Devils looking for conference victory repeat

How they'll finish in the NHL:\n• New Jersey Devils -- the defending Eastern Conference Champions of the past two years look to claim a third victory under head coach Larry Robinson. Losing Alexander Mogilny and his 43 goals hurts, but the core of players that guided the Devils to their 2000 Cup Championship remains intact, while talented youngsters like Scott Gomez and Colin White will only continue to improve. \n• Philadelphia Flyers -- arguably the most improved team over the off-season, adding veteran free agents Jeremy Roenick and Eric Weinrich. They also added desperately needed speed in the form of Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson and Pavel Brendl; the three young players acquired for the stubborn Eric Lindros. Overlooked of all the acquisitions is 32 year old rookie Jiri Dopita. Often described as a "Czech John Leclair," Dopita had been unwilling to leave his native Czech Republic until this season, when longtime friend and Flyers starting goaltender, Roman Cechmanek, convinced him to join the Flyers. Culture shock could be a major issue, as Dopita didn't speak a word of English on the first day of training camp, but if he can overcome it, an already deep Flyer lineup gets much scarier.\n• Washington Capitals -- pulled off by far the best trade of the off-season by getting the league's reigning scoring champion (one of only two active NHL players with a scoring title) Jaromir Jagr without giving up a single player from their playoff roster. For years, Jagr and the Penguins have been torturing the Caps by dominating them in the playoffs no matter who finished higher in the regular season standings. As the saying goes; if you can't beat him, trade for him. Mark my words, a happy, more dedicated Jagr will once again claim his title as the best player in the game. The Capitals can finally be taken seriously as a legitimate Stanley Cup threat. \n• Toronto Maple Leafs -- the veteran Leafs finally played to their expectations by upsetting division champs, the Senators, in the first round of the playoffs, but it still wasn't enough to be considered among the elite of the Conference. They added tremendous depth by acquiring Mogilny, Travis Green, Mikael Renberg, Anders Eriksson and Robert Reichel, a former 40 goal scorer who returns to the NHL after a two year hiatus. They're still a little green on defense, and a prolonged holdout from Tomas Kaberle, their best defenseman, could hurt.\n•) Pittsburgh Penguins -- it may seem strange to predict that a team who dealt the league's scoring champion without adding anyone significant would actually move up in the standings, but this year's regular season Penguins will have a few benefits that last year's team didn't. For one, owner/captain Mario Lemieux will be more fit and will play all season, as opposed to last year when he joined just after Christmas and only got in 46 games. Last year's record was also marred by horrible goaltending all season until playoff phenom Johan Hedberg was acquired in March. Despite losing Jagr, the Pens kept restricted free agents Martin Straka, Alexei Kovalev and Robert Lang, the trio made up the most productive line in the NHL last year. Nevertheless, their defense is among the worst in the NHL, combining unspectacular, undersized veterans with completely green prospects that will need plenty of time before they're ready to compete for a contender.\n• Ottawa Senators -- Although many Senators and fans alike were happy to see Alexei Yashin go, the loss of his offensive flare will be significant, and Ottawa's young, improving lineup is not ready to fill in for what he brought. A solid young defense and another strong performance from goaltender Patrick Lalime will propel the Sens to the playoffs, but they enter the season without a No. 2 center or a power play point man.\n• Buffalo Sabres -- Goaltender Martin Biron is one of the most talented young goal-tenders in the NHL, but to expect him to replace six time Vezina winner and two time MVP Dominik Hasek in his first season as a starter is too ridiculous for even the most bias of Sabre fans. Slava Kozlov and Tim Connolly will help the offense, but not enough to save the Sabres from sinking a notch or two in the standings.\n8) New York Rangers -- small market NHL teams rejoiced when the overpaid villains of free agency fell flat on their faces last year. But it's hard to believe that they'll be just as bad after acquiring Eric Lindros and getting back a clean and healthy Theo Fleury. They still desperately need a goaltender after missing out on Chris Osgood at the NHL waiver draft.\nMissing the playoffs:\n• New York Islanders -- Mad Mike Milbury was at it again this off-season, acquiring established NHL stars Alexei Yashin, Mike Peca and former Stanley Cup goaltender Osgood. They'll help, but it won't be enough to pull their inexperienced teammates from the basement of the East's strongest division.\n• Boston Bruins -- They went out of their way to sign overpriced free agents Martin Lapointe and Sean O'Donnell, then alienate the best player on their team, Jason Allison, by not willing to meet his cash demands. Byron Dafoe will undoubtedly find a way to end up on injured reserve, and the Bruins will again miss the playoffs.\n• Carolina -- Possibly the league's shallowest team will once again be in the battle for eighth place. It'll take more miracles from goaltender Arturs Irbe just to get this squad in the playoff hunt.\n• Florida -- Pavel Bure is reunited with his younger brother Valeri, and the result should be amazing to watch. Unfortunately, Florida's pathetic defense got even weaker over the off-season, and 21-year-old goalie Roberto Luongo can only win so many games by himself.\n• Atlanta Thrashers -- This team features some of the most sought after young talents in the league, but zero goaltending and no experience means another year of growing pains.\n• Montreal Canadians -- Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse for the storied but struggling franchise, their best player Saku Koivu is diagnosed with cancer and will miss the entire season.