The NHL realigned its divisions in the offseason, going from six to four and taking the Dallas Stars out of Phoenix's division while adding three teams, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, that should really help attendance, given the amount of western Canadian snowbirds who call Phoenix their winter home.
The new owners might enjoy the switch, but the division will be tougher if Edmonton's young and talented roster finally starts to play to its potential and Vancouver maintains its status as a perennially elite team.
It should be noted that the new Central Division is perhaps hockey's weakest group, which should make life good for the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. But with only 14 teams in the West (as opposed to 16 in the East) and eight making the playoffs, the Coyotes' chances at returning to the postseason look good.
Here's a quick glance at the Coyotes' six division opponents, as well as projected division standings for both divisions and predictions for the conference and Stanley Cup Finals.
27-16-5, lost in Western Conference final.
Outlook: Not much has changed on this roster, which seems built for the postseason with big, heavy, hard-hitting lines that come at you in waves. Not much needed to change for L.A., which gave Chicago a good run in the conference final. There's enough talent up front in the form of Anze Kopitar (if finally healthy), Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams. Factor in the improvement of defenseman Slava Voynov, the skills of Drew Doughty and the conference's best goaltender, Jonathan Quick, and you have the makings of a Cup contender.
25-16-7, lost in second round.
Outlook: This is the final year of contracts for forwards Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and defenseman Dan Boyle. That means these three highly priced, aging veterans will be motivated and playing for their next deals. The Sharks have good depth and talent up front with Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Brent Burns, and goalie Antti Niemi is the most underrated and underpaid goalie in hockey. But the loss of agitating tone-setter Raffi Torres for three to four months due to knee surgery could have a real impact on this club if one of the younger players can't fill the role.
30-12-6, lost in first round.
Outlook: Anaheim's remarkable season went for naught when it fell in the first round to Detroit. The Ducks dealt Bobby Ryan to Ottawa, but there is enough depth to roll four effective lines like Anaheim did last season, and the Ducks got an emotional boost when ageless forward Teemu Selanne elected to return for one final season. The Ducks signed Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to eight-year extensions, so that is the tandem they will ride into the future.
26-15-7, lost in first round.
Outlook: A first-round loss finally led to the dismissal of coach Alain Vigneault. In came John Tortella with a more disciplined approach that may take twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin time to absorb. Many are predicting a fall from grace -- and even the playoffs -- for Vancouver. It's hard to envision that happening with the talent this roster exudes, but the Canucks aren't strong up the middle. It will help enormously if Ryan Kesler can stay healthy and goalie Roberto Luongo (he of the bloated contract) can recapture some of his former magic.
19-22-7, missed playoffs.
Outlook: We keep hearing how the Oilers' uber-talented roster is ready to break out. We'll believe it when we see it. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov, Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner (injured) bring plenty of firepower, and the Oilers added former Coyote Boyd Gordon (they overpaid to get him) to improve the penalty killing, defensive play and faceoffs, but Edmonton is still short on the blue line, and there are warranted concerns about the goaltending of Devan Dubnyk.
19-25-4, missed playoffs
Outlook: The Flames finally pulled the trigger on something they should have done sooner when they traded longtime captain Jarome Iginla late last year. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff also retired, so Calgary is in full-on rebuild mode. There is some talent on this roster in Mike Cammalleri, Jiri Hudler and Curtis Glencross, but not enough to escape the division cellar. We have to wonder how long new president of hockey operations Brian Burke will "supervise" instead of rolling up his sleeves in the day-to-day operations of the club.
1. Los Angeles
2. San Jose
3. Phoenix
4. Vancouver
5. Anaheim
6. Edmonton
7. Calgary
Central Division
1. Chicago
2. St. Louis
3. Minnesota
4. Colorado
5. Dallas
6. Nashville
7. Winnipeg
Western Conference Final: Los Angeles over Chicago
Eastern Conference Final: Detroit over Pittsburgh
Stanley Cup Finals: Los Angeles over Detroit
