh.

WHO'S OUT: D Paul Coffey, F Robert Kron, D Sean Hill, RW Andrei Kovalenko, D Sandy McCarthy, LW Gary Roberts.

OVERACHIEVERS: That's what the Hurricanes will have to be after a disastrous summer in which it lost Coffey, Hill and Roberts, who was the team's heart and soul. Okay, Ozolinsh will make things easier on the back line, but a slew of youngster must mature quickly if the team is to avoid a third non-playoff year out of its four in North Carolina. Players like forwards Ron Francis and Rod Brind'Amour, defenseman Glen Wesley and goaltender Arturs Irbe will provide veteran leadership. And Maurice should open up the offense to take better advantage of Ozolinsh, Francis and speedy Sami Kapanen and increase last season's total of 217 goals.
www.caneshockey.com

22. CALGARY FLAMES

COACH: Don Hay (first season).

LAST SEASON: 31-41-10-5, 77 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: LW Dave Lowry, G Mike Vernon.

WHO'S OUT: G Grant Fuhr, G Jean-Sebastien Giguere, RW Sergei Krivokrasov, RW Martin St. Louis, D Darryl Shannon.

WIN NOW: That's the motto in Calgary after the team sold 14,000 season tickets in a drive to keep the Flames in the city. Hay is supposed to institute a more aggressive game plan, and there is at least confidence in goal after acquiring Vernon in trade from the Wild. The question is if Calgary can improve its overall team defense, its penalty killing and even-strength scoring? In the latter category, only Valeri Bure had more than 20 even-strength goals (23). The Flames have missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. Though new general manager Craig Button, the former player personnel manager of the Stars, has promised change, there is no reason to think the streak will stop this season.
www.calgaryflames.com

23. BOSTON BRUINS

COACH: Pat Burns (12th season, fourth with team).

LAST SEASON: 24-39-19-6, 73 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: D Paul Coffey, RW Andrei Kovalenko, D Peter Popovic.

WHO'S OUT: RW Steve Heinze, D Marty McSorley, G Rob Tallas, D Mattias Timander, RW Landon Wilson.

WHO'S NEXT?: Burns is in the last year of a four-year deal and is on the hot seat. Expect the team to be much more aggressive, a good idea considering Boston has the talent to make that kind of attack work. Joe Thornton emerged as a legitimate scorer and Sergei Samsonov and Anson Carter are key on the wings. If Carter continues his holdout and Samsonov can't regain his Calder Trophy form, there will be trouble. Goaltending is also a concern. Byron Dafoe started slow after a holdout and then had surgery in February. Thank goodness Coffey was acquired as a free agent from Carolina. At least he will provide some stability. The Bruins will use three lines almost exclusively with the fourth providing replacement parts for those who struggle. Look for the team to do much of that.
www.bostonbruins.com

24. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

COACH: Butch Goring (fourth season, second with team).

LAST SEASON: 24-49-9-1, 58 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: D Kevin Haller, D Garry Galley, D Roman Hamrlik, RW Oleg Kvasha, RW Mark Parrish, C Robert Petrovicky, C Mike Stapleton, G John Vanbiesbrouck.

WHO'S OUT: D Eric Brewer, C Ted Drury, LW Josh Green, C Olli Jokinen, G Roberto Luongo, G Kevin Weekes.

NEW LIFE: Things are buzzing on Long Island, where the Islanders haven't made the playoffs since 1994, the longest current playoff drought. The team has new and stable ownership for the first time in a long time, and Goring got high marks for keeping the young team playing hard the entire season. General manager Mike Milbury's most dramatic acquisition might have been Rick DiPietro as the No. 1 pick in the draft. He will start the season in the minors, but Milbury clearly sees him as the goalie of the future. Vanbiesbrouck will provide steady netminding and will be helped greatly by Galley and Hamrlik. The offense will get a boost from Parrish, who had 26 goals for the Panthers, and will be a great complement to Mariusz Czerkawski (35 goals) and Brad Isbister. Help is needed on the penalty kill and in establishing a home-ice advantage (the team won just 10 games at Nassau Coliseum), but the team seems headed in the right direction.
www.newyorkislanders.com

25. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

COACH: Alpho Suphonen (first season).

LAST SEASON: 33-39-10-2, 78 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: D Nolan Baumgartner, D Chris McAlpine, G Rob Tallas, LW Valeri Zelepukin.

WHO'S OUT: C Derek Plante.

