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Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele (L) celebrates his first period goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammate forward Ben Maxwell (49) during the first period of NHL pre-season action in Winnipeg September 20, 2011.FRED GREENSLADE/Reuters

Now that the NHL has a new 10-year CBA, puck-drop is just around the corner. Below is a look at the changes each team has made since the end of the 2012 season.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

2011-12: 35-37-10, missed playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

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Given their fast starts in recent years, the shortened NHL season will doubtless imbue Leafs Nation with the notion that this could be their year. Not to win the Cup, mind. After seven consecutive seasons of sitting at home when Lord Stanley's big dance commences – the longest such drought in the league – just making the playoffs would be deemed an overwhelming triumph and might well be a necessity for general manager and president Brian Burke to keep his job.

Say hello to …

F James van Riemsdyk, F Keith Aucoin, F Jay McClement

Say goodbye to …

D Luke Schenn, G Jonas Gustavsson, F Colby Armstrong, F Joey Crabb, D Jeff Finger, F Jay Rosehill

Top prospect – Nazem Kadri

The former first-round pick's time to shine is now, and given the (inevitable) hype surrounding this offensive talent, Leafs fans will demand nothing less. He has a few years of pro experience under his belt now, and despite jibes about his conditioning from some quarters, is starting to throw his weight around in the AHL, averaging just under a point a game.

NHLers abroad during lockout:

D Cody Franson (Brynas, Sweden), F Mikhail Grabovski (CSKA Moscow, KHL), D Carl Gunnarson (Orebro, Sweden), F Nikolai Kulemin (Metallurg, KHL), F Joffrey Lupul (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, KHL), F Clarke MacArthur (ETC Crimmitschau, Germany).

MONTREAL CANADIENS

2011-12: 31-35-16, missed playoffs.

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Finishing last in the Eastern Conference is never a good thing, but it's a catastrophe in a city that has seen 24 Stanley Cup parades. Luckily the dark clouds of last season seem to have dissipated somewhat, and the arrival of former NHLer Marc Bergevin as general manager and the reinstatement of Michel Therrien behind the bench for his second go-round in Montreal point to brighter days ahead, not to mention the selection of Alex Galchenyuk with the third overall pick – a player some experts feel may turn out to be the best player in the 2012 draft. Now they just need to get Sportsnet analyst P.K. Subban under contract and back to his day job of patrolling the Habs' blueline.

Say hello to …

F Colby Armstrong, F Brandon Prust, G Cedrick Desjardins, D François Bouillon

Say goodbye to …

D Chris Campoli, F Mathieu Darche, F Brad Staubitz

Top prospect – Alex Galchenyuk

It might not be from the get-go, but eventually the third overall pick in the 2012 draft will be looked upon to fill the Canadiens' seemingly eternal search for a dominating centre with size and skills. At 6 foot 1, he's not exactly a behemoth, but he's an upgrade on the what he can do with the puck in the recent world junior championship, registering two goals and six assists as the United States rolled to just its third gold medal in the event.

NHLers abroad during lockout

F David Desharnais (HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Switzerland), D Raphael Diaz (Zug, Switzerland), F Lars Eller (JYP, Finland), D Alexei Emelin (Ak Bars Kazan, KHL), D Tomas Kaberle (Kladno, Czech Republic), D Andrei Markov (Vityaz Chekhov, KHL), F Tomas Plekanec (Kladno, Czech Republic), D Yannick Weber (Geneva-Servette, Switzerland)

OTTAWA SENATORS

2011-12: 41-31-10, lost in first round of playoffs.

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The 2011-12 Ottawa Senators surprised nearly everyone by qualifying for the postseason as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, before pushing the New York Rangers all the way to Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs. Rookie coach Paul MacLean was widely lauded for getting standout years from many of his stars, including Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek. But no one did more than defenceman Erik Karlsson, whose 78 points earned him the Norris Trophy and a new seven-year, $45-million deal. How Karlsson handles NHL superstardom and MacLean's continued ability to push the right buttons will go a long way to determining whether the Senators take another step forward or slide backward in their quest to return to the league's elite.

Say hello to …

F Guillaume Latendresse, D Michael Lundin, D Marc Methot

Say goodbye to …

F Bobby Butler, F Nick Foligno, G Alex Auld, D Matt Carkner, D Matt Gilroy, F Rob Klinkhammer, F Zenon Konopka, D Filip Kuba

Top prospect – Jakob Silfverberg

The Swedish winger introduced himself to Senators fans with a two-game sortie on the team's fourth line in last season's Stanley Cup playoffs, but given his play in the AHL this year, he clearly has designs on a spot higher up the pecking order. With 13 goals and 15 assists on Binghamton's top line, Silfverberg has earned comparisons with Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson, and provided his hot hand doesn't drop off, he may find himself suiting up alongside his countryman when the big club opens its season.

NHLers abroad during lockout

F Erik Condra (EV Fussen, Germany), F Kaspars Daugavins (Dinamo Riga, KHL), D Sergei Gonchar (Metallurg, KHL), F Colin Greening (Aalborg, Denmark), D Erik Karlsson (Jokerit, Finland), F Milan Michalek (Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic), F Peter Regin (SC Langenthal, Switzerland), F Jason Spezza (Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland), F Kyle Turris (Karpat, Finland), F Jesse Winchester (TuTo, Finland)

WINNIPEG JETS

2011-12: 37-35-10, missed playoffs for the fifth consecutive season (first four as Atlanta Thrashers).

