Avalanche: I seemingly say this every year, but next year could be the year for the Avs. A better, more well rounded team will be iced. The future remains bright, and Bryce will surely make some tweaks to make this team a true contender.

Blackhawks: I'm skeptical here. I don't want to underrate this team, but don't want to overrate them, either. They're not bad, I'll say that. Dave's retool has gone well so far. The team has lots of picks in the next two years, and some good prospects mixed in. The firepower isn't what it used to be in Chicago, but maybe it will be soon.

Blue Jackets: There isn't much else to say here aside from that Jesse has done an exceptional job building this team. Loaded with studs, players all have term on their deals. I'd be surprised if a cup isn't in the near future for Columbus, which is crazy because it doesn't seem like that long ago that Jesse underwent a rebuild. Bright immediate and distant future in Columbus.

Blues: In a better spot than they were last year. Elvis' coming out party surely put the org in a better position. We'll see how Eric proceeds, but things are looking better for St. Louis. It'll be interesting to see how the goalie situation plays out. Who will Eric keep, who will he deal? Time will tell.

Bruins: Greg's retool has come along quite nicely. I don't think this is a contender next season, but it's trending in that direction for coming years. Not a ton of picks/prospects kicking around, but not a ton of work to be done to make this squad a contender, either. Will be a team to watch in the not too distant future.

Canadiens: Steve knows what he's doing. The team has once again improved over the course of the offseason, and the Habs will surely be a strong playoff contender. A bit of work to be done to be considered a cup favourite, but wouldn't at all surprise me to see the cup wind up in Montreal next season. A really good, well rounded squad with two good goalies and Necas coming up. Not a bad spot to be.

Canucks: A non factor for the time being, it'll be interesting to see how Rob approaches the coming year. I'd expect him to draft his Canuck and continue the bebuild, but you never know with Rob. Obviously lots of work to be done in Vancouver.

Capitals: The second best expansion GM in BRHL history has another long year ahead. Larry is doing a good job of slowly but surely building this organization from the ground up, but there's still lots of work to be done. Not much to watch out for in Washington aside from how Larry approaches the draft. The Capitals will surely add another piece to the core of their future in June.

Coyotes: Joel has made it clear he wants to compete next year. Will that happen? We'll see. It might be a little rushed. Either way, this team has some really good players, some really good kids, and some picks and prospects to play with. It'll likely be a busy offseason for Arizona either way.

Devils: The most interesting part of the Devils offseason might be their move to the Pacific. After going back and forth with Bryce & Devon over the past two years, it would seem as though the Devils will finally move to Anaheim, with Anaheim's squad being migrated to the Metro. As for the team, it'll be interesting to see if Rust is dealt. His value is at an all time high, and he'd surely fetch some nice futures which could be added to the multiple 1sts Tim already has. The Devils are years away, but it'll surely be fun for Tim to add a bunch of high end prospects to the organization.

Ducks: Will the move to the Metro sink the Ducks? Will it be easier to compete? Time will tell. GM Devon has pushed a majority of his chips to the middle of the table already, with more moves to come. A true boom or bust situation in Anaheim, or New Jersey, whatever you call them.

Flames: Well, it looks like another year of rebuilding for Calgary. Sure, Kevin could trade his futures and assemble an all star team with them, but that's not really his style. After trading his two Flames stars, he'll take a step back this year and add to his outstanding core of futures. Going forward, one would expect him to hang on to his goalies though. After trading Vasilevski to Dan a few years ago, he made a very similar move this past season, shipping Ilya Samsonov to Vegas. Surely he regrets the Vasilevski move, and will likely regret the Samsonov move, too. You gotta keep one of these goalies Kev, or you'll end up like me.

Flyers: The kids are slowly starting to trickle into the NHL. The Flyers are a couple years away, but things are looking better than before. Sorokin is coming over, there are plenty of prospects and picks to play with, and more to be added after the Crawford deal, whenever that happens. Things could be worse in Philly, but they're a non factor this year.

Golden Knights: A really strong team next year again in Vegas. There's enough players with term that this year could be the start of a dynasty of sorts. It'll be interesting to see if Carlson is moved or not, but either way this team is going to be very good again next year and going forward.

Hurricanes: Another year, another good Hurricanes squad. How good remains to be seen, but it seems likely that depending on how FA goes, this team should compete for a playoff spot again. There are still next to no futures in Carolina, which continues to strap GM Rich down. We'll see if he finds a way to ice a contending squad again.

Islanders: The Islanders will once again be a force next year. I am not looking forward to competing against them. Joe has done a nice job this year putting his stamp on the team, and it seems to be working out. I don't expect many offseason changes, which is probably a good thing. Isles future remains bright.

Jets: This years playoffs had to sting Doc. A team that seemed destined to "overachieve" made a 1st round exit. Some predicted it, but it seemed unlikely. A few veterans have been made available in Winnipeg, and we'll have to see where that leaves them for next year. They play in arguably the toughest division in the BRHL, so it might be a step back next year for Doc.

Kings: Lordy, who knows what Rumpy will do? There are certainly some stars in LA, and the team looks pretty good moving forward. Anaheim's exit from the division should make things easier for the Kings next season. Joel will try to take Rumpy's playoff spot, but that seems unlikely. I'm truly unsure what to make of the Kings immediate future, but it definitely wouldn't shock me to see them contend.

