As the NHL season begins year two from its lockout, teams and players are eagerly trying to get ready and make a favorable impression to the rest of the league. This season aims to provide conundrums in terms of victors and loser similar to last year?s winners of Carolina, Edmonton, and Buffalo or the losers of Toronto, Boston, and Vancouver. This update I will tackle the Pacific division in hopes of finding new changes, surprises, and disappointments.
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The Dallas Stars have been famously known to always be a strong representative in the Pacific Division ever since the movement from Minnesota to the Lone Star State. While many hockey fans may argue that this season, because of such removals like Bill Guerin and Jason Arnott, will be a hard one for Stars fans, I will reassure all the doubters that Dallas will be one of the elite teams in the regular season again. While Marty Turco is not known for his stellar playoff performances, he is as solid as you can get in the regular season, and with additions to the blueline like Darryl Sydor and Jaroslav Modry, two top three defenseman of their previous respective teams, both the defense and goaltending situation should be solid for the Dallas Stars. In terms of offense, it is true that the Stars may have lost key additions in Guerin and Arnott, but the truth is that Guerin was less than stellar last season, and while Arnott was very productive, it was a contract year for him, and more than likely he would not have matched the same level of production. The Stars did add some depth moves in Patrik Stefan, Jeff Halpern, and Eric Lindros, and with the surge of young prospects such as Jussi Jokinen and Antti Miettinen, the Stars should have no problem finding the net. Look for the Stars to compete yet again for the President?s Trophy this year.
Causing the Stars a run for their money last year, the Anaheim Ducks not only changed the name but the outlook for this season as well. Arguably having the best defense in the league with the addition of Chris Pronger alongside Scott Niedermayer, I believe the Ducks will actually win the Pacific this year for such a key addition. With two goalies capable of a high standard of play and an excellent defense, teams will have an immensely hard time to score against this team. If Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald are able to perform at the same caliber as last season and if the Duck?s hot prospects in Getzlap, Perry, Kunitz, and Chistov are able to play solidly, the Ducks should have absolutely no problem winning not only the division but the President?s Trophy as well. Hopefully this will add more attention to the Los Angeles area for once.
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In what I think is the best division in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks are next on the list of probably playoff contenders. Supporting a terrible beginning last fall, the Sharks remained resilient with the players and especially the acquisition of Joe Thornton putting on an amazing second half. With a full year in front of the Sharks, this team will not have any problems making the playoffs and competing in a vigorous way. Like Anaheim, this team has two competent goalies eager to start which should provide some excellent goaltending. It?s true that the Sharks are a bit weak on defense, but with the replacement of future stud defenseman Matt Carle in place of Tom Priessing, the defense, headed by Hannan and Ehrhoff, should be solid enough to let the offense win games. Speaking of the offense, the Sharks potentially have one of the most dangerous combinations in the league with Thornton and Cheechoo. If newly acquired Mark Bell can stay out of jail and perform on the ice, you have probably one of the best lines in the league. While the Shark?s depth might be a bit weak in terms of offense, with a line like this, unless one of these players gets injured, there is not reason for concern in terms of offensive output. Look for an excellent year for this team, but because the Sharks play in such a tough division, points may be a bit hard to come by in the end.
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Unlike the Sharks, the Los Angeles Kings started the season in excellent shape but choked near the end which eventually led to the firing of Coach Andy Murray. The Kings this season do not look in much better shape as they have taken a confusing manner where they looked to be rebuilding on one end but also looked to compete on another end. Trading Pavol Demitra to the Wild for Patrick O?Sullivan may have looked like the Kings where signaling the rebuilding mode to other teams, but other acquisitions such as Dan Cloutier, Alan McCauley, and Rob Blake, while both excellent for their respective positions seems to argue a more competitive team for opponents to ponder over. While the Kings did make these acquisitions relative to their competitors in the division, with a tough schedule ahead of them, and team that is pretty mediocre for one to compete with the likes of the Sharks, Ducks, and Stars, I do not see the Kings making the playoffs yet again this season.
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Now probably one of the last teams you would expect to go to the Stanley Cup playoffs would be the Phoenix Coyotes right? Well they are currently my Western Conference Champions. You may think I am crazy for picking this team, but consider the Edmonton Oilers of last year and how many experts picked them to represent the West. I see a familiar pattern with the Coyotes as a sleeper team who barely makes it into the playoffs, but with Gretzky handling the wheel, and an enormous amount of depth, I foresee the Coyotes causing some trouble for opponents this season. With key additions to defense such as Nick Boynton and Ed Jovanovski, along with offensive pickups such as Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan, this team may have the right materials to definitely compete and give Joseph along with Roenick their first Stanley Cup. It?s true that they are in a hard division, but again having a less than stellar regular season point total does not mean much in the playoffs. I also predict Joseph the win the Vezina as well with an excellent defensive core.
Final Pacific Results for the 2006-2007 Season (Rank based on Western standings):
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