| Ranking (previous) | Team | Commentary | Record |
| 1 (1) |  | They are closing in on the Red Wings for the President's cup and they added the best playmaker available at the deadline. LOOK OUT! | 40-22-5 |
| 2 (7) |  | A great week for the Devils moves them all the way up to the 2 spot and the number one spot in the East. They still can't score yet they have more points than any other team in the East. | 37-21-6 |
| 3 (9) |  | Another big climber in the NHL are the Ducks this week who seem unbeatable right now. With the Red Wings slumping the West is wide open and the defending champs are always going to be the team to beat. | 36-23-7 |
| 4 (2) |  | They still have the most points in the NHL so I will leave them at 4 for now but they are losing at the same rate as the Flyers right now and without their captain for a few more weeks they could keep nose diving. | 42-17-6 |
| 5 (6) |  | They are still looking up at the Devils but adding a former 40+ goal scorer and the return of the defending MVP soon I am sure the Pens can taste home ice advantage. They just need to go out and get it. | 36-21-7 |
| 6 (11) |  | Where did Calgary come from? The Wild were on cruise control but than the Northwest got crazy again. Get back on the carousel because the Wild are dropping and the Flames, Avs, and Canucks are alive. | 33-22-9 |
| 7 (3) |  | Ottawa can't care about the 1 seed right now because their only worry is holding off the Habs who are surging. The difference between a 2 and 5 is monumental and could mean the difference between winning a cup and not coming close. | 36-22-6 |
| 8 (4) |  | The Canadians really gambled here, they didn't bolster their scoring and they traded their starting goalie. I respect the guts to make those plays but I am not sure if it will pay off. | 34-21-9 |
| 9 (8) |  | Although the trade was not in my top 5 for impact in the NHL, adding Campbell is a great move but right now it looks like the Sharks could get caught in the shuffle and be stuck on the road in the first round and could exit early. That is unless Nabokov gets hot in which case they still have a shot at the cup. | 33-21-8 |
| 10 (13) |  | The Bruins at some points this season were in the bottom 10 but all of a sudden we see them in the top 10 for the first time since the weather was sunny and their was optimism in Philly. The Bruins might not be built for a playoff run though but you can't argue with their play right now. | 33-23-6 |
| 11 (5) |  | The Wild need to catch the Flames if they have any hope in that playoff run I predicted for them. They have the ability to grind any team down in 7 games but if they have to do it from the 6 or 7 seed than it is going to be to much to ask. | 34-24-5 |
| 12 (12) |  | With the carousel back in effect the Canucks need to get hot and make it to the 3 seed or they will face the same fate as the rest of the low seeds in the West. | 32-22-8 |
| 13 (14) |  | It pains me to say so but the Rangers are a scary team right now. They are hot, in line to play a weak division winner in the first round, and enough talent for a playoff run. If another New York team wins an underdog championship you might see an end to the Sports Kids faith in a higher power. | 32-24-8 |
| 14 (16) |  | The Avs have heart again and Ryan Smyth played a SICK game to beat the Flames Tuesday night. With the Stanley Cup Avs back together (minus the Hall of Fame goalie) Ryan Smyth could be what this team needs to surge into the playoffs. | 32-26-6 |
15 (10) |  | The Avalanche resurgence is the worst news possible as the Predators are adjusting their rearview mirrors. Nashville is going to need to kick it into another gear if they want to keep there playoff hopes alive. | 32-24-8 | | 16 (19) |  | Don't tell Phoenix they won't make the playoffs. Since I counted them out last week Phoenix has gotten points in every game they played. | 32-26-5 |
| 17 (18) |  | The Flyers will jump Buffalo this week as it looks like the two teams will go head to head for the 8th and final playoff spot. As of right now it is advantage Flyers but the two teams will lock up again in early March. Hopefully by that time the Flyers will have remembered how to win in regulation. | 31-25-7 |
| 18 (17) |  | The Sabres were losers at the trade deadline and losers in a huge showdown against the Flyers sending them to 9th in the conference. The sky is beginning to get dark on the Sabres season. | 30-24-9 |
| 19 (22) |  | Speaking of teams who will be looking at the teams behind them the rest of the season, each division in the East is going to be an exciting race down to the last week, even if the Hurricanes are barely out of the top 10 right now. Washington made some solid deadline moves and should be making a play at the Canes in the up coming weeks. | 33-28-5 |
| 20 (15) |  | Hope for the Blues was fluctuating all season but at this point I think it is safe to say this team will finish out of the playoffs again. | 28-25-10 |
21 (23) |  | Some great deadline moves could fire up Alexander the Great enough to get off his scoring slump. | 29-27-8 | 22 (21) |  | Spoiler alert: No I am not going to tell you something that already happened I am saying watch out for Rick Nash and his boys to play spoilers to the Sharks and Canadians this week, they already did to the Canadians. | 29-26-9 | 23 (20) |  | How quickly playoff hopes can slip away when you have back to back games against the Atlantic wrecking crew of New Jersey and Pittsburgh. | 30-27-7 | 24 (24) |  | So Chicago adds another young gun to add to Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp as an emerging star. Keep an eye on Andrew Ladd in the seasons to come because as soon as this team gets its goaltending woes figured out they could be going places. | 29-27-6 | 25 (26) |  | How about those never say die Oilers taking it to the Red Wings. Either the Oilers are trying to make a statement that they still can compete or the Red Wings are getting really bad. | 29-30-5 | 26 (29) |  | I am still on the fence about whether I respect Sundin for not wanting to leave the team he made a name for himself at or hate him for not letting the Maple Leafs sell away their star player for young talent. Anyone have a definitive opinion on this? | 27-28-9 | 27 (25) |  | So they traded Marion Hossa and still didn't get a solid young defender? Instead they got young guys with offensive talent. Will the Thrashers ever learn? You can't give up 5 goals a night and be a playoff team! | 29-31-4 | 28 (28) |  | Did I mention how much I loved the Brad Richards trade? That wasn't a team selling away its talent at 50 cents to the dollar, this was a team trading away a piece they didn't need for a piece they did. Watch Mike Smith the rest of the season and next because he is a player. | 25-30-7 | 29 (28) |  | And Olli Jokinen is continued to remain doomed in Florida. | 28-30-7 | 30 (30) |  | The Kings really missed a chance at the deadline to move some old legs. All they got was Alex Picard and a 3rd round pick. This team needs to fill in the gapping holes around there young talent or expect Kopitar to get out of dodge as soon as he can. | 26-34-4 |
