Forman Faceoff Top 5 - Boston Bruins

Best Overall Player - Patrice Bergeron (2014/15 Stats - 81 GP: 23 G, 32 A, 55 P, +2)

Bergeron has all of the qualities of a franchise center and has the career resume to back it up: a Stanley Cup (2011) , 2 Olympic Golds (2010, 2014), a World Junior Gold (2005) and a World Hockey Championship Gold (2004). He is the reigning 2-time winner of the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL, including winning the award 3 of the last 4 years. The Bruins are a team going through a lot of changes and Bergeron remains one of few of the core guys left and by far their best player.

Best Goal Scorer - Patrice Bergeron

The Bruins really don't have one elite sniper, especially since Jarome Iginla left last summer. Brad Marchand lead the Bruins with 24 goals this past season but I wouldn't say he is the Bruins best goal scorer because he is inconsistent. Bergeron would be the Bruins go-to guy if I had to say, with Marchand and Eriksson a close 2nd.

Best Passer - David Krejci (2014/15 Stats - 47 GP: 7 G, 24 A, 31 P, +7)

Now this was a hard one because both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are fantastic passers, in fact two of the better ones in the NHL. I had to give the edge to Krejci simply because he is a pass-first guy. In fact 2 seasons ago Krejci had a career-high 50 assists, so it will be interesting to see what he can do this year if he stays healthy (only 47 games last year). Krejci has great vision on the ice and always seems to find the seam and make that perfect pass, especially on the powerplay.

Best Defenseman - Zdeno Chara (2014/15 Stats - 63GP: 8 G, 12 A, 20 P, EVEN)

Hard to argue this one here, the Bruins are a different team without their Captain in the lineup. Despite getting older and dealing with injuries the last few years, Chara still possesses elite hockey skills that have made him one of the premier defenseman in the NHL the last 10 or so years. Torey Krug might be better offensively but he's got a lot of work to do on the defensive side, and that is where Chara thrives. He is almost impossible to get around and has a freakishly long hockey stick that can poke the puck away from the best of them. With the departure of rising-star Dougie Hamilton it just further solidifies Chara as the Bruins best defenseman.

Best Goalie - Tuukka Rask (2014/15 Stats - 70GP: 34 W, 21 L, 13 OTL, 2.30 GAA, .922 SV%)

Again obvious choice, Rask played a whopping 70 out of 82 games last season and expect him to be around that number again this year. The Bruins were a wildly inconsistent group last season with the exception of Tuukka Rask, who still posted rather good numbers despite missing the playoffs. Rask is one of the elite goalies in the NHL, particularly quick on his feet and down-low is one of the best in the league. It will be interesting to see how both Rask and the Bruins rebound this season.

Next up: Buffalo Sabres

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff

Forman Faceoff Top 5 - Arizona Coyotes

Best Overall Player - Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2014/15 Stats - 82GP: 23 G, 20 A, 43 P, -18)

There is no argument here, Ekman-Larsson is the only all-star that the Coyotes have and by far their best player. Ekman-Larsson is one of the emerging stars on defense in the NHL, especially on the offensive side of the game. Ekman-Larsson had a team-high 23 goals last season, the most by a defenseman in the NHL. With the departure of Keith Yandle and Shane Doan's retirement nearing, this is now Ekman-Larsson's team

Best Goal Scorer - Anthony Ducair (2014/15 Stats - 18GP: 1 G, 6 A, 7 P, +4)

This was a tough one because Ekman-Larsson lead the Coyotes with 23 goals last season and they really don't have one elite goal scorer. I am going with the emerging talent Anthony Duclair, he has the potential to be a 30-goal scorer in the NHL very soon. The Coyotes have a bright future with Duclair, Max Domi and Dylan Strome, but Duclair has the most upside for scoring goals. It remains to be seen how Duclair will do in the NHL, but I have a feeling he will succeed. If he doens't make the team then their best goal scorer is either Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Mikkel Boedker.

Best Passer - Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Part of what makes Ekman-Larsson so good is his patience with the puck, he is takes his time to read the play and is very good at making that first pass. All of this Swedish defenseman are strong two-way players that are excellent puck movers, and Ekman-Larsson is no exception. Ekman-Larsson looks to top 30 assists and 50 points in 2015/16.

