Before the first pucks drop on Thursday, every writer worth his salt lays out predictions for all the world to see. So, over these remaining days, I'll chime in on projected standings, and individual offensive totals for the Nashville Predators.
After the jump, my first installment; I take a swipe at how the Western Conference will shape up this season...
| 1 | San Jose Sharks | Should cruise above the rest of the West, at least until the playoffs start. |
| 2 | Calgary Flames | Will dominate from the blueline, but can Kipper reverse his long, slow decline? |
| 3 | Detroit Red Wings | Still incredibly dangerous, but age and the loss of Hossa & Hudler could hurt. |
| 4 | Vancouver Canucks | With Luongo and the Sedins locked up, the goal is now to go for the Cup. |
| 5 | Chicago Blackhawks | Exciting young team now has to fight through adversity, and prove Huet can be a solid #1. |
| 6 | Anaheim Ducks | The line of Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan will wreak havoc throughout the league. |
| 7 | St. Louis Blues | An intriguing mix of young and old; they need Kariya, McDonald and Tkachuk to stay strong. |
| 8 | Nashville Predators | Is this the year Shea Weber makes a run for the Norris Trophy? |
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | The combo of Pat Quinn and Tom Renney is fascinating, but the Khabibulin contract is a head-scratcher. |
| 10 | Columbus Blue Jackets | Lots of young rookie goaltenders struggle in Year 2; how will Steve Mason fare? |
| 11 | Dallas Stars | A year of transition as Dallas looks to the post-Zubov era. |
| 12 | Los Angeles Kings | Lots of flash, but they still haven't solved goaltending problems. |
| 13 | Minnesota Wild | For a team supposedly implementing a new style of play, the roster didn't change much. |
| 14 | Phoenix Coyotes | Hiring Dave Tippet should bring structure, but they're basically starting over from scratch. |
| 15 | Colorado Avalanche | Sakic's retirement clears the way for a thorough rebuild. |