NHL Western Conference
Preview
After months of pain and suffering for all NHL fans out
there, the season is finally back and NHL fans out there can all stop
pretending to care about the NBA, AHL, ECHL, College Football or whatever other
pathetic excuse of sports league was used to substitute the NHL.
Now that the NHL is finally back on ice lets take team by
team look at what is in store for the 2013 season.
I only write about the West in this segment. Because I’m
from the West Coast and the West and East don’t ever meet in the regular season.
So I don’t really see the East as being that important (no offense East Coast
hockey fans)
PACIFIC DIVISION
Phoenix Coyotes:
After winning their first ever division title in 2012 and making it as
far as the Western Conference Finals, the expectations are as high as they’ve
ever been in the desert. However this still probably won’t be enough to keep
them in Phoenix. It will be hard to replace 2012 leading point-scorer Ray
Whitney who left to Dallas in Free Agency. Phoenix brought in David Moss and
39-year-old seasoned veteran Steve Sullivan. Phoenix will continue to play
defensive well-disciplined this shortened season under Dave Tippet. Goaltender
Mike Smith will have to play as good or better than he did last season and
Phoenix will need someone else beside Shane Doan to step up and contribute on
offense if they want another division title.
San Jose Sharks: After making consecutive Western
conference Final appearances in 2010 and 2011, the Sharks took a big step back
last season winning only one playoff game and not looking much like the Stanley
Cup contender they’ve been in recent history. GM Doug Wilson who typically is
very active in the offseason didn’t make any noteworthy signings or trades, and
only brought in depth player Adam Burrish. The Sharks aren’t getting any
younger, and the window of opportunity to win a cup is closing as Joe Thornton,
Patrick Marleau, and Dan Boyle all in their thirties. The Sharks will look to
prove that they are a still a serious Stanley Cup contender and that last years
short playoff run is not a sign of things to come. If the Sharks can get
consistent goaltending from Antti Niemi and fix their 29th ranked
penalty kill they should be able to make a serious run at the cup.
Los Angeles Kings: After last years Cinderella story
playoff run the Kings will have very high expectations in 2013. They made
almost no changes in the offseason and they enter 2013 with a nearly identical
roster that they won the cup with. Their core players are all in their mid 20s
and are locked up in long term contracts. The Kings will need another
spectacular season from Vezina runner-up Jonathon Quick if they look to repeat
in 2013. If the Kings let their Stanley Cup hangover last to long they might
find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in the talented Western Conference,
but based on last year, maybe that’s exactly where they want to be.
Dallas Stars: Although Dallas is in a rebuilding year
they added two very talented veteran players this offseason in Roy Whitney and
Jaromir Jagr. The number 1 priority in Dallas this season is to re-sign Jamie
Benn. Dallas finished only a few points out of the playoffs last season and
will look to sneak in this year which will be a challenge in a very tough
Pacific Division, but with Jaromir Jagr on the roster anything is
possible.
Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks finished in the cellar of
the Pacific division in 2012 and will have a tough time getting relevant in the
West again this season. 42 year old ironman Teemu Sellane has retuned for what
will more than likely be his last season despite the fact that he lead the
Ducks in points last season and many say he could play for another 2-3 years.
Anaheim has a talented top six with Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Saku
Koivu and Selanne but they lack depth and strong defense. The addition of
Andrew Cogliano should help but don’t expect a playoff birth from the Ducks.
Projected Pacific Division finish:
1.
San Jose
2.
Los Angeles
3.
Phoenix
4.
Dallas
5.
Anaheim
NORTHWEST DIVISION
Vancouver Canucks: Two consecutive President trophies
has Canuck fans longing for that elusive Stanley Cup. Last years early exit to
the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings surely didn’t help their fight to bring
Vancouver its first championship. The Canucks find themselves with two very
capable goaltenders in Corey Schnieder and Roberto Luongo. But after receiving
the majority of the blame for the Canuck’s underachievement’s Luongo has fallen
out of flavor in Vancouver and looks to be on his way out. Vancouver will
likely fetch a nice package from whomever they trade with (many sources believe
it will be Toronto) The Sedin twins and Phil Kessel will continue to carry the
offense for the Canucks. Its Cup or Bust in Vancouver.
Calgary Flames: The Flames have been a very average
team for many years and have not made it past the Western Conference
quarterfinals sense 2004 and 2009 was their last playoff appearance. GM Jay
Feaster tends to be very trade active adding Jay Bouwmeester, and Micheal
Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak in recent years. However none of these trades have
really paid dividends and the Flames continue to find themselves on the outside
looking in come playoff time. The Flames will need a big season from Miikka
Kiprusoff in order to stay relevant in the West.
Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche are long removed from the glory days with
Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic and have been rebuilding for a few years. Will
this be the year they finally turn the corner and become more than a 10th
seed in the west? They find themselves in a mediocre division and a playoff
spot is not out of question. If Calder Cup winner Gabriel Landeskog can put
together a solid sophomore season the Avalanche might actually find themselves
in the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild: The Wild made the most noise this NHL
offseason after they won the free agent jackpot signing Zach Parise and Ryan
Suter. If Dany Heatley can play like the 40 goal scorer he once was back in
Ottawa the Wild should be able to put together a very respectable team. Devin
Setoguchi and Mikko Koivu are the remaining offensive threats on Wild as their
lack of depth and defense will be their biggest flaws. It will be interesting
to see how Ryan Suter plays without Jeff Fischer next to him on the blue line.
Edmonton Oilers: After three consecutive # 1 overall
picks the Oilers will look for Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail
Yakupov to carry the Oilers. The Oilers are one of the young teams in the
league and are filled with potential. But it is still to be determined if this
potential will translate to success or just to a fourth consecutive first
overall pick. Oiler fans long for the dynasty of the 80s back when Gretzky was
still skating for them and breaking records left and right. But in the meantime these fans will need to
hope for the best from this young Oiler squad.
Projected Northwestern Division Finish
1.
Vancouver
2.
Minnesota
3.
Colorado
4.
Edmonton
5.
Calgary
CENTRAL DIVISION
St. Louis Blues: After years of mediocrity the Blues
were a real threat last season winning the Central Division and clinching the
#2 seed in the West. This defense first team allowed the fewest goals in NHL
history last season and rotated net minders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot in
goal. Both these goaltenders are very capable #1 goalies on any team and they
both would be the starters if they weren’t on the same team. But St. Louis
still opts to hold on to two very good goaltenders. If things start to head
south in St. Louis and the team is struggling, I wouldn’t be surprised if we
see one of them traded away to a team with issues in net.
Nashville Predators: The Predators enjoyed one of
their best seasons in franchise history last year, making it all the way to the
Western Conference semi-finals for the first time ever. However, the Preds took
a hard hit this offseason when defenseman Ryan Sutter left for Minnesota in
free agency. It will be difficult to repeat last seasons success without him.
With Jeff Fischer still on the blue-line and Pekka Rinne in goal, and this team
is still talented enough to make the playoffs but probably not talented enough
to still contend for the cup.
Detroit Red Wings: Long considered the power and
class of the Western conference the Red Wings took a big step back last season
getting eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinals in 5 games. With
Future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom having just retired Detroit finds
themselves in uncharted waters. Lidstrom has been an invaluable member of the
Detroit blue line for twenty seasons and his presence will be hard to replace.
To top that off Tomas Holmstrom has also retired and the Red Wings are looking
in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in over 20 seasons, the
longest active streak in the NHL. With Brad Stuart also leaving, the Red Wing’s
defense will be their biggest area of concern this season.
Chicago Blackhawks: Sense winning it all in 2010 the
Chicago Blackhawks have yet to make it out of the first round of the playoffs.
They still have much of the core of that team in tact, including Patrick Kane,
Jonathan Towes, Marian Hossa, Duncan Kieth, and Brent Seabrook. On paper
Chicago is a deep team on offense and defense with goaltending being their
biggest area of concern. We’ll see how well Corey Crawford holds up this
season. If he plays well Chicago might find themselves in a deep playoff run.
Columbus Blue Jackets: The Columbus Blue Jackets had
the worst record in the NHL last season and still didn’t receive the number 1
overall pick. To make matters worse their star player Rick Nash demanded to be
traded away and was sent to the New York Rangers. Once promising Rookie of the
Year Goaltender Steve Mason has been nothing but a liability sense his rookie
year and Columbus is struggling in all areas of the ice. This franchise will
really have to turn itself around if they want a chance of making their second
playoff appearance in franchise history.
Projected Central Division Finish:
1.
Chicago
2.
St. Louis
3.
Nashville
4.
Detroit
5.
Columbus
Projected Final West Coast Standings
1.
Vancouver-y
2.
San Jose-y
3.
Chicago-y
4.
St. Louis -x
5.
Los Angeles-x
6. Minnesota-x
6. Minnesota-x
7.
Phoenix-x
8. Nashville-x
8. Nashville-x
9.
Dallas
10. Detroit
11. Colorado
12. Edmonton
13. Anaheim
14. Calgary
15. Columbus
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