Anaheim
Mighty Ducks
Last Season: 43-24-14-1 (2nd in Pacific Division, 5th in Western Conference)
The Ducks had surprising success last season, due in large part to excellent
goaltending from Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Some bold,
yet questionable moves in the off-season, coupled with a very strong Entry
Draft should make this a very interesting season at the Pond.
Forwards: The Ducks have as previously stated, made some questionable
moves up front. The bulk of their offensive responsibility will fall on veteran
center Doug Weight, who they recently acquired from
Key Player: Henrik Zetterberg
Forward Grade: B-
Defense: The Ducks will have a very potent and deep core of defenseman
in about 2 years when players like Milan Jurcina,
Brent Seabrook, and Mark Popovic develop. So far
however, they are just starting out and are not fully developed to make real
big impacts this season. Bryan Berard, Kimmo Timmonen, Kurt Sauer, and
Ben Clymer are the top 4 for the Ducks. Kristian Kudroc and Peter Podhradsky will
get some playing time if the youngsters like Jurcina
and Popovic do not impress.
Key Player: Ben Clymer
Defense Grade: B-
Goaltending: The Ducks biggest strength comes from the excellent man in
goal, J.S. Giguere. The prime reason for last
season’s Mighty Duck success was this man. Giguere
will continue to be a dominant tender and will again be the main attraction on
this
Goaltending Grade: A+
Prediction: The Ducks will probably do as well as they did last season,
although I would not be surprised if they accumulated a few less points. They
should make the playoffs, but probably won’t get past the 1st round. They may
regret some of their pricey acquisitions, but should look forward to the next
few years as their young prospects develop into fine players.
Last Season: 30-42-8-2 (4th in Northwest Division, 11th in Western Conference)
The Flames played the usual brand of hockey they have been associated with of
late, finishing 11th. Some interesting off-season trades have some thinking the
Flames can finally make the playoffs, while others continue to believe the
Flames are on the outside looking in.
Forwards: The Flames should have a very two-way mindset this year. Jan Hrdina, acquired from
Key Player: Jan Hrdina
Forward Grade: B-
Defense: The Flames should have a decent defensive group this season.
Although 1st pair defenseman Brian Rafalski was dealt
away, they will still have a great 1st pairing of Sergei
Gonchar, one of the league’s elite offensive
defensemen, and youngster Jordan Leopold. Leopold should have a breakout season
and become a top-level defenseman in the league. Andrew Ference,
Karel Rachunek, and Toni Lydman will have to play strong behind that 1st pairing to
give the team confidence in rolling their defense pairings.
Key Player: Jordan Leopold
Defense Grade: B
Goaltending: The Flames acquired Brian Boucher from Phoenix, who should
provide strong goaltending for them, but they also got Manny Legace to back him up, which seems like a smart move due to
Boucher’s questionable consistency over his career. Youngster Brent Krahn is the 3rd goaltender and should see playing time in
the future, but not likely to see much this season. Boucher and Legace should provide the Flames with confidence in net.
Goaltending Grade: A-
Prediction: The Flames will be an improved team over last season, but
still lack the goods to make the playoffs. Their goaltending situation is
greatly improved. This should be a fine year for Jordan Leopold as he emerges
into a top defenseman for them. They should come closer to the playoffs then
last season, but are not quite there yet.
Last Season: 24-45-9-1 (5th in Central Division, 14th in Western Conference)
The Blackhawks did some major reconstruction in the
off-season as they attempt to rebound from a dismal season in which they had
just 58 points. They will look to play a defense-first system and will need
some very strong play from their defense to improve on last season.
Forwards: The Blackhawks will probably play a
very defensive system. They have a lot of two-way forwards, and they will
attempt to make offensive opportunities from strong defensive play. Patrick Marleau, Mark Bell, and Tuomo Ruutu are the key players.
Key Player: Mark Bell
Forward Grade: C
Defense: Much like upfront,
Key Player: Nathan Dempsey
Defense Grade: D
Goaltending: The Blackhawks only true bright
spot is in goal. Rick Dipietro will be one of the
league’s top goalies for many years to come, and he will show that this year.
