I can't speak for Scott, but I couldn't be more excited for hockey season to start up. With that in mind, both Scott and I are going to give a quick preview of the conferences for those who have been away all summer and need a quick refresher course. At the end of the article we'll give our predictions for who makes the playoffs and even who makes it out alive to face off in the Stanley Cup Finals. With that in mind, let's dive into this like a big bowl of macaroni 'n cheese. Enjoy!

CENTRAL DIVISON

Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings faced Pittsburgh for the second straight year but weren't quite as successful this time around. I think everyone in Detroit has decided to blame Marian Hossa and rightfully so. In the seven Stanley Cup Finals games, Hossa chipped in a solid zero goals, three assists, and ummm… nothing else. The good news for Detroit fans is that he took off for Chicago and the ridiculous contract they gave him so he is their problem now. In typical Hossa fashion, he coincided his signing with his new team by bashing the old team. When will he learn? My guess is never.

The Wings also signed Todd Bertuzzi (why?), Jason Williams, and Patrick Eaves. Leaving Detroit this summer along with Hossa was Ty Conklin, Mikael Samuelsson, and Jiri Hudler. All of these things aside, Detroit's success is in good hands with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom. They are basically guaranteed a spot in the postseason but once again it will depend on how effective (or ineffective) Chris Osgood turns out to be. I'd be slightly concerned about that.

Chicago Blackhawks – As mentioned above, the Blackhawks took the plunge and guaranteed themselves 12 more years without a championship. You can't totally blame them for the move though. When it comes to the 82 regular season games, Hossa is a regular performer. What? He's out until December with an injury already? Yikes. In exchange for Hossa, Chicago allowed Martin Havlat to sign in Minnesota and Nikolai Khabibulin in Edmonton. The Hawks better hope these moves pay off because they are in a world of trouble next summer when Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews all hit restricted free agency at the same time. I can't possibly see any way that they sign all three players in addition to the payroll they already have. Of course, if Patrick Kane keeps beating up cab drivers the Hawks might only have to worry about signing two of the three players.

St Louis Blues – St Louis surprised many teams, players, and fan as they qualified for the playoffs last season. It didn't last long as Vancouver did away with them rather quickly, but it was a mild success story anyways. The most notable Blues player in my eyes is Brad Boyes. He briefly attended my high school while playing OHL hockey for the Erie Otters. He captained the team that eventually won the championship before moving on to the NHL (and returned "home" last winter to have his number retired). After spending time with Toronto, Boston, and San Jose, it appears as if Brad has found a home in St Louis.

While scanning the list of moves St Louis made this summer, the one that jumped out at me the most was Ty Conklin. Barring any trade to Boston or Philadelphia this season, his string of consecutive appearances in the Winter Classic will finally come to an end. I liked the guy while he played in Buffalo but there must be something about him because according to my count, St Louis is the 17^th team he has played for in his NHL career.

Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets made their first ever postseason appearance last spring before Detroit swept them out in the first round. This year the goal is simple. Make the postseason AND win a playoff game. Columbus made several solid moves that resulted in the above mentioned playoff berth, but the biggest reason of all is Steve Mason. The rookie goaltender won 33 games, had 10 shutouts, and won the Calder Trophy. Hopefully he builds on that success because he is my number one goalie in fantasy hockey this year.

Rick Nash signed an eight year extension this summer to ensure he would remain the face of the franchise. It was a smart move for both sides. Columbus should only continue to improve if they build around Nash and Mason. Will they make the playoffs again? Hard to say. They are in what appears to be the hardest division in the West so the competition will be fierce.

Nashville Predators – I really have no clue what to make of Nashville. To an outsider like myself, they strike me as a 'Carolina' type of team. You know, a team in a poor market that is still somewhat competitive. Last season they just missed out on the playoffs and what would've been a mind boggling five teams from the Central Division qualifying for the playoffs. The Predators really didn't do a whole lot during the offseason and are banking on the players from last season and young guys from the AHL for the most part.

