|
Canucks, Sharks, Wings lead Western Conference |
 |
|
Features
|
|
Written by Blake Benzel
|
|
Monday, October 03, 2011 01:25 |
Mike Richards is in and Brad Richards is out. In Chicago, Corey Crawford got his starting goalie gig back (though Ray Emery might have other plans) while in Dallas, Marc Crawford was fired. Again. It's been an interesting summer of musical chairs in the Western Conference, where the top of the heap has a familiar feel. Where will every team land by the time the final horn sounds in San Jose on April 7?
* denotes playoff team
Central Division
1
Detroit Red Wings* – Death, taxes, and the Detroit Red Wings atop of the Central Division. Talk about your certainties: A familiar roster, coupled with two solid blue-line additions in Mike Commodore and Ian White, will be enough for Detroit to bring home another division crown.
2
Chicago Blackhawks* – They might not be the powerhouse team that won the Cup a few seasons ago, but the offseason additions of veterans like Andrew Brunette and Sean O’Donnell and gritty players like Dan Carcillo, Jamal Mayers and Steve Montador improve a team that stretched the Canucks to their breaking point last season.
3
Columbus Blue Jackets* – The Jackets made some marquee additions this offseason, adding the No. 1 center they’ve been searching for in Jeff Carter and a puck-moving defenseman in James Wisniewski. Their playoff hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of goalie Steve Mason, who showed signs of returning to form while posting a winning record despite his own inconsistency.
4
Nashville Predators – Nashville’s always won and scored by committee, but they’ll need another Norris Trophy season from Shea Weber and a Vezina-caliber season from Pekka Rinne to keep pace with the rest of the Central. The offense lies on the sticks of Patric Hornqvist, Sergei Kostitsyn and Mike Fisher. All are notoriously inconsistent, and they might take the team with them.
5
St. Louis Blues – St. Louis could surprise in the Central, but a lot must happen at once – namely, T.J. Oshie’s breakout season, David Perron's return to full health, and a hot start from their youngsters. Otherwise the Blues could be in for a long year.
Northwest Division
1
Vancouver Canucks* – No surprises here. Vancouver brings back just about every key member of its Western Conference-winning team with a year of experience under their belts. With a healthy roster, the Canucks remain one of the forces to be reckoned with in the conference.
2
Minnesota Wild* – The Wild underwent a huge makeover, adding offense in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi, and a young head coach (Mike Yeo) who preaches offense first. Factor in this, plus a full season of health from Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Latendresse, and the playoffs will be back in St. Paul.
3
Calgary Flames – The Flames are at a crossroads. Their superstar players are on the back end of their careers, and there isn't much hope on the horizon in their youth. Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff are still good enough to lead a playoff push, but will need help from their supporting cast to push Calgary over the edge.
4
Edmonton Oilers – The youth movement is in full swing in Edmonton, and the Oilers should show marked improvement over the team that won another draft lottery in June. For all of their offensive talent, however, the Oilers are still a solid goaltender away from being serious contenders in the West. The combination of Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin is less than impressive.
5
Colorado Avalanche – The Avs will look to J.S. Giguere and Semyon Varlamov to solve their goaltending woes, but lack enough depth on their blue line to become serious contenders this season. With a solid young core, they’re well on their way.
Pacific Division
1
San Jose Sharks* – The Sharks made over their roster by adding Brent Burns on the back end and James Sheppard and Martin Havlat up front. Burns will help a blue line that lacked offense outside of Dan Boyle; Havlat and Sheppard are both seeking fresh starts after some rocky stretches in Minnesota. The Sharks were already one of the strongest teams in the West without the fresh blood. Now they’re downright deadly.
2
Los Angeles Kings* – The addition of forwards Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, and the late addition of defenseman Drew Doughty, should ease just about all the Kings' previous concerns. The goaltending Jonathans (Quick and Bernier) are both at the top of their games, as is the defense led by Doughty. The playoffs should return to L.A.
3
Anaheim Ducks* – With a healthy Jonas Hiller, a more experienced Cam Fowler and the RPG (Ryan, Perry, Getzlaf) Line back for more, the Ducks can contend for the Pacific crown. A few bounces here and there, and Anaheim might finish higher in the standings. Regardless, the Ducks will be playing deep into the spring again.
4
Phoenix Coyotes – The Coyotes bring back many key players from back-to-back playoff runs, but not their most important – Ilya Bryzgalov. He'll be replaced by Mike Smith, who will have a better season in Dave Tippett’s smothering defensive system, and Jason LaBarbera. But a thin offense can only protect the goalies for so long, meaning no Cinderalla story in the desert.
5
Dallas Stars – It’s going to be hard, if not impossible, for Dallas to replace Brad Richards. Michael Ryder can help the offense and should benefit from a reunion with Mike Ribiero, while Loui Eriksson should continue trending upward. But without a difference-maker up front, and a paper-thin blue line, the Stars will be left out of the postseason party.
Final Western Conference standings
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. Los Angeles Kings
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Columbus Blue Jackets
8. Minnesota Wild
9. Nashville Predators
10. Calgary Flames
11. St. Louis Blues
12. Edmonton Oilers
13. Phoenix Coyotes
14. Dallas Stars
15. Colorado Avalanche
Photo by Getty Images
 |
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, October 04, 2011 13:47 |
.png)
