With NHL free agency getting started on July 1^st, we’re going to take a quick look around the league to see who is available and who the best option is.

In my final installment of free agent rankings, today we’re looking at the forwards that will be available on July 1^st. When I first glanced at the list I was somewhat surprised at the amount of talent that will be available, but of course, the salary cap will be a huge factor in signing these players.

You may notice after reading this that I didn’t include players like Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin. I’m guessing that if Sakic even plays, it will definitely be in Colorado, so why bother ranking him in the top tier. I didn’t even want to rank Sundin because of the mess he caused last season by waiting and waiting and waiting, so I just left him off completely. He isn’t a big deal anyways.

Please note: by the time this is posted some of these players may have their rights traded to their future new teams. This was written with the most current information that was available at the time so I apologize if some of these players won’t actually be available on July 1^st.

1. Marian Hossa (Detroit) – I was pretty hesitant to put Hossa at number one for a few reasons but decided to do it anyways. For one, his disappearing act in the Finals would concern me greatly if I were a GM. Two, there was a rumored deal during the playoffs that he was already going to sign a long term extension with Detroit before he even hits the market, so writing all this and putting him at number one could be a complete waste of time. However, the deal hasn’t been announced yet (officially) so I decided to write about him anyways.

Since coming into the league, Hossa has been a dynamic player. Since the 2002-03 season in Ottawa, Hossa has tallied regular season point totals of 80, 82, 92, 100, 66 and 71. The fact that his two highest point totals were with Atlanta astounds me even more.

For the most part I don’t think Detroit regrets signing him. He scored an even 40 goals and added 31 assists during the regular season and despite the above mentioned disappearing act in the Finals, he still tallied 15 points in 23 playoff games. Honestly, if my team signed him I would be dancing in the streets, so with that in mind I had to rank him number one.

I’ll be interested to see what he does if Detroit doesn’t come through with the extension though. If he takes the big money from Edmonton it would be a complete flip flop from last off-season where he took the shorter deal to win a Cup and he would resign himself to a career of 8^th place finishes in the Western Conference. Chances are his rights will be traded if he doesn’t sign with Detroit.

2. Martin Havlat (Chicago) - Since the 2002-03 season with Ottawa, Havlat has been nearly a point a game player. In that particular season he had 59 points in 67 games. In 2003-04 he had exactly 68 points in 68 games. In 2005-06 he only played in 18 games for Ottawa but still managed 16 points.

He was then dealt to Chicago where he tallied 57 points in 56 games, 27 points in 35 games and 77 points in 81 games this past season. He also racked up 15 points in 16 playoff games this past season for the Hawks.

If I were a GM, the number of games played would be a glaring concern for me. However, you have to take risks as a GM and I think the 28 year old Havlat would be worth the risk. I’m not an expert on hockey in Chicago but I would be surprised if they let Havlat go. Just taking in the fact that they have Nikolai Khabibulin’s monster deal coming off the books would indicate to me that they would have enough to re-sign Havlat.

3. Henrik/Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) – Since both of these guys want matching contracts and won’t split up, I don’t see any use in using up two spots in the rankings for them. Since the lockout Daniel Sedin has put up regular season point totals of 71, 84, 74 and 82. In the same time span, Henrik has scored an impressive 75, 81, 76 and 82 points. As you can see, whichever team decides to sign these guys are getting proven scorers and a deadly scoring line.

But here is the problem. Quite a few teams don’t have an ample amount of money to spend on July 1^st, let alone throwing down the money for two of the top scorers at one time (which will be necessary to sign these guys). The Sedin twins have gone on record stating that whoever signs them will have to fork over matching 12 year/63 million dollar contracts. Granted that is a modest 5.25 million per season per player, but it might be hard to find a team with 10.5 million available to invest in two players that will play on the same line. Throw in the fact that they are both 28 and the contracts will last until they are 40, and things get a little bit shakier.

Regardless, whoever gets these guys will be improving their offense a great deal. If Vancouver lets them walk, they will surely notice the drop-off in offense next season. Like Hossa, if they don’t return to Vancouver I am looking for their rights to be traded. I would also like to thank an extremely unreliable hockey site for mentioning the Sabres with the Sedins and now getting my hopes up. Does anybody actually think that would happen? I don’t. I’d love it though.

