We are just a few days from the start of the regular season. That's right, the longest short summer of a Kings fans life.
There is a considerable buzz coming up surrounding the Kings upcoming season. Why? Because the team retained nearly everyone from the previous cup run and there are a number of key players, both old and new, that are in line for huge seasons.
They are also in a Pacific division that looks very much in flux.
We will get to each team in a moment, however the Pacific division is still looking as formidable a beast as it did before. Is it the best division in hockey still? With the additions some of the Central teams made you could very well make an argument that our Western Conference partner division is now the strongest. Nonetheless, very few teams in the Pacific got weaker, but few of the top dogs made notable changes. The Kings, in my eyes, look like an on paper favorite to win the division along with the Anaheim Ducks.
And that seems like a good spot to start with our Division Preview.
Anaheim Ducks
2013-14 Record: 54-20-8 1st in the division
Additions Ryan Kesler Nate Thompson Louis LeBlanc Dany Heatley Clayton Stoner Jason LaBarbara
Subtractions Nick Bonino Teemu Selanne Saku Koivu Jonas Hiller Luca Sbisa Matthieu Perrault
What to know
You have to hand it to the Ducks for one thing last year: They were a tremendous REGULAR SEASON team. They finished one point shy of a President's Trophy and have a number of highly skilled juggernauts up front in Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Bruce Boudreau's wild west style of offense seemed to fit well with the young, speedy team, and they were atop the division for most of the year. However, as predicted, the Ducks were not able to rein it in during the playoffs when it mattered most, and the wide open style was their ultimate undoing in the postseason.
The team is going to look slightly different this year although the majority of the core remains intact. Long time Ducks, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne depart, with the latter maybe not being the worst of things. Apparently Selanne's wrinkle with the coaching staff was becoming quite a distraction for the Ducks locker room. The team is bringing in Ryan Kesler to fill a void in the 2nd line center position, which was previous a weakness, but it came at the cost of the young and talented center Nick Bonino. They've also taken a flier on Danny Heatley, whom signed on a one year deal worth only 1$ million dollars. It honestly isn't the worst risk considering the low dollar amount. They have also brought in former Minnesota Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner to help stabilize an exceptionally average blue line.
There are some decent sized question marks regarding the Ducks coming into this season. They seem to be moving in the direction of youth this year, with a number of big transitions from old to new. One is going to be between the pipes, where the Ducks have parted ways with long time goaltender Jonas Hiller. In his place the franchise will turn to highly touted John Gibson and impressive rookie Freddy Andersen. To me, that is where the biggest question mark lies. The Ducks will definitely have the horses up front with Getzlaf, Kesler, Perry, Heatley, Silfverberg and several other good depth forwards, but a young back end coupled with young goaltending might be the achilles heel once again. If Lindholm, Fowler, and Vatanen can continue to grow it could be a solid group, but be mindful of the sophomore slump.
If Anaheim isn't challenging for the division near the end of the year I would be surprised.
Arizona Coyotes
2013-14 record: 37-30-15 4th in the division
Additions: Sam Gagner Joe Vitale B.J Crombeen Devan Dubnyk
Subtractions: Mike Ribeiro Radim Vrbata Thomas Greiss Tim Kennedy Paul Bissonnette Derek Morris
What to know
It's going to be tough sledding in Arizona this year. The Coyotes seem to be on a bit of a downward trend from what was nearly a Stanley Cup finals berth in 2011-12. They lost two of their five leading scorers in the offseason in Mike Ribeiro and Radim Vrbata, they lost a capable back up goaltender in Greiss, and franchise forward Shane Doan is a year older and a year less productive.
It's not all bad news though, as the strength of the Coyotes continues to be the stupid amount of defensive depth they have. Yandle and Ekman-Larsson are two world class defenseman, and further down the line Michalek, Gormley, Michael Stone, and Connor Murphy look to round out a solid back six.
