Seasoned Thoughts: Dallas? New York Rangers...Montreal...

The Dallas Stars are kinda slumping. I am not surprised that they can lose some games in bunches. We saw it earlier in the season - the Stars defense/system can give up easy goals. Neither goalie there has an easy life. Defensive breakdowns, own zone turn-overs and transition turn-overs make for great chances for any opponent. Dallas has been doing it all season. However, lately, the offense isn't getting those easy ones as they were earlier in the season. Jamie Benn LW and Tyler Seguin C are still producing but the support from that second line has waned. Dallas shouldn't get desperate yet, but if they can pick up a solid d-man without killing those top two lines, it would have to help.

The Rangers have been bouncing - win-lose, win-lose, win. lose. They really can't go the rest of the way like this - 91pts is not enough. That said, three of the losses in their current win-loss streaking are against Washington and a hot Florida team (before they lost Aaron Ekblad D). Looking forward, the Rangers have a slate full of mediocre teams until they meet Los Angeles on February 12th*. If they can get seven wins before that game, I'll be very pleased with this team. Otherwise, the Rangers are going to be clawing for points right up until the playoffs, for certain.

* VAN,CAR,OTT,BUF -- ALL STAR WEEKEND -- NJD,MIN,PHI,NJD,PIT,LAK

The Canadiens are hurting. December has become January and there are no answers as yet. Will it be Carey Price's return after the All-Star weekend? Fortunately the four games prior to the break are winnable - two against Columbus after games against Boston and Toronto. I am not a goalie guy, so really, if they can't get 6 or more points here, I don't think Carey Price will be able to right this sinking ship. They need a forward that can finish - honestly, a lot of teams do - and defensive depth. It makes for difficult trading. Perhaps, getting Eric Staal C from the Canes for something in the future and a prospect? Eric Staal is a scary trade though. Dustin Byfuglien D from Winnipeg? It will be interesting to see what happens. I imagine they will wait until Price is back in net before doing anything drastic.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are finally healthy and, what do you know, five wins in a row and 7 of their last ten. They are scoring and the defense is as tough as any anchored by Victor Hedman D. Hedman is one of those underrated guys - he delivers at every spot on the ice - think Shea Weber D. He gets mentioned but forgotten a lot too. This team is looking like that group we saw last year. And, if true, i'd have to put my money on them or Washington getting to the finals this year. On top of this, GM Steve Yzerman has great trade potential in Jonathan Drouin LW - a young forward that many teams would probably give up veteran UFAs for. This team is one to watch.

A lot going on out there. San Jose has put in some wins of late. A lot of up and down teams - it's common to see a group win three in a row and then lose 4. Personnel is a big issue in that as well as just some teams not having all the pieces but playing well in a well coached system - Arizona, St Louis, Detroit. One team I believe in is the Florida Panthers. I think they are well coached and have a lot of talent. However, they rely heavily on the top six forwards and top four d-men - any injury easily unhinges the team. Losses of Aleksander Barkov C and now Aaron Ekblad D have had huge impacts on the team.

Outside Chicago and Los Angeles - teams that are still carrying most of the core that won 5 of the last 6 Stanley Cups - there isn't much consistency out there. The West has some potential contenders in St. Louis and Dallas but even those have shown signs of incompleteness. In the East, it's Washington and maybe the Panthers. If the Lightning stay in form, they will be there, too.