Tiga brings up an important point as far as injuries. Teams have to be careful in the salary cap era about investing significant money in guys who are not durable. Hockey is a sport where (as the Lightning have had happen with Stamkos 2 years in a row) injuries can have a devastating impact. Especially later in the year. It makes sense to invest cheaply in young and talented and durable players and spend as little as possible on older veterans who are shot. I agree with Iggy that the Habs are a 1-2-3 team which is a team that rolls the dice on staying healthy. Last year they lose Price and there was a huge downward spiral. This year if they have great health at the time of the playoffs they could make a deep run and be tough to beat. The Eastern Conference has several other very good teams. Health is huge.