upside from all of the down years in Arizona. It will still take a few years, I expect, but with some of the offseason additions, especially to their top pairing defensemen, they have a chance to be a bubble team as early as this year.

For most middle-tier NHL teams, the line between winning and losing is pretty thin, so if a few pucks bounce your way and you have a healthy season, anything can happen.

I think Utah could be a middle-tier NHL team next season, though I still expect they'll be on the lower end of that and likely outside of the bubble for a wild card.