By UltimateCapper.com Contributing Writer, Mike Ivcic
The NHL season begins tonight, so let’s get to the other conference – the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks dominated the West last season, only to wind up falling in the opening round to a more experienced Ducks team. Meanwhile the Red Wings were more than happy to play second fiddle all season, then turned it up a notch in the playoffs before falling in Game 7 to the Penguins. It only makes sense, therefore, to start the analysis with those two teams who were far and away better than anyone else last regular season.
For San Jose, the question this season, as it has been for a handful of years now, is not whether they will make the playoffs, but rather what they will do once they get there. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are two of the best players in the game, the trade for Dany Heatley is a huge addition, and Evgeni Nabokov is capable of being a top tier goaltender. The question now is determination and heart. Can this team that has been so successful in the regular season and underachieved so tremendously in the postseason finally manage to break through and win the West? And, even if they do that, would it be enough to silence the critics without actually winning the Cup? The questions abound in San Jose, and they won’t even begin to be answered until April.
On the other side, there are the Detroit Red Wings. They have dominated the landscape in the West for so long it’s hard to remember the last time they weren’t a factor in the postseason. The key for Detroit is health. Having Pavel Datsyuk healthy is a huge benefit to the Wings, who lose a great deal without their top line center. Lidstrom is getting close to being put into the discussion for best defenseman ever, and the role players on this team are the best in the game. So why are people still doubting them? In two words – Chris Osgood. The guy has won two Cups and came close to winning a third, but he’s still a weak link because he has the tendency to be shaky at inopportune times.
And then there’s the rest of the West, though the gap will likely be a bit closer this season than last. Both Chicago and Anaheim are talented and, barring injuries, deep, meaning both the Sharks and Wings should at least be pushed in the regular season. The Northeast has four solid, if not spectacular, teams in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Minnesota, meaning the division race will likely be tight and come down to the very end of the season. Columbus and Saint Louis are both on the rise as well, meaning it’s likely that at least two playoff-worthy teams will be left out of the postseason.
As with the Eastern Conference, there’s still more to discuss, so here we go again with five key questions, this time for the West.
1. What will happen to the Phoenix Coyotes?
Thankfully Jim Basille did not receive approval to purchase the Coyotes, as they would have been immediately uprooted to Hamilton, Ontario. That said, this franchise should never have moved from Winnipeg in the first place, but all signs point to this being one of, if not the, last season of hockey in the desert.
2. And what about the Nashville Predators?
They seem to be in better shape than Phoenix, which only proves that winning can usually help alleviate a lot of financial strain. With the team expected to be less successful this year, here’s hoping the same answer can be given in October 2010.
3. Have the Columbus Blue Jackets finally turned the corner?
Making the playoffs was a huge first step, but the mountain is only half-conquered. In a division with Chicago and Detroit, there’s still more to be done before the Jackets can think about finishing first or second.
4. If the three Canadian teams in the East won’t make the postseason, what about the West?
Like the East, all three Canadian teams are in the same division in the West, making it hard to get all three into the playoffs. Calgary and Vancouver have better goaltending and more depth, so they should be locks. Edmonton is likely on the outside looking in.
5. Who will win the West?
And that, once again, segues nicely into the preview:
Central Division Detroit (2) Chicago (4) Columbus (8) St. Louis (11) Nashville (12)
Hockey rejoiced last year when Columbus made the playoffs for the first time ever, and they likely will be back – barely – this year. This division will still be dominated by the Detroit, with the Blackhawks slowly but surely closing the gap. The Blues are better but aren’t quite ready to make the leap, while Nashville is headed in the other direction.
Northwest Division Calgary (3) Vancouver (6) Minnesota (7) Edmonton (10) Colorado (14)
Roberto Luongo can only do so much for the Canucks, and while this should be a really tight battle among the top four teams, expect Calgary to take the division this year with Minnesota and Vancouver both making the playoffs and Edmonton just missing out. The season won’t be the same without Joe Sakic as the face of the Avalanche, though.
Pacific Division San Jose (1) Anaheim (5) Dallas (9) Los Angeles (13) Phoenix (15)
San Jose should get the top spot in the division and the conference, and look for a bounce back year from Anaheim. Dallas has been up and down for a couple years now, and this looks to be the year they finally drop too far down. LA is still a year away, and it’s tough for any team to lose their coach two weeks prior to the season while still in bankruptcy, so expect Phoenix to really struggle despite having a couple of really good parts.
Playoffs
San Jose over Columbus
Detroit over Minnesota
Calgary over Vancouver
Anaheim over Chicago
San Jose over Calgary
Anaheim over Detroit
San Jose over Anaheim
And that leaves us with San Jose winning the West and facing off against the Washington Capitals for the Stanley Cup. It’s not the most glamorous matchup, but it will likely produce plenty of goals and lots of highlight reel plays, and in the end, expect the Sharks to hoist their first ever Stanley Cup in six games.
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