With the NLL season about to begin, everyone starts to ask the question that the next four months will answer. Who will be standing at the end? Let's take a look into the crystal ball and try to provide some insight as to what the future holds.

Toronto Rock
The defending champions are still intact and, until someone proves otherwise, you'd have to consider them favorites to get back to the final. They've been the best team in the league for two and a half seasons and were arguably a tiebreaker away from a three-peat. There are a few unproven netminders backing up Bob Watson so accomplishing that feat could depend on him. They've added size and toughness, if you can believe that. Drew Candy and Craig Gelsvic should be pretty convincing. The team's veterans are a year more battle weary and you always wonder how long a team can sustain greatness without letting a little bit of satisfaction show. Just enough to let the torch get ripped from their clutches. The injection of youth with guys like Jamie Taylor and Chris MacKay might keep the pressure on though.

Rochester Knighthawks
The runners-up may have lost Casey Powell but they still have the best goaltending duo in the game, the best young player in the game, and the most incentive to knock off the champs - revenge. They are hungry … make that starving for another championship. They picked up some young guys from both the college and junior ranks who should raise some eyebrows, but the returning players will be the ones who make their lineup so tough to beat. They'll actually improve an already excellent defense with Andy Turner playing all the games this year. They have depth on both ends of the floor and John Grant Jr. can take over a game when he's at his best.

Washington Power
The team that missed the playoffs on the biggest upset of the year is unlikely to do so again. With Gary and Paul Gait leading a potent offense, no one doubts that there will be an abundance of goals. With two of the best draw men in the league in Rodney Tapp and Paul Cantabene, it might seem like a "make it, take it" game at times. They picked up a number of quality players from the college game despite not having a first round pick. They also added a couple of players from western Canada, and they've improved both offensively and defensively. The key for them will be their young goaltender. If Devin Dalep performs well, this team could be a force.

Philadelphia Wings
The team with the best goalkeeper in the league will always be in the hunt. Dallas Eliuk makes the job of his defenders easier because he can erase some mistakes. Their depth is not there with the other favorites but their special teams could make the difference this year. If the power play unit gels they could make teams pay for every mistake. They have four guys over 210 pounds, all of which are over 6'2", and two of them are decent faceoff men. That kind of size could make it tough to penetrate on a penalty kill. See also, "Toronto Rock. " Jeff Ratcliffe might make a splash as a rookie.

Buffalo Bandits
The team with the league MVP will also be in the hunt if they can get their top goalie back in the fold. Matt Disher has a life in British Columbia and wants to be flown in for the weekends. The team wants him to stay in town all season. Without him, they would have to rely on Phil Weatherup -- while Phil had a great summer in Canada, winning the Mann Cup, he is still unproven at this level. He surprised fans in Ontario but it will be tough to repeat the process. Ryan Powell is the most intriguing rookie. Can the best player in college adjust better than his brother did? This team is just as good as last year but everybody else got better and that might make them miss the playoffs.

Albany Attack
The expansion team that came within a whisker of making the playoffs is on the bubble again. Ted Dowling is this team's only true superstar. When you look at the roster no one else really stands out but everyone is good. One surprise to me was the first draft pick. Terry Sanderson makes no effort to hide that he doesn't care for the field game at all. Mike Regan is an American field player from Butler. Mike is from the Albany suburb of Loudonville. At first glance that seems like a "corporate" pick but Regan is a gifted player and his coach is the best possible teacher of the box game. Terry was a warrior as a player and now he breeds warriors. He played hurt, he studied the game hard, and he left everything on the floor. He gets that from his players. His team will overachieve, period.

New York Saints
The most improved team in the league cannot be counted out anymore. In years past, they could be competitive in just about any game but not over the course of the season. Sal LoCascio was a major part of the reason why they were in any given game. He is the only American-grown goalie to become a star in the box game. He is also a major part of the reason why they are now playoff contenders as the head coach. He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. He will only care about winning. So if critics say that the "Islanders" are still just a field team in disguise, guess again. They picked up a lot of size, four players from the first two rounds of the draft, and Gee Nash is ready to be the man. He is box-style stopper and field-style passer in one. They added a few other Canadians, and Onondaga's Gewas Schindler will make the Wings sorry for trading him. They have depth and a couple of studs in Roy Colsey and Mark Frye.

Columbus Landsharks
The expansion team had an excellent draft and boasts a strong Native presence. Marty Cooper got the best offensive player in the draft with Tracey Kelusky and the best defensive player in the draft with Marshall Abrams (who can score, too). They picked up Mann Cup MVP Nick Trudeau, a solid goalie in Curtis Palidwor, and a good face off man in Rory Graham. Mike Benedict is a prolific scorer and Matt Giles provides size and scoring. A couple of young players to keep an eye on will be Bruce Codd and Jason Henhawk. This team will be competitive and might ruin someone's season. They could be a playoff contender in just a year or two if they shore up their defense with a more physical presence.

Ottawa Rebel
The worst team in the league last year was unable to improve. They were moved in the eleventh hour, deprived of key draft picks courtesy of the former owners, and were only able to retain half of last year's players who actually had some talent. They replaced them with an influx of youth and a few veterans of the Western Lacrosse Association (British Columbia). The consolation prize of Gavin Prout will probably be taken away by expansion. How is that fair? Gavin and the players they lost could have made them a decent team. They have a few players that will be fun to watch, a good goaltender and a respectable power play but basically maintain an unenviable level of play.

This league's got parity...
The fact that seven of nine teams have legitimate post season hopes and even the expansion team looks pretty good says a lot about how good this year is going to be. It would seem that the playoffs actually start next week. I can't wait for the season-long elimination tournament to begin!