Without further ado, going in order of winning percentage, here are your top 10…

1-      The Junya Kato ran Dallas Stars.   1^st place on the PP, 1^st place on the PK, and 1^st in both goals scored and against.  The most impressive thing about this team is that Mr. Kato only features 2 pro players over the age of 31.  Talk about having sustainable success.  The team certainly has been on a tare of late, but the playoffs are a different beast.  So just spit balling here, because you can’t criticize the current accolades, but maybe an extra veteran or two to boost that leadership factor come the post season wouldn’t be a bad idea.  Especially because it’d be dirt cheap to do. (Possible target – Ryan Suter)

2-      The Greg Almeida ran Boston Bruins.  In typical Bruins’ fashion the all-round numbers look great, but with only so-so offence (for a top contender).  Great special teams and great defence.  The need here is probably some depth production.  We often see teams’ top 6 cancelling each other out in a long, hard fought playoff series, and the 3^rd lines being the true x-factor.  One more piece up front after the big guns is what the doctor is ordering for our hairy chested friend from Beantown.  That, and to enter the 3^rd round (after his byes through the first 2) healthy.  (Possible target – Tyler Seguin retained)

3-      The Eric Dolegowski ran St Louis Blues.   Boy oh boy that Central Division is a tough one behind the Stars.  Eric and his Blues have the inside track at nabbing that desirable home ice for round one.  The numbers at a glance look solid, but the powerplay has been very underwhelming all season long.   Rust, Guentzel, and Ovie could really use a silky-smooth playmaker to get them the puck over the Hamonics and Engvalls of this invisible sim world. (Possible target – Jake Gardiner)

4-      The Devon Cordell ran Ducks of Anaheim.  The man responsible for putting the Mighty back into the Ducks these days is none other than a member of the storied Cordell/Purba family.  The wealth of talent on this roster makes you wonder how they don’t sport a top 10 power play.  Even though in goal, the ratings don’t suggest stellar, the numbers don’t lie and the need is not in net here, but on the man advantage.   A puck moving D man, or a silky-smooth set up guy would not hurt as they try to hold off the rabid Sharks down the highway for the division lead. (Possible target – John Carlson retained)

5-      The Sumit Purba ran San Jose Sharks.   Well, not to beat a dead horse, but 25^th on the powerplay?!  Seems as if because the teams at the top are bunched so tightly, and most all are in need of improving their PP, the answer to getting an edge on the competition is to improve here.  Without a doubt, even though that is brother/nephew Purba’s biggest concern, it’s not his only one, as his Sharks sport a middle of the pack goals against.  Both an upgrade in goal and a PP specialist would be ideal, and you can imagine the most confident/overconfident GM in league history has something up his sleeve. (Possible target – John Klingberg)

6-      The Joe Bubanj ran New York Islanders.  Joe has some razzle-dazzle and some flash throughout his annually strong roster.  His teams’ ability to kill penalties has been average at best, and clearly something that should be addressed between now and May.  The backend is strong defensively, so I’m sure the need is for a defensive forward.  Even if it’s one that is basically only a PK specialist. (Possible target – Jakob Silfverberg)

7-      The Kevin Switzer ran Calgary Flames.  The need here being focused on is obviously goaltending.  A historic $43,000,000 is being spent on two goalies.  Fleury is not the Fleury he was last season, but still serviceable.  So, will Kevin try to move him now that he’s brought in Mrazek?  Mrazek is clearly an inferior goalie on paper, but maybe because of that, Kev can use Fleury as an asset to shore up the team defence in front of the newly acquired Mrazek.  Either way, cutting down on the goals allowed is a must if Calgary wants to advance deep this spring. (Possible target – Jared Tinordi)

8-      The Al Wehr ran Minnesota Wild.  Usually, a team that boasts both Stamkos and Kaprizov would not need help putting the puck in the net, but then again, this is the BRHL where you have to be just better at everything.  Definitely another top scorer would be welcome in Minny, as Al only sports the 16^th best offence and 21^st ranked powerplay.  Unfortunately, pure snipers are expensive and hard to come by, but even a playmaker or an offensive D-man could contribute to solving this problem. (Possible target – Phil Kessel retained)

9-      The Larry Linke ran Washington Capitals.  12^th in GF, 15^th in GA, 19^th on the PP, and 24^th on the PK.  Wow.  Those numbers would not indicate that our favourite senior citizen is in contention for a division lead.  But as they say in baseball… so I’m sure Larry is aware… a record that is better than the run differential (or goal differential) indicates, usually means great coaching/management. So, having said that, it may be time for the top notch managing of Mr Linke to go into overdrive.  Surely a player that is good on both sides of the puck would help.  Someone who could possibly play both the PP and PK too.  That is a lot to ask, but Larry has been known to make splashes before, so this is a team to watch. (Possible target – Calle Jarnkrok)

10-   The Joe Bast ran Vegas Golden Knights.  The major numbers on Joe’s roster look pretty solid.  A little bit of help defensively couldn’t hurt, but special teams and offence has been solid.  Just like Kato’s team, Vegas is having success despite being relatively young (only 3 players over age 29).  So, adding a couple depth veterans to bring the leadership up in the locker room might not be a bad idea, and again, very cheap to do. (Possible target – Joe Thornton)

The Darkhorse:

The Steve Vardy ran Montreal Canadiens.  Earlier I said Greg had a bye through the first 2 rounds.  That was to keep you all in great suspense on who the dark horse was.  Ouuuu, how exciting, right?  Let’s analyze.  Goaltending… the most important thing come playoffs.  Jordan Binnington has done it before.  Alex Nedeljkovich helps solidifies the duo.  Scoring… 6 scorers who are 83 plus.  And experience… 5 guys at least 33 years old, with a few more right behind.  Let’s not forget they’re already a big favourite to be in the final 8 teams standing after round 1.  The biggest need that Mr. Vardy should target would be a middle six forward that could help on the PK and provide extra depth after the big guns. (Possible target – Tanner Pearson)

In conclusion, I'm sure one of Dave, Bryce, Leon, Anthony, Jesse, or Uncle/Brother Rich will end up making me look like an idiot by my ignoring of them, and they will go all the way, but for now most of them need to worry about getting in first.