GOALS GALORE: Chicago can score and can't play defense. You do the math. The key to any rejuvenation of the franchise, which hasn't made the playoffs since 1997, is Suphonen. The former Maple Leafs assistant is the NHL's first European-trained coach and will advocate a European style based on passing and motion. That should suit Tony Amonte just fine after his third 40-goal season in four years. Six other players topped the 20-goal mark. But goaltender Jocelyn Thibault is inconsistent and the back line isn't tough and has trouble moving the puck out of the zone. The Blackhawks can't seem to get it together at home either. They are 99-110-30 since moving into the United Center in 1995. Chicago might have two of the best fighters in the league with Bob Probert and Ryan VandenBussche.
www.chicagoblackhawks.com

26. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

COACH: Steve Ludzik (second season).

LAST SEASON: 19-54-9-7, 54 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: LW Alexander Kharitonov, G Evgeny Konstantinov, C Brad Richards, RW Martin St. Louis, G Kevin Weekes.

WHO'S OUT: G Zac Bierk, LW Bruce Gardiner, C Robert Petrovicky, G Daren Puppa, LW Reid Simpson.

TURNAROUND: The Lightning basically started from scratch last season after the previous ownership left the cupboard bare. Now, there is some depth and there is speed. And there is Vinny Lecavalier, who leads an improving group of forwards that includes Fredrik Modin, Todd Warriner and Mike Johnson. Modin has the stuff to be a 40-goal scorer. Johnson and Warriner could get 20 each if things go right. The question is on defense. It is young, strong and hungry, but it lacks experience. Goaltending also is up in the air because of Weekes' tender back. Dan Cloutier has looked strong, but his backup, for the early part of the season, anyway, may be the 19-year-old Konstantinov. Considering the overall upgrade in talent and athletic ability, the team should be fun to watch. Don't expect the playoffs, but they will be closer.
www.tampabaylightning.com

27. NASHVILLE PREDATORS

COACH: Barry Trotz (third season).

LAST SEASON: 28-47-7-7, 70 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: No one.

WHO'S OUT: LW Patrick Cote.

SAME OL' SAME OL': Nashville finished with the same record in its first two seasons and did not make any moves of note over the summer. That is disturbing because 35-year-old Cliff Ronning was the only center to score more than 13 goals. His 26 led the team. Not surprisingly, Nashville's 199 goals were the fewest in the Western Conference and the team had a dismal 13.5 percent power play efficiency. For what it's worth, the Predators play hard and play up-tempo, so they can be fun to watch. But until they get more consistent production from the entire team (do you hear that, David Legwand?), expect a repeat of the first two seasons.
www.nashvillepredators.com

28. ATLANTA THRASHERS

COACH: Curt Fraser (second season).

LAST SEASON: 14-61-7-4, 39 points. Missed playoffs.

WHO'S IN: D Adam Burt, G Milan Hnilicka, LW Yves Sarault.

WHO'S OUT: C Mike Stapleton.

THRASHED: Like it's not tough enough being an expansion team, the Thrashers played half the season without injured goaltender Damian Rhodes. That exposed weakness in the backup goalie and on defense, where Atlanta was not physical enough and too many times lost track of the opposition. The result was a league-worst 313 goals against. Things should be better if Gord Murphy can come back from extensive shoulder surgery and Frantisek Kaberle, who was a late-season addition and made a difference, continues to develop. Fraser said he wants victories increased by 10. That is possible if Rhodes stays healthy.
www.atlantathrashers.com

29. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

COACH: Dave King (first season).

IT'S A START: General manager Doug MacLean wants low-scoring games and no blowouts, so he stressed goaltending and defense in the expansion draft. He came up with Ron Tugnutt, who was among the league leaders during the playoffs with a 1.77 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. He also found Lyle Odelein, a bruiser who will anchor the back line. There is also Krzysztof Oliwa to keep the peace (or break it). Columbus has no sniper (Robert Kron has speed but no consistency) so its philosophy will be to hold on until the organization matures. It will play in the Western Conference's Central Division.
www.columbusbluejackets.com

30. MINNESOTA WILD

COACH: Jacques Lemaire (eighth season, first with team).

THE CELLAR: Word around the NHL expansion and entry drafts was that Columbus smoked the Wild. The city of St. Paul doesn't seem to mind, however, as 15,000 season tickets have been sold. The fans, who haven't had NHL hockey in Minnesota for seven years, since the departure of the North Stars to Dallas, will see typical expansion stuff. The team will be full of kids and will play the dreaded neutral zone trap, which Lemaire made famous while leading the Devils to their first Stanley Cup. That's not a bad thing considering the goaltending is in the hands of two backups: Manny Fernandez and Jamie McLennan. The defense is anchored by Sean O'Donnell and Curtis Leschyshyn, and the top goal-scorer is Sergei Krivokrasov who had 25 two seasons ago for expansion Nashville. Minnesota's strategy? See above. It will play in the Western Conference's Northwest Division.
www.wild.com

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