Hi everyone! My name is Lucas Main and I am taking over for the great Grant Campbell. I wanted to say thanks to Dobber, Ian, and the rest of the DobberHockey staff for giving me this opportunity and the editors that get it out there!

Some of you may know me from our Lining Up article that comes out on Tuesdays. If you don't already read that one, what are you waiting for? We look at different lines that are new or ones that are hot and their outlook for the fantasy week ahead. Make sure you check it out here!

To get things started, the title of this article could not be more true for the Western Conference this season. With the Colorado Avalanche at the top of the league with an astounding +76 in goal differential and only six regulation losses, the Central Division containing three of the top six teams in the league, and how tight the Pacific Division is, it has been a wild season thus far.

For my first crack at it, I'm going to give some thoughts on each team thus far into the season. Enjoy!

Anaheim Ducks: Coaching matters in this league and Coach Quenneville was brought in to turn this ship around. He has certainly done that as the Ducks are currently only one of two teams in the Pacific Division that have more wins than losses (regulation +overtime). They have a nice mix of veterans and young players; one to keep an eye on for the rest of this season is Leo Carlsson. The young Swede started the season with 34 points in 25 games, but was playing hurt in December and eventually landed on IR. He suffered a rare leg injury and it not only affected his game, but cost him his spot on Team Sweden for the Olympics. Look for him to finish the season like he started it.

Calgary Flames: Zayne Parekh can't come back fast enough. Once he is back in Calgary, he'll help add some fantasy value to some of his teammates, but for the time being, I would try and avoid Flames skaters.

Chicago Blackhawks: This is the same situation as Calgary, but with Connor Bedard. How wild was it that he hurt his shoulder on a faceoff in the last second of a game?? Hopefully it is fully healed and he's not delaying surgery in hopes of an Olympic call, because if he misses any more time, this is another team I would try to avoid.

Colorado Avalanche: The Avs have, arguably, the best forward in the league and the best defenseman. We are lucky to see these two play together and the magic they create. Colorado seems to have hit a lull after loosing their captain, Gabe Landeskog. They need to find someone who is not afraid to play in those dirty areas and sacrifice their body like Landy.

Dallas Stars: How Jason Robertson was left off Team USA is baffling to me. He is going to have a big post-Olympic stretch (even though he's already having a stellar campaign).

Edmonton Oilers: Besides their big guns, the Oilers have fallen victim to their depth the past few seasons. Guys like Jack Roslovic and Vasily Podkolzin are great options for your fantasy team if they can land with one of the big boys, but don't need a roster spot if they are not.

Los Angeles Kings: LA has had plenty of potential over the last four years; a good regular season, top prospect pool, but the same ending when they run into Edmonton in the playoffs. The prospect depth has lost steam, leaving them without the meaningful assets needed to capitalize on rentals, while their core is closer to retirement than their draft years. Still, keep an eye on whoever they bring in at the trade deadline, as they always seem to have success for the remainder of that season.

Minnesota Wild: The trade for Quinn Hughes earlier in the season was a shocker, but good on Bill Guerin to make that move. Minnesota was missing that elite puck moving defender and I would consider them one of the favorites to land Artemi Panarin. Joel Eriksson-Ek just returned from injury and is a nice buy option before he starts scoring again.

Nashville Predators: After a slow start to the season, Steven Stamkos and the Preds have liftoff; Stammer is on a 40 goal pace since December 1^st and has silenced the doubters. If only we could get the old Juuse Saros back.

St. Louis Blues: With the succession plan in place for Alex Steen to take over the GM duties for the Blues starting next season, players will have to start showing up if they want to stay in St. Louis. I imagine a player like Dalibor Dvorsky will be given ample opportunities to showcase his skills down the stretch.

San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini is him. He has thrown the whole Sharks organization on his shoulders and carried them back into relevance. The teenage center currently has 40(!) more points than the skater behind him in second (Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg sit at 34 points). Igor Chernyshov played well while the injury bug struck the Sharks, possibly forcing them to move some bodies before the trade deadline to call him back up.

Seattle Kraken: The Karken are in the thick of a playoff race, but they don't have a skater over 34 points. Granted, some of their big guns have dealt with injuries, but it's been the goaltending that has kept them in this hunt for the postseason. If you went with the zero goalie strategy and were able to pluck Philipp Grubauer off of waivers early in the season, he's been a solid contributor for your squad and should keep receiving starts down the stretch.

Utah Mammoth: Now may be the final time to buy low on JJ Peterka because Logan Cooley should be back relatively soon. Those two, along with Dylan Guenther, showed chemistry and were playing very well together because of the unfortunate Cooley injury. 

Vancouver Canucks: Another star was traded out of Vancouver this season as Quinn Hughes was the latest victim. It's only a matter of time until Elias Pettersson (the forward) gets dealt. The organization acquired a number of young assets for their stud defenseman and the baby Canucks won the Calder Cup last year so I expect a lot of youth down the stretch as they currently sit at the bottom of the standings.

Vegas Golden Knights: Another season, another big in-season trade for Vegas as they bring in Rasmus Andersson. His value takes a hit as he won't have the same powerplay opportunities he had in Calgary, but the overall talent of the roster should lead to more even strength points. Through two games with his new club, he has two five-on-five points and not a single second on the man advantage. 

Winnipeg Jets: The Presidents Trophy winner from last season has taken a mighty tumble. An early injury to Connor Hellebuyck left them reeling and they don't have the depth like they used to have. 

I hope you enjoyed some of my thoughts on the Western Conference so far this season. If you ever want to talk hockey or anything fantasy related, hit me up on Twitter/X @LAM1926