Penguins forward Jordan Staal is wearing a protective boot on his injured right foot and is not yet close to being able to skate or practice, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday.

The Lightning assigned center Marc-Antoine Pouliot to the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL today, Vice President and GM Steve Yzerman announced. Pouliot, a native of Quebec City, Quebec, has played in two preseason games with the Lightning this season, recording three shots on goal and seven penalty minutes. He was signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent on July 23, 2010.

Last year?s conference placement and regular season record in italics Boston Bruins 2009-10: 6th, 39-30-13, 91 points Boston is out to prove that last season?s 6th place finish and elimination in the 2nd round was a complete disappointment. Don?t forget that just a year before, they won this division and look poised to do just that again. After a horrible offensive season that saw the team finished next-to-last in goals scored, they boldly acquired Nathan Horton from Florida. The downfall is that it cost them a bonafide top-four defender that they sold low on after Dennis Wideman struggled through a disappointing season. They still have a quality defense playing in front of the very talented Tuuka Rask, who led the league in goals against average (1.97) and save percentage (93.1%) last season. Tim Thomas, a Vezina winner, is likely the most decorated backup goalie in the league and with a few strong games should find a team willing to trade for him. In addition to Horton, the offense should also be helped by second overall pick Tyler Seguin, who looks to be able to step in and contribute on the second line immediately. Add in a healthy Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron, and it looks like Boston should be back on top of one of the weaker divisions in the league. Prediction: 1st in the Northeast, 3rd in the Eastern Conference Additions: Nathan Horton, Tyler Seguin, Gregory Campbell. Losses: Dennis Wideman. Unsigned: Miroslav Satan. Buffalo Sabres 2009-10: 3rd, 45-27-10, 100 points Raise your hand if you had Buffalo winning the division and getting 100 points last year. Exactly, no one did. And on paper, there is only one reason it happened and his name is Ryan Miller, last season?s Vezina winner. Miller had 41 of the team?s 45 wins, a stellar 2.22 goals against (2nd to Rask), and stopped 92.9% of the shots he faced (also 2nd to Rask). Sadly, look for Buffalo to lose their crown because they didn?t get Miller much help. Despite all of the quality goaltending on the free agent market this offseason, they elected to re-sign Patrick Lalime, which means another season with little rest for Miller. They also lost two capable second-pairing defensemen, and replaced them with a couple of third-pairing defensemen (third-pairing on contending clubs, second-pairing on average clubs). They will put a lot of their eggs in Thomas Vanek?s basket, hoping he plays like the 40-goal scorer that he used to be. They have a few talented offensive players ? Derek Roy, Jason Pominville ? but no one close to star or elite status. And they may regret walking away from Tim Kennedy?s paltry arbitration, as he at least offered some offensive upside on a club that could desperately use it. Buffalo will have to revert back to being the gritty team of past years, but in an improved Eastern Conference, that is not going to get them to the post season this year. Prediction: 4th the in Northeast, 11th in the Eastern Conference Additions: Rob Neidermayer, Shaone Morrison, Jordan Leopold. Losses: Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman, Tim Kennedy, Raffi Torres. Unsigned: None. Montreal Canadiens 2009-10: 8th, 39-33-10, 100 points Though this will put me at risk of having my inbox flooded with mail from angry Habs fans, I have to be honest: I fully expect last year?s Cinderella story to be much more pumpkin-esque this season. While they made that memorable run to the Conference Finals after victories over the favored Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, everyone needs to remember that this was just an 8th place team. They got hot at exactly the right time, and more importantly so did their goalie. Remember that their goalie was routinely stopping over 40 shots a game, and giving up that quantity on a regular basis isn?t going to bode well over a complete regular season. Oh, and that particular goalie got traded. Ultimately, the Habs? brass likely made the correct long-term decision in choosing Carey Price over playoff hero Jaroslav Halak, but they didn?t get anything of substance in return that will help them immediately. They struggled to score last year, finishing among the bottom five, and didn?t do a whole lot to help their cause. Jeff Halpern won?t cure what ails them, as he only has 16 goals in the last two seasons combined. They have yet to re-sign Marc-Andre Bergeron, one of the better power play weapons in the league with 14 power play goals in the last two years from the blue line. The one thing Habs fans should be excited about is a full season of Pernell Karl (P.K.) Subban. Unfortunately, that?s about it. Prediction: 5th in the Northeast, 12th in the Eastern Conference Additions: Jeff Halpern, Lars Eller, Alex Auld. Losses: Jaroslav Halak, Sergei Kostitsyn, Glen Metropolit, Paul Mara. Unsigned: Marc-Andre Bergeron. Ottawa Senators 2009-10: 5th, 44-32-6, 94 points The fact that Ottawa finished fifth last season despite injuries to Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, a down year from Spezza, a Dany Heatley trade during training camp, and a more than shaky goaltender situation, says a lot about the quality of depth they have. The main bright spot that GM Bryan Murray likes talking about is their defensive prospects making waves through the minors and potentially making a big impact on the NHL club, much like Erik Karlsson did last season. Regardless of the defensive depth, they went out and signed the biggest named defenseman in free agency: Sergei Gonchar. He may or may not stay healthy for a full season, and at times losing interest in his own end, but Gonchar is a sure-fire offensive threat at even strength or on the power play, and should help ease the burden carried by Alfredsson and Spezza. While the Sens surely could have used another forward as well, they maintain a solid supporting cast of guys like Mike Fisher, Milan Michalek, and Nick Foligno. While they don?t have any salary cap room available, they should benefit from a number of players entering their contract years, like Alexei Kovalev, Chris Phillips, and both goalies (Pascal Leclaire, Brian Elliott). Combine that with a very good and disciplined young coach in Cory Clouston, and they should have enough to get into the playoffs once again, but don?t mistake them for a contender. Prediction: 2nd in the Northeast, 6th in the Eastern Conference Additions: Sergei Gonchar, David Hale, David Rundblad. Losses: Anton Volchenkov, Andy Sutton, Matt Cullen, Jonathan Cheechoo, Shean Donovan. Unsigned: None. Toronto Maple Leafs 2009-10: 15th, 30-38-14, 74 points Well Leafs fans, there?s nowhere to go but up. After finishing dead last in the conference, and second last in the entire league, things cannot possibly get any worse. Phil Kessel managed to score 30 goals for Toronto last season in an injury-shortened year, despite being the only viable offensive option on the team, and playing the quarter of the season on a line with a fresh faced rookie centerman. While Toronto wasn?t able to land a first line center this year as they hoped, they still managed to greatly improve themselves offensively. The trade for Kris Versteeg seemed to take a back seat to the Dustin Byfuglien trade, but Versteeg is the one who was a Calder finalist two years ago when he had 53 points, and has scored 42 goals over the last two seasons. He will be a great addition to the Leafs? first line opposite Kessel, and won?t allow defenses to focus solely on one player. Tyler Bozak, the aforementioned rookie, showed flashes of first line talent last season and should be able to build on what was a strong finish. The penalty killing deficiency should be lessened by the addition of gritty two-way forward Colby Armstrong, and rookie Jerry D?Amigo and Clarke McArthur will, at the very least, give the coaches more options and provide a sense of urgency for players currently on the roster. New captain Dion Phaneuf leads the deepest defense in the division, along with not-yet-traded Tomas Kaberle. At the rear, Jonas Gustavsson looks to build on a solid rookie campaign (16-15-9, 2.87GAA) and will likely split time with solid veteran J.S. Giguere. While the playoffs aren?t out of the realm of possibility, they aren?t likely to make it all the way back there this season. They will get close though, and that counts doesn?t it? Prediction: 3rd in the Northeast, 9th in the Eastern Conference Additions: Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, Jerry D?Amigo, Clarke McArthur, Brett Lebda. Losses: Viktor Stalberg, Garnet Exelby, Mike Van Ryn, Jamie Lundmark. Unsigned: Wayne Primeau. Nick can be reached via email nickobergan@hotmail.com or on twitter @NickObergan Click here for the Atlantic Division and Click here for the Central Division