4. Mike Cammalleri (Calgary) – Cammalleri racked up an impressive 82 points in 81 games last season for the Flames. It was his best season since the 2006-07 campaign with Los Angeles where he had 80 points in 81 games. With a salary of $3.6 million per season, Cammalleri will most likely be looking for a nice little pay raise once he officially hits the market.

I’d be careful in giving him a huge contract though. He only has four full seasons of NHL experience (the others were split between the NHL and AHL). In those four seasons, only the two I mentioned above were worthy of a big fat contract. Nevertheless, he will be worth the risk for some GM and will definitely get a nice new deal out of it.

5. Alexei Kovalev (Montreal) – When Kovalev seemed to give a crap last season; he was premier player and someone I worried about when he had the puck. He had a few issues which resulted in him being left at home during a brief road trip mid-way during the season. I’m not sure I can fully blame Kovalev for that though, since it seems like playing in Montreal isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do.

In the past two seasons for the Habs, Kovalev finished with 84 and 65 points. The 84 point season also helped Montreal lock up the top spot in the Eastern Conference (before falling in the second round). Kovalev is 36 years old and with the potentially shaky play last season, I’d be worried about throwing huge bucks at him. Of course, if my team did sign him I’d be able to talk myself into the deal in about .000034 seconds.

6. Marian Gaborik (Minnesota) – Since the lockout, Gaborik has been better than a point per game player. (66 in 65, 57 in 48, 83 in 77 and 23 in 17). In looking at those numbers however, one might notice that he hasn’t played a full NHL season since…well…ever. To his credit, he did play in 81 games in 2002-03, but I would still be worried about his durability.

This is one player I would be worried about if my team signed him. I would immediately be happy and think about all the goals that would be scored, but then I’d have to think about how risky the signing would be. Trust me; I root for the team that recently signed Tim Connolly to a 2 year / 9 million dollar deal. I talked myself into that deal by saying “if he can stay healthy, it will be a bargain.” Gaborik falls into the same category. Although he is more dynamic, he runs the same risk for whatever team signs him this summer. In my opinion, having one of those players on my team already is more than enough. I’ll pass.

7. Saku Koivu (Montreal) – Koivu is an interesting player hitting the market. He can definitely score, but he has battled quite a few health problems over the years that may drive his price down. This past season he scored 50 points in 65 games, which is a good number, but not worthy of $4.75 million per season (in my opinion). With him being such a mainstay in Montreal, it would be hard for me to picture him elsewhere. Then again, Montreal really has their hands full this summer. Speaking of that…

8. Alex Tanguay (Montreal) – Tanguay has bounced around a bit during his career, but has proven he can score wherever he goes. Before this past season, Tanguay hadn’t played in less than 69 games in his entire career. His last contract was slightly over $5 million per season, which in my mind is still too much for him. One would think Montreal is going to have to keep at least one of these three guys listed in the top 10, so it will be interesting to see who they choose. For the record, Tanguay is the youngest at 29 years of age.

9. Bill Guerin (Pittsburgh) – I hate putting Guerin this high on the list, but I feel like I have to. First, he is 38 years old and second, before being traded to Pittsburgh he was just collecting a paycheck from the Islanders. If he took a pay cut from his monster $4.5 million per season deal, he would be a decent signing. It would make the most sense for Pittsburgh to hang on to him since he seemed to mesh well with the Crosby gang, but I’ve already read rumors that he might head back to New York. I know…it makes no sense to me either.

(Ed note: Shortly after writing this the news broke that Bill Guerin did in fact take a pay cut to stay with Pittsburgh, a good deal for both sides. Score one for common sense!)

10. Nik Antropov (NY Rangers) – Antropov’s short stint in New York was partially successful, minus the fact that the Rangers went out in the first round. Before his trade to New York, Antropov was busy disappointing the Leafs organization and pissing off their fans. He has never played in a full 82 games and never finished with more than 56 points. One might wonder what exactly he is doing on the list. Well, for only making $2.15 million per season, most teams could get over his inconsistent play if he could still manage at least 50 points per season. Now whether he can actually do that or not, that’s another story.