The addition of Sam Gagner should help ease some of the offensive issues, but it is still a team that looks strikingly underpowered. They scored at a decent clip last year and had a very solid powerplay, however there isn't a ton to like up front, particularly at wing. With Korpikoski, Doan, Boedker, and Martin Erat rounding out the potential top-6, Phoenix might have trouble lighting the lamp. There is also the questions surrounding Mike Smith. After a fantastic 2011-12 where his save percentage sat at .930, he has had back to back seasons where he has looked a shell of himself. Which Mike Smith is the real one? Phoenix may battle for a wild card spot, but they will be hard pressed to supplant any of the teams that finished above them last season.
Calgary Flames 2013-14 Record: 35-40-7 6th in the division
Additions Jonas Hiller Mason Raymond Derek Engelland Devin Setoguchi
Subtractions Mike Cammalleri Chris Butler Kevin Westgarth Blair Jones Ben Street Joey MacDonald
What to know
Calgary is in the midst of a rebuilding process, but that doesn't mean they are going to be a pushover team. They actually played pretty well down the stretch, going 19-13-0 from January 22nd onward. Once the team committed itself to a rebuild and changed up the front office things seemed to flow a bit better. They aren't going to be a great team this year by any stretch of the imagination, but they are going to be a challenging team nonetheless.
A number of young players are going to have to lead the rebuilding Flames, and a few are already going on their 2nd or 3rd year. Sven Baertschi, Johnny Gaudreau, and Sean Monahan are three names that are going to be of great importance to Calgary, along with other youngsters Markus Granlund, Corban Knight, and Max Reinhart. While the offensive pieces certainly do look in place for the future and the pickup of Jonas Hiller is a much needed stabilizer to a goaltending carousel that has been awful since Mikka Kiprusoff, the team still lacks the punch in the back end.
Giordano is still a monster defenseman, but outside of him the Flames are going to be suiting up T.J. Brodie, Derek Engelland, Ladislav Smid, Dennis Wideman, and probably Kris Russell. It's a group of questionable quality at best, and they have only a few young pieces capable of stepping in should it go awry.
They have definitely improved at the goaltending position, they should be a better team upfront with more experience to the young talents, but they still aren't in a position to challenge for a playoff spot yet. Don't take them lightly though.
Edmonton Oilers
2013-14 record: 29-44-9 Last in the division
Additions: Teddy Purcell Benoit Pouliot Mark Fayne Nikita Nikitin Keith Aulie
Subtractions: Sam Gagner Taylor Fedun Anton Belov
What to know
I feel like I say it every year, and I said it last year. "This is the year for the Edmonton Oilers."
Well, I'm not saying it this year. (Which means they will probably win the division.)
Edmonton is a curious beast. They have all the talent in the world up front with a number of top-5 selections like Yakupov, Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, etc. etc. but the defensive and goaltending issues always raise concerns about the team. Last year they allowed a staggering 270 goals against, which was 29 goals clear of the next worst team in the Conference. Also, for an offensive oriented team they only scored 209, which was second worst in the division 3rd worst in the conference.
So what have the Oilers done this offseason to aid their woes? Well, they've added a number of defensive oriented D-men in Nikitin, Aulie, and Fayne. However, they are leaning on two relatively unproven goaltenders in Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth. While both were worthy of extended minutes with their respective teams last year, and Ben Scrivens certainly did instill a lot of confidence with his great 2013-14, this is a risky duo. It's a risky duo behind what is still a fairly questionable back end. The back end includes Ference, Schultz, Fayne, Nikitin and a possible bottom pairing of Jeff Petry and 2nd year defenseman Martin Marincin.
If the tried and true adage of "Build from the backend" is as successful as they say, Edmonton is the absolute anti-thesis to that and continue to be as we look into this coming season. While the forward lineup which includes first round pick Leon Draisaitl, Teddy Purcell, and what is hopefully a healthy Taylor Hall and David Perron, is plenty appetizing, the defense doesn't look ready. There is also the question of Dallas Eakins getting some of these guys to buy into a less wide open system (Cough* Nail Yakupov).
They will be a team capable of stealing some big wins against better teams because of the offense, but does anyone honestly see the Oilers as a playoff contender when you get into the depth of the lineup? I won't say bottom of the division, but there will be a fight for that title, and the Oilers will probably be amongst them yet again.