The Hurricanes have trimmed their roster to 25 players by assigning forward Zach Boychuk to their AHL affiliate in Charlotte, according to an Associated Press report on Wednesday.

Brian Gionta was named the 28th captain of the Canadiens on Wednesday, becoming the second American to hold the position in the team?s 101-year history. Gionta succeeded Saku Koivu, whose 10-year tenure ended when he left Montreal as a free agent following the 2008-09 season. The Canadiens went without a captain last season.

The Blackhawks will receive their Stanley Cup rings at a private gathering on Wednesday, a person familiar with the event said. Kris Versteeg is expected to be the only former Hawk in attendance, as the Maple Leafs are allowing him to attend, the source said.

The Avalanche announced today that the team has signed forward Luke Walker to an entry-level contract. Walker, 20, was Colorado?s seventh selection (fifth round, 139th overall) in the 2010 Entry Draft. He appeared in two games for the Avalanche this preseason, tallying one goal and no assists with a +2 plus/minus rating. He was reassigned to the club?s AHL training camp this past Sunday (Sept. 26). ?Luke had a good training camp and we?re glad to have him under contract,? said Avalanche GM/Executive Vice President Greg Sherman. ?We look forward to him beginning his professional career with the Lake Erie Monsters.? Walker has spent the past three seasons with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. He collected 57 points (27g/30a) and 103 penalty minutes in 61 games with Portland in 2009-10. The New Haven, Conn., native helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatchewan.

The Maple Leafs announced Tuesday that the hockey club has assigned forwards Darryl Boyce, Joey Crabb, Alex Foster and Ryan Hamilton to the Marlies of the AHL. The Maple Leafs current training camp roster now stands at 30 players (three goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 17 forwards).

Flyers goalie Michael Leighton has a bulging disk in his back and will miss a month, while forward Ian Laperriere is out indefinitely with post-concussion syndrome. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren made the announcements Tuesday. Holmgren says Leighton will not need surgery and should be fine with rehabilitation and rest.

The Sabres resumed talks with rookie forward Zack Kassian, leading his agent to express hope that Buffalo's 2009 first-round draft pick could have a deal as soon as this week, as reported by ESPN.com.