The NHL may have just ended just about a month ago but after a hectic free agency period on July 1^st along with a busy 2009 NHL Entry Draft, there is already excitement building for next year.

While the Detroit Red Wings are always a stalwart in the Western Conference, a lot of people are wondering how they will bounce back from the losses of several key members.

For starters, the Red Wings lost Marian Hossa, who was one of the team’s most lethal scorers and beyond that, they also lost a number of key contributors like Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson.

That a good line’s worth of forwards that the Red Wings trimmed and while franchises like the Red Wings typically just reload instead of rebuild, they are still going to miss those players.

With Hossa heading to the Red Wings, the Chicago Blackhawks now might be considered as the northbet.com favorite in the West.

They met the Red Wings in the conference finals and fell short, but now with Hossa, could be a more complete team. They had Martin Havlat on their roster and he was constantly hurt. Hossa is clearly an upgrade and could put the Blackhawks over the top.

The difference with Hossa in the lineup won’t even more points in the box score, it could mean a few more points in the standings. And if the Red Wings drop back in the standings, the Blackhawks could have home-ice advantage in next year’s West final.