He will have to with the abysmal group of defensemen in front of him. Dipietro will likely play almost every game this season as
he will be the only true hope the Hawks have of keeping the puck out of the
net. Backup youngster Michael Leighton is going to watch his rear end slowly
expand on the bench this season. He shouldn’t expect to play much, if ever this
season.
Goaltending Grade: A-
Prediction:
Last Season: 53-19-9-1 (2nd in Northwest Division, 2nd in Western Conference)
The Avalanche had great success last year and should expect the same this year.
A multi-talented and balanced group of forwards, a couple of fantastic defensemen, and a bright young goaltender will take this
team as far, if not further, into the playoffs as last season
Forwards: Though they aren’t very young as a group, they are still very
impressive. Not only have the Avs assembled some of the
greatest offensive minds in the league up front, but none of these great
scoring talents is a liability in their own end. Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, John Leclair, and Milan Hejduk will continue to be dominant offensive threats, and
Brad Richards and Mike York will provide some decent offensive numbers
themselves. Look for Richards especially to step up, especially with Leclair slowly beginning to fade away into the limelight.
Just in case any of them due slouch a bit in their own zone, the Avs have a nice group of defensive minded forwards as well.
Stephane Yelle, Dallas
Drake, Scott Parker, and Brad May will provide strong defensive play and
toughness and grit, and all will be stepping up to opposing teams’ big men,
protecting Forsberg and Sakic from the goons of the
league.
Key Player: Brad Richards
Forward Grade: A
Defense: Though they lost the great Al MacInnis
to retirement, the Avs still have good depth at the
blue line. Rob Blake and Derek Morris will be one of the league’s best
defensive pairings as Morris will finally step up as a big time defenseman, and
Blake will continue his Norris-level play. Behind them, veteran newcomers Dmitry Yushkevich and Drake Berehowsky will be a capable 2nd pairing, and the 3rd
pairing will probably be Jamie Pushor and Pavel Trnka, although 1st round
draft pick Ryan Suter may steal one of those spots
away from Pushor or Trnka.
Key Player: Derek Morris
Defense Grade: B+
Goaltending: David Aebischer had a brilliant
regular season, quieting his doubters with a 1.59 GAA and 8 shutouts en route
to 50 wins, but had his struggles in the playoffs due to inexperience. He will
be the #1 for sure this season and should improve his playoff numbers. Just in
case he falters, 24 year old Philippe Suave, a very capable netminder,
will be right there to step in.
Goaltending Grade: A+
Prediction: The Avalanche will again be a great team, but may not equal
their efforts last year, with Al MacInnis and Adam
Oates gone. Brad Richards, however, should really find his game this season.
His development, as well as major minutes for Derek Morris may be enough to
counteract the loss of the two legendary players. Either way, the Avs will still be one of the teams to beat and have what it
takes to go all the way.
Last Season: 29-40-10-3 (3rd in Central Division, 10th in Western Conference)
The Blue Jackets had a mediocre season last week but seem to be headed in the
wrong direction. A young team just out of expansion, they are loaded with
veterans instead of concentrating on building through youth. They will need to
make some moves if they hope for a good future.
Forwards: Scoring should not be a problem for
Key Player: Rick Nash
Forward Grade: B-
Defense: Although youngster Rostislav Klesla anchors the Jackets’ defense, they too are mainly
veteran players. Jaroslav Spacek,
Luke Richardson, and Karl Dykhuis are all over 30. Klesla will be a main stay at the blue line in
Key Player: Rostislav Klesla
Defense Grade: C+
Goaltending: Marc Denis should be a good stable goalie for
Goaltending Grade: B-
Prediction: The Blue Jackets will struggle this season, mainly due to
their managerial uncertainty. They shouldn’t have a problem scoring goals, but
they may have problems letting them in. They would be better off making major
changes and looking towards the future, because they are not a playoff team at
this point.
