This story appears in ESPN The Magazines October 17 Great Debates Issue. Subscribe today!LOOKING FOR A Stanley Cup winner? Start with the regular season. For that we turn to Hockey Prospectus VUKOTA, a system that uses past performance to project a teams goal differential. Barry Melrose and I faced off on the predictions -- and give our Cup picks.EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic DivisionMATTHEW COLLER:?The Lightning would have seen a dip in their ranking if they had lost superstar Steven Stamkos; instead they bring back all the key players on a roster that was one win from the Stanley Cup finals. This is their time to finally break through. The Panthers should also improve their possession statistics and take some pressure off 2014 No. 1 pick Aaron Ekblad. But VUKOTA throws one big curveball in the Atlantic: Ottawa. Most see the Senators at the back of the field, but the numbers hint that they could be a breakout team with the addition of center Derick Brassard and key young players such as Curtis Lazar and Cody Ceci starting to come into their prime.BARRY MELROSE:?I just think Tampa Bay is great. If Steven Stamkos stays healthy, youve also got Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman -- and the defense is great. The Lightning will score goals. And theyve got two strong goaltenders. This is the year theyll win it.Metropolitan DivisionMATTHEW COLLER: Alex Ovechkin still wants to raise the Cup, and Sidney Crosby just won his second title. The consensus on Columbus is that itll be at the bottom of the league, but the projections tell another story. If the Jackets get the Vezina Trophy version of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, we could see them in the mix for a playoff spot. The Devils got much-deserved praise for making the best trade of the offseason -- dealing young defenseman Adam Larsson to the Oilers for LW Taylor Hall, the 2010 No.?1. But they didnt plug the hole left on D or improve the rest of the roster enough to seriously contend.BARRY MELROSE: Washington has a high talent level. In the regular season, the Caps have always been very, very strong. I dont see any reason for them to fall off. Their star players are still at that age where theyre in their prime.WESTERN CONFERENCECentral DivisionMATTHEW COLLER:?Winnipeg has a great chance to go from last in the Central to one of the best teams in the league. Not only will the goaltending be improved with Connor Hellebuyck getting a a chance to step up, but the Jets also have an outstanding group of rising players and prospects wholl make an impact, including No.?2 pick Patrik Laine, a right winger. Its possible the Predators would have been No. 1 with better goaltending. The projections leave little doubt: The Central is the most competitive division in the league, with only three points separating top from bottom.BARRY MELROSE: I like Winnipeg. Ive been raving about the Jets players. Mark Scheifele is awesome; this Patrik Laine kid is fantastic. Youve got Blake Wheeler. The defense is solid with Dustin Byfuglien. Connor Hellebuyck looks like hes a pretty good goaltender.Pacific DivisionMATTHEW COLLER:?The Sharks are still the best team, barring a major drop-off from veterans like Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. After them, its a toss-up. Anaheim looks vulnerable due to a combination of aging stars and questionable forward depth. Edmonton is a team on the rise but maybe a season away, as Connor McDavid could become the best player in the league. A coaching change should help Calgary maximize its young skill players talents. The Coyotes probably arent ready to run with the best teams in the division, but the numbers hint that they could be in the mix. As for Vancouver? The Canucks are in desperate need of a rebuild.BARRY MELROSE: Id put the Ducks ahead of Calgary. Corey Perry is fantastic. Sami Vatanen has been very good. Ryan Kesler is still a pretty good player. Are they getting older? Yeah. But I still think they are one of the top three teams in that division.*Projected wild card berth Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. China Wholesale Jerseys . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. http://www.cheapwholesalechinanfljerseys.com/ Cheap NBA Jerseys China . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia coach Tony Bennett said Sunday that kicking heralded transfer forward Austin Nichols off the team was a difficult decision but the right thing for his No. 8 Cavaliers and for Nichols.Bennett dismissed Nichols, who was expected to anchor Virginias interior offense, on Friday night. He gave no reason other than a violation of team rules, but he had also suspended the 6-foot-9 redshirt junior from two scrimmages and the Cavaliers season-opener at UNCG for an unspecified team rules violation.As a coach, you dont want to do hard things, unless you think its the right thing for your team and for a young man involved, Bennett said after Virginia beat Yale 62-38. Its just one of those situations. We always talk about theres a standard we have. Certainly showing compassion and grace, but theres also accountability and truth that comes with every situation, and with this case, thats how we dealt with it with Austin. I love Austin. My hope is that this will be a turning point for him and hell take the right steps.Nichols, one of the most coveted transfers following the 20114-15 season, averaged 13.dddddddddddd3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks as a sophomore at Memphis. He sat out last year and played in just one game this year, scoring 11 points against St. Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday.The past few days have been stressful, Bennett said.Thats the stuff you dont like about coaching, but thats the necessary stuff thats far more impactful and lasting to the guys in the program, those decisions you make, he said. Hopefully itll make a difference in the big picture. I dont have it all figured out and Ive made so many mistakes in my own life, but Im hoping that were doing the right things, the wise things for Austins case, for the young men in our program and that well keep taking the right steps forward. I just want to hopefully lead them well and our staff and go forward.But yeah, not easy, not at all. Been hard, for sure.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr Cheap NFL T-shirts Discount Jerseys Wholesale NFL Gear Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping China Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic ' ' '