Would you say the Ducks have made the biggest improvement...?

no, getting Kouvi was a great buy... but other than that?.. the ducks have lost a good chunk of their grit by trading Pronger and opting not to offer a contract to Rob Niedermayer. That being said, I expect a little more consistency out of them this year.

The Blackhawks (in terms of free agent signings) have had a real good offseason (but they've also had a number of blunders, and may be penalized by the league for the Hossa deal)

Ottowa brought in Kovalev and Pascal Leclaire... it doesn't necessarily guarantee that they will be "good"... but it is a great upgrade... Thrashers also had a decent offseason with Antropov, Evander Kane, Kubina, etc..... and the Kings with Scuderi and Smyth...

In terms of downgrades... The Florida Panthers and the Predators were both weaker teams last year, and didn't do much to reverse that trend this offseason... and I really wouldn't want to be a coyotes fan right now.

EDIT: To add to your Detroit argument "must be this tall to ride"... it's tough to judge Detroit's offseason thus far because their remaining cap has been tied to seeing what happens with arbitration. So, it's still a little to difficult to grade their offseason until they have had a chance to see what they can do with that money.

I like the two main additions, they finally have a second line and possibly will be able to mix and match a bit more then last year. This carries over to PP where they now have viable threats from both units.

BUT.....

ATL, yep they made the biggest improvement, and given that most people here dont follow anyone but their own team and a couple of other bandwagon choices it wasnt talked about much. In fact most stil think they are a cellar team. They I am predicting they get their first ever play off win this year. They have been being slept on by a lot of fans as they devolped and grew, then they decided to make a commitment to winning this year, much like LA.

Um no. Ducks didnt do too much

Improvement- Rangers. Brought in Gaborik, Kotalik, Higgins, Lisin who can all score

and let go of Gomez, Sjostrom, Naslund, and most likely Zheredev who all underachieve

Downgrade- Detroit, Lost Hudler and Hossa, and didnt sign anybody major. Devils didnt do too much either beides getting a bad coach.

RALPH- yes the Senators in my opinion (if they keep Heatley)will be the "team to beat" in the East. They only got better by getting Kovalev. They are loaded with top talent with Spezza, Heatley, Alfreddson, Kovalev. They got secondary scoring and more depth from Kovalev. Red Wings are looking at signing Sykora and/or Bertuzzi. I think that Hossa and Hudler are 2 BIG loses. BUT, i hear they are going towards a "youth movement" with Leino, Abdelkader etc. IF all of those young guys are decent players in the NHL, they will definitely be a great team...

I'd say the Leafs are the most improved team. They got a lot bigger, tougher and stronger on defense. They also signed the most sought after free agent goal keeper and added some youth through NCAA signings at the end of last year.

I'd say they are 1 or 2 top six forwards away from competing in a serious way. One team in their division that will not be happy to face TO this year are the Habs, who spent the summer getting smaller and giving away fire power.

No.... the Ducks rarely did anything in the Free Agency.... they signed former Montreal Captain Saku Koviu

Biggest Upgrade-The Philadelphia Flyers or The NY Rangers

Biggest Downgrade- The San Jose Sharks

Well, I wouldn't say "improvement",,,I would say they are still what they are. A good team that I hate seeing my Wings play because it always gets physical. You lost Pronger. I feared him, I will admit. Not because he was a bad a#s. But because he has a killer blue line shot. The Ducks are still a good team.

I think the team that has improved the most is the Blackhawks despite the goalie situation. Hossa is a good scorer. They will be better because of it.

a lot of teams in the east got better, but not really the ducks, the biggest were the rangers, the leafs, the flyers and the sens. Nick- the devils had a huuuge downgrade. They lost gionta, they lost one of their best coaches and got one who is all out of fuel. And i would not be making fun of torts, because he has a hell of a lot more fire than anyone on the devils, and we all know that marty is getting worse and worse

I wouldn't say they made the biggest improvement, but I see them being where San Jose has been the last few years. They will be back and forth with Detroit for the West, I believe. I still wonder what they are going to do with Giguere. He is very formidable trade bait.

If I was a GM, I would offer loads for him, considering he's incredibly underrated. Yeah injury prone, but who isn't these days.

optimistically, he seems to be greater beneficial than a condominium, yet oh guy---Gary Roberts for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins picked him up on the final day of the commerce cut-off date, or perhaps with the shown fact that he spent under 0.5 the season on the gang, he strengthen into helpful to it. After the All-action picture star destroy, the Pens have been warm and all of their youthful adult adult males stepped it as much as an entire new point...yet they resembled greater of a playoff team (even in the time of the familiar season) whilst Gary Roberts got here. Undoubtably it somewhat is because of the fact he has an marvelous variety of playoff journey. i'm specific he strengthen into asked for some suggestion with regards to the recreation, in spite of the fact that, it strengthen into greater approximately his presence interior the locker room and only ideal by making use of occasion that he helped out interior the management branch. His effect extends to microscopic issues which you will no longer think of of initially, like nutrients ordinary and exercising; a stable volume of gamers on the gang asked Roberts approximately what to consume and what routines and lifts to do. Stuff like that, in spite of the fact that if Roberts continues to be or no longer, will on no account bypass away them. The Penguins have been going to make the playoffs, yet once you took away each and every hit Roberts made, each and every purpose or help he had, or perhaps his total presence, the Ottawa Senators could have greater beneficial than in all probability embarrassed the Penguins, for the period of their sequence, to an unspeakable volume. i could desire to have seen a sweep, for specific. ok, so: Roberts surely made a regularly going on result on the gang, arguably between the main important interior the league long-term. He could have made the Pens bypass farther into the playoffs, in spite of the fact that if it somewhat is by making use of one recreation. The Penguins somewhat positioned out under they delivered in; they made out notably stable, in all probability the main suitable.

Since when is Lemaire a BAD coach??? He won Stanley Cups and he is going into the Hall of Fame. Look at your coach. I would be scared to sit behind him if he was coaching. Atleast our coach doesn't pick fights with fans and throw a water bottles at them. What is he 5??