Dallas Stars
Last Season: 48-25-6-3 (1st in Pacific Division, 3rd in Western Conference)
The Stars got all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, where the
champion Flyers swept them. The Stars hope to make their way back to the
finals, and should have as much of a chance as they did last season to get there,
if not higher. They don’t boast any major changes to their roster, which should
keep team chemistry together. If it ain’t broke, why
fix it?
Forwards: The Stars boast the same offensive talent they did last
season. Mike Modano will again lead names like Bill
Guerin, Pierre Turgeon, Jason Arnott,
and Scott Young. Defensive specialists like Jere Lehtinen, Stu Barnes, and Brendan
Morrow back up the offensive specialists. Tough guy Rob Ray provides the grit
and protection for the likes of Modano. Depth players
like Ulf Dahlen, Bates Battaglia,
Manny Malhotra, and Brian Savage are group of
forwards that is deep enough to be better then average, but not a great
“support group” after the first and second lines.
Key Player: Jason Arnott
Forward Grade: B+
Defense:
Key Player: Sergei Zubov
Defense Grade: B
Goaltending: Marty Turco will continue to play
tremendously in net for Dallas, and whenever he needs a rest, rookie Jason Bacashihua should turn into a capable backup for the team. Turco, however, won’t rest too much and will probably
achieve numbers similar to the ones he had last year (1.85 GAA, 6 Shutouts)
Goaltending Grade: A-
Prediction: The Stars should once again be a top team in the West.
However, a repeat trip to the finals may be just out of their reach. They have
a group of bonafide superstars, but questionable
depth behind them when compared to their big rivals in the West. The Stars have
what it takes to go deep in the playoffs, but most likely not as deep as last
year.
Last Season: 47-27-7-1 (1st in Central Division, 4th in Western Conference)
The key word in
Forwards: Sergei Federov
and Brendan Shannahan are the key players, with Paul Kariya, now in his 2nd year as a wing joining them. Those
three, along with Pavel Datsyuk
and recently acquired Anson Carter should be the driving force of the Wings
offense this season. They should give
Key Player: Pavel Datsyuk
Forward Grade: B+
Defense: Nicklas Lidstrom
will again lead a strong group of defensmen for
Key Player: Jiri Fischer
Defense Grade: A
Goaltending: Rookie Stefan Liv and ex-Ranger
Mike Dunham will split time in the net this season for
Goaltending Grade: B+
Prediction: The Red Wings have done a pretty good job of
semi-rebuilding, a phase that most teams struggle through dearly. They should
once again win their division and make the playoffs, but probably don’t have
enough to go further then the 2nd round. It would not at all be surprising if
early in the season, they decided to go into full rebuilding mode and looked to
deal away what valuable veterans they have.
Last Season: 31-34-9-8 (3rd in Northwest Division, 9th in Western Conference)
The Oil were just a drop away from the playoffs last season, missing the second
season by a mere one point. This season should prove to be different.
Forwards: The Oilers have some very potent
offensive talent in Ryan Smyth and Mike Comrie.
Beyond that they have a plethora of mid-level talent that all will pitch in
their share. Marc Savard, Petr
Schastlivy, Brad Isbister,
and Fredrik Modin will all score sufficient points. Isbister, Jani Rita, Trevor Letowski, and youngster Mikhonov
can help out defensively, while Georges Laraque and
Jody Shelley will patrol and protect. Some believe the Oilers
are too soft up front to compete with the big boys in the West. They hope
ex-Devil Jeff Friesen will provide the gritty scoring forward they are looking
for. He probably isn’t enough, but he is a start.
Key Player: Petr Schastlivy
Forward Grade: B
Defense: This is where
Key Player: Martin Skoula
Defense Grade: B+
Goaltending: In goal is where the Oilers’
major questions stand. Tommy Salo has not proven himself
consistent enough to give the Oilers management full
confidence in him. They feel they made a great move in plucking Roman Chechmanek from the Flyers in the waiver draft. Another
consistency-plagued goalie, the enigma that is Chechmanek
will get yet another chance to prove himself if Salo
isn’t satisfactory. Maybe a platoon strategy will work for them. Only time will
tell.
