This is part four of a four part series in which we take a look at possible team needs and solutions for the coming free agent season.  In Parts One, and Two, we reviewed at the East.  Part Three included the bottom tier of the West.  This time, we examine the top teams in the Western Conference.  (With help from NHLNumbers.com).

8.  Colorado Avalanche:  The Avs are set in net with both Craig Anderson and Peter Budaj already signed.  On defense, they might want to add a player but they definitely need some help on offense.  The club is presently $10 million under the cap floor, so they could make some major noise on Thursday.

Will they add someone with experience like Paul Kariya or mix in some skilled youth with Alexander Frolov?  Maybe they bring back Alex Tanguay to the place where he had the most success in his career?  Either way, they need scoring help at wing to take full advantage with their talented young centers.

7.  Nashville Predators:  This team has several players under contract but find themselves needing to fill two major holes which recently left the organization, Jason Arnott and Dan Hamhuis.  As mentioned earlier, there are "slim pick'ns" right now available at center.  Oh to be Matt Cullen's agent on Thursday!

It's going to be tough to replace Arnott, but there are plenty of affordable, mid-level defensemen on the market which should fill the need on the blueline.  

Pekka Rinne also needs a backup.  The Preds always have plenty of room under the cap and that is the case again this season.

6.  Los Angeles Kings:  The Kings have a great looking young team with several pieces of the puzzle already in place.  But Alexander Frolov and Frederik Modin will not be coming back and they need a couple of bodies to take their places. 

There have been rumors that Ilya Kovalchuk could be heading in this direction, but management will have to be creative with the salary structure because they have talented RFA's who will need bigger contracts in the future and they do not want to handcuff themselves like Chicago has done.  A veteran player like Ray Whitney would make more sense, someone who is only looking for a couple of years on a contract. 

They are pretty much set on defense, although another experienced skater would help out there as well.  They may or may not stand pat with the tandem of Jonathan Quick and Erik Ersberg in net.  Both are under contract.

5.  Detroit Red Wings:  The Wings have already tied up a bunch of loose ends and do not have much room under the cap to work with.  Both goalies are signed, Jimmy Howard and Chris Osgood.  They need a body or two on defense and may or may not bring back Brett Lebda and Andreas Lilja.  Either way, they will not break the bank to fill the void here.

They have a couple of RFA's they will probably re-sign in Patrick Eaves and Darren Helm, and Kirk Maltby could always come back for another year on the cheap.  I don't see big changes in the Motor City.

4.  Phoenix Coyotes:  The Coyotes have a little bit of wiggle room before they hit the cap floor, so they will need to make a couple of minor additions.  But don't expect much movement here.   A couple of reasonably priced forwards would fit the bill nicely. 

3.  Vancouver Canucks:  The 'Nucks don't have a ton of room to play with under the cap ceiling, so they will have to be looking for bargains or find some willing trade partners.  With only eight forwards under contract so far, they need a lot of help fast.  But don't expect Kyle Wellwood or Pavol Demitra to return. 

Would they take Markus Naslund back for one last hurrah?  He had some great seasons in Vancouver.

2.  Chicago Blackhawks:  Another team with cap troubles and little room or little need to make major changes.  Can they somehow dump Cristobal Huet's contract?  They still need to maneuver contracts here to make things work.  

1.  San Jose Sharks:  The biggest question for the Sharks is in goal.  Who will they bring in to replace Evgeni Nabokov?    There are plenty of goalies to choose from, but none of them have the regular season numbers that Nabokov did.  Maybe they will go cheap in net and add a couple of mid-range forwards?