As the offseason begins to slow down and the NHL season is right around the corner, teams are putting the finishing touches on their teams to make it deeper into the playoffs than last season, with the exception of Los Angeles of course. Some teams have made large moves this offseason, while others seem to have only hurt themselves. Next season’s NHL playoffs will likely not be similar to last season. Which teams are we not talking about that might make the jump? Let’s find out.

EASTERN CONFERENCE – New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils fell from the top of the Conference due to their inconsistency in the second half of the season. However, in the postseason, the Devils made some key acquisitions such as Martin Havlat, Scott Clemmensen, and Michael Cammalleri. These three acquisitions should help New Jersey improve in the two areas that needed the most improvement, consistent goaltending and goal scoring.

While Martin Brodeur was a great goalie and Cory Schneider was a key backup, age finally caught up to Brodeur and towards the final stages of the season, Schneider became more of a starting goalie than a backup. Now with Clemmensen backing up Schneider, Devils fans should expect more consistency. While Clemmensen has not performed well in the past, the fact that he played for a struggling Florida Panthers team should explain that. If the Devils give him any sort of protection, it will be much more than he ever had in Florida, therefore making him a better goalie.

Goal scoring was another key issue that the Devils faced. Jaromir Jagr led the team with 67 points which says a lot about him and his teammates. When a team must rely on a 42 year old to lead the team mentally and statistically, you should not expect to win at the NHL level. However, with the additions of the natural scoring Havlat and Cammalleri, the Devils may finally be considered an offensive threat as opposed to a hard-hitting, grinding team that they have been in the past.

Even with only three additions, the New Jersey Devils should be a much better team this season and will likely be a force in the Eastern Conference.

WESTERN CONFERENCE – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have struggled throughout the past few seasons. Our own Matt Kasanoff wrote an article that I completely agree with and will not repeat what he said. The Oilers have consistantly been in the basement of the Western Conference. They have had three consecutive 1st Overall Picks from 2010-2012.

With all that disappointment, the Oilers have begun to rebuild. Edmonton acquired Viktor Fasth, Benoit Pouliot, and Andrew Ference in the past few months. While their defense will still likely struggle this season, a fast paced offense and decent goaltending may be able to spark the Oilers to the playoffs. While the Oilers have tried this strategy in the past and have failed every year, the team will finally be able to start a season without being plagued by Devan Dubnyk.

Edmonton will have to make sure that they can find chemistry this season, but if they even find a small amount of it, the Oilers will likely be able to find a wild card spot in a very talented division.