Goaltending Grade: B+
Prediction: If only they were in a different division. Playing
Last Season: 32-50-0-0 (5th in Pacific Division, 12th in Western Conference)
The Kings had an abhorrent season last year and made some questionable
personnel moves. As the new season looms, things are not looking much better
for the Kings. Thin depth-wise and full of questionable players plagued by
inconsistencies, the Kings really need some luck this year to see any level of
success.
Forwards: Gone are Ziggy Palffy
and Jason Allison, and in are a plethora of young players looking to earn a
permanent spot among the big boys. Adam Deadmarsh
will have the bulk of the offensive workload laid upon him, and he won’t be
getting much support. He will have Henrik Sedin, Alex Frolov, Jared Aulin, Mike Cammaleri, and
Pier-Marc Bouchard attempting to shoulder some of that scoring weight. Aside
from Sedin, there is very little experience among
that group. Frolov does have two decent seasons under
his belt, but needs to continue to play better to prove themselves.
They’ll each have to show us something this season. On the other side of the
puck, Michal Grosek, Mikko Eloranta, Pavel Vorobiev, and Kip Brennan
are the Kings’ 1st line of defense. Again, they are an inconsistent and
unproven bunch. The Kings will have to be very creative with so little to work
with up front.
Key Player: Henrik Sedin
Forward Grade: C
Defense: Things look a little bit better along the blue line for LA, but
not much. Lubomir Visnovsky
and Jaroslav Modry are good
offensive defensemen, but are not strong enough defensively to be considered
top level defensemen, but they will have to be in LA. 24 year olds Jeff Jillson and Bryan Allen are two of the few bright spots on
the team, as is 21 year old Tim Gleason. These 3 should see a lot of time this
season, and even more in the future. Veteran Jiri Slegr will have to have a strong season also to make the
Kings’ blue line potent.
Key Player: Tim Gleason
Defense Grade: C+
Goaltending: This may not be the ideal situation for Byron Dafoe, but it
will have to do. Trying to prove that he is a winning goaltender, playing in LA
this season will not allow him to do nearly as much winning as he would like.
However, strong play from Dafoe will go a long way for this team, should he
give it to them. Backing him up is Jamie Storr, who
is a solid backup.
Goaltending Grade: B
Prediction: This will be a difficult season in the City of
Last Season:
The Wild were the worst team in the EHA last season,
and should have a significant improvement this year. A huge trade for Alexei Yashin had the Wild give up the first overall pick in the
entry draft, and they shipped top defenseman Filip Kuba to Boston (who then shipped him to St. Louis) for some
good, but older depth.
Forwards: Alexei Yashin is the big name up
front for
Key Player: Stanislav Chistov
Forward Grade: B-
Defense: Ex-Bruins Hal Gill and Aaron Miller lead the Wild defense.
Acquired in the Kuba deal, they will be shouldered
with big time responsibility. Both are capable of playing good hockey, and
should get the job done. Newly inked veteran Lyle Odelein
will provide experience, leadership, and much needed grit to the Wild.
Youngsters Bruno St. Jacques, Jim Fahey, Lukas Krajicek,
and Travis Roche will battle for the remaining spots on the blue line. Fahey
and St. Jacques look to be the best of the bunch.
Key Player: Jim Fahey
Defense Grade: B
Goaltending: Manny Fernandez had a pretty good season considering the
poor way the team played last year. He is a suitable #1 goaltender, but not
among the league’s best. He should play up to the team’s expectations of him,
though. He will get A LOT of work as Derek Gustafson is not a backup that the
Wild are crazy about.
Goaltending Grade: B-
Prediction: Don’t expect to see the Wild last in the standings again,
but don’t expect them to make the playoffs either. Two or three years down the
road, it is certainly feasible. They aren’t quite there yet. They should
definitely climb out of the league cellar, though.
