When the NHL is in action on the ice rather than bickering in boardrooms, it is the undisputed heavyweight champion of professional hockey leagues. It is the best league in the world, boasting nearly all of the best players in the world.

NHL stars have flocked to the KHL during the lockout. (Y! Sports)But since the NHL is 2-1/2 months into the lockout with no end in sight, it’s time to take a look at the best leagues that are actually playing games and that kind of thing.

STARTING LINEUP: The rule of thumb here is that any team in any of these leagues could beat any other team on any given night.

Kontinental Hockey League (26 teams)

The KHL played its first season in 2008-09, picking up where the Russian Elite League (1961-2008) left off. Its inception was viewed with some skepticism as league owners and representatives boldly declared it would challenge the NHL as the best league in the world. It’s not NHL-caliber yet, but the KHL can claim to be the best league that’s currently playing hockey. With the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni

One of the few silver linings of the 2004-05 lockout was that it gave some young players a chance to star in the AHL rather than play a secondary role in the NHL.

Jason Spezza took his NHL game to a new level after leading the AHL in scoring during the last lockout. (Getty)Jason Spezza is a prime example. The Ottawa Senators center was a hockey prodigy with big-league experience, but hadn’t achieved full-fledged star status with 76 points in 111 NHL games from 2002-04. Then came the lockout. Spezza tore up the AHL in ’04-05 – leading the league in scoring with 117 points – and followed up with a breakout NHL season with 90 points in 68 games. He’s been the Senators’ No. 1 center ever since, and helped lead Ottawa to the Stanley Cup final in 2007.

Of course, not every top prospect boasts the talent and pedigree of Spezza, the second overall draft pick in 2001. But nearly every NHL team is hot-housing its future stars in the AHL during the lockout, hoping that the extra ice time and responsibility in what is currently the best league in North America will pay off in an accelerated

The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted four all-timers last Monday, welcoming Pavel Bure, Adam Oates, Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin into the inner circle. But as Y! NHL writer Nick Cotsonika noted, all four had something else in common: they all lost games due to lockouts, whether it was an entire season in 2005-06 (Sakic and Sundin) or an abbreviated 48-game campaign in 1994-95 (all four of them). How many more goals and points and individual awards – and maybe even another Stanley Cup for Sakic – did they miss out on?

Jaromir Jagr's lofty standing in the NHL pantheon could be even higher if not for three work stoppages. (Y! Sports)On the morning of his Hall of Fame induction, Sakic was asked how he wanted to be remembered. The first thing he said was that he played in the NHL for 20 years, adding, "I lost a year of hockey. It would have been 21 years instead of 20." Sundin echoed that sentiment, saying, "It's a huge loss for the players, whether it's on your contract or just on your career."

Which brings us to this week’s Starting Lineup & The Bench.

Among active NHLers, who has paid the steepest

Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Pavel Bure and Adam Oates are set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, and there’s no arguing with their credentials. But there are many other deserving candidates, all waiting and hoping to one day get their plaque on the wall. Here’s a look at the top Hall contenders.

Joe Sakic is on his way to the Hall of Fame. Who's next in line? (AP)STARTING LINEUP: The best goalie, two defensemen and three forwards who aren’t in the Hall of Fame – yet.

Goalie

Tom Barrasso: He was never a media favorite, but the Boston native should eventually find his way into the Hall. Barrasso went directly from U.S. high school to the NHL in 1983, and as a 19-year-old freshman with the Buffalo Sabres he claimed the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie and the Vezina as the best netminder. With 369 career wins, he’s got a spot in the top 20 all-time for the foreseeable future. But the clincher, of course, was the back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 in ’92.

Defensemen

Kevin Lowe: Six Stanley Cups

There’s no crying in baseball, but there are holidays in hockey. So in the spirit of the season, here’s what we’d give to each and every NHL team if we had the North Pole’s resources at our disposal:

Anaheim Ducks: A search party to find the first line that’s supposed to be the best in hockey.

Boston Bruins: Will Ferrell’s outfit in “Elf” for Zdeno Chara and a reindeer-powered sleigh for Tim “Santa” Thomas.

Buffalo Sabres: For owner Terry Pegula’s passion and the fans’ patience to be rewarded.

Calgary Flames: Three goals a game and a stress-free entry into the postseason.

Carolina Hurricanes: A strong gust of wind to push them back in the right direction.

Chicago Blackhawks: A storybook ending to the Ray Emery Reclamation Project.

Colorado Avalanche: A cryogenically frozen Ray Bourque to stabilize the young Avs’ defense. After he’s had some time to thaw out, of course.

Columbus Blue Jackets: A do-over.

Dallas Stars: Some time in the spotlight for breakout Star Jamie Benn. Or at least

The Southeast Division boasts Alex Ovechkin(notes) and Steven Stamkos(notes) and … the Winnipeg Jets? Well, yes, for the 2011-12 campaign anyhow after the Atlanta Thrashers relocated north (and west) after 11 mostly lamentable seasons. Speaking of lamentable, the Florida Panthers underwent a facelift that would make Joan Rivers jealous in the hopes of finally returning to the postseason. Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals are coming off another Eastern Conference regular-season title, but underwhelmed in the playoffs again when they were swept in Round 2 by Stamkos’ surprising Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts took the Bruins to a 0-0 tie in the third period of Game 7 of the East final before Boston finally scored to end Tampa’s resurgent season. The Carolina Hurricanes, always more than the sum of their parts, look like playoff outsiders again. But back to Winnipeg, where the Jets have returned for the first time since 1996. The future is bright, but this season the locals might have to be

The Atlantic Division can stake a claim as the most competitive in the Eastern Conference, boasting four playoff-caliber clubs in the Penguins, Flyers, Devils and Rangers – and then there’s the Islanders, who look like a lottery team once again. It was a tumultuous off-season for the Atlantic, with the Pittsburgh nursing two injured superstars, a massive overhaul in Philadelphia and the Rangers landing the biggest fish in the free-agent pond.

Predicted order of finish:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins*

2. Philadelphia Flyers*

3. New Jersey Devils*

4. New York Rangers*

5. New York Islanders

(Asterisk denotes playoff team.)

1. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Five Most Important Players

1. Sidney Crosby(notes), C: Well, duh…

2. Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), G: Money goalie whose only flaw is the odd bout of inconsistency.

3. Evgeni Malkin(notes), C: A rare blend of size, skill and hockey sense.

4. Jordan Staal(notes), C: Team’s third-best pivot is a full-blown star in his own right, and can capably center a

The Central Division might be the NHL’s most intriguing grouping. Detroit has been the standard by which all other teams have been measured for the past two decades, but the Red Wings’ best players are on the wrong side of 30 with no real replacements in sight. Chicago has an impressive core of superstars, but today’s NHL is about depth, too, and the Blackhawks have been hollowed out since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010. Nashville finally broke through and won a playoff round last spring, but the Predators’ pop-gun offense lost a couple of top-liners, putting even more pressure on the team’s (albeit superb) defense. And Columbus and St. Louis have been non-playoff teams for far too long; both are improving, but the Blues and Blue Jackets remain bubble teams at best. A breakthrough for either club is certainly possible, and would go a long way to reviving their respective fan bases.

Predicted order of finish:

1. Detroit Red Wings*

2. Chicago Blackhawks*

3. St. Louis Blues*

4. Nashville