11. Brian Gionta (New Jersey) – Gionta has been a fairly average player with the Devils but has been consistent during his time as well. Since the lockout he has finished the regular season with 89, 45, 53 and 60 points. There are always rumors of him coming to Buffalo but I suspect that’s mainly because he is from Rochester, NY. Maybe this is the year the Sabres go out and get him, but I’m not holding my breath. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind having him, but it would definitely have to be at the right price. Just because he calls his home very close to Buffalo doesn’t mean he should be the highest priority.

12. Keith Tkachuk (St Louis) – Tkachuk has been a very consistent and productive player during his long NHL career. At the age of 37, I’m not sure how many years he has left in the tank. Minus the year he was rented to Atlanta (that worked out well), he has spent the better part of this decade with St. Louis. Unless I’m missing something, I don’t see him signing anywhere else this summer.

13. Erik Cole (Carolina) – Cole had a homecoming this season as he was shipped back to Carolina at the trade deadline. He wasn’t a huge factor during their miracle playoff run finishing with only five assists and zero goals in 18 playoff games. He did have 15 points in the last 17 games for Carolina so he can still be a productive scorer. He only had 27 points in 63 games for Edmonton so I would think that he plays best in Carolina’s system and would end up staying there again for another run at the Cup.

14. Mike Comrie (Ottawa) – Mike Comrie is an interesting player as he hits the market. I was doing a little research on his stats and they don’t look like anything Earth shattering, but I still wouldn’t mind seeing my team sign him on July 1^st. Maybe it’s the fact that he seems to burn Buffalo every time they face him. Yeah, that must be it. At the age of 28 he is still fairly young and should be a productive player for whoever signs him.

15. Mike Knuble (Philadelphia) – Knuble has been a consistent threat during the last four seasons in Philadelphia. He has finished with 65, 54, 55 and 47 points in the last four regular season campaigns. At the age of 36, he may only get a short term deal, but I wouldn’t be opposed to having him on my team. In four of the last five seasons he has played in all 82 regular season games. That kind of durability can be hard to come by these days. I foresee him moving on only because Philly’s cap situation is pretty muddled already and that was before they acquired Chris Pronger from Anaheim.

957. Maxim Afinogenov (Buffalo) – When Buffalo lets Afinogenov walk this summer, it will be the definition of “addition by subtraction”. This guy can’t leave Buffalo fast enough as far as I’m concerned. I just have to wonder what part of his game the Sabres will miss the most. The blazing speed? The turnovers? The spin-o-rama into a subsequent turnover? The missing of the net? The non-scoring? It’s so hard to decide.

1047. Miroslav Satan (Pittsburgh) – One of the most frustrating factors in watching the Pens hoist the Stanley Cup was knowing that Miroslav Satan is going to have his name forever etched into the Cup. Seriously, has there ever been a more non-deserving player win a championship? Well, Rob Johnson does own his very own Super Bowl ring so I guess Satan has that going for him.

With NHL free agency getting started on July 1^st, we’re going to take a quick look around the league to see who is available and who the best option is.

We’re going to start our NHL off-season talk with the goaltenders who are set to become free agents on July 1^st. There is a pretty solid list of available candidates, and by solid I mean as solid as a plate of Jell-O that hasn’t had enough time to solidify yet.

First up, we’ll rank the top 10 available unrestricted free agents.

1. Martin Biron (Philadelphia) – Biron was one regular season win short of posting back to back 30 win seasons for the Flyers. In addition to that, he led the Flyers to the conference finals in 2007-08 before being ousted by the Penguins. This year the Flyers fell to the Penguins again, this time in the first round.

After spending much of his career in Buffalo and eventually losing his starting job to Ryan Miller, the Sabres shipped him off to Philly where he signed a 2 year, $3.5 million dollar contract. With the upcoming cap situation in Philly being extremely tight and the Flyers already signing Ray Emery to a one year deal, things aren’t looking so good for Biron in Philly.

He is sporadic at times and that can hurt a team but I still feel he is the best candidate for a team needing someone to start between the pipes. He is only 31 years old and his salary is not that much compared to some of the other goalies in the league. In my mind he would actually make for the perfect backup goaltender, but after starting a large amount of games in Philly for the past two seasons, I can’t see him embracing that backup role once again (and the salary that goes along with it).

