The Detroit Red Wings ran away from the pack last season to again win the President's trophy and followed up with a Cup win. The power is clearly in the West in the NHL. Here is how the West shapes up heading into the 2008-09 campaign
The Division Winners:
1. Detroit Red Wings - The defending cup champions win the Central, the West, and the Presidents Trophy again. As hard as it is to believe, the Wings actually got better this summer acquiring prize free agent Marian Hossa. Ty Conklin was also added to back up starting goalie Chris Osgood. The only notable loss from the Cup winning team is future hall of famer Dominik Hasek, who was relegated to back up duty last season. The Wings will be led by Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk with Nicklas Lidstrom providing support from the blue line. The supporting cast is as good as any team in history. The Stanley Cup hangover, the Pacific powerhouses and aging stars are what stand between the Wings and a second straight Cup.
2. Dallas Stars – The Stars made two key acquisitions this summer, most notably Sean Avery. Avery is a super pest that drives opponents and team mates crazy with his tactics. He can be an effective player, but sometimes goes overboard. He was acquired with a rematch with the Red Wings in mind. The other player signed this summer is a bit of a wild card: Fabian Brunnstrom was a highly sought after free agent out of Sweden. The Stars are banking on Brunnstrom being able to live up to the hype that surrounded the auction for his services last spring. Long time Star Stu Barnes retired and Free agent Niklas Hagman left for Toronto and were the only two losses of note from last year’s roster that pushed the Wings in the Conference final. The Stars are led by Brenden Morrow who battles courageously each shift and are backed by Marty Turco who has shed his playoff flop reputation the past two springs. Time is running out on the Stars if they want to make a charge at the Cup as Sergei Zubov and Mike Modano are closing in on 40.
3. Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers were extremely active in the summer on the trade market. They acquired sniper Erik Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes for under achiever Joni Pitkanen. Jarret Stoll failed to live up to his potential last season and was sent to Los Angeles for power play Quarter back Lubomir Visnovsky. Finally Raffi Torres was sent to Columbus for young Gilbert Brule, who has struggled to stick in the league since being a first round selection by the Blue Jackets. The Oilers have plenty of young talented players to build around, led by Ales Hemsky, 2007 first rounder Sam Gagner and sophomore player Andrew Cogliano. The core veterans like Shawn Horcoff Dustin Penner, and Steve Staios are mostly a young core but with plenty of experience. Behind Visnovsky and Staios on the blue line is a mostly unknown group who played above expectations last season. Mathieu Garon was cut loose by Los Angeles and arrived in Edmonton with little fanfare. By November he had taken the #1 goalie job from incumbent Dwayne Roloson and put in an all star performance. The Oilers are clearly a team on the rise.
Playoff teams:
4. San Jose Sharks – The Sharks are looking to dispel the theory that they are a regular season team only and enjoy playoff success. They fired head coach Ron Wilson after another failed cup run and replaced him with former Red Wings assistant coach Todd McLellan who is getting his first opportunity as bench boss. The Sharks saw trade deadline acquisition Brian Campbell bolt via free agency, but acquired defensemen Dan Boyle (an upgrade over Campbell) in a trade for inconsistent youngster Matt Carle. Free agent blue liner Rob Blake will bring winning experience to the Sharks replacing Craig Rivet who was dispatched for a draft pick. No significant changes were made to the forward core and improvement must come from within. Patrick Marleau needs to rebound from a season that saw his production drop by 13 goals and 30 points.
5. Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks got off to a rough start last season coming off a Stanley Cup win, short summer, and a trip to Europe to start the season. Scott Niedermayer returned to the line up after contemplating retirement in December and the Ducks went on a tear, only to fall to Dallas in the first round when a lack of discipline sunk them. Niedermayer and Selanne who also didn’t play until part way through the season are both on board for the beginning of this season. Brendan Morrison was added via free agency and will fill the 2nd line center hole left by the trade of Andy McDonald. Todd Bertuzzi was disappointing last year after being signed as a free agent and was bought out this summer. Last year’s other acquisition Mathieu Schneider was traded away to make cap. The Ducks are counting on having all their ducks in a row to start the season getting them into better playoff positioning.
