Now that the trade deadline has passed, we can officially hit the stretch run to the playoffs. It was an exciting trade deadline to say the least. Even though the stars predicted to move on rumor sites didn’t move, teams made quite a few moves to beef up for the playoffs.

The Rangers picked up a few players last week, including old pal Sean Avery as they look to turn things around and make the playoffs. Pittsburgh also added veteran Bill Guerin in hopes that his leadership will provide a playoff berth. Boston tried to add Mark Recchi for the playoffs but so far it hasn’t quite worked out. Buffalo traded away shootout specialist Ales Kotalik for a 2nd round pick which turned into Toronto forward Dominic Moore. Carolina also traded away Justin Williams in a deal that had Erik Cole returning to Carolina after a few years in Edmonton. Those were just a few deals made in the Eastern Conference on deadline day.

1. New Jersey Devils (1) – Despite a horrible blowout loss to the Islanders this weekend, the Devils are still 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and my top team in the league. When looking at the conference standings, this is the one team I wouldn’t want to face in the first round.

2. Detroit Red Wings (2) – The Red Wings have also been impressive as of late going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. I’m still not completely sold on their goaltending, but they have so much offensive firepower that it might not matter.

3. Boston Bruins (3) – I’m not sold on Boston at all. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t see them making it past the 2nd round of the playoffs. If Buffalo were to squeak into the playoffs as an 8 seed and play Boston, I would love that match-up. Let me repeat that, I would LOVE that match-up. There is nothing about Boston that strikes fear in me.

4. Calgary Flames (6) – Calgary made a few impressive moves at the deadline bringing defenseman Jordan Leopold and forward Olli Jokinen back into the fold. Although they have dropped their last two games, I don’t see the slide going on for long. One thing Calgary has going into the playoffs that works to their advantage; an elite goaltender. I would not want to face the Flames in the post-season.

5. San Jose Sharks (4) – The Sharks haven’t been sharp lately, losing their last four games. They also didn’t make their customary splash on deadline day, so who knows how far they will go. I will say this though, those moves have never worked out in the past for San Jose so maybe it’s a good thing that they stayed put.

6. Washington Capitals (5) – The Caps have also lost four in a row, but luckily they play in an easy division. With Carolina coming on strong though, they may want to get their game corrected sooner rather than later.

7. Philadelphia Flyers (8) – The Flyers made a few moves, but nothing “major” on deadline day. I thought they might move goaltender Martin Biron, but they decided to hang on to him. He will hit the market this off-season so that should be interesting. They also released two players to clear cap space for Danny Briere, only to have Briere leave the game with the same groin injury. He said he shouldn’t be out too long, but I suspect Philly fans have already lost their patience with him.

8. Chicago Blackhawks (7) – Chicago is kind of hanging around and appear to be a lock for the post-season. They were also on the list of teams that didn’t make any major moves, so we’ll see how well that works out for them. If their goaltending can get hot, or even consistent for that matter, they should make it to the second round before heading home.

9. Montreal Canadiens (9) - Montreal was suspiciously quiet on deadline day. After all this nonsense babble I read about them making a move on Lecavalier, they didn't do anything. It showed later that night when Buffalo tossed them around. They rebounded over the weekend and still maintain a slight grip on a playoff spot.

10. Vancouver Canucks (11) - Vancouver has been a tear and it continued last week. They have won four in a row and are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. I think the Canucks fall into that area that the Flames do in terms of playoffs. Once they are there, if goaltending gets hot, look out. I don't know about everyone else, but I'd like to see a Vancouver/Calgary match-up at some point in the post-season.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins (13) - Pittsburgh got another huge victory Sunday at Washington to run their streak to six games and an 8-1-1 record in their last 10. I still don't know if firing their coach was the right idea, but apparently it was. That being said, if they are really this good and were really tanking it to get him fired, shame on them.

12. Florida Panthers (10) - Florida didn't sell on deadline day so I have to give them credit. I don't see any way possible that the Panthers will be able to keep Jay Bouwmeester, unless of course the market is hit hard with the current economic situation. Unless they collapse down the stretch, they have proven themselves playoff worthy.

13. New York Rangers (14) - The Rangers made some moves to throw themselves into the contender category. They picked up Derek Morris, Nik Antropov and Sean Avery. If they can get on a roll and get some solid goaltending from Lundqvist, they should return to the post-season.

14. Carolina Hurricanes (NR) - What is up with Carolina lately? Two blowout victories this weekend gave the Carolina fans a good weekend for hockey (assuming anybody was watching). But seriously, even through all that they are still looking up at Pittsburgh for the 8th spot as of right now. The addition of Erik Cole should definitely help but I don't know if he will push them over the top.

15. Nashville Predators (12) - The Predators are 6-3-1 and have been getting very solid goaltending from Pekka Rinne as of late. I think I've seen this before, but I see Nashville squeezing into the post-season and possibly facing Detroit in the first round.