Watch 2013-2014 NHL Game's Play Info

The NHL season is finally back and with a new season comes new predictions! Can the Chicago Blackhawks become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the 1997-98 Red Wings? Who will be the biggest beneficiaries of realignment? Who are the key players and coaches to keep an eye on in each new division? You can watch NHL/Ice Hockey game live stream on online.

Former BR writer Jacob Born and I answer these questions and more in our 2013-14 NHL Preview. We will give our division-by-division breakdowns, including the division favorite, runner-up, dark horse, player to watch and coach to watch. Following our divisional insights will come our conference finals and Stanley Cup predictions.

A lot has happened in the nearly two weeks since our last ranking of the NHL's 30 clubs. First, we were fresh off the trade deadline, with each team having been affected either through a dramatic trade or lack thereof, and we were left to guess as to how those players on the move would fit in at their new homes. Now, we've seen the early results.

Today’s hottest news item involves Phil Kessel’s contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs that will see him get paid $64 million over eight years, making him one of the highest paid players in the NHL. Who gets paid more than him? Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin, to name a few. The panel has convened once again to rank the entire league from top to bottom. Dave Lozo, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Ricardson, Carol Schram, Rob Vollman and I all voted this week. As always, an emphasis is placed on recent results over full-season totals.

Read on to see where every NHL team ranks, and please note the rankings are the result of the panel's voting, not one person's decision. Unless otherwise noted, news and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com and are current through the start of action on March 17.

Can Sidney Crosby play the full season and lead his Penguins to glory? Will Tyler Seguin throw his biggest party yet in Dallas? Will Phil Kessel make Leafs management look brilliant or plain-old-stupid for handing him a fat stack of cash for his next eight years of service?

The NHL Regular Season finally gets underway tonight, and hockey fans are absolutely salivating at the prospect of their favorite teams playing a full 82 games. With new divisions, rule changes and a wildcard system being introduced to the playoff format, there are plenty of questions to be asked going into 2013-2014.

Source: bleacherreport.com