The Western Conference will look very similar to the Eastern Conference toward the end of the season. So with no further ado, here is what the Western Conference will look like at the season’s completion.

Detroit Red Wings — Marian Hossa is getting too much money, but will be a great fit on this talented Detroit team. The addition of goalie Ty Conklin was a great choice by management. He proved last season that he is a more-than-reliable backup. Detroit’s biggest concern is whether or not the post-Cup “hangover” will affect the team’s determination, which is doubtful.

Anaheim Ducks — Jean-Sebastien Giguere was overlooked by many last season, but put up some great numbers. He finished the season with a .922 save percentage and a 2.12 goals against average in just 58 games. Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer are the only defensive pairing in the NHL that will give Detroit’s Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski a run for their money.

Minnesota Wild — Minnesota lost two of its top four scorers in the offseason, and there is a lot of confusion as to whether forward Marian Gaborik will be around after this season. The Wild, however, still have Niklas Backstrom, one of the best goalies in the NHL. In addition, the Wild’s defense is a great blend of youth and experience with tons of scoring power.

San Jose Sharks — Evgeni Nabokov might not be as good this year. The same defense in not in front of him, and losing Brian Campbell, even though he was only in San Jose for roughly 30 games, is a big blow. Dan Boyle is a good attempt at a replacement, but he is no Campbell.

Dallas Stars — Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow showed their leadership in the playoffs and the Stars put up a valiant effort against the Red Wings in the Conference finals. Dallas also boasts a very strong defense which has won many games for the team in the past couple of seasons.

Chicago Blackhawks — Blackhawks fans should have a lot to be excited about. The line of Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews is not only one of the youngest lines in hockey, but one of the most talented. Adding Brian Campbell to a defense that already has a bright future means that Chicago will have a defense that is just as good as their offense.

Vancouver Canucks — Pavol Demitra will take a good amount of pressure off of the Sedin twins, which will in turn allow them to produce more than they did last season. Roberto Luongo still put up some great numbers in net last year, which included a .917 save percentage and a 2.38 goals against average, regardless of falling four points short of the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers — The Oilers did not lose any major players, which is always a great start for any team. Adding left-winger Erik Cole to the mix should make for a solid first line.

Calgary Flames — In Calgary it will all come down to whether or not Miikka Kiprusoff has a better season. Kiprusoff put up the worst numbers of his four-year career with Calgary last season. In the end, the main reason that the Flames may find themselves missing the playoffs is the amount of scoring they lost.

Nashville Predators — There are too many “what ifs” for me to put Nashville in the playoffs. Dan Ellis put up the best numbers of his career last year, but he has only played one season, and “what if” the numbers go down a little?

Columbus Blue Jackets — The Jackets still don’t have the center that they want for Rick Nash, but R.J. Umberger may suffice, and adding Kristian Huselius will help take a little pressure off of Nash. Pascal Leclaire is coming off an amazing season and will be the No. 1 goalie to start the season.

Phoenix Coyotes — There is no doubt that the Coyotes are headed in the right direction. Picking up Olli Jokinen was a great move for a team that certainly could use the scoring. Ilya Bryzgalov certainly had a good year, but the defense in front of him didn’t do its job.

Colorado Avalanche — The Avalanche’s first line of Ryan Smyth, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny is good, and they will produce. However, there is too much inconsistency in the rest of the lines to get this team into the playoffs. Peter Budaj will not be able to handle the net by himself, which means Colorado is in for one long season.

St. Louis Blues — Brad Boyes had a great goal-scoring year last season, and will need to keep it up if the Blues want to make any kind of noise. In his first full season, Erik Johnson produced good numbers. If he improves at the expected rate, then the Blues will have a very bright future.

Los Angeles Kings — The Kings are a very young team and still have much to learn. Anze Kopitar is becoming a lethal scorer, but has to learn how to play on both sides of the ice.