Eastern Conference: Southeast

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SOUTHEAST

Carolina Hurricanes
Last Season: 40-34-8 (11th in East)
Key additions: C Matt Cullen, C Jeff Hamilton
Key losses: D Anton Babchuk, D David Tanabe, C Josef Vasicek

Can a slimmer Ward regain the form that made him the 2006 playoffs MVP? Grant Halverson/Getty Images

When Cam Ward signed a three-year contract in May, the deal obligated him to report to training camp in better shape than he did last season. Well, Ward's pants fit a whole lot looser these days. The 23-year-old goalie dropped 24 pounds in the off-season, reporting at a svelte 176 pounds (he's 6' 1"). "I feel a lot better on the ice, a lot quicker, and my stamina's better," says Ward, who embarked on a cardio-training program and a low-carb, high-protein diet after putting up a meager .897 save percentage. "I see other players putting on a 20-pound vest [while working out] to make it harder for them. It's like I took that 20-pound vest off."

After becoming the first Stanley Cup champions since the 1994-95 Devils to miss the playoffs the following season, the Hurricanes have rededicated themselves to conditioning and to the importance of maintaining intensity even at the beginning of the marathon regular season. "[Last year] our practices were not at a high tempo like they were two years ago," says G.M. Jim Rutherford, whose team plodded to a 15-14-4 start. "Guys were recovering from a long season, and it was hard to get the energy back."

The hangover was further complicated by the normal distractions for a Cup-winning team: heightened media scrutiny, requests for photo ops, etc. Now, says center Rod Brind'Amour, "we don't have to deal with talking about the past or with going to this or that event. All that stuff takes away from what you're trying to do."

Along with Brind'Amour, whose 82 points last year were his most since 1995-96, The Hurricanes had a strong nucleus of forwards built around top-liners Eric Staal and Erik Cole. They'll also be buoyed by the return of center Matt Cullen, who spent last season with the Rangers. Says Cullen, distilling the refocused Hurricanes' cause for optimism, "Our lineup looks a lot like it did when we won it."

Tampa Bay Lightning
Last Season: 44-33-5 (seventh in East); lost to Devils in first round
Key additions: LW Jan Hlavac, D Brad Lukowich, RW Michel Ouellet
Key losses: LW Ruslan Fedotenko, C Eric Perrin, D Cory Sarich

Once again this team will depend upon its trio of explosive forwards -- Vincent Lecavalier, the NHL's leading goal scorer last season, Martin St. Louis, the 2003-04 league MVP; and center Brad Richards, an All-Star-caliber playmaker -- and once again the talk in Tampa is mainly about goaltending. The position has been a sore spot since Nikolai Khabibulin, who helped the Lightning win the 2003-04 Cup, signed with Chicago before last season. Tampa is still hoping that either sophomore Johan Holmqvist or 30-year-old Marc Denis, both of whom had save percentages below .900 last season, can emerge as a No. 1.

"Last year was a glitch in my career," says Denis, who had an .883 percentage in 44 games. "I'd like to believe I'm a better goalie than [that]." Denis, only 111-174-28 in the NHL (though he has spent most of his career with the Blue Jackets), and Holmqvist will get only adequate protection from a defense that has puck movers but no shut-down pair. (Worse, Dan Boyle will miss the season's first four weeks with severed tendons in his left wrist.)

The addition of secondary scorers Michel Ouellet and Jan Hlavac should heighten the effectiveness of the Lightning's big three, who make up more than 40% of the payroll. But not even this team wants to get into a scoring contest. That's why it's how well the defense holds up that will ultimately determine whether the Lightning makes it back to the playoffs.

Florida Panthers
Last Season: 35-31-16 (12th in East)
Key additions: D Cory Murphy, G Tomas Vokoun, F Richard Zednik
Key losses: G Ed Belfour, LW Martin Gelinas, C Chris Gratton

Seven years without making the playoffs -- tied with the Blue Jackets for the longest active streak in the NHL -- has bred restlessness among the Panthers, who have improved in each of those years, albeit at a glacial pace. "It's easy to say, 'This is going to be our year, we're going to make the playoffs, blah, blah, blah, blah,' " says center and captain Olli Jokinen, who has led the team in scoring in each of the past four seasons. "It's what you do on the ice that matters."

