WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen lead a serious Cup contender.
2. Vegas Golden Knights: Robin Lehner is the undisputed starter after previously sharing the crease with Marc-Andre Fleury.
3. Winnipeg Jets: An already sturdy blue line acquired Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon.
4. Edmonton Oilers: After getting swept by the Jets in the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers boosted their forward depth. Connor McDavid was the league MVP.
5. Wild: The spotlight is on Kirill Kaprizov as the NHL's reigning Rookie of the Year after the team dropped longtime fixtures Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
6. Dallas Stars: Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov are healthy again after both missed significant time last season with injury.
7. St. Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko is still with the Blues, who are only three seasons removed from a Stanley Cup, despite requesting a trade.
8. Chicago Blackhawks: Marc-Andre Fleury's addition and Jonathan Toews' return should make the Blackhawks much more competitive.
9. Nashville Predators: Another MVP-type season by goalie Juuse Saros would be huge for the Predators.
10. Calgary Flames: No longer around is longtime captain Mark Giordano, who was scooped up by the Kraken in the expansion draft.
11. Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes were late arrivals to training camp after signing new contracts.
12. San Jose Sharks: Evander Kane is away from the team after allegations he used a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.
13. Los Angeles Kings: An offseason makeover included picking up forwards Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson.
14: Seattle Kraken: Goalie Philipp Grubauer, a finalist for last season's Vezina Trophy, headlines the NHL's newest team.
15: Anaheim Ducks: Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are the face of the Ducks' youth movement.
16: Arizona Coyotes: First-year coach Andre Tourigny is at the helm of the Coyotes' rebuild.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning: The depth players behind the Lightning's back-to-back championships are gone, but Tampa Bay still has a star-studded lineup.
2. N.Y. Islanders: Captain Anders Lee is back after a knee injury, and the Islanders bolstered their experience by signing Zdeno Chara and Zach Parise.
3. Carolina Hurricanes: Although the goaltending and defense were overhauled, the showstoppers — Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Vincent Trocheck — are up front.
4. Florida Panthers: Aaron Ekblad is returning from a knee injury, and captain Aleksander Barkov continues to be one of the most underrated players in the NHL.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs: After fading in the playoffs again last season, the same core, featuring Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, will vie for a breakthrough.
6. Washington Capitals: A perennial playoff team, the Capitals are currently without injured Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom .
7. Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand remain, but goalie Tuukka Rask and forward David Krejci (playing in Czech league) didn't re-sign.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins: Plenty of questions surround a squad that will start without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as they recover from offseason surgeries.
9. N.Y. Rangers: New coach Gerard Gallant is inheriting a team with talented youngsters, including Norris winner Adam Fox, and savvy veterans.
10. Montreal Canadiens: After a run to Stanley Cup Final, defenseman Shea Weber is out for the season and goalie Carey Price is taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
11. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart returns as the Flyers' starting goalie, but the defense in front of him has been revamped.
12. Columbus Blue Jackets: This is a team in transition after trading away elite defenseman Seth Jones.
13. New Jersey Devils: The learning curve could continue for the Devils' up-and-coming lineup.
14. Ottawa Senators: Leading scorer Brady Tkachuk is still unsigned.
15. Detroit Red Wings: Detroit has many of the same forwards back after scoring was an issue last season.
16. Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres stripped Jack Eichel of the captaincy and are a standoff with the player on how to treat his neck injury as trade rumors continue.
