January 10, 2012, National Hockey League Western Conference Preview for Metro Newspaper in NYC
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BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES
Dustin Brown, left, and Jonathan Quick hope to hoist the Cup again this season.
It was a moment that will be etched into the annals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Los Angeles Kings had just dispatched the Phoenix Coyotes from the Stanley Cup playoffs on the night of May 22, 2012.
Shane Doan, the captain of the Coyotes, pulled his counterpart, Dustin
Brown, in for a pointed conversation as the two teams engaged in the
traditional handshake line following a bitter five-game Western
Conference final. It was a departure of the norm until factoring in the
West’s history.
The Western Conference is a fascinating amalgamation of current powers
and burgeoning superpowers, stable and unstable franchises, contemporary
and imminent superstars and those who are falling from their accustomed
perch.
Metro gives you our picks for how the season will shake out.
1. Los Angeles Kings: With apologies to UFC ring
announcer Bruce Buffer, the reigning, defending NHL champions return
everyone that won the franchise’s first Cup last June. The forward corps
possesses every attribute needed to be successful. The defensive
pairings perfectly complement each other. Conn Smythe-winner Jonathan
Quick is among the five best at his position. Darryl Sutter, who
replaced Terry Murray last December, has the team’s respect. And Dean
Lombardi may be among the league’s boldest GMs.
2. Vancouver Canucks: Arguably the NHL’s most
polarizing team, the Canucks are still trying to find the formula for
the franchise’s first Cup. The Canucks signed Jason Garrison to a
six-year, $27.6 million UFA deal in July in order to add a heavy point
shot to one of the league’s best power plays. The two overriding issues
will be Ryan Kesler’s health and whether GM Mike Gillis will be able to
deal Roberto Luongo.
3. St. Louis Blues: The good: St. Louis’s 109 points
were tied with the Rangers for second most in the league. The bad: The
Blues were swept by the Kings in the second round of the Western
Conference playoffs. The league’s stingiest team — they averaged a
league-low 1.89 goals against — will benefit from the expected offensive
production of highly regarded prospect Vladimir Tarasenko.
4. Minnesota Wild: Following another failed season, the
Wild made the biggest splash in free agency signing the top-2 free
agents on the market — Zach Parise and Ryan Suter — to similar 13-year,
$98 million pacts. Minnesota also signed depth players Jake Dowell,
Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell. It will be interesting to see how
Wild players react to owner Craig Leipold, who was part of the NHL
negotiating committee.
5. San Jose Sharks: Is the Sharks’ window closing?
Among the NHL’s premier teams for nearly a decade, San Jose finished
2011-12 seventh in the West with a 43-29-10 mark before being eliminated
in five games in the conference quarterfinals by St. Louis. General
manager Doug Wilson signed right wing Adam Burish and stay-at-home
defenseman Brad Stuart to provide the Sharks with some bite.
6. Detroit Red Wings: The pre-eminent franchise in
professional team sports the last two decades — 21 straight years of
qualifying for the playoffs — is faced with an almost impossible task:
Finding a replacement for one of the top-10 defenseman of all-time after
Nicklas Lidstrom announced his retirement last May. Long one of the
NHL’s favorite destinations for players, Detroit lost out on Ryan Suter
and was beaten to Matt Carle by the Lightning. The task to fill the gap
left by Lidstrom’s retirement falls to veteran Niklas Kronwall, who has
played his entire 467-game career with the Red Wings.
7. Chicago Blackhawks: It was not sweet home, Chicago
in 2011-12. GM Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville feuded. The
Blackhawks fell to 22nd in goals against average (2.82). Patrick Kane
made headlines for his off-ice exploits more than his goal scoring
(scored just 23 goals, the second fewest in his career). Marian Hossa
suffered a season-ending concussion in Game 3 of the Western Conference
quarterfinals due to a flying hit from Coyotes forward Raffi Torres, and
was only cleared by the Blackhawks medical staff in December. Did we
mention that UFAs Martin Brodeur, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter all passed
on Chicago in free agency?
8. Phoenix Coyotes: Don Maloney and Dave Tippett have
surpassed Nashville counterparts David Poile and Barry Trotz as the
NHL’s best GM-coach tandem to do more with less. The Coyotes have a
135-78-33 record with three playoff appearances in the three full
seasons of the Maloney-Tippett partnership. As good as the duo and the
team has been, prospective owner Greg Jamison needs to finish the deal
to purchase the financially beleaguered franchise and keep it in
Glendale, Ariz. Otherwise, the rumors about the Coyotes relocating to
Seattle will kick into overdrive.
9. Dallas Stars: Everything’s bigger in Texas,
including the Stars’ collective age after signing 40 year olds Jaromir
Jagr (one year, $4.55 million) and Ray Whitney (two years, $9 million)
over the summer.
10: NASHVILLE PREDATORS: All eyes are on Shea Weber. The Norris finalist
signed a 14-year, $110 million RFA offer sheet with the Flyers that the
Predators matched weeks after his former defense partner, Ryan Suter
agreed to a 13-year, $98 million UFA pact with Minnesota in free agency.
11. Edmonton Oilers: It is not a matter of if with the
Oilers, rather it is when Edmonton’s precocious coterie realize their
potential. Edmonton already had Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan
Nugent-Hopkins in the fold before winning the draft lottery. The Oilers
used the No. 1 overall pick on Sarnia Sting (OHL) right wing Nail
Yakupov. A week after the draft, highly coveted University of Wisconsin
defenseman Justin Schultz decided to sign with the Oilers.
12. Ahaheim Ducks: The Ducks’ fortunes lay with the top
line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Arguably one of the
NHL’s top trios, Ryan, Getzlaf and Perry will have to be dominant in
order for the Ducks to compete for a playoff berth.
13. Colorado Avalanche: It has been a long time since
the Avalanche’s heyday. But there is hope in Denver. Gabriel Landeskog,
the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, was named team captain in
September. Now 20, Landeskog is the youngest captain in NHL history and
is coming off a Calder Trophy-winning season (82 games, 22 goals, 30
assists, 52 points and a plus-20 rating).
14. Calgary Flames: It’s clear to everyone but Flames
management that the rebuild must begin immediately. Instead, GM Jay
Feaster signed right wing Jiri Hudler (four years, $16 million) and
defenseman Dennis Wideman (five years, $26.250 million) to deals that
will clog the Flames’ cap.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets: The rebuild has begun in
Columbus. The Blue Jackets selected Everett Silvertips (WHL) defenseman
Ryan Murray with the No. 2 overall pick. Columbus also added Artem
Anisimov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno and Tim
Erixon in three separate trades with the Rangers, Senators and Flyers.
Veteran defenseman Adrian Aucoin was signed as a free agent. Most
important was the hiring of John Davidson in October as the president of
hockey operations.
Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
Follow NHL beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1159426--nhl-western-conference-preview
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 9:50 PM
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