2. Nikolai Khabibulin (Chicago) – One could argue that Khabibulin was a huge disappointment in Chicago after landing his monster deal of close to $7 million per season. I would completely agree with the person arguing that point. In his four seasons in Chicago he started 50, 60, 50 and 42 games. His win-loss record was much better this season, but so was the overall team. Sorry, but for someone pulling in that kind of money, he should be starting around 70 games and leading his team to the post-season each time.

Last off-season the Blackhawks signed another somewhat shaky goaltender in Cristobal Huet, so I see no possible way that they retain the services of Khabibulin. He will no doubt need to take a pay cut if he wants another job in the NHL, but he should be able to contribute to another team. He hasn’t been nearly as good in Chicago as he was while winning the Cup in Tampa Bay, but someone will give him another shot. If not, the KHL still awaits.

3. Scott Clemmensen (New Jersey) – Most people will probably recognize Clemmensen as the guy who saved the Devils season while Martin Brodeur was out with a long term injury. Upon returning, Clemmensen was shipped back down to the AHL to finish up the season. This was more about clearing waivers than any form of respect, but I have a feeling that it didn’t sit too well with Clemmensen. He now hits the open market and has proven he can play effectively at the NHL level. While subbing for Brodeur (and Kevin Weekes), Clemmensen posted a 25-13-1 record and two shutouts. His GAA and save percentage were statistically in the top ten among league leaders. I have to assume that a team in need of goaltending will want to give him a shot seeing that he is only 31 years old, but there is always that off chance that he’ll return to New Jersey to be Brodeur’s full-time backup. There is always that chance that he was a product of the New Jersey system.

4. Ty Conklin (Detroit) – I’m actually quite fond of Conklin as a backup. Although he didn’t play very much for Buffalo in his short stint with the Sabres, he played well enough to impress me. Last season he helped carry Pittsburgh to the post-season while starter Marc-Andre Fleury was injured. This season he headed to Detroit to split time with Chris Osgood. Conklin has bounced around several teams so there must be something I’m missing, but I think he is a very suitable backup goalie. I also think he is perfect for Detroit. In 40 games for Detroit this season, Conklin went 25-11-2 with 6 shutouts. Osgood is heading into the final year of his contract and Conklin is more than capable of filling in from time to time. If I were Detroit I would look at locking him up with another one year deal and then seriously addressing the goaltending situation the following summer.

5. Manny Fernandez (Boston) – Fernandez hits the market and looks to be finished in Boston. While splitting time with Tim Thomas, there is no doubt that Thomas is the man in Boston. Fernandez started 28 games this past season with Boston posting a 16-8-3 record in the process. He definitely doesn’t deserve a contract over $4 million (what he was making in Boston) but he should be able to hook up with someone and split time between the pipes.

6. Dwayne Roloson (Edmonton) – Roloson hits the market at the ripe age of 39, which isn’t exactly a great bargaining chip when looking for a new job. It seems like a very long time ago that he led the 8^th seeded Oilers to the Stanley Cup before getting injured in Game One and watching his team fall in seven to the Hurricanes. At this point in his career he is much better suited for the backup role. He started 63 games this year for Edmonton, posting a 28-24-9 record along the way. He might possibly stick in Edmonton, although that seems somewhat unlikely.

7. Antero Niittymaki (Philadelphia) – Along with Martin Biron, Niittymaki hits the free agent market and there appears to be no room for him in Philly. His contract was considerably less than Biron (1.375 million) so the Flyers might have plans for him to split time with Ray Emery (everyone in Philly shudders). Niittymaki is only 28 years old and went 15-8-6 in 32 regular season starts last season. While those numbers aren’t necessarily great, they could be worse (see Emery, Ray). He might have to take a brief pay cut to the tune of one million per season, but it wouldn’t be a terrible investment. Now Ray Emery…well that’s another story. (Had enough yet Philly?)

8. Craig Anderson (Florida) – Last season Anderson split time with Tomas Vokoun going 15-7-5 in 31 starts. Anderson never fully got into a groove as the Panthers goaltending situation depended on whether or not the team won or loss the previous game. When he got an extended amount of playing time, he proved he was capable of winning games for the Panthers. He may not want to split time this way with Vokoun again, so look for him to test the free agent market and see what else is available.

