Top 10 NHL Stanley Cup Contenders 2014-15 Season: Preseason Edition

There is no doubt the New York Rangers are going to suffer from a Stanley Cup hangover. They lost a brutal series to the Kings in which they easily could have won the three games they lost. They lost a lot of depth this summer and might have to rely on some unproven players to fill the holes. With Henrik Lundqvist in net, however, the Rangers are still going to compete in a relatively weak Eastern Conference.

The Minnesota Wild are one of the most underrated teams in the NHL. They have incredible veterans and upcoming stars. With this being said, however, their goaltending situation is a mess. They have four goalies who can play legit minutes, but none of them have run away with the job. If the Wild get consistent goalie play, they could be a top five team in the West.

Acquiring Ryan Kesler to play behind Ryan Getzlaf was an amazing move by the Anaheim Ducks. They have some serious firepower up front, but the goaltending is a real question mark. We all know Bruce Boudreau loves to run and gun, but this team will need to play better defense in order to get out of the second round this year.

There is only one word to describe the San Jose Sharks' offseason: weird. They said they were going to change things but changed absolutely nothing. There is a lot of turmoil internally in San Jose, but they still have an abundance of talent on the ice. This could be the year they win it all if they don't implode internally before the playoffs start.

Sidney Crosby is still the best player in the world, so the Pittsburgh Penguins still have a shot to win the cup. However, they need to get over the hump in the postseason to win their second cup in the Crosby era. Marc-Andre Fleury is always an enigma, and the Penguins took some hits to their blue line, but they should still be among the top in the Eastern Conference come April.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are becoming the sexy pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final. They got better on defense by adding Anton Stralman, added good role players like Brian Boyle and will have Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop healthy. They have some great young guns coming up as well, and they should be a real threat in the East.

The Boston Bruins salary situation is murky to say the least, but they are still an excellent team. They have mastered the art of rolling four lines, and have one of the best goalies in the league in Tuukka Rask. Their scoring might dip a little this year, but they should still be the Eastern Conference's best team.

The St. Louis Blues bolstered their offense by signing Paul Stastny and giving David Backes a chance to be a No. 2 center, a role that suits him better. The goalie situation is questionable, but the Blues play such good defense that it should make up for whatever lack of goaltending they have.

As long as guys like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are in town, the Blackhawks are always going to compete. The end of this run is in sight as players like Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are leaving their prime, but they are still geared up for one more run at the Cup. They need Brad Richards to have an excellent season to match up with all the big centers out west.

The LA Kings are entering a rare discussion for NHL franchises; are they a dynasty? One more Stanley Cup and they will be. The scary part about the Kings is they bring back almost everyone who helped them win last year. The young players like Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson are going to get better and they have some absolute studs like Drew Doughty. It's hard to see the Kings losing if everyone stays healthy.