Come playoff time, the road through the Western Conference to the Stanley Cup final goes through Los Angeles or Chicago. Derrick Henry Youth Jersey . The defending-champion Kings and still-in-their-prime Blackhawks remain the standard.The regular season? Thats a different story.Remember, last season, it wasnt even the St. Louis Blues who won the Central Division but the upstart Colorado Avalanche. In the Pacific, the Kings and San Jose Sharks had the memorable first-round series, but the Anaheim Ducks get the division champions banner.Those teams beginning with the Ducks, Blues and Avalanche and continuing down to the Dallas Stars are already focused on making that next step to competing against the Kings and Blackhawks.Over the grind of an 82-game season, its a daunting task for any team outside last years playoff field to crack the top eight.It is tough and its getting tougher, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa said. It seems like over the summer every team in the West adds more pieces that make them deeper.Theres no doubt the West is deep, and even with 14 teams there will be at least one or two out in the cold come April who could make a run in the East.Heres a look at the Western Conference in the predicted order of finish by division (asterisk indicates wild-card playoff teams):CENTRAL DIVISION1. St. Louis BluesLast season: 52-23-7, 111 points, second in Central, lost in division semifinals to ChicagoWhos gone: G Ryan Miller, LW Brenden Morrow, D Roman PolakWhos new: C Paul Stastny, D Carl Gunnarsson, D Chris ButlerOutlook: After trading Jaroslav Halak and counting on Miller down the stretch and in the playoffs backfired, the Blues go into this season with Brian Elliott and Jake Allen. Unlike Miller, theyre used to coach Ken Hitchcocks system and how few shots St. Louis likes to give up. Up front, Stastny and captain David Backes combine for a nice one-two punch down the middle and theres plenty of talent on the wings. On defence, Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester lead a group thats at least five strong.2. Chicago BlackhawksLast season: 46-21-15, 107 points, third in Central, lost in conference final to Los AngelesWhos gone: C Michal Handzus, F Brandon Bollig, D Sheldon BrookbankWhos new: C Brad Richards, D Trevor van RiemsdykOutlook: This might be the best top six in the NHL with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Bryan Bickell and Richards. And thats still a crazy-deep defence, led by Norris Trophy-winner Duncan Keith. Injuries contributed to last years third-place finish, but this is a group that knows to turn it on when it matters. Chicago is a Stanley Cup favourite even if it doesnt win the Central or even finish second.3. Dallas StarsLast season: 40-31-11, 91 points, fifth in Central, lost in division semifinals to AnaheimWhos gone: G Tim Thomas, RW Alex Chiasson, D Aaron RomeWhos new: C Jason Spezza, RW Ales Hemsky, G Anders Lindback, F Patrick EavesOutlook: Jim Nill won the off-season by getting Spezza from the Ottawa Senators for Chiasson, two prospects and a second-round pick and signing Hemsky. Dallas, as a result, is a chic pick to be one of the most improved teams in the NHL and ready to play with the big boys in the West. Much of that depends on the health of goaltender Kari Lehtonen and the play of a virtually anonymous defence led by Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley. Second-year winger Valeri Nichushkin could also make a substantial leap.4. Minnesota Wild*Last season: 43-27-12, 98 points, fourth in Central, lost in division final to ChicagoWhos gone: G Ilya Bryzgalov, LW Matt Moulson, LW Dany Heatley, D Nate Prosser, D Clayton StonerWhos new: LW Thomas VanekOutlook: Goaltending was a huge part of why the Wild made the playoffs last year, and depth in the form of Darcy Kuemper helped them get to the second round and give the Blackhawks a small scare. With Josh Harding injured, Minnesota is counting on Niklas Backstrom staying healthy or Kuemper filling in. Young talent keeps piling up, like centre Mikael Granlund and defenceman Jonas Brodin, and the addition of Vanek should give Mike Yeos team a bit more of an offensive punch.5. Colorado AvalancheLast season: 52-22-8, 112 points, first in Central, lost in division semifinals to MinnesotaWhos gone: C Paul Stastny, RW P-A Parenteau, D Andre Benoit, G Jean-Sebastien GiguereWhos new: RW Jarome Iginla, D Brad Stuart, C Daniel Briere, F Jesse WinchesterOutlook: Captain Gabriel Landeskog and Calder Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon in separate interviews within an hour said the Avalanche may not get 112 points this year, but they expect the team to be better. Itll be hard to match last seasons out-of-nowhere success, unless goaltender Semyon Varlamov keeps up a superhuman pace and stays healthy. More likely, Colorado is fighting until the final days for one of the final playoff spots in the West.6. Nashville PredatorsLast season: 38-32-12, 88 points, sixth in CentralWhos gone: F Patric Hornqvist, F Nick Spaling, D Michael Del Zotto, F Patrick EavesWhos new: RW James Neal, C Olli Jokinen, C Derek Roy, C Mike Ribeiro, D Anton VolchenkovOutlook: Under new coach Peter Laviolette, the Predators will play a much different, more up-tempo style and have some more weapons with which to do so. Goalie Pekka Rinne being healthy makes a big difference, and Seth Jones should be a year improved learning from Shea Weber. Problem is, this is still the Western Conference, and Nashville is in the toughest, deepest division there is. The Predators will contend, but they have to prove theyre better than Minnesota or Colorado.7. Winnipeg JetsLast season: 37-35-10, 84 points, seventh in CentralWhos gone: C Olli Jokinen, RW Devin Setoguchi, G Al MontoyaWhos new: C Mathieu Perreault, F T.J. Galiardi, D Keaton EllerbyOutlook: Meet the new Jets, same as the old Jets. Blake Wheeler said coach Paul Maurice instituted a more professional atmosphere around the team when he took over last year, but the necessary talent to be a playoff contender is still lacking. It would take monster jumps from centre Mark Scheifele and/or defenceman Jacob Trouba and a strong year from goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to make that even a possibility. Pavelec might even need to play more with rookie Michael Hutchinson as his backup.PACIFIC DIVISION1. Los Angeles KingsLast season: 46-28-8, 100 points, third in Pacific, won Stanley CupWhos gone: D Willie Mitchell, C Colin FraserWhos new: F Andy Andreoff, D Brayden McNabbOutlook: The dreaded Stanley Cup hangover could hurt the Kings, who seem to find their best down the stretch and in the playoffs. The health of Jonathan Quick is important after off-season wrist surgery, but backup Martin Jones isnt a bad fail safe. Marian Gaborik is back for the long term, so this group is even better than the one that started last season. Young forwards Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson and defenceman Jake Muzzin keep improving and make Los Angeles the team to beat.2.