9. Manny Legace (St Louis) – Legace posted a 13-9-2 record in 29 starts for the Blues last season. While these numbers aren’t great, either is the unrestricted class of 2009. Legace may end up staying in St Louis to serve a similar role, but one has to assume he’ll receive a significant pay cut, unless someone thinks he is worth $2.5 million per season. Seeing that someone like Ty Conklin makes much less per season, there is no way this is happening.

10. Brian Boucher (San Jose) – Boucher went 12-6-3 in 22 games with the Sharks last season. He was in a pretty good spot backing up Evgeni Nabakov for the first round chokers last season. One could argue that Boucher benefited from playing for the best team in the regular season, which is a fair argument, but I can’t ignore the stats when doing these rankings. Boucher only made $650,000 last season so I could see him getting a slight raise for a similar role. His days as a number one goalie for long gone.

The list for restricted agents is much smaller. And by smaller I mean most of the players are still playing in the AHL so I don’t know nearly enough about them to do rankings. So to keep this simple, here are the top three goaltenders that are eligible for restricted free agency.

1. Kari Lehtonen (Atlanta) – If I’m Kari Lehtonen, I’m begging my way out of Atlanta. I don’t see this franchise ever being successful in the NHL and in my opinion; they should be shipped up to Canada or eliminated completely from the league. Lehtonen played in 46 games for the terrible Thrashers earning a 19-22-3 record with three shutouts. I’ve seen him play enough games to know that he is much better than the record indicates. Like I said, Atlanta is terrible. Lehtonen is only 25 years old so I could easily see him latching on with another team and serving the role of franchise goaltender.

2. Brian Elliott (Ottawa) – Brian Elliot got the pleasure of playing for the Senators once their season was effectively over. Regardless of that fact, he quickly turned them into a much better team as Ottawa was actually one of the better teams towards the end of the season. In 31 games played, Elliot went 16-8-3 with one shutout. One would assume with him being only 24 years old, that Ottawa would lock him up and not allow anybody else to entertain offers for him. Based on what I saw last season, I’m not looking forward to seeing Buffalo face him multiple times a season.

3. Peter Budaj (Colorado) – Budaj almost single handedly killed my entire fantasy team this past season. Luckily I dumped him and squeaked into the playoffs. Nevertheless, with so few restricted free agents with NHL experience, Budaj is near the top of the list. Who knows, with him only being 26 years old maybe he’ll get much better as time goes on. He’ll need to if he wants to improve on his 20-29-5 record that he posted last season. Then again, playing for the Avalanche these days isn’t exactly the perfect scenario for a young goaltender.

On Wednesday night, the most difficult quest for a Championship will begin. With no further introduction needed, here are my picks for the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose Sharks (1) vs Anaheim Ducks (8)

The Sharks are coming off an impressive regular season which netted them the President’s Trophy after finishing with a 53-18-11 record, including 32-5-4 at home. However, we’ve seen this show before. For the past several seasons the Sharks have had a very solid season, only to fall far short of the Stanley Cup once the playoffs start.

The Ducks finished off a wildly inconsistent season where they squeezed into the playoffs finishing two points above ninth place Minnesota. The Ducks finished the season going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and finished with a better road record than home for the regular season.

I still don’t see those factors being enough to allow Anaheim to pull off the first round upset. San Jose has the better overall team, more consistent goaltending and they have been on a mission all season to be the best team in the league.

My Prediction: San Jose in 6 games

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (7)

I’ve said this before, but Detroit is a franchise that I’m quite envious of. Despite having a salary cap after the lockout, Detroit has maintained their dominance and continued to win consistently. After winning the Stanley Cup last season, Detroit only went out and picked up Marian Hossa who chipped in 40 goals and 31 assists. I think if Detroit has one glaring weakness, its goaltending; however Chris Osgood seems to have a second gear that kicks in once the playoffs start. It will be interesting to see if he struggles since Dave Babcock has shown he is willing to make the switch between the pipes, much like he did last year.

