WESTERN CONFERENCE

In predicted order of finish for each division:

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PACIFIC DIVISION

DALLAS STARS

Coach: Ken Hitchcock, fourth season

1997-98: 49-22-11, 109 points

Who’s new: Right wing Brett Hull (free agent)

Outlook: They had the NHL’s best record last season but stalled offensively in the conference final. That’s why they spent $17 million over three years for Hull, who wants to prove last season’s paltry 27-goal output was a fluke. Formidable at center with Mike Modano (21 goals, 59 points in 52 games), Joe Nieuwendyk (39 goals, 69 points), defensive specialist Guy Carbonneau and checker Brian Skrudland. A mobile defense helped them assemble the NHL’s top power play and second-best penalty killing last season. Only question is if they have enough grit to pound it out in the playoffs.

LOS ANGELES KINGS

Coach: Larry Robinson, fourth season.

1997-98: 38-33-11, 87 points.

Who’s new: Defensemen Steve Duchesne (free agent) and Doug Bodger (trade with New Jersey).

Outlook: Made a huge leap to improve by 20 points, but being swept out of the playoffs told them they can’t play with the big boys yet. Their defense, led by Norris Trophy winner Rob Blake, has the potential to be one of the NHL’s best and Duchesne is the power-play pointman they needed. However, they will miss unsigned restricted free agent Aki Berg. After Glen Murray (career-best 29 goals), there’s little offense on the right side, and they need left wing Luc Robitaille to do better than last season’s 16 goals, a lot to ask. Look for Olli Jokinen to start slowly but come on strong. Reducing their shots against (2,481, second-most last season) is vital.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

Coach: Darryl Sutter, second season.

1997-98: 34-38-10, 78 points.

Who’s new: Defensemen Gary Suter and Bob Rouse and right wing Ron Stern (free agents).

Outlook: Who’s missing is more important, unfortunately, than who’s there. Without unsigned restricted free agents Jeff Friesen, Mike Rathje and Owen Nolan for more than a few weeks, they’re cooked. With that trio, and with two shining young talents in centers Patrick Marleau and Marco Sturm, they can make some noise. Suter was a good signing and Andrei Zyuzin was impressive as a rookie last season, bolstering the defense. They’re heading the right direction, but lack the depth up front and versatility on defense to be a real threat.

ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS

Coach: Craig Hartsburg, first season.

1997-98: 26-43-13, 65 points.

Who’s new: Defenseman Fredrik Olausson (free agent), defenseman Kevin Haller (trade with Carolina), wingers Jim McKenzie (trade with Phoenix) and Stu Grimson (trade with Carolina), Coach Craig Hartsburg, General Manager Pierre Gauthier.

Outlook: The names in the front office and behind the bench have changed, but too much of a mediocre cast is the same. Paul Kariya, who missed most of last season because of a concussion, looked great in camp, and it will be a treat to see him and Teemu Selanne (52 goals, 86 points) playing off each other again. Center Josef Marha and right wing Frank Banham also have a scoring knack. But it will be torture to watch their meek, rudderless defense. So much for management’s promise to aggressively pursue free agents. Their mascot should be Scrooge McDuck, not Wild Wing.

PHOENIX COYOTES

Coach: Jim Schoenfeld, second season.

1997-98: 35-35-12, 82 points.

Who’s new: Defenseman Jyrki Lumme (free agent), left wing Greg Adams (free agent), forwards J.F. Jomphe (trade with Ducks) and Louie DeBrusk (trade with Tampa Bay).

Outlook: The whole never equals the sum of the Coyotes’ parts. No team with Keith Tkachuk (40 goals, 66 points in 69 games), Jeremy Roenick (24 goals, 56 points) and standout defenseman Teppo Numminen should be merely .500, but the Coyotes underachieved again last season. Tkachuk’s petulant holdout didn’t endear him to teammates who already seem to hardly care about one another. Schoenfeld could be gone if they falter early.

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CENTRAL DIVISION

DETROIT RED WINGS

Coach: Scotty Bowman, sixth season if he returns after knee and heart surgeries.

1997-98: 44-23-15, 103 points.

Who’s new: Defenseman Uwe Krupp (free agent).

Outlook: While Bowman recuperates, associate coaches Barry Smith and Dave Lewis will run this well-oiled machine. By far the class of the NHL with a mix of grit, skill, experience and savvy. Sergei Fedorov (17 points in 21 games after a holdout) will be around for a full season to give them more offensive punch and defensive steadiness. They’re looking for better numbers from Brendan Shanahan (28 goals, 57 points) and there’s no reason he should disappoint. Look for second-year defenseman Anders Eriksson and winger Tomas Holmstrom to become impact players.

ST. LOUIS BLUES

Coach: Joel Quenneville, second full season.

1997-98: 45-29-8, 98 points.