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Winnipeg's first NHL season in 15 years was an overwhelming success, except in the standings, where its 11th-place Eastern Conference finish was all too reminiscent of the majority of the years the franchise spent in Atlanta as the Thrashers. The offence was middle of the pack, but that stands to take a decided upswing this season, thanks to the signings of centre Olli Jokinen, winger Alexei Ponikarovsky and the likely promotion of centre Mark Scheifele, who had a productive world junior tournament in Russia, scoring five goals and three assists in six games. Given the defensive woes (26th overall in goals against), the Jets are likely counting on surviving shootouts to better last season's finish.

Say hello to …

F Olli Jokinen, F Alexei Ponikarovsky, G Al Montoya, G Mark Dekanich, F Maxime Macenauer

Say goodbye to …

F Tanner Glass, F Eric Fehr, D Mark Flood, G Chris Mason, F Tim Stapleton, D Randy Jones

Top prospect – Mark Scheifele

Jets fans were likely salivating at the play of the Barrie Colts' centre during the world juniors, where he put up five goals and three assists in six games for Team Canada, and he will be given every chance to nail down a roster spot at Winnipeg's training camp.

NHLers abroad during lockout

F Nik Antropov (Barys Astana, KHL), D Tobias Enstrom (EC Red Bull Salzburg, Austria), F Eric Fehr (HPK, Finland), F Antti Miettinen (HPK, Finland), G Ondrej Pavelec (Bili Tygri Liberec, Czech Republic), F Alexei Ponikarovsky (Donbass, KHL), F Blake Wheeler (EHC Red Bull Munchen, Germany)

CALGARY FLAMES

2011-12: 37-29-16, missed playoffs for third consecutive season.

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While it seems apparent to everybody that the Flames need to embrace a full-scale rebuild, the Calgary braintrust is not so easily swayed and will continue to stay the course. Exactly what that course is is not immediately apparent after three straight seasons of missing the postseason, but general manager Jay Feaster remains unfazed, adding some more pieces to the puzzle in the hope that the big picture reveals springtime hockey.

Say hello to …

F Jiri Hudler, F Roman Cervenka, D Dennis Wideman

Say goodbye to …

D Scott Hannan, F Olli Jokinen, F Tom Kostopoulos, F Pierre-Luc Létourneau-Leblond, F David Moss, F Raitis Ivanans

Top prospect – Sven Baertschi

The hopes were already high for the 13th overall pick in the 2011 draft, but three goals in five games in a late-season callup last year sent the hype machine into overdrive. The Swiss winger has been similarly prolific in the AHL during the lockout, registering 18 points in 21 games, although he missed nearly five weeks with a neck/head injury.

NHLers abroad during lockout

D Anton Babchuk (HC Donbass, KHL), F Mikael Backlund (Vasteras, Sweden), F Roman Cervenka (Slavia Praha, Czech Republic), F Jiri Hudler (Lev Praha, KHL)

EDMONTON OILERS

2011-12: 32-40-10, missed playoffs for sixth consecutive season.

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Given the calibre of young prospects coming through the Oilers' pipeline these days, chemistry will be the name of the game for this team to return to the playoffs. In many ways, Edmonton will be ahead of the curve, having had forwards Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, along with free-agent defenceman Justin Schultz, developing on the farm club in Oklahoma City. The early returns have been good, with Eberle twice being named AHL player of the month and sitting just three points clear of the rookie Schultz in the overall scoring race. And if that wasn't enough, they'll be able to add first overall pick Nail Yakupov to the mix in Edmonton.

Say hello to …

D Justin Schultz

Say goodbye to …

D Cam Barker, D Taylor Chorney, F Josh Green

Top prospect – Justin Schultz

The Oilers were falling over themselves for the chance to sign the former Anaheim Ducks draft pick last summer. After a standout career at the University of Wisconsin, the defenceman decided to take his talents to Edmonton and the results have been spectacular. With 18 goals and 30 assists in 34 games, the rookie has flirted with the AHL scoring lead for much of the season and has to be confident about taking his first steps at the next level.

NHLers abroad during lockout

F Sam Gagner (Klagenfurter AC, Austria), F Ales Hemsky (Pardubice, Czech Republic), F Lennart Petrell (HIFK, Finland), D Corey Potter (Vienna, Austria), D Ladislav Smid (Bili Tygri Liberec, Czech Republic), F Nail Yakupov (Neftekhimik, KHL)

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

2011-12: 51-22-9, lost in first round of playoffs.

Top story

After back-to-back Presidents' Trophies, the Canucks are still amongst the NHL's elite, but the Stanley Cup window won't stay open forever. Last year's first-round playoff exit to the Kings showed the importance of having both Sedins fit and healthy, and even with the Roberto Luongo soap opera yet to play itself out, Vancouver's time to win is now.

Say hello to …

D Jason Garrison, D Derek Joslin

Say goodbye to …

F Byron Bitz, F Sami Pahlsson, F Steven Reinprecht, D Aaron Rome, D Sami Salo, F Mark Mancari

Top prospect – Zack Kassian

The principal return in last season's Cody Hodgson trade to Buffalo, Kassian was not the missing piece that the Canucks felt they had to have to win the Stanley Cup. While he is undoubtedly a tougher competitor than Hodgson, his three-point return in 17 games following the trade did little to improve the public opinion on the deal, and though he's still young, the onus is now on Kassian to prove that he was worth the gamble.

NHLers abroad during lockout

F Jannik Hansen (Tappara, Finland)

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