The Eastern Conference has me excited already because there is tons of potential for several surprise teams to make the playoffs — and as if that were not enough, the conference “powerhouses” will be knocking each other around all season for the No. 1 seed. Here is how I see the season playing out:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins — Yes, the Penguins did lose Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone, but they also have two of the three greatest scorers in the game: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Regardless, the Penguins have a more impressive roster than their Eastern conference opponents.

2. Montreal Canadiens — Is Carey Price the goalie of the future in Montreal? Absolutely. But remember, the future is far from the present. The combination of Price and Jaroslav Halak, however, is devastating in net for the opponents. But losing Mark Streit to the Islanders will put a little more pressure onto the shoulders of a defense that has to be good if their offense cannot produce like it did last season.

3. Washington Capitals — Jose Theodore had a .910 save percentage last season and did well in the first-round win against Minnesota while saving his best for the unstoppable force that is the Detroit Red Wings. Oh, I almost forgot, the Caps have a guy named Alex Ovechkin — I think he finished with 112 points, 65 goals and collected an MVP trophy.

4. Philadelphia Flyers — How do you go from being ranked 30th in the NHL to almost winning the conference championship? Add Daniel Briere. Briere, Mike Richards, Braydon Coburn, Marty Biron and a “healthy” Simon Gagne are all reasons why this team could make the Stanley Cup Finals.

5. New York Rangers — NYR definitely has a weaker offense now that Jaromir Jagr is gone, but the team still has a chance with its defense, which is the strongest in recent memory. Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden are possible All-Stars, and with Daniel Girardi and Marc Staal skating up the ranks, the Rangers have the potential to have one of the best defenses in the entire league.

6. New Jersey Devils — Let’s start with the obvious reason why the Devils will make the playoffs: Martin Brodeur. He will probably play at least 73 games again this season and will probably collect another Vezina trophy. The Devils offense is the most consistent in all of hockey. All four lines are equal and can do the same amount of damage as the others.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning — New additions: Steve Stamkos, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, Olaf Kolzig and head coach Barry Melrose. What do all of these players equal? This year’s Philadelphia Flyers. There is a lot of new-found attention being paid to Tampa, and rightfully so. The Lightning may be headed back to the playoffs after taking last season off.

8. Buffalo Sabres — The Sabres fell off last season and barely missed the playoffs after finishing with the best record in the NHL the previous season. Re-signing Ryan Miller has lowered tensions around the clubhouse, and re-signing Jason Pominville has only lowered them even further. The Sabres might sneak into the postseason and surprise a number of critics this season with their young and talented lineup.

9. Boston Bruins — It’s easy to underestimate this roster. The big reason this team might be able to sneak into the eighth and final spot: Zdeno Chara. Chara learned to harness all of his on-ice abilities and truly became a top-five defenseman this season, as proved by his Norris Trophy nomination. If the Bruins do make the playoffs, Chara will be a large reason why.

10. Ottawa Senators —The trio of Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza is without a doubt the best line in hockey, but the rest of the team isn’t as spectacular. Martin Gerber will be the starting goalie and a big upgrade over the departed Ray Emery.

11. Carolina Hurricanes — Eric Staal had a good season last year, scoring 82 points (38 G). A large part of why Staal did not receive much help is because the injury bug hit Carolina hard before midseason. Another problem Carolina might have is its penalty-kill, which was ranked 26th in the NHL last season. Adding defender Joni Pitkanen might help slightly, but one man can only do so much.

12. Atlanta Thrashers — The Thrashers don’t have a terrible roster, but they certainly don’t have a roster that will make the playoffs. Don’t hope for too much this season, Thrasher fans.

13. Florida Panthers — I leave my sentiments with goalie Thomas Vokoun, who will have to play a ton of games this year, and will more than likely have nothing to show for it.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs — Let’s begin and end with Tomas Kaberle. He’s been an amazing defenseman for years now and is just stuck on a team that looks to be headed nowhere.

15. New York Islanders — The only things the Islanders have going for them are young stars Kyle Okposo and Jeff Tambellini, and they’ll probably be traded by the season’s end.