Last Season: 25-47-10-0 (4th in Central Division, 13th in Western Conference)
The Predators had a difficult season last year amid front office issues. With
those issues still up in the air, they are on track for another difficult year.
For a team with several very talented young players, that is a shame. Nearly
all their players over the age of 30 are in the final years of their contracts.
The Preds are definitely a team built for the future,
and they have the early design of a future success.
Forwards: The Predators are a very defensive minded team. Scott Hartnell is the only real scoring forward they have. They
do however, have a plethora of young forwards who are
very physical and skilled in their own end. Hartnell
is also one of them as he seems to be shaping up into an excellent two-way
forward. Aside from him, David Legwand, Scott Walker,
and Vladimir Orzagh can contribute some offense here
and there. Denis Pederson, Chris Clark, and Clarke Wilm
are all very skilled defensive forwards. Youngsters Scottie Upshall,
Joffrey Lupul, and Jordin Tootoo will probably get
some ice time here and there, but not much. Nikolai Zherdev,
the team’s promising first round draft pick may end up playing this season as
well. He’d be a welcome offensive player to this group. A year or two down the line, this should be a pretty good group of forwards.
Key Player: David Legwand
Forward Grade: B-
Defense:
Key Player: Andy Delmore
Defense Grade: B-
Goaltending: In net,
Goaltending Grade: A-
Prediction: The Preds have the talent to rise
in the standings, and maybe even challenge for a playoff spot. Team turmoil,
however, will not allow them to do so and they will be stuck in mediocrity for
at least one more season.
Last Season: 34-35-11-2 (4th in Pacific Division, 7th in Western Conference)
The large disparity between the top and the bottom teams in the West allowed
the Yotes to make the playoffs with a losing record.
They took eventual Conference champs Dallas to 7 games in the first round, and
followed that strong performance up with an off-season full of odd moves. They
lost 3 players in the Waiver Draft, easily the most of any team.
Forwards: Top forward Jan Hrdina was dealt to
Key Player: Alexei Zhamnov
Forward Grade: B-
Defense: The story of the Coyotes defense must start with the
controversial signing of veteran Mathieu Schneider. The 35 year old was signed
to an outstanding $6,500,000 deal by the Yotes this
summer. Many believe this is a very steep price for an aging, past his prime
defenseman. Even stranger, they also signed Alexander Khavanov,
another defenseman. The Yotes are a deep team along
the blue line, with very skilled young defensemen like Ossi
Vaananen and Paul Mara. Danny Markov and Radoslav Suchy are not too shabby
either, and Deron Quint was
a capable defenseman, although he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks in the
waiver draft. That is another decision the Coyotes may regret, as now their
biggest division rival acquired a much-needed defenseman for virtually nothing.
Rookies Shaone Morrison and Lars Jonsson
too clog up the blue-line for this Coyotes team. Nevertheless, the signings of
Schneider and Khavanov certainly do secure this team
in their own zone, and Schneider does add the puck-moving defenseman and
veteran leader they needed.
Key Player: Mathieu Schneider
Defense Grade: A
Goaltending: The Yotes have gone through a
strange situation in goal. Last season, veteran Sean Burke lost the starting
job to Brian Boucher, who performed very well. Boucher was dealt to
Goaltending Grade: B+
Prediction: If the Coyotes defensive minded forwards turn their defense
into offense, then the team should do better then they did last year, and will
again return to the playoffs. They probably won’t get out of the first round,
but will finish with a winning record, and gain much needed experience for
goaltender David LeNeveu.
San Jose Sharks
Last Season: 45-29-6-2 (3rd in Pacific Division, 6th in Western Conference)
The Sharks had a successful season last year, making the playoffs but losing to
the Wings in a tough 6 game series. They have made some great improvements this
off-season and stand to have a great season this year. They hope to make the
best of the season before they lose their star offensive player, Teemu Selanne, to free agency.