Last season saw the emergence of goaltender Pekka Rinne who won 29 games for the Predators and posted a very respectable 2.38 GAA. He'll be the starter going into the season but former starter Dan Ellis will be looking to take over at the first sign of trouble. If Rinne can build on his success last season, the Predators could be in good shape for a postseason berth.

NORTHWEST DIVISION

Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks did one of the nicer jobs this offseason of locking up their own stars. First were unrestricted free agents, Henrik and Daniel Sedin. After signing the twins, Vancouver made sure Roberto Luongo would never see free agency with a 12 year extension. The Canucks will most likely be without Mats Sundin this season but honestly, that is probably a good thing. Probably the biggest outside addition came from Detroit in the form of Mikael Samuelsson. The Canucks are expected to be a very good team once again and it will simply be a matter of how far they go once playoff hockey starts.

Calgary Flames – I said several times during my NHL Top 15's last season that Calgary was looking very good and could even go all the way in the West. I guess that shows how much I know. Calgary was disposed of in six games by Chicago and sent home packing once again. I'd argue the Flames made some of the biggest waves this summer when they traded for the rights to Jay Bouwmeester and struck a deal with him before free agency started. Also coming to Calgary this season is Brian McGrattan, Brandon Prust, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Nigel Dawes.

The biggest mistake for Calgary in my opinion is the workload given to Miikka Kiprusoff. He has averaged 70+ games plus the postseason for the past four years. With the Olympics coming up, it may be beneficial for Calgary to rest him up more often. Of course, that all depends on what kind of play they can get from their backup. (I feel like I'm writing about this team in Western New York with this paragraph)

Minnesota Wild – The Wild were another team that ousted both their GM and coach this summer. Jacques Lemaire stepped down as coach to eventually take over in New Jersey and bring the trap back East. In other moves, Minnesota signed Martin Havlat from Chicago and allowed china doll Marian Gaborik to go cash in with the Rangers. Both were smart moves. Like most teams, the success of Minnesota will highly depend on good play from their goaltender. The Wild signed Niklas Backstrom to a four year extension and now he must prove his worth. Many hockey fans see his numbers dipping now that the trap will no longer be used in Minnesota but I'll wait and see what happens first. I hope the Wild return to the playoffs this season. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for true hockey markets that appreciate the game and their local team.

Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers were bad enough last season that Craig MacTavish was fired from his coaching duties and replaced by Pat Quinn. The next move for the Oilers was improving upon their offense, but that plan failed miserably. You see, they had a deal in place to acquire Ottawa Senators star Dany Heatley but he quickly shot down the trade by refusing to waive his no trade clause and effectively becoming public enemy number one when San Jose visits Edmonton.

Gone from the Oilers is goaltender Dwayne Roloson and in to replace him is former Stanley Cup Champion Nikolai Khabibulin. Also returning to Edmonton is Hillary Duff center Mike Comrie. If Edmonton does get to the playoffs, it won't be more than the seventh or eighth seed.

Colorado Avalanche – Wow. The Avalanche used to be the class of the West. Long gone are those days as one of the final pieces of the puzzle, Joe Sakic, called it quits over the summer. Peter Forsberg was rumored to be making a comeback but that appears to be on hold as he is injured yet again. The Avs traded Ryan Smyth to the Kings during the summer in what appears to be a complete overhaul full of young guys. Their first round draft pick Matt Duchene is expected to bring some promise along with Paul Stastny, who was productive last year until the injury bug hit.

Craig Anderson comes over from Florida to start in goal, but expect to see Peter Budaj also. Anderson was solid in Florida but never firmly held on to the job as he and Tomas Vokoun traded spots on a near nightly basis. Anderson will be the number one goaltender but if he struggles, Budaj will be right there to snatch up some starts.

PACIFIC DIVISION

San Jose Sharks – I don't know about Sharks fans, but when Buffalo won the President's Trophy and lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, I took it as a huge letdown, so I can only imagine what Sharks fans felt as they watched San Jose flame out in the first round. To make matters worse, it was at the hands of Gordon