In the Western Conference, there is a clear group of contenders, followed by a small group of teams on the rise, with a group of pretenders in the caboose.
The Final Four is now set, but which players have had the greatest individual success through the first two rounds of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
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Sidney Crosby raised the Stanley Cup trophy over his head just three months ago, but the NHL is already gearing up for another season.
Teams have begun to report for training camp and the season will begin in just a few weeks as preseason play kicks off tonight when the Canucks host the Islanders.
If you are finding it hard to wait until meaningful hockey begins, I have the perfect cure for what ails you.
Our friends at 2K Sports will release NHL 2K10 on Tuesday, complete with an exuberant Alexander Ovechkin on the cover. Plain and simple, it's the best hockey title out there. This year, you can play your franchise games on-line and the developers have worked hard to transfer the great game play featured on the Xbox 360 and PS3 over to the Wii.
2K Sports has provided us with some very cool screen shots to help visualize what some of the biggest names to change addresses this offseason will look like in their new garb. We'll go one-by-one and preview how five players will look in their new sweaters and how they'll change things on the ice.
Marian Hossa, Chicago
Hossa has 719 points in 775 career games, with time split between the Senators, Thrashers, Penguins and Red Wings. He has appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, but was on the losing end both times.
The winger will immediately fortify an already up-and-coming Chicago offense, led by young guns like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp. The Blackhawks will look to Hossa's experience to help them make noise in the Western Conference this season.
Nikolai Khabibulin, Oilers
Khabibulin may be 36, but he was outstanding in Chicago last season. He went 25-8-7 in forty starts with a 2.33 goals against average. Edmonton is hoping that he'll bring his .908 career save percentage to town.
Dwayne Roloson was the Oilers' best goaltender last year, but his numbers, 28-24 with a 2.77 GAA, weren't even close to Khabibulin's. Something to look for; Khabi has 299 career wins. He'll have four home games to open the season and a career milestone would be a nice way for Edmonton to get to know their new goalie.
Alexei Kovalev, Senators
Kovalev will be 37 by the time this season comes to a close, but has still averaged roughly 65 points in each of the last four years. The Senators (finally) traded Dany Heatley to the Sharks this weekend, but the earlier addition of Kovalev should help soften the blow felt on the wing.
Daniel Alfredsson may be two months older than Kovalev, but no one on Ottawa has as much experience as the Russian. He isn't going to score 95 points like he did with the Penguins back in 2001, but the Senators would be plenty happy with his veteran leadership and a timely goal every now and then.
Chris Pronger, Flyers
The Broad Street Bullies got a little tougher this offseason when they traded for defenseman Chris Pronger. The hard-hitting Flyers will look to Pronger to fortify their defense, in hopes that they'll be able to finally get over the hump in the postseason.
He's both a reliable option and a strong scorer for a defenseman. Philadelphia uses Kimmo Timonen as their main passer on the power play, but Pronger could still see an increase in last season's numbers (11 goals and 37 assists). The Flyers already have stars in Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Daniel Briere, but you can add Pronger to the mix as well.
Vaclav Prospal, Rangers
Prospal has a strong history with Rangers coach John Tortorella, whom he played well under in Tampa Bay. He is expected to play on New York's first line, which could mean big things for the Czech. He had 45 points for the Lightning last season, but is primed for more this year.
He'll add to a balanced Rangers' attack, which failed to produce a 60-point scorer last season. With his skill-set, history under Tortorella and New York's offense, the newcomer could steal the spotlight as the team's highest scorer this year.
Thanks to 2K Sports, we have a few copies of their latest masterpiece to give away to our faithful readers. All you have to do is e-mail in the answer to the following question -- what was 2K10 cover man Alex Ovechkin rated in last year's incarnation of the game?
Just e-mail me (address directly below) and you'll have a chance to win a free copy of NHL 2K10, courtesy of our great friends over at 2K Sports.
Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com and co-host of RealGM's Radio Show. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. You can also follow Andrew on Twitter: APerna7.