Forwards: The Sharks made a big off-season acquisition when they
acquired Jeff O’Neill. O’Neill gives them 3 serious offensive threats along
with Teemu Selanne and Ziggy Palffy. The Sharks will
lose Teemu Selanne to free
agency after the season, so they hope to get as much out of Selanne’s
time with them as they can. Aside from the top 3, they hope to get some
offensive output from veteran Slava Kozlov, who is looking to revive his career after being
shipped around last season. Young Fedor Federov is looking to improve on a decent rookie season and
Marco Sturm needs to continue to improve as an offensive scorer in the league.
The tough grit of veterans Mike Ricci, Todd Harvey, and Wayne Primeau will balance these offensive powers. They signed
free agent veteran Shaun Van Allen this off-season to have not only one more
physical body, but also an experienced leader. Troublemaker Todd Fedoruk rounds out this well-balanced group.
Key Player: Marco Sturm
Forward Grade: A-
Defense: The Sharks made small but significant upgrades on the blue line
this off-season.
Key Player: Jon Klemm
Defense Grade: B+
Goaltending: Evgeny Nabakov
had a great season in goal last year for
Goaltending Grade: A
Prediction: The Sharks will improve upon last season and come closer to
becoming a real contender in the West. They will encounter a setback next
season when Selanne leaves for free agency, but will
have built a solid team up and will be able to withstand the loss of Selanne. The Sharks should be good enough to advance past
the 1st round of the playoffs this season.
St. Louis Blues
Last Season: 35-37-9-1 (2nd in Central Division, 8th in Western Conference)
The Blues just managed to sneak into the playoffs last season, but lost to the
#1 seed Canucks in 5 games. In the offseason, they
made some big changes. Most notably, they dealt away prize defenseman Chris Pronger, as well as top center Doug Weight. They received
pretty good returns on both, however. It should be interesting to see if indeed
they got what those players were worth.
Forwards: The Blues shouldn’t have a problem scoring goals this season.
Veterans Keith Tkachuk and Rod Brind’amour
lead the way for them. Tkachuk had 40 goals last
season, Brind’amour had 20. Petr
Nedved will need to improve on last season’s 15 goals
for them, however. Petr Sykora,
the centerpiece of the Chris Pronger deal adds
another strong offensive presence on the ice for
Key Player: Mike LeClerc
Forward Grade: B+
Defense: On defense,
Key Player: Filip Kuba
Defense Grade: B
Goaltending: The Blues biggest strength is probably in goal. 21 year old
Dan Blackburn has the Blues set in goal for the next 15 years. At 21 however,
he may not be ready to play every game just yet. Last season, Chris Osgood
backed him up. This season, that task falls to Steve Shields. Shields is good enough to start on many teams, but things
have never fallen into place for the 32 year old journeyman. He will get to
play this season, though. He only played 5 times last year in
Goaltending Grade: A
Prediction: The Blues have a deeper team then they did last season, and
Dan Blackburn is maturing nicely into a franchise goalie. They are strong
enough to make the playoffs, but so are many of the non-top tier teams in the
West, such as
Vancouver Canucks
Last Season: 55-21-5-1 (1st in Northwest Division, 1st in Western Conference)
The Canucks had an excellent season last year, but fell to the Dallas Stars in
7 games in the Western Conference finals. They have not made many changes and
will field virtually the same team as last season. In the wacky Western
Conference, they are strong enough to win it all, and could just as easily be
knocked out in the 1st round. Realistically, however, the Canucks are a serious
Stanley Cup contender, and are capable of winning it all.
Forwards: The Canucks possess some of the best forwards in the game.
They have a very potent group of scoring forwards, starting ofcourse
with Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi.
Both had 36 goals and 36 assists last year. Top center Jason Allison had 63
points. By league standards, those numbers seem a little low for players as
talented as that, but that is mainly due to the fact that the Canucks have so
many options offensively. Aside from the top three, Martin Straka
can be a brilliant player with the puck when not hampered by injuries, and
Andrew Brunette and Brendan Morrison are both threats with the puck as well.
