"Everybody anticipated with the salary cap that it would level the playing field, and definitely thats the case. Kenny Phillips Jersey. I think thats what makes it exciting for the fans coming to the game. On any given night, anybody can beat anybody else." -- Pierre McGuire If you polled 100 experts before the start of last season, 99 of them wouldve picked the Detroit Red Wings to return to the Stanley Cup Final. The defending champions made it through that offseason mostly intact and added world-class sniper Marian Hossa, making the prediction a no-brainer. Fast forward to the eve of the 2009-10 season, its hard to find the "it" team that hockey experts agree will dominate the NHL landscape. The Philadelphia Flyers made a pair of bold moves, acquiring defenseman Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks and signing goaltender Ray Emery. But after spending last season in Russia because NHL teams didnt want to take a chance on the troubled netminder, is Emery going to be the weak link or the final piece of the puzzle? "I think Philadelphia, if Ray Emery can keep it on the rails, will be very, very tough to beat," said TSN and NBC analyst Pierre McGuire. "Theyre true to their roots, arent they?" said CBC and NBC analyst Mike Milbury. "They bring in a guy like Pronger and hes going to be a huge part of that. The question mark is the goaltender, as its been for 30 years with Philadelphia. And its a gutsy proposition to go with a guy who wasnt in the League last year and faced challenging issues." And you cant forget about the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Theyre looking to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third-consecutive season and have the weapons to do just that. But will the losses of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi on defense be enough to keep them from repeating? NHL INSIDER The wait is over; HNIC returns Thursday Dave Lozo - NHL.com Staff Writer Want a sure sign that the long, hot summer is over? Thursday night Hockey Night in Canada returns to CBC with a Toronto-Montreal, Vancouver-Calgary doubleheader. READ MORE › TSN stints helps get coaches back on the ice Kleinendorst likes his first look at NTDP Stairs plays baseball, but hockey is still his first love MORE NHL INSIDER STORIES › One thing is for sure - in todays game, its getting harder to figure out whos a contender and whos a pretender. "Everybody anticipated with the salary cap that it would level the playing field, and definitely thats the case," McGuire said. "I think thats what makes it exciting for the fans coming to the game. On any given night, anybody can beat anybody else." "Today, I have a much harder time to choosing the good teams than the bad teams than 25 years ago because theres so much parity," said Hockey Night in Canada analyst Kelly Hrudey. The lack of clarity on the upcoming season is just as prevalent in the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks have been among the NHLs elite in recent years, but have had their obvious problems when the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. Will the acquisition of Dany Heatley be enough to finally push coach Todd McLellans group to the next level? "I think Dany Heatley is the guy to put them over the top," said TSN and ESPN analyst Matthew Barnaby, who also said he sees Washington coming out of the East this year. "I think Todd McLellan wants to break it down and say you know what, we have underachieved and we have to get to the next level. And I think Dany Heatley has something to prove. And playing with Joe Thornton, I think theyre going to be magical together and have a great year." The general consensus among those who watch and break down hockey for a living is the top five teams in the West (San Jose, Detroit, Chicago, Calgary, Vancouver) from last season will again be the teams to beat this season and just about anyone else in the conference can land those final three playoff spots. The team that many feel can make the climb into the playoffs this year is the Los Angeles Kings. "I think L.A. is going to make a huge improvement," McGuire said. "I like the direction theyre going. I think their young players are starting to evolve. "Dustin Brown is one of the best young leaders in the game and hes one of the most ferocious hitters in the game. I can tell you right now if you called (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi today and said I want to make a trade for Dustin Brown, hed say untouchable, cant have him." "Not only does the organization feel that for the first time in a long time they have a really strong core than can really compete against the other organizations, but their players believe it," Hrudey said. "Today, I have a much harder time to choosing the good teams than the bad teams than 25 years ago because theres so much parity." - Kelly Hrudey Former Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette, who now works in-studio for TSN, knows better than anyone that no matter how long youve been involved with the game, all the experts can do is make educated guesses. When Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006, Laviolettes team wasnt on any of the so-called experts radars. "If you talk to any of the teams right now, theyre all the team to beat," Laviolette said. "The year we won the Cup, people were having this conversation and they were picking us 29th and 30th." Will there be a team like the 06 Hurricanes that shocks the world this season? Will the Penguins make it three straight trips to the Final? All of your questions will start to be answered when the curtain raises on the 2009-10 season Thursday night. Contact Dave Lozo at dlozo@nhl.com.