Columbus has been a good story this season and they’ve earned their first playoff berth in franchise history. Rookie goaltender Steve Mason has been absolutely amazing going 33-20-7 with a solid 10 shutouts. There should be an all out conspiracy theory started if he doesn’t win both the Calder trophy and the Vezina this summer.

The Jackets will provide a good fight for Detroit, but ultimately I don’t see them winning this series. A lot of playoff match-ups come down to experience and Detroit has an overwhelming advantage in that category. I was going to predict this series ending in very few games, but Detroit has shown some slow starts in the first round before kicking it up so I’m taking that trend into consideration.

My Prediction: Detroit in 6 games

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs St Louis Blues (6)

As stated several times in my NHL rankings, the Canucks heated up in the second half and were easily one of the best teams in the league. They finished the season winning three in a row to net them a division title and home ice in the first round finishing just two points ahead of Calgary.

The Blues were on the verge of missing the playoffs one week ago, but instead of fading away, they turned it up a notch and took control of their own destiny. They finished 8-1-1 in their last 10 including a 1-0 shutout on the final day of the season which would’ve been the difference between facing the Canucks and facing the Sharks in the first round.

Both teams have been hot down the stretch and this should be an excellent match-up. I think when considering a series like this, there has to be one factor that stands out above all when making a prediction. In this series, it has to be goaltending. This is no knock on the Blues goaltending situation, but Roberto Luongo is one of the few goalies that falls into that “elite” category, and he will be the difference this spring for Vancouver.

My Prediction: Vancouver in 5 games

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs Calgary Flames (5)

The Blackhawks finished off an impressive regular season which saw them eclipse the 100 point plateau for the first time since I stopped purchasing cassette tapes and listening to them in my walkman. Chicago finds themselves in the interesting situation of technically finishing with the third most points in the conference, but receiving the fourth seed due to division winners. This is a situation that Buffalo found themselves in back in 2005-06 when they fell 20 minutes short of going to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Calgary really flamed out during the stretch (pun intended). They finished the regular season with a solid home record of 27-10-4 but they went 19-20-2 on the road, which will be their downfall in the first round. I really expected more during the season from Calgary, but they let me down much like “Yes Man” did after viewing it this weekend. I have very little confidence in them making a run. I realize that if Miika Kiprusoff can get hot it will be the difference, but right now I just can’t pick Calgary until they prove it to me.

I think if Calgary had somehow won the division and this was a match-up between Chicago and Vancouver, I’d be picking the Canucks in a short series. There is something about Chicago that I don’t quite trust. However, they aren’t playing Vancouver and therefore will win their series in the first round.

My Prediction: Chicago in 7 games

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins (1) vs Montreal Canadiens (8)

It’s funny how one season can change so much, but change so little. At this time last year, we were faced with picking between the top seeded Canadiens and the upstart Bruins, who just squeaked into the playoffs. The series ended up going a full seven games before Montreal pulled it out, only to choke it away in the second round.

This season it has been Boston who has pretty much reigned supreme in the Eastern Conference. If these two teams were a concert series, Montreal would’ve been that summer tour that was supposed to be the best, but instead ended up being some Skid Row tribute band that toured the clubs in North Dakota, while Boston was Ozzfest from the early 2000’s (before Sharon Osbourne ruined another good thing).

Most of the games between these two teams were close this season, so despite the large difference in team play throughout the regular season, I think the series could end up being close. Boston should prevail and it would be an epic disaster if they were upset in the first round, however I don’t see it happening.

My Prediction: Boston in 7 games

Washington Capitals (2) vs New York Rangers (7)

I have no idea what to make of this series. Washington has definitely earned the second seed in the East, but they don’t strike me as that elite team like San Jose, Detroit or even Boston. There is just something about the Caps that tells me they will fall flat on their face in the playoffs.

I think it has to be their lack of solid goaltending. Comparing Jose Theodore and Henrik Lundqvist is like comparing Winger to AC/DC. Having an elite goalie like Lundqvist definitely puts the Rangers in good shape for the first round upset. Combine that with playoff hero Chris Drury, goalie assassin Scott Gomez and the biggest pest in the league Sean Avery, and you can definitely make a case for the Rangers.