Lightning: Eric seems to be retooling heading into this offseason. That said, there are plenty of nice pieces coming in and going out. Depending on the offseason, the Lightning may take a step back next year. However, I don't expect them to bow out for long (if at all), so it'll be interesting to see how things play out.

Maple Leafs: Garrett has been smart and patient with his rebuild. This will be another dull year for Leafs fans, draft aside. There are plenty of good young players in place, though. It won't be that many years before the Leafs rise up and make their run at playoffs.

Oilers: A few great moves by the Oilers immediately put them in contention for tops in the Pacific division. I don't expect that to change going forward. Who knows where the Oilers run ends this year? All that can be said is that they'll likely be back in the same spot competing for a cup next year and many beyond.

Panthers: The rebuild isn't going half bad in Florida. A lot of positive things to be said about Tynz. He's been out and will continue to be out of the playoff picture for at least another couple years, but that hasn't stopped the activity level. Tynz has consistently been looking for moves to better his rebuild and has continued to find matches. This rebuild is a long and painful one, but when finished in a few years - things will be a lot different in Florida.

Penguins: Following former GM Billy's footsteps, Toby went all in with an average roster and paid the price of a first round exit and a bunch of young assets to do so. With that said, there are many assets remaining in Pittsburgh to be had, and the rebuild will begin this year. It's going to take a few years, but a lot of premium young assets will be added to Pittsburgh in the coming months. Hopefully part of an elite core that will find success a few years down the line. Watch for Evander Kane, Jake Muzzin, maybe even Elias Pettersson to be shipped out within the next six months. This should be one of the more active teams in the league moving forward. With all of that said, Pittsburgh won't be returning to the playoffs for a few years.

Predators: Sheds had a relatively quiet year, despite being active in chat and posting trade blocks featuring significant names. Whether these players are moved out (and if so, what for?) will determine the immediate future of the Preds. Regardless, this is looking like an average team going forward, so it'll be interesting to see which path Sheds takes & how much changes in Nashville. A fringe playoff team next year unless there are significant changes.

Rangers: PJ went semi all in and busted. Luckily for him, he realized that and pulled the chute before doing any further damage to his teams future. This isn't a playoff team next year, and there should be some significant names moved out in the near future. The current state of the organization features a bit of everything. A couple good prospects, a couple young stud players, a couple vets likely to be moved out, etc. Either way you slice it, assuming PJ's activity picks up, there should be some big changes in New York sooner than later.

Red Wings: Dan has faced some criticism for his moves, a lot of it has been based off of hindsight. Either way, this team is now fully committed to a rebuild and will likely be tanking for a couple years. Frost, Draisaitl, Kase will likely stay put as the core, but there's a ton of work to be done in Detroit to surround those guys with some support. This organization is likely a few years at minimum away from competing, but should have some fun adding blue chip prospects in the coming months.

Sabres: Not a ton to see in Buffalo. Some good prospects developing, with new ones to be added. This team is still a few years away from competing, but there are plenty of futures in place. It'll be another boring season for Buffalo fans next year, but there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. Just a matter of getting there.

Senators: When I think of this organization, the "this is fine" meme always comes to mind. Steph has done a good job acquiring big names with great rates, but the team as a whole just doesn't strike me as the type to take down the top teams. I like Steph, I'd love to be proven wrong. His chips have long since been pushed to the middle of the table. If he doesn't at least make it to the conference finals, I'd call that a bust. Believe me, I know busts. Look at my asset management. I live it. All of that said, zero futures on this team. I'm curious what he'll get in return when Steph decides to take a step back and deal his remaining assets for futures. I haven't done enough research to see who he'll be able to keep, etc, but I expect another strong year next year, at least. Beyond that, who knows?

Sharks: A new GM in San Jose means things can only get better. There isn't a ton to talk about within this organization, just a lot of work to be done. I don't know Pat well, so I'm intrigued to see what magic he can pull off with what he's been given in San Jose. Time will tell, but I don't expect them to compete within the next two years.

Stars: For my money this is the best team in the BRHL, and Junya is a top notch GM. The team is constructed the right way and it is paying dividends. Who knows how far they go this year? I don't expect anything less out of next year's team. And beyond next year, he has Shesterkin stepping in. There's obviously gonna be some work to be done, but if I had to bet on one team to succeed, it's the Stars. Not a ton of futures, but a young enough core to do some serious damage for a few more years.

Stoners: Rex has done an incredible job with the Seattle franchise. It's really up to him how long he wants to tank and accumulate futures for. My money is on one more year. Beyond that, the sky is the limit for the Stoners. It won't be immediate success, but success is sure to come with the core built in Seattle.

Wild: What Al did this year is nothing short of impressive. Knocking off the Jets and now taking a game off of the best team in the BRHL in round 2, I'm just amazed. Al claims he doesn't know much about hockey, and maybe he doesn't, but he knows how to build a BRHL team it would seem. With that said, there isn't a ton of top assets or futures in Minnesota, so it'll be interesting to see how Al builds his team beyond this year. As for next year, I think he's a bubble team right now. The offseason will determine a lot in Minnesota, as it will for many teams.