Happy Monday y'all!

We have made it! Finally, it is opening week, with games set to start tomorrow. Hopefully your drafts went as planned, but if not, we are here to help! The draft is only half the battle; working the waiver wire and making trades throughout the season is what will give you an advantage and put you on your path to a fantasy championship.

With the season starting tomorrow, it is time to lock in my predictions for the Western Conference.

Central Division

1. Colorado Avalanche – The Avs have some of the league’s top talent and we should expect another big season from Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the usual suspects. The depth is what will help make this team the division winner. TJ Hughes is a sleeper to add right now as he will start on the top powerplay unit. Finding these undrafted players throughout the season is what will take your team from mid to the top. And if your league has its finals during the final week of the regular season, that is when the big guns usually get scratched. Depth is key to winning a title, in real life and in fantasy.
2. Dallas Stars – Thomas Harley's shooting percentage was by far the worst of his career last year at 5.3%. The defenseman is clear of his shoulder issues so I expect a big bounce back from the blue liner.
3. Utah Mammoth – Karel Vejmelka played the most games of any goaltender during the regular season, but I am focusing on the goalie the Mammoth acquired, Sebastian Cossa. I'm looking at this crease as a 1a/1b situation where Cossa earns 35-40 starts and he is practically free in all redraft leagues.
4. Nashville Predators – The Predators went through a mini overhaul during the offseason, bringing in young talent, but retaining some of their veterans. Mavrik Bourque scored 20 goals with minimal ice time in Dallas last year and now has Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos to learn from. 
5. St. Louis Blues – One of the hottest teams to end the 2025-26 season, the Blues will be competitive with an infusion of youth. Mason McTavish should have a nice rebound season, playing on the Blue's second line and starting on the team's top powerplay.
6. Minnesota Wild – We know the talent that Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, and Matt Boldy possess, but besides them, the Wild are a pretty meh team. Max Shabanov will start the season on Kaprizov's line, along with time on the first extra man unit. Grab your shares before it's too late.
7. Winnipeg Jets – The one Winnipeg player I am looking to invest in is Stuart Skinner. He will lay some duds, but he has always been competitive and should come relatively cheap to acquire. Once the Connor Hellebuyck situation gets resolved, I imagine he receives 45-50 starts.
8. Chicago Blackhawks – The Blackhawks have a number of young players that should gain plenty of experience this season: Roman Kantserov, Anton Frondell, and Frank Nazar. Bowen Byram is a defenseman who is the clear number one and should receive a lot more powerplay time than what he was given in the past.

Pacific Division 

1. Edmonton Oilers – Mike Babcock will finally bring Connor McDavid his first title… division title that is. However, the new coach has kept McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together for most of training camp and the lucky recipient of playing third wheel has been Vasili Podkolzin. He is a must own in banger leagues, and standard if he keeps this spot.
2. San Jose Sharks – San Jose spent a lot of money in the offseason to start making the playoffs. Mason Marchment has gotten looks with Macklin Celebrini at even strength, while Luca Cagnoni is a deep reach as he will try to quarterback their number one powerplay.
3. Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks lost a lot of roster pieces, but they still have the youth and coaching to be a playoff team. Frank Vatrano is a year removed from having three straight 20 goal seasons. The veteran should be relied upon for some secondary scoring this year.
4. Vegas Golden Knights – Another organization in cap trouble, Vegas will give Braeden Bowman an opportunity to be a middle six winger and a nice waiver option for your fantasy team.
5. LA Kings – It is tough to say a 24-year-old is entering a make-or-break season, but Quinton Byfield is finally the 1C with a new coach and two stud wingers. The Kings don't have much depth down the middle so Byfield will be given plenty of minutes to succeed while we hopefully see that 80+ point campaign.
6. Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks are playing for the future, but they still have some viable fantasy options because someone is going to have to score. Jake DeBrusk had 19 powerplay goals last season and will look to build off that as he mulls his future. Zeev Buium was given the Brinks truck over the summer so it is safe to say he will have plenty of opportunities to put up points in 2026-2027.
7. Seattle Kraken – Jared McCann is entering a contract year and has tallied at least 20 goals in his previous five seasons. Look for him to approach the 30-goal mark if he stays healthy. Vince Dunn is also entering a contract year and the last time he was in one, he hit 64 points. The veteran defenseman has also scored at least 11 goals in his last four seasons so look for these two to connect on the powerplay quite a bit this season.
8. Calgary Flames – Calgary is another team that does not have a ton of fantasy appeal, but again, someone has to play and score. Simon Nemec and Zayne Parekh should patrol the blue line for most of the game so they have the most appeal as some deeper options.

What does your Western Conference look like this season? Let me know on Twitter @LAM1926. Don't be afraid to ask for any lineup or trade advice either. Have a great week!