With one week left until the start of the regular season, the hockey world has been divided into two camps along the question of whether the Capitals will make the playoffs this year. The first camp consists of every Caps fan with a blog, up to and including team owner Ted Leonsis. All agree that the team can do it. The second camp contains every other fan and writer in the hockey universe, who agree that this is another year that the Caps will not make the playoffs, even though many concede they could finally come close.

Surprisingly, it’s time to add Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley to the list of the faithful. Last season, Hartley led the Thrashers to their first playoff appearance ever. Explaining to Phil Foley why he wants his team to work even harder now, Hartley said, “Florida’s getting better, Washington’s getting better, Philadelphia’s getting better. Those are three teams that were not in the playoffs. That means three teams are not going back.”

While we’re not sure we want to take the word of anyone who thinks the Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers are sure shots for the postseason, we’re excited that someone who makes his living in hockey on a team not called “Capitals” thinks the Caps have made enough improvements to get back into the mix this year. Follow the jump for a list of Eastern Conference playoff teams that might have declined enough last summer to let the Caps squeak in.