Winnipeg Jets insider gives his NHL western conference prediction

Mike McIntyre, a sports insider for the Free Press recently conducted a Q&A and gave his predictions for the western conference next season.

McIntyre: A great question. No doubt there are 16 teams in the Western Conference that believe they have improved since last season. But that's simply not possible. The fun of the off-season is trying to predict who goes forward, who goes back and who might be stuck in neutral.

With that being said, here is my very unofficial, please-don't-hold-this-against-me power rankings as of this moment.

Based on last year, this would have Utah and St. Louis replacing Vegas and Los Angeles as playoff teams. I also believe there will be much more parity in the West, as Anaheim, Chicago and San Jose are all trending upwards and should be much more competitive.

The Winnipeg Jets are still considered to be in the "mushy middle" but are still believed to be playoff contenders. If the Winnipeg Jets manage to keep their head above water heading into the post season, perhaps a deadline acquisition could help the team get through the first round.

source: The Free Press
Perfetti's contract status, Ehlers' future are hot topics in Jetsville