Florida is expecting new goaltender Tomas Vokoun to play as well as he did last season in Nashville, where he went 27-12-4 with a 2.40 goals-against average. The quick-gloved Vokoun, 31, can be a franchise goalie -- that the Predators traded him to Florida for three draft picks was based on Nashville's desire to reduce its payroll -- and Florida has needed one since former G.M. Mike Keenan sent Roberto Luongo to the Canucks before last season.

Keenan's successor, Jacques Martin, has been working to stabilize the roster, notably signing 6' 4" defenseman Bryan Allen to a five-year extension. Allen and 6' 4" heavy hitter Jay Bouwmeester are at the core of one of the conference's strongest defenses and, perhaps, will give the Panthers a chance to end that postseason drought.

Atlanta Thrashers
Last Season: 43-28-11 (third in East); lost to Rangers in first round
Key additions: D Ken Klee, D Joel Kwiatkowski, C Eric Perrin, C Todd White
Key losses: F Eric Belanger, D Greg de Vries , D Shane Hnidy, RW Scott Mellanby, F Jon Sim, D Andy Sutton

It's becoming a perennial point of discussion for the Thrashers: How's Kari Lehtonen's groin? The nagging injury limited the now 23-year-old goaltender to 38 games as a rookie two seasons ago, bothered him last year and kept him out of two games in this preseason. Atlanta can ill afford to lose Lehtonen (his .912 save percentage was third best in the conference) or have him play as poorly as he did in last year's playoffs, when, although he was healthy, he had a 5.59 goals-against average.

The Thrashers, who lost much of their defense to free agency and saw captain Scott Mellanby retire, are simply too thin to win without Lehtonen playing at his best. They have formidable scoring power in Marian Hossa, Slava Kozlov and Ilya Kovalchuk, who combined to net 47% of the team's goals last year, but there is a sharp drop-off after them.

All told, Atlanta will usher eight new players into its regular lineup, and any hope of success will depend on breakout seasons and rookie surprises, factors that, like Lehtonen's groin, are never a sure thing.

Washington Capitals
Last Season: 28-40-14 (14th in East)
Key additions: F Viktor Kozlov, RW Joe Motzko, C Michael Nylander, D Tom Poti
Key losses: C Kris Beech, C Jiri Novotny, D Jeff Schultz

New centers Michael Nylander, a veteran playmaker, and Nicklas Backstrom, a precocious 19-year-old, should help Washington's dynamic young scorers Alexander Ovechkin (46 goals and 46 assists last year) and Alexander Semin (38 goals, 35 assists) raise their games to even higher levels. But producing goals is the least of the Capitals' worries.

Their off-season moves failed to address the defensive shortcomings that led to their surrendering 3.35 goals a game, fifth worst in the league. The signing of minutes-eater Tom Poti helps, but he's hardly an intimidating presence in front of 37-year-old goalie Olie Kolzig. Washington will make the late-night highlights with its flashy goal scoring, but entertainment value doesn't get you into the playoffs. The Caps are destined to be shut out for the fourth straight season. -- Sarah Kwak

MVP

Vincent Lecavalier. Lou Capozzola/SI

Vincent Lecavalier
C Lightning
It's not only his scoring (52 goals last season) but also his versatility and physical presence. Nine years into a much anticipated NHL career that began when he was 18, Lecavalier has learned to carry a team as few others can.

Overrated

Bobby Holik
C Thrashers
Eleven goals was a career, full-season low for Holik, 36, who used to score about 25 a year. And the 6' 4" 230-pounder is not the defensive presence he once was. Holik was a -3 last season, a low return on his $4.25 million salary.

Underrated

Paul Ranger
D Lightning
Overshadowed on the blue line by offensive-minded teammates Dan Boyle and Filip Kuba, the 23-year-old Ranger is a serious threat himself -- and as a superb outlet passer, he has huge upside.

Pierre Mcguire's In the Crease

The reacquisition of center Matt Cullen, an excellent shooter who also has good vision as a passer, will significantly improve Carolina's power play, which was 25th in the league last year.... Florida centers Nathan Horton (6' 2", 229) and Rostislav Olesz (6' 1", 214) are developing into go to offensive players with high skill levels. Norton is one nasty piece of business.... Though his team is undermanned, the Capitals' Glen Hanlon is the NHL's most underrated coach -- especially in terms of game-planning, as he has also shown as coach of Belarus's national team.

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Atlantic | Northeast | Southeast
WESTERN CONFERENCE: Central | Northwest | Pacific