Who’s new: Right wing Scott Young (free agent)

Outlook: They lost Hull and Duchesne but have some kids ready to step up. Among them are training-camp sensation Marty Reasoner, a center from Boston University, and defenseman Jamie Rivers. They won’t match last season’s league-leading 256 goals but their defense is solid, thanks to Quenneville’s insistence on two-way play from everybody. They will probably be a better playoff team than regular-season team, but they can’t be taken lightly because of Pierre Turgeon (22 goals, 68 points), left wing Geoff Courtnall (31 goals, 62 points) and defenseman Al MacInnis, their power-play quarterback.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Coach: Dirk Graham, first season.

1997-98: 30-39-13, 73 points.

Who’s new: Centers Doug Gilmour and Mark Janssens, defenseman Paul Coffey and right wing Ed Olczyk (free agents), goalie Mark Fitzpatrick (trade with Tampa Bay), defenseman Doug Zmolek (trade with Kings).

Outlook: Finally, owner Bill Wirtz spent money in the free-agent market. Too bad it took the end of the Hawks’ 28-year playoff streak to wake him up. Gilmour is a character player and will help young teammates, but he has a lot of mileage on him. Coffey’s skills have eroded badly but he could be useful on the power play. Left wing Eric Daze (31 goals, 42 points) had a breakthrough season and must maintain that. Right wing Tony Amonte (31 goals, 73 points) is a true sniper. A playoff return is possible.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Coach: Barry Trotz, first season.

1997-98: Not in NHL yet.

Who’s new: Everybody. This is their first season.

Outlook: The novelty of a new sport and new arena will have to carry them, because they won’t draw fans by winning. They have some speed and creativity with centers Greg Johnson and Darren Turcotte and a not-awful defense with J.J. Daigneault and John Slaney, but they’re small and no one on their roster scored more than 12 NHL goals last season. Center-right wing Tom Fitzgerald, a member of the Florida Panthers’ inaugural team in 1993, signed with them as a free agent, proving he’s a glutton for punishment or a big country music fan.

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NORTHWEST DIVISION

COLORADO AVALANCHE

Coach: Bob Hartley, first season.

1997-98: 39-26-17, 95 points.

Who’s new: Hartley, rookie centers Alex Tanguay and Chris Drury.

Outlook: They should have been a dynasty but are slipping from elite to merely good. Peter Forsberg (25 goals, 91 points) and Joe Sakic (27 goals, 63 points in 64 games) might be the NHL’s best 1-2 center parlay, but only Valeri Kamensky (26 goals, 66 points) seems to approach their level. Rene Corbet, Stephane Yelle and Eric Lacroix are effective grinders and Adam Deadmarsh has the skill to exceed last season’s 22 goals and 43 points. They might regret letting Krupp go, especially with restricted free agent Sandis Ozolinsh unsigned. The Avalanche could go either way, giving Hartley a rough NHL initiation.

EDMONTON OILERS

Coach: Ron Low, fourth season.

1997-98: 35-37-10, 80 points.

Who’s new: Right wing Pat Falloon, defenseman Marty McSorley (free agents), goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov and center Jim Dowd (trade with Nashville).

Outlook: OK, General Manager Glen Sather is a genius. He stole Roman Hamrlik from Tampa Bay and Janne Niinimaa from Philadephia and built a deep defense, and he acquired the dependable Shtalenkov for almost nothing to replace departed free agent Curtis Joseph. However, the Oilers’ offense is dangerously thin. Sather must re-sign restricted free agent center Doug Weight to have any hope of contending. Weight (26 goals, 70 points) and Bill Guerin (18 goals, 39 points in 59 games) are the only real threats. They’ve got plenty of speed and players will go through walls for Low, but that’s not enough.

CALGARY FLAMES

Coach: Brian Sutter, second season.

1997-98: 26-41-15, 67 points.

Who’s new: Center Bob Bassen (trade with Dallas), defenseman Phil Housley (waivers, from Washington), defenseman Steve Smith (out of retirement), goalie Ken Wregget and left wing Dave Roche (trade with Pittsburgh).

Outlook: From bad to worse. They have a few prospects who might someday pan out, but the Flames might not match last season’s dismal record. Theo Fleury (27 goals, 78 points) and Marty McInnis (19 goals, 44 points) are their only proven scorers. Cory Stillman (27 goals, 49 points) must prove that last season wasn’t a fluke. Center Michael Nylander is expected back from a knee injury around Christmas, but they might be eliminated from the playoffs by then.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Coach: Mike Keenan, first full season.

1997-98: 25-43-14, 64 points.

Who’s new: General Manager Brian Burke, defenseman Murray Baron (free agent).

Outlook: From worse to even worse. They had the NHL’s most porous defense last season and they start this season without a proven goalie, defenseman Jyrki Lumme (gone as a free agent) and Pavel Bure, who demanded a trade and hasn’t reported. Mark Messier (22 goals, 60 points) is aging rapidly and Alexander Mogilny (18 goals, 45 points in 51 games) refuses to play to his potential. This is a long-term rebuilding project.