Despite their lack of solid goaltending, the Capitals finished the season with a goal differential of +27 goals compared to -8 for the Rangers. That is my main reason in picking Washington. Alexander Ovechkin is one of the few players in the league that most teams must fear heading into a playoff series and I’m sure he wants to prove himself in the post-season since that is the one category that Sidney Crosby has over him.

My Prediction: Washington in 6 games

New Jersey Devils (3) vs Carolina Hurricanes (6)

This has to be the most uninteresting, most boring series for the entire league. Not only do I have zero interest in either team, but I think its going to put most of America to sleep before the second period even starts.

The Hurricanes finished the season on a tear before getting shellacked by Buffalo on Thursday night and then finished it off with a loss to…the Devils!! Ok, maybe I shouldn’t be so excited by that, but something has to spice this series up.

My Prediction: New Jersey in 4 games

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs Philadelphia Flyers (5)

This is one of the most intriguing match-ups in my opinion. These two teams are very evenly matched and this has the potential of being a very high scoring series. Both teams finished the season with exactly the same amount of points and goals scored, but the Penguins had one more win in the standings which gives them the extra home game (if needed).

Before I started writing this, I was leaning towards the angle of saying how inconsistent the Flyers goaltending situation is with Martin Biron between the pipes. Then I looked at the goal differential of Pittsburgh (25) and Philadelphia (26) and my decision only became that much harder.

Pittsburgh pretty much owned Philadelphia this regular season when it came to head to head games, so my pick is pretty obvious in this close series.

My Prediction: Philadelphia in 7 games

Here we go. This is the final week in the NHL regular season and by this time next week; both myself and Scott will be making our playoff picks. This is just a reminder that for anybody else that wants to participate, e-mail those picks in once the seeding is completed.

I love this time of the season, although I’d love it more if my team was going to make the playoffs. Then again, they still can, but we’ll know more after tonight. I doubt anybody has any kind of interest in this particular race, but I’m thinking that if Buffalo can beat Detroit tonight (unlikely) and Toronto on Wednesday (very likely), they will be tied with both Florida and the Rangers if both of those teams lost on Tuesday (likely). Therefore, they would all be tied with two games remaining for each. Buffalo faces Carolina on Thursday, so it isn’t looking very good for them, but anything can happen. The Sabres do have tie-breakers over both Florida and New York, so if all three are tied by Thursday, Buffalo would simply have to win out to gain a spot in the playoffs.

On a lighter note, I wanted to do something a little different since this is the final set of rankings for the season. In honor of the latest Guitar Hero game to be released and their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction, I wanted to do these rankings with a little flavor of the Metallica, my all-time favorite band.

Master of Puppets Division

- This is the division that is by far the most elite division. You know when you’re facing any of these three teams; you’re going to be getting their best effort for a whole 60 minutes. You would have to go a long ways to find a weak spot on any of these rosters.

1. San Jose Sharks (1) – The Sharks remain in the driver’s seat for the top spot overall, but it is a very slim margin. They have a three point lead on Boston with three games remaining on their schedule, while Boston has four games. In the final week, San Jose faces Colorado, Phoenix and Los Angeles. In other words, they should win out and claim the President’s Trophy.

2. Boston Bruins (2) – Boston seems to have found themselves again after a little slide a few weeks ago. They have won six in a row and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. They face Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo and the NY Islanders this week. The game against the Canadiens could potentially be a playoff preview if Montreal slips to the eighth spot, although I highly doubt that.

3. Detroit Red Wings (3) – The Red Wings ended a three game losing streak last night against Minnesota and now face Buffalo tonight in a game that could very well determine the Sabres season. The Wings have their division locked up so this week will just be their final tune-up before the playoffs start. They have Buffalo, Nashville, and two games against Chicago to wrap up the regular season.

Kill ‘Em All Division

- This division is close to being the top division, but each team is lacking just a little bit compared to those above. Overall each team hits you with power and you fear what they can do on the ice.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (6) – Carolina literally went from a team that most had missing the playoffs, to a team that might have home ice for the first round. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games have three more remaining this week against the NY Islanders, Buffalo and New Jersey. Unless something dramatic takes place this week, it looks like it could be Carolina and Philly in the first round, with home ice being decided this week. They are currently tied in points but Philly has a game in hand.