San Jose Sharks
2013-14 record: 51-22-9 2nd in the division
Additions Taylor Fedun
Subtraction by Addition John Scott
Subtraction Martin Havlat Brad Stuart Dan Boyle John McCarthy
Drew Remenda (haha)
What to know
Ah, the fallout of losing a series that you were up in 3-0. To the eventual champions no less. Victory that was so close you could taste it, that was ripped away. That comes at a cost apparently, and that cost was ripping the letters off of Thornton and Marleau this offseason. The third captain, Dan Boyle, was given a handshake and kind word as he departed town. What ensued was a pretty silly summer of Sharks coverage. And by silly, I mean this Surprisingly though, coach Todd McClellan survived the axe.
The talent is still there with the Sharks as on paper they match up with pretty much anyone. Pavelski, Couture, Marleau, Nieto, Thornton, Hertl, Vlasic, Burns, Demers. But who the heck knows how motivated this team will be. With the two faces of the franchise reportedly asked to waive NTC's this offseason, can you assure folks if they will be giving it their all this year? Granted, two players don't make a team, but it could be a reasonably sized distraction if things turn south this year at any point.
They will also have a curious crew on defense, as Burns will move back to the blue line and their could be an import of a young gun like Mirco Mueller or Matt Tennyson this year to go along with Matt Irwin. It isn't the best looking six defenders, but they seem to get it done. Vlasic is top notch, and Jason Demers is coming off a fantastic year. Niemi is Niemi, and you can never predict how the former cup winner will perform. His 2013-14 numbers (9.13 save percentage) leave a lot to be desired.
Talent wise the Sharks stack up with the upper echelon of the division and conference, but they aren't a lock to win the Pacific. They might be in the mix for a wild card spot come playoff time, but this group has a lot of pressure riding on them this season after what was arguably one of the biggest collapses in franchise history. Will it have lingering effects? Who knows. Good thing they added natural leader John Scott though to no doubt take up the captaincy once the season sets in. Also hoping they continue to give minutes to Mike Brown, as his direct competition in Martin Havlat is now out of the fold. Interesting times in San Jose.
Vancouver Canucks
2013-14 record: 36-35-11 5th in the division
It isn't a right and proper offseason in Vancouver if their isn't a coaching change and a couple major trades right?
Additions Nick Bonino Luca Sbisa Ryan Miller Radim Vrbata Dustin Jeffrey Bobby Sanguinetti Linden Vey Derek Dorsett
Subtractions Ryan Kesler David Booth Mike Santorelli Andrew Alberts
What to know
Willie Dejardins as coach might be the best thing to happen to this team in an offseason of decent moves. Torterella was an experiment that was doomed from the beginning. Pretty sure the locker room hallways fights, the "moral victories" and the underwhelming record made that painfully clear. Whiteboard Willie is definitely going to have his hands full in keeping these guys afloat though.
It hinges on few things for the Canucks: Goaltending and secondary scoring. No matter how much people make fun of the Sedins, they are still two world class players capable of world class play. Adding a trigger man like Vrbata, and two centers with good upside in Vey and Bonino is a nice thing. However, after the top line it really becomes the same old issue with the Canucks. Who the heck is going to score? Is Burrows capable when healthy? Is Kassian more than a plug? What about Hansen, Matthias, Horvat, Shinkaruk etc. etc. The POTENTIAL is there, but not the actual goods maybe.
On the backend they look decent, as Bieksa, Edler, Hamhuis, and Tanev remain a decent top-4. Add Sbisa to the mix and it isn't the worst defensive group out there. Ryan Miller becomes the linchpin to the whole operation though. If the Canucks can get the work horse that can play 65-70 games at a .920 clip then they are in good shape for potentially sneaking into a wild card spot. However, if they get the Ryan Miller who looked as solid as a pair of old panty hose behind a great Blues defense then they are in trouble.
They remain a team that is between a rock and a hard place this year. They aren't quite good enough to make a push, but they aren't bad enough on paper to be considered an automatic out in the playoff picture out west.
One thing for certain, we will see a lot less of this this season:
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