Best Defenseman - Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Getting hard to keep writing about Ekman-Larsson, but its the reality that this Coyotes roster lacks big-name players. They have a lot of intriguing prospects and young players so it won't always be like this, but for now its the reality. Ekman-Larsson is by far their best defenseman, he plays in all situations and is a dynamic offensive defenseman. Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes best player at both ends of the ice

Best Goalie - Mike Smith (2014/15 Stats - 62GP: 14 W, 42 L, 5 OTL, 3.16 GAA, .904 SV%)

Smith had easily the worst year of his career and it doesn't help how bad the Coyotes were last season. Smith's career-high for losses in a season was 21 before last year, he doubled that to 42 losses this past season. Hard to imagine because a year and a half ago Smith was good enough to be Canada's 3rd goalie at the Sochi Olympics. Either way Smith will look to rebound this year and hopefully the Coyotes are more competitive team.

Next up: Boston Bruins

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff

Forman Faceoff Top 5 - Anaheim Ducks

I am introducing a new segment/season preview report where I look at the same 5 things on all 30 NHL teams. I am going to breakdown the following things: Best overall player, best goal scorer, best passer, best defenseman, and starting/best goaltender. Starting with the first team alphabetically, the Anaheim Ducks:

1. Best Overall Player - Ryan Getzlaf (2014/15 Stats - 77 GP: 25 G, 45 A, 70 P, +15)

Hard to argue this one, the Ducks Captain is by far their best player and most valuable one as well. He plays all 200-feet of the ice, a guy who plays big minutes and in all situations when his Head Coach Bruce Boudreau needs to lean on him. Getzlaf is consistently a top 10 scorer in the NHL, with 157 points in the last 2 seasons combined, He's a guy that is a nightmare to match up against, it's almost impossible to stop his line once they get going on the cycle. Getzlaf is amongst that group of elite Center's in the NHL today that dominate the game.

2. Best Goal Scorer - Corey Perry (2014/15 Stats - 67 GP: 33 G, 22 A, 55 P, +13)

As good as Getzlaf is, there is no denying that the best goal scorer on the Ducks is Corey Perry. Perry is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, he can score from everywhere and that's what makes him so good. Perry has an extremely deceptive release that tortures NHL goalies, he seems to always score the goals that leave goalies shaking their heads. Perry has 76 goals the last 2 seasons and looks to build on that in 2015/16.

3. Best Passer - Ryan Getzlaf

Part of what makes the duo of Getzlaf and Perry so good is the connection the two have each other on the ice. Getzlaf is one of very few players in the NHL that can make passes from anywhere and in all situations. He seems to have eyes in the back of his head, a guy who reads the entire play before it happens. Getzlaf is not only one of the most skilled players in the NHL but he has tremendous hockey IQ, and that plays a huge part in his ability to make the right pass at the right time. Ducks fans have had the pleasure over the years of watching Getzlaf setup Perry in every possible way, and there is no denying that this will continue for years to come.

4. Best Defenseman - Sami Vatanen (2014/15 Stats - 67 GP: 12 G, 25 A, 37 P, +5)

This was a tough one to pick because the Ducks truly don't have a #1 D as of now. When I looked at their current roster I saw a trio of emerging young D: Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler. While Lindholm might play more minutes and play more of a defensive role, Vatanen possesses elite offensive skills for a defenseman. Not the biggest guy at 5'10 but Vatanen makes up for it with his tremendous skating, He also has a very quick release and a particularly hard slap shot that gave goalies trouble last season. I'm excited to see what he can do in a full 82-game season.

5. Best Goaltender - Frederik Andersen (2014/15 Stats - 54GP: 35 W, 12 L, 5 OTL, 2.38 GAA, .914 SV%, 3 SO)

Andersen has been one of the most consistent goalies in the NHL in his first two seasons in the league, winning 55 of his first 82 games. He took a big step forward last season picking up 35 wins, good for 8th best in the NHL. The Ducks have the luxury of having Andersen play while budding-star John Gibson refines his game. It will be interesting to see if Gibson pushes for the starting job this season, but for now Andersen has the job.

Next up: Arizona Coyotes

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff