ctober 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 performan

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 Los Angeles Rams Jerseys Brandon Allen Jersey . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). http://www.footballramsshop.us/authentic-marcus-peters-rams-jersey/ . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. Aqib Talib Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Brandin Cooks Rams Jersey .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit.The body which owns and runs Londons Olympic Stadium has been ordered to publish the terms of its lease with West Ham United. The Premier League club has been granted a 99-year lease on the stadium starting next season.The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and the Hammers had wanted the details of the agreement to remain private, with the former appealing against an earlier decision ordering full financial terms to be published. The LLDC still has one more right of appeal in a bid to overturn the decision of the Information Commissioner.Among the information not yet made public is:How much has the stadium cost West Ham to hire?What are its maintenance costs?What happens if the club is sold by its current owners? West Ham revealed plans for giant screens around the exterior of the Olympic Stadium last month The LLDC will now decide whether to make one final appeal against the decision of the Information Commissioner.An LLDC spokesperson said: We are disappointed by the Tribunals decision. We have already published the vast majority of the contract and only undertook this appeal following very clear legal advice that to release the remaining details could significantly impact the Stadiums ability to act competitively. The ruling will result in significant challenges given the commercial realities of a highly competitive market, which could amount to many millions of pounds being lost over the term of a 99-year deal. We are considering the judgement very carefully before we decide on the next steps to take.However, West Ham insist they are happy for the publication of the lease while reiterating the positive impact the move will have on the local area.A West Ham United spokeesman said: We have always been clear that we have nothing to hide and, aside from the private details of our shareholders, we would be happy for the whole contract to be published.dddddddddddd. West Ham will leave their home at Upton Park at the end of the season Although todays ruling against the LLDC does not affect West Ham United in any way and we were not party to the original application or indeed the appeal, we understand the LLDCs concern that it could impact on their ability to negotiate future contracts.It should be remembered that West Ham United were named anchor concessionaire of the Stadium after a fair, transparent and robust process open to any organisation in the world. We were unanimously chosen as we offered the best deal for the taxpayer and the only option for a true and lasting legacy for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.Our increase in capacity to 60,000 means we will bring 1.5 million visitors to the park each year, demonstrating the unique and vital role we will play in the Stadiums ongoing success.Put simply, without West Ham United, the former Olympic Stadium would cost the taxpayer millions of pounds a year, with us it will return hundreds of millions of pounds to the public purse over the course of the contract.Both Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient had objected to the use of the stadium by West Ham, while the LLDC has denied that taxpayers money will be used to cover a number of the day-to-day costs required to run the concern. 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