Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
As the season approaches, we'll continue to preview what to expect in the upcoming season.
In the last edition we
looked at the Central Division, so today we'll stay in the Western Conference and preview the Pacific.
Todd Cordell: Los Angeles Kings
In recent years the Kings have been a team that's had good regular seasons, and followed them up with great postseasons. This year, I expect things to be different and for them to be an elite team in the regular season as well.
Over the last few years they've struggled to score in the regular season, which has hindered their ability to consistently pick up wins. With a full season of Marian Gaborik, and Tanner Pearson as well as Tyler Toffoli both establishing themselves as legitimate scoring threats at the NHL level, I don't think that'll be a problem any longer.
Their only loss was Willie Mitchell and, with many of their young players continuing to get better, it's hard to bet against them.
Los Angeles
Anaheim
San Jose
Vancouver
Arizona
Edmonton
Calgary
Tim Chiasson: Los Angeles Kings
The Pacific Division is still a three horse race for me with LA, San Jose and Anaheim vying for the title. Both the Kings and Sharks did little-to-nothing to already solid rosters while Anaheim beefed up their forward group by adding Ryan Kesler via trade and picking up Dany Heatley for pennies. Losing Jonas Hiller is going to be tough even though Frederik Andersen played extremely well last year. The Sharks are still a 100+ point team but distractions and added pressure should keep them out of the top spot. I’m going with the most complete roster in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings, to win the Pacific Division for 2014/2015.
Los Angeles
Anaheim
San Jose
Arizona
Vancouver
Edmonton
Calgary
Ryan Wilson: Los Angeles Kings
The Pacific Division has three teams that should be vying for the top position this year. The defending Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings, the San Jose Sharks, and the Anaheim Ducks.
In recent memory LA has not been lights out in the regular season. In their Cup run of 2011-12 they were the 8th seed, in 2012-13 they were the 5th seed, and last year they were 3rd in the division. Both years they won the Cup they were struggling to score goals in the regular season. This led to the Carter/Richards and Gaborik trades. This boosted their offense and they were able to roll after those transactions. This year they shouldn’t need to make a trade like that, they should be all set from the beginning. Injury concerns about Quick should be lessened by the fact his backup goalies have outplayed him for the past number of years. If he goes down Martin Jones will do just fine.
San Jose – They have gone through a very public offseason that has been mostly negative. However, they still boast a really impressive roster. Thornton and Marleau are still on the team and they are still great players. The key for the Sharks will be to find another defenseman so Burns can bump back up to the Thornton line.
Anaheim – Anaheim finally got their #2 center in Ryan Kesler. They have always had the big #1 line but now they should have two solid offensive lines. How good they will be will be in the hands of the youngsters (Gibson, Etem, Silfverberg). Their defense corp. is nothing to write home about outside of Fowler and Beauchemin, unless the Scandanavian duo of Vatanen and Lindholm take the next step.
Arizona – Every year people ignore the Coyotes but there they are at the end of the year fighting for a playoff spot. Dave Tippett is a good coach and I expect the Coyotes to sniff on the perimeter of a playoff spot yet again.
Vancouver- Ryan Miller always seems to find himself playing for a team that is stuck between fighting for one of the final playoff spots or heading towards a full rebuild. Vancouver is in this middle ground and they will need to choose if they are going to go all in or rebuild. Being in this middle ground breeds mediocrity, ask the Sabres from 2007-2013.
Edmonton/Calgary – Both teams have some really nice younger players, both teams improved their goaltending situations, both teams still have some depth issues and aren’t quite ready to compete with the big boys. Edmonton could separate themselves from Calgary if Leon Draisatl can be an impact player, If he can’t the Oilers will once again have a hole behind Ryan Nugen-Hopkins at the top 6 center position. Another x factor is the ability of rookies Nurse/Klefbom to step in and help out the Edmonton defense corp. Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau should give Calgary fans plenty to cheer about.
Matt Henderson: Los Angeles Kings
The Pacific Division is a war-zone of big centermen and bruising teams. Winning this Division is no easy task. Anaheim did it last year but I’m not a big believer in the Ducks even with the addition of Kesler (or maybe because of it), so they are not my pick. I’m taking the LA Kings to win the Division if not for any reason then because they just know how to do it and have about as complete a team as any that has been assembled in the Cap Era. The Kings managed to bring Gaborik back and retain all the key players on their team. I just don’t know how to put anyone else ahead of them. The Sharks are having a self-imposed identity crisis after failing to close out the Kings and I think it hurts them, plus John Scott is there to anchor the team down a bit. After LA, San Jose, and Anaheim the rest of the division is in flux. There is a clear separation between the 2 tiers of teams.
Kings
Sharks
Anaheim
Edmonton
Vancouver
Phoenix
Calgary
Yeah, I put Edmonton 4th in the Division. They added a lot of depth to their lineup when they had none before and their young stars are all a year older. This is the year they get out of the basement.
Michael Stuart: Los Angeles Kings
It’s tough to bet against the Los Angeles Kings… so I won’t.
A shortened summer shouldn’t be enough to throw the Kings off their game. I’m not sure there’s a team in the Pacific that can match the Kings’s roster depth or strength. You’re looking at a team with Anze Kopitar leading the way up front and Drew Doughty controlling things on defense. Combine those two with a quality supporting cast, and it’s no surprise that the Kings are a possession powerhouse.
Los Angeles
Anaheim
San Jose
Vancouver
Edmonton
Phoenix
Calgary
Recent posts
Central Division Predictions
Predicting the Selke winner
Predicting the Rocket Richard winner
Predicting the Calder winner
Predicting the Hart winner
Predicting the Vezina winner
Predicting the Norris winner
Join the Discussion:
»