5. Washington Capitals (9) – If there is one downfall to Washington, it’s their goaltending. It’s been shaky at times and will need to be much better heading into the playoffs. With that being said, the Caps can sure put points on the board when they want to. The Caps face Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Florida to wind down the regular season.

Ride The Lightning Division

- This division is very close to the Kill ‘Em all division, but it’s not quite there. They have the pieces in place for most of the roster, but when push comes to shove, would lose out to those teams listed above.

6. New Jersey Devils (5) – The Devils are a curious bunch. I had them at number one for several weeks before they started to go on an extended losing streak. After watching them this past weekend, I’m not sure where to put them. Sure, Martin Brodeur can do enough to win them some games, but overall, I wasn’t very impressed. They have won their last two games and face Toronto, Ottawa and Carolina to end the season. They should win two of those three games, but if they win all three that will be some good momentum heading into the playoffs.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins (7) – Ohhhhh Pittsburgh. On those rare occasions when I want the Pens to win, they still find a way to screw me over. With the Sabres trailing both the Rangers and Panthers in the standings, I figured the Panthers would lose yesterday against Pittsburgh and keep the gap at two points. I guess that is what I get for counting on a team that wears black and canary yellow. The Pens can pretty much coast through this week with games against the Lightning, Islanders and Canadiens.

8. Chicago Blackhawks (13) – Chicago is turning this around just at the right time. They have won their last three games and have four more before the regular season is over. They have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, so now it is just a matter of where they finish. All four games have playoff implications, well maybe not the last two, with games against Nashville, Columbus and two against Detroit.

9. Vancouver Canucks (4) – Vancouver is slipping and sliding one week after I had them in the top five. They only have one point in their last three games and only have three more remaining. They are currently tied with Calgary for the division lead, with one less game remaining, so each game is going to be extremely important. Starting things off will be a game against those Flames, then Los Angeles and finally Colorado. If they lose to Calgary I’d put my money on the Flames winning the division.

…And Justice For All Division

- There is just something about this division that is missing. Maybe where this album lacked a good strong bass sound, the Flyers miss out on that elite goaltending and the Flames miss out on consistent play from the entire roster. They have the potential to make a run, but the odds aren’t in their favor.

10. Philadelphia Flyers (8) – The Flyers still control their own destiny for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but with the way Carolina is playing they might have to win out. Speaking from the standpoint of a Buffalo fan, I sure do hope they win out. They face the Panthers, Rangers, Islanders and Rangers again to end the season.

11. Calgary Flames (10) – As mentioned above, the Flames are tied with the Canucks for the division lead, with the Flames having an extra game in hand. They face the Kings tonight and then the Canucks tomorrow night. If they win both of those games, that would pretty much seal the deal for them. Afterwards they have a home and home with the Oilers to end the regular season.

Metallica (Black Album) Division

- This division represents the teams that look good at first glance, but have some major glaring holes to fill. They haven’t been nearly as consistent all season as they’ve shown lately, and that recipe usually results in an early exit from the playoffs.

12. Columbus Blue Jackets (11) – The Blue Jackets haven’t been playing their best hockey in the past week, but still remain in control for a playoff spot. Of course, anything can happen, and if Columbus slips up down the stretch they will be on the outside looking in. They face Chicago, St Louis and Minnesota this week.

13. Montreal Canadiens (NR) – Montreal came along at just the right time and it appears as if they will definitely make the playoffs now. The Canadiens could still get a higher seed, but they currently sit in the seventh spot. They have Ottawa, NY Rangers, Boston and Pittsburgh coming up. It will be a good test to see how playoff ready this team is, with me rooting heavily for them against the Rangers.

Death Magnetic Division

- This division represents the teams that seem to be gaining that killer instinct, but it just isn’t quite there. It’s like they have tasted that success before falling off, and seem to have righted the ship at just the right time.

14. Anaheim Ducks (NR) – The Ducks are anything but a sure thing with only two games remaining. With everyone else out West having at least three games, there will be a lot of scoreboard watching going on this week. They are facing two non playoff teams, so that much will work out for them with games against Dallas and Phoenix.