6. Chicago Black Hawks – As morbid as this sounds life was breathed into this franchise when long time owner Bill Wirtz passed away and son Rocky took over. The Hawks had fallen on hard times, but solid drafting by GM Dale Tallon is now being complemented by key free agent signings in an attempt to propel the once proud franchise back towards cup contending. Dynamic rookies Jon Toews and Pat Kane stepped into the Windy City spotlight and became stars. Patrick Sharp acquired for a bag of pucks from the Flyers emerged as a 36 goal scorer. Duncan Keith became one of the league’s most under rated blue liners. Only injuries to Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin kept Chicago from making the playoffs. Brian Campbell and Christobal Huet were signed to lucrative contracts. Jason Williams is the only player of consequence leaving Chicago. Look for continued development from Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook as they join Campbell and Keith to form one of the most formidable top 4 blue lines in the league – all under 30 years old. There are plenty of talented youngsters coming up through the system, like David Bolland, Jack Skille, Kyle Beach, Corey Crawford, and Akim Aliu who will fill out the roster over the next couple seasons as the Hawks look to end the longest Stanley Cup drought in the league (48 years).
7. Calgary Flames – This team was extremely disappointing last season. The team had the talent to win the Northwest but barely squeaked into the playoffs, clearly not responding to the coaching of Mike Keenan. Look for Keenan to be fired and replaced by the only coach this team seems to respond to, GM Darryl Sutter. Soft players Alex Tanguay (traded to Montreal) and Kristian Huselius (exited as free agent) are gone and replaced by Mike Cammalleri (trade) and Todd Bertuzzi (highly unpopular free agent signing in Calgary) 2007 1st rounder Mikael Backlund is expected to jump into the top 6 forwards. The biggest concern for Calgary last season was the erratic play of goalie Miikka Kiprusoff who seemed to falter after another 70+ game season. Finding a dependable back up to spot the Finn and keep him fresh for the playoffs is imperative to success.
8. Phoenix Coyotes – Another young team that has accumulated young talent and will make a playoff push in 2009. The Yotes made a splash at the draft when they acquired gifted Center Olli Jokinen from the Florida Panthers for defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton. The Coyotes also signed unheralded but steady rear guard Kurt Sauer, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche. Kyle Turris, 1st round pick in 2007 made his debut after the college season and appears ready for prime time. Look for coach Gretzky to promote him to the 2nd line by Christmas and for the youngster to thrive. The Coyotes had 2 first round picks in 2008, Mikkel Boedker and Viktor Tikhonov and they both have a chance to make an impact this season. The Coyotes will again count on Shane Doan for leadership and goals, while Peter Mueller will look to improve on his outstanding 22 goal, 54 point rookie season. The Coyotes season turned around last year with the acquisition on waivers of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and the former Ducks back up will be key in their push for post season participation.
On the outside looking in:
9. Minnesota Wild – The wild got hot at the right time last year and were able to win the Northwest division. They were promptly thrashed in the 1st playoff round by the Avalanche. The Wild signed re-treads Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan (the World’s oldest 36 year old) to replace Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra who bolted via free agency.Marek Zidlicky (trade) and Marc-Andre Bergeron (free agency) were added to provide offense from the blue line. The time is now for Benoit Pouliot to step up and contribute and if he isn’t ready James Sheppard will get a shot. The defence first Wild risk losing Marian Gaborik as a free agent next season because he is tired of playing in a offensive stifling environment and may be forced to trade him if the season is going south at the deadline.
10. Vancouver Canucks - Injuries took the Canucks out of the playoff picture last season and failing to make a splash in free agency will keep them there. The Canucks stunned the league offering Toronto Captain Mats Sundin $20 million over two seasons and Sundin upped the ante by not taking it. Captain Markus Naslund and his center Brendan Morrison left as free agents leaving a gap in the team’s top 6 forwards. The Canucks were an offensively challenged team already and will look to free agent signee Pavol Demitra, Toronto Maple Leafs cast off Kyle Wellwood (who has superb talent but no work ethic), and former Sharks 1st rounder Steve Bernier to take some of the offensive burden off of the Sedin twins. The Canucks have a solid 6 blue line led by Kevin Bieksa and Mattias Ohlund, but it is not a deep unit and when injuries struck the Nucks were strapped to fill out the line up card. The strength of the Canucks is between the pipes where Roberto Luongo keeps the Canucks in games most nights.