Captain Trevor Linden is just one of the many two-way forwards on the team.
Mike Knuble, Chris Nielsen, Steve Konowalchuk,
Trent Klatt, and Matt Cooke are the ideal kind of
role players that a contending team needs to play strong behind the teams’
stars. They should not have trouble at either end of the ice, and the Canucks
will again have one of the best groups of forwards in the EHA.
Key Player: Martin Straka
Forward Grade: A
Defense: The Canucks are not as deep on defense as they are upfront, but
certainly aren’t facing problems. Ed Jovanovski and Mattias Ohlund do make up one of
the EHA’s best defensive pairs. Not much needs to be
said about them. Jovo is easily one of the league’s
elite, and Ohlund is no slouch either. After them, Sami Salo and Jason Smith make up
an interesting duo. Salo being offensive minded and
Smith defensive minded, they hope to compliment each
other. Veterans Jason Marshall, Dave Karpa,
and Murray Baron round out the group. Each is a defensive specialist,
and provides even more experience and leadership to a team already chock full
of it. Baron, especially, has been in
Key Player: Ed Jovanovski
Defense Grade: B+
Goaltending: The ‘Nucks biggest question is in
goal, where even though Dan Cloutier had a stellar
regular season, and had an above average playoffs, most still don’t believe he
can carry a team all the way to a championship. At the age of 28, the excuse of
not being fully developed is no longer valid, and “Clouts” will have to get the
job done this season, or else something is going to change in
Goaltending Grade: A-
Prediction:
Western Conference Predictions
Central Division
1) Detroit Red Wings
2) St. Louis Blues
3) Columbus Blue Jackets
4) Chicago Blackhawks
5) Nashville Predators
Northwest Division
1) Vancouver Canucks
2) Colorado Avalanche
3) Edmonton Oilers
4) Calgary Flames
5) Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
1) Dallas Stars
2) San Jose Sharks
3) Phoenix Coyotes
4) Anaheim Mighty Ducks
5) Los Angeles Kings
Western Conference Overall Standings (division winners = *)
1) Vancouver Canucks*
2) Dallas Stars*
3) Detroit Red Wings*
4) Colorado Avalanche
5) San Jose Sharks
6) Edmonton Oilers
7) Phoenix Coyotes
8) Anaheim Mighty Ducks
9) St. Louis Blues
10) Calgary Flames
11) Columbus Blue Jackets
12) Minnesota Wild
13) Chicago Blackhawks
14) Nashville Predators
15) Los Angeles Kings
The Canucks and Avalanche should once again be the two best in the west, while
San Jose, Edmonton, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Anaheim will shuffle for playoff
position all season long. Games between those 5 teams should be very
interesting. Each of them are very evenly matched
overall.
Playoffs
ROUND 1
1) Vancouver vs. 8) Anaheim = Vancouver in 5
2) Dallas vs. 7) Phoenix = Dallas in 6
3) Detroit vs. 6) Edmonton = Edmonton in 7
4) Colorado vs. 5) San Jose = Colorado in 7
ROUND 2
1) Vancouver vs. 6) Edmonton = Vancouver in 6
2) Dallas vs. 4) Colorado = Colorado in 6
ROUND 3
1) Vancouver vs. 6) Colorado = Colorado in 7
Interestingly enough, while I feel the Avs will win
the West at the end, they may be most likely to be upset in the 1st round,
especially if they play a team like San Jose. It would not be a surprise if
they were, nor would it be if
Eastern Conference Quick Preview
1) Boston Bruins*
2) Philadelphia Flyers*
3) Tampa Bay Lightning*
4) New Jersey Devils
5) New York Rangers
6) New York Islanders
7) Ottawa Senators
8) Florida Panthers
9) Montreal Canadiens
10) Washington Capitals
11) Atlanta Thrashers
12) Carolina Hurricanes
13) Toronto Maple Leafs
14) Buffalo Sabres
15) Pittsburgh Penguins
EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION = BOSTON BRUINS
STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS = COLORADO AVALANCHE