Here’s a few thoughts about the Western Conference I’ll delve into before going into my predictions:* Seeds six through twelve were separated by a mere nine points in the standings last season. Expect more of the same this year.
* With so many young teams out West (Blackhawks, Blues, Blue Jackets, Kings, Wild, Avalanche, even the Oilers to an extent), it’s sometimes hard to predict how quickly, or slowly, these teams will advance. Who had both the Blues and the Jackets in the playoffs last season?
* The Central Division is weak no more. The Wings, Hawks, Blues, Jackets, and Preds are all quality teams - there’s no easy games there. I expect four to get into the playoffs, just like last season.
* The parity in the entire league, but especially in the West, is unbelievable (due in large part to the shoot-out, but still). I think thirteen teams could realistically have playoff aspirations (sorry, Phoenix and Colorado)
1. San Jose Sharks*
- The Sharks seemingly have all the pieces in place - two studs (Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley) up front, a stable back-line (Dan Boyle, Rob Blake), and a goaltender with tremendous stats (Evgeny Nabokov). There isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind they’ll have another excellent season, but will they be able to finally break through in the playoffs? Is their a leader in that dressing room? How will Patrick Marleau respond to being stripped of the captaincy?
2. Detroit Red Wings*
- Has the Central Division improved ten-fold? Yes. Are the Red Wings getting older? Yes. Will they still be a contender? Of Course. They still have the best two-way player in the game in Pavel Datsyuk, the ‘08 Conn Smyth winner in Henrik Zetterberg, and perennial Norris Trophy threat Nicklas Lidstrom on defense. There are some questions, though - when will Lidstrom’s game start to deteriorate because of age? Which Chris Osgood will show up this year?
3. Calgary Flames*
- The Flames have one of the best leaders and offensive forces in the game in Jarome Iginla, a defensive group (Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr) that could come to be known as the best in the league, and a goalie (Miikka Kiprusoff) that is a workhorse and a half. But - how will Phaneuf rebound from last year’s poor season? Will Olli Jokinen show up this year? Will “Kipper” be overworked?
4. Chicago Blackhawks
- The ‘Hawks took great strides last season, earning both a playoff berth and a ticket to the Western Conference Finals. They have leadership, youth, grit, coaching, and depth. So what could hold them back? Well, Cristobal Huet isn’t exactly Patrick Roy. Big free-agent pick-up Marian Hossa is supposedly out until January. If Huet plays well and Hossa comes back 100% from injury, Chicago could be in store for a quality season.
5. Anaheim Ducks
- The Ducks experienced a minor re-tooling this summer. The offense is much improved with the additions of Joffrey Lupul and Saku Koivu, who should help Teemu Selanne give the Corey Perry-Ryan Getzlaf-Bobby Ryan some much needed help on offense. But how will the defense respond to Chris Pronger’s absence? Are Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski capable of being top-three defensemen? Who will start in goal - Jonas Hiller or Jean-Sebastian Giguere?
6. Dallas Stars
- Are you overlooking the Stars? Don’t. It’s easy to forget the Stars were in the Western Conference Finals in ‘08. With Captain Brendan Morrow and Brad Richards back at full-strength, along with the addition of top-prospect Jamie Benn, Dallas’s offense is in great shape. A top nine of Morrow, Richards, Benn, Mike Ribeiro, Loui Eriksson, James Neal, Mike Modano, Steve Ott, and Jere Lehtinen is impressive. But, there are some questions at the other end of the ice. Will Stephane Robidas, Matt Niskanen, and Trevor Daley be able to lead the defense? And, most importantly, will Marty Turco bounce back from a season to forget in ‘08-’09?
7. St. Louis Blues
- If you had to guess which team had the best record in the NHL from January 19th on, would your first guess be the Blues? Probably not, but it’s true. St. Louis has an excellent mixture of youth, veterans, and grit up front. Guys like T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, and David Perron are only going to get better. Paul Kariya is back and healthy. Erik Johnson has come back strong in the pre-season after missing the entire ‘08-’09 campaign. But, there are questions. Is the defense good enough to handle the Datsyuks, Getzlafs, and Thorntons? Will Chris Mason be able to carry the Blues as their number one tender for the entire season?
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
- Fresh off their first post-season berth, the Jackets are now in search of their first playoff victory after being swept by the Wings last spring. Rick Nash leads an up-and-coming group of forwards (Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov) on offense, which should improve on their totals of last season. Steve Mason had a magical rookie season in net - will he be able to avoid the sophomore slump? Will a defense with Fedor Tyutin as its leader be able to repeat its surprising ‘08-’09 performance?
9. Edmonton Oilers
- With Craig MacTavish out in Edmonton and Pat Quinn in at the helm, it will be interesting to see how the Oilers respond. Will Dustin Penner emerge into a successful power forward? Will Ales Hemsky become a top ten NHL player? How will the Oilers plethora of offensive rearguards (Sheldon Souray, Lubomir Visnovsky, Tom Gilbert, Denis Grebeshkov) be utilized? Will Sam Gagner have a break-out season? How about Patrick O’Sullivan - is this the year for him to emerge? Lots of potential in Edmonton. Lots of questions, too.
10. Vancouver Canucks
- With the Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo locked up long-term, and Mats Sundin gone and retired, the only questions the Canucks face this year will be on the ice. They possess a very solid defense and a middling offensive group. Does Vancouver have enough pieces in place outside of Luongo to be a serious cup contender. Will there be enough scoring? How will Mattias Ohlund’s departure effect the defense and team leadership? While a lot of teams in the West have improved, I think the Canucks have gone in the other direction.
11. Nashville Predators
- Jason Arnott, Steve Sullivan, and J.P. Dumont on the top-line. Martin Erat and David Legwand on the second. Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Dan Hamhuis on the back-end. Sounds fairly similar to me. Pekka Rinne will look to continue his excellent play in net, while rookie Colin Wilson will look to make his mark at the NHL level. The Preds are far from the most talented team in the West, but they will contend hard for a playoff spot like they always do.
12. Los Angeles Kings
- The Kings are knocking on the door. They are almost there. With young guns like Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown up front, and Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson patrolling the blue-line, it’s only a matter of time before the Kings emerge as a quality team out West. The additions of Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi should help the Kings learn what it takes to win. However, are the offensive and defensive groups good enough to make the playoffs, yet? Is Jonathon Quick a capable number one netminder? Is Terry Murray’s defensive system conducive to winning in the new NHL, or is he just trying to instill some defensive responsibility into his young team before loosening the reigns?
13. Minnesota Wild
- Will the Wild be worse this year? Probably. Are they in a better long-term position now with Jacques Lemaire gone? Definitely. Gone are the days of playing not to lose, just trying to stay competitive, and rushing and ruining young prospects. Under the Wild’s new regime, the teams’ top players (Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Brent Burns) should thrive offensively. The future is brighter now in Minnesota.
14. Phoenix Coyotes
- Need I discuss the turmoil surrounding the Coyotes? From a hockey standpoint, the ‘Yotes are a young team that is in need of much tutelage. Dave Tippet will supply them with that. Some questions to consider - How will Ilya Bryzgalov perform after a sub-par year in ’08-’09? Will Peter Mueller regroup after experiencing the sophomore slump? How will Mikkel Boedker respond in his second season?
15. Colorado Avalanche
- The post-Sakic era begins for the Avs this season as they try to rebuild their way to success. Paul Stastny and rookie Matt Duchene are good building blocks. Will they be able to re-create some Petr Forsberg/Joe Sakic type moments out in the Rockies?
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