Dave: C- Although they remain the best team in the NHL, they have struggled of late. They went on an eight game losing streak not long ago and have still not completely gotten themselves out of the funk. They got a pretty good defensive player in Brad Stuart at the trade deadline but that won’t be enough to light the fire under the skates of these guys. Brian Rafalski, captain Nic Lidstrom and the fossil that holds what once was the remains of Chris Chelios are all injured so they definitely needed to make a move on D but they needed more.

Jeff: D This team has really struggled and to think that Brad Stuart is the solution to all of their problems is ridiculous. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dallas passes them in the standings.

Dave: A++ I didn’t realize how close the Stars were to being the class of the West. My mistake. Don’t sleep on this team. They thought they were one player away from beating the Red Wings and they found their man; Brad Richards. The Stars are a great defensive team and now Mike Modano has a playmaker to score goals with. Look for Dallas to make a serious push to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Jeff: A++. This team was already great and to add a player of Brad Richards’ caliber is huge. He will do wonders for that already explosive offense, which will likely result in the President’s Trophy. Great contender to hoist Lord Stanley.

Dave: C The Wild are already a pretty tough team so I’m not too sure what the thought process was behind acquiring wild child Chris Simon from the Islanders but kudos to New York for getting him off their hands, he’s a heap of trouble both on and off the ice. They probably could have used another scoring forward to distance themselves from the Calgary Flames who are hot on their tail.

Jeff: A - The Wild did not really do anything, and for good reason. They added the convict Chris Simon from the Isles. Why? I’m not really sure, but the team was already solid.

Dave: B I dig the non-move from the Ducks. They are already a strong team and recently got Teemu Selanne to come out of retirement and he is just getting hot. They might not repeat, but the Ducks are just as big a force in the West as they were last year.

Jeff: B. The defending Stanley Cup Champions did not really add much to their team and can you really blame them? They won the Cup last year. I do, however, give them a B because they traded Andy McDonald away earlier in the season, which left me scratching my head.

Dave: A+ The Sharks were already a scary good team. They added one of the most sought after defensemen in Brian Campbell. His ability to move the puck will only help the Sharks score more goals. They are pretty good on the other side of the puck (and got better defensively with Campbell also) and have a great goaltender in Evgeni Nabakov.

Jeff: A The Sharks added coveted defenseman Brian Campbell from the Sabres to help shore up their defense. Great move, did not seem like they gave up a lot except for the fact that Bernier scored 2 goals and added an assist in his first game with his new team. They should be a tough team come playoff time.