11. Columbus Blue jackets - The Hummers are the only team to never make the playoffs and don’t expect that to change in 2009 despite a shake up that should see the team improving on last season’s performance. The team rid itself of disappointing Nikolia Zherdev, traded along with frequently hurt Dan Fritsche to the Rangers for solid defensemen Fedor Tyutin and journeyman Christian Backman. They also traded first round flop Gilbert Brule to Edmonton for character winger Raffi Torres. Free agent Kristian Huselius will add goals for the BJs and Mike Commodore was overpaid to add depth to the blue line, but overall the blue line is thin. Youngsters Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov, all recent 1st rounder picks will be given every chance to make the team and contribute. Pascal Leclaire had an outstanding campaign in 2007-08 but again was slowed by injuries. Any chance the Jackets have of making a playoff run rests on Leclaire’s healthy shoulders.
12. Nashville Predators – Despite getting gutted in the summer of 2007 the Predators were able to surprise and make the playoffs last season, giving eventual cup winner Detroit a run for their money (and driving Dom Hasek into retirement). Again not much is expected of the Predators. No key acquisitions were made, and Chris Mason and Marek Zidlicky were dealt away. The Predators have drafted well and have started to re-stock the cupboard after trading for Peter Forsberg two seasons ago. They will fill holes from within. Ville Koistinen is expected to fill the void created by the Zidlicky trade and Pekka Rinne will be promoted to back up Dan Ellis, and possibly challenge for the starter spot. The Preds are well coached by Barry Trotz who doesn’t get the accolades he deserves for the job he has done making the Predators competitive despite the turmoil around the franchise (ownership issues and cutting payroll)
13. Colorado Avalanche – How the mighty have fallen. The Avs last hurrah ended with a whimper last spring as they were beaten like rented mules by hated rival the Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Semi Final. That might be the last meaningful games of Joe Sakic’s hall of fame career. The Avs lost supporting role players Jeff Finger, Andrew Brunette, and Kurt Sauer to free agency, but the key loss was starting goalie Jose Theodore. The team responded by signing Toronto cast offs Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker. This is akin to bringing a butter knife to a gun fight. The starting goalie spot now falls on the wobbly shoulders of Petr Budaj who struggled before losing the job back to Theodore. This will be the bleakest winter since the Avalanche arrived from Quebec City in 1995.
The Tavares Sweepstakes:
14. Los Angeles Kings – The Los Angeles Kings are on the verge of starting their climb out of hockey abyss. GM Dean Lombardi has done a magnificent job of stockpiling draft picks and young talent. Unfortunately for Kings’ fans this season won’t be the year they return to the playoffs, but will demonstrate reason for hope. Up front Jarrett Stoll was acquired and replaces Mike Cammalleri (traded) in the team’s top 6. Rob Blake (free agency) and Lubomir Visnovsky (trade) to mainstays on the blue line exited the team and will be replaced by high draft choices Drew Doughty and Thomas Hickey. Youngsters Jack Johnson, Teddy Purcell, Colten Teubert will be called upon to play more significant roles with the team. Anze Kopitar is becoming a superstar and he is supported by dynamic Alex Frolov and future captain Dustin Brown. In goal Jonathan Bernier will be given every opportunity to win the number 1 spot, with Erik Ersberg being called upon if the top prospect isn’t ready. Jason LaBarbera will back up whoever wins the job. There won’t be hockey at the Staples Center in April, but the possibility of future cup runs will give fans hope.
15. St. Louis Blues – The Blues showed a lot of promise last season before falling back in the pack. Any chance they had to build momentum in 2008-09 went out the window when stud blue liner Erik Johnson had an accident with a golf cart. This may force 2008 first round pick Alex Pietrangelo into the line up sooner than he is ready. Chris Mason was acquired via trade, Ryan Johnson left as a free agent and Jamal Mayers was traded but these were hardly impact moves. The Blues are counting on continued development of promising youngsters David Backes, TJ Oshie, David Perron, and Patrik Berglund. The Blues are a blue liner short of a competent top 6 though without Johnson and will struggleto protect Mason and Manny Legace. Brad Boyes stepped up last season and another super human effort will be required to keep the Blues in the race.
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