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Forwards: After a lengthy summer of figuring out payroll woes, the New Jersey Devils were able to sign Patrik Elias (45 points in 38 games last season) and Scott Gomez (84 points in 82 games) even though they're now taking up $12.5 million combined. Along with Brian Gionta (89 points in 82 games), those three players together will be a huge benefit to the team.

After Elias, Gionta and Gomez, the Devils offense isn't as hot. John Madden (36 points in 82 games), Sergei Brylin (37 points. in 82 games) and Jamie Langenbrunner (53 points. in 80 games) will be returning with the club.

Defense: Youngster Paul Martin developed nicely for the Devils last season with 37 points in 80 games. Colin White and Brian Rafalski will be solid as usual, but after that there are question marks.

Goaltending: When you have Martin Brodeur as your goalie, you don't have to worry too much. Brodeur had 43 wins, 5 shutouts and a .911 save percentage. He is arguably the best goaltender in the world right now. Scott Clemmensen is Brodeur's back up. Clemmensen went 3-4-2 last season and that's it. He didn't play that much because Brodeur plays that many games.

Forwards: The Philadelphia Flyers took a big hit when they lost captain Keith Primeau to retirement, but they still have a lot of fire power up front with newly captained Peter Forsberg leading the way. Simon Gagne, Sami Kapanen, R.J. Umberger , Kyle Calder and Mike Richards will also be in the mix. The big question mark, though, is how long will Forsberg stay healthy? He hasn't played a full season since the 95-96 campaign.

Defense: With the departures of Eric Desjardins and Kim Johnsson, the Flyers needed to fill some holes. Nolan Baumgartner was picked up over the summer. Last year he played in 70 games with the Vancouver Canucks and had 34 points. Big man Derian Hatcher will add plenty of size and strength to the blue line, but he will need to improve his speed for today's NHL. Youngster Joni Pitkanen (46 points in 58 games) will need to continue to improve his game.

Goaltending: Niittymaki or Esche? Niittymaki or Esche? They both had good and bad times last year. Robert Esche played in 40 games last year with 2.97 goals against average and a .897% save percentage. Antero Niittymaki played the remaining games with a 2.97 goals against average and a .895% save percentage. Will the Flyers have the same problem as last year with same two goalies? We'll all just to have to wait and see.

Also see: Keith Primeau Retires

Forwards: The Pens have two of the most talented young players in the world with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Sidney Crosby totaled 102 points in his rookie season and the kid is just going to get better. Malkin was getting tons of attention just getting to the U.S. It will be interesting to see what he does in the NHL.

Colby Armstrong led the team last season with a plus-15 rating and had 40 points in 47 games. It will also be interesting to see what Jordan Staal does this season. Jordan is the younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes superstar Eric Staal. Does he have the gift of the game like big brother Eric? John Leclair and Mark Recchi both return to Pittsburg this season. Recchi returns from Carolina where he was part of the Stanley Cup winning team.

Defense: Sergei Gonchar is the main man on defense. He finished last season with 58 points in 75 games, including 10 power play goals. Mark Eaton was signed over the summer. The 6'2, 205-pound defenseman knows how to keep the goal mouth clear of unwanted bodies. Ryan Whitney will be most likely playing the point on the power play with Gonchar. Last season he had 38 points in 68 games.

Goaltending: Marc-Andre Fleury is the Penguins' franchise goaltender. The youngster from Quebec played in 50 games last season for the Pens and went 13-27 with a 3.25 goals against average and a .898 save percentage with one shutout. Although he is only 21, he has great positioning and comes up big when the team needs him most. He will grow as this young team grows into a cup-contending team.

The back up to Fleury is Jocelyn Thibault. He played 16 games for Pittsburg last year with a record of 1-9-3. Unfortunately, Thibault isn't the goaltender he used to be due to injuries. The Penguins need to come up with a better back-up plan.

Also see: Malkin Signs with Pittsburgh Penguins and Malkin Surfaces in Los Angeles

Forwards: The Rangers added offensive threat Brendan Shanahan during the off-season. Although Shanahan adds some age, he will also bring much-needed points. Last year playing for Detroit, Shanahan had 40 goals and 41 assists for 81 points in 82 games. Also brought in during the off-season was Matt Cullen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Cullen had 49 points in 78 games with the Canes.

Coming back for the Rangers are Michael Nylander, Martin Strka, Petr Prucha and, of course, superstar Jaromir Jagr. The Rangers look to have a great bunch of forwards and a team that can make the playoffs if Jagr can stay healthy.

Defense: The addition of Aaron Ward in the off-season will definitely help the Rangers blueline. Ward played in 71 games with Carolina last year and registered 25 points.

Defenseman Michal Rozsival had a career season with the Rangers last season, getting 30 assists in 82 games and ending the season with an unbelievable plus 35 rating. Darius Kasparaitis will of course be there, giving out the big hits and getting under the skin of opposing players.

Goaltending: Henrik Lundqvist will no doubt be the main man between the pipes this season for the Rangers. He was named to the NHL's all-rookie team due to his amazing play last season. The 24 year old was an unbelievable rookie netminder with a record of 30-12-9. Lundqvist's save percentage was .924 with a 2.24 goals against average.

Kevin Weekes will be the Rangers' back up goalie, and deservingly so. Last year, Weekes went 14-14-3 with a .895% save percentage and a 2.95 goals against average.

Forwards: Miroslav Satan and Alexei Yashin both had 66 points in 82 games. The European snipers will be back and counted on to produce big numbers this year. Jason Blake was the team's leading scorer last year with 57 points in 76 games. The Islanders added Chris Simon for some toughness and hopefully to put a few goals in the net.

Defense: The Islanders blue line got a major overhaul during the off-season with the additions of Sean Hill, Brendan Witt and Tom Poti. Sean Hill played in 78 games with the Florida Panthers last season, registering 20 points.

Witt is a solid, stay-at-home defenseman that loves to punish opposing players. Last season Witt accumulated 209 penalty minutes, a number he needs to stay well below this season. Tom Poti played 73 games with the Rangers last season posting 23 points. He has great mobility for a man of his size at 6'3" and 215 pounds.

Back with the Islanders are Chris Campoli and Alexei Zhitnik. Campoli's rookie season was well received with the young defenseman scoring 34 points in 80 games. He must continue to improve his offensive skills while keeping defensively sound. Veteran Zhitnik an offensive blue line threat, posted 29 points in 59 points last season.

Goaltending: Safe to say that Rick DiPietro will be the Islanders main goaltender coming into the 2006-2007 season after a signing an unusual 15-year, $67.5 million contract last month. DiPietro, who turned 25 in September, will have a lot of pressure to perform this season. Last season, DiPietro recorded a 30-24-5 record with a .900% save percentage and a 3.02 goals against average.

Mike Dunham will be the back up for DiPietro. Dunham played 17 games with the Atlanta Thrashers last season with an 8-5-2 record, .861 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average.

Also see: DiPietro Gets 15-Year Deal

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