2012-13 Western Conference Preview

15. Dallas Stars

Last Year: Prediction (14) Actual (15)

The Good: Nothing changes in Dallas. Going forward this year, their strength is well…….at forward. With young studs like RNH, Skinner, Hall and Seguin up front, it’s a very exciting and dynamic group. Add in a bit of a veteran presence in Vanek, this group will have no trouble putting the puck into the back of the net.

The Bad: Defense is shoddy at best. Some veteran guys could stop the bleeding a bit, but the core is not strong enough to match up well against teams with more than one scoring line. This could be a huge problem, as they are heading into the season with two goalies that are questionable as backups on a good team, let alone the starter.

And the Verdict: Trading their #1 D and Goalie before the draft certainly dropped their stock. The continuous rebuild keeps going but you can see the signs of it ending soon as long as they don’t deviate.

14. Minnesota Wild

Last Year: Prediction (7) Actual (11)

The Good: Antti Niemi is a solid performer in net and can give the Wild a chance to almost every night. Smid and Kubina are a very solid pairing that can add some offense as well.

The Bad: A lot of holes on this team. Alex Tanguay being counted as the team’s prime offensive weapon….is well offensive to top end offensive players. Really after that there are really no choices on offense except for Brad Boyes. No backup goalie could hurt if Niemi is injured.

And the Verdict: A team that took a hit this offseason will be expected to head into a rebuild.

13. Colorado Avalanche

Last Year: Prediction (8) Actual (12)

The Good: A lot of options down the middle with guys like; Sharp, Weiss, Filppula and Vermette, which is great for any team. Have a bunch of capable defensemen that can be counted on to keep players away from the net. And the net is well guarded with Jimmy Howard between the pipes.

The Bad: Very thin on the wings. Michael Grabner may be the only threat they have on the wing, but at least they can move one or two of their centres to the wing to help out.

And the Verdict: Have a lot of good parts and could easily move up the list. But they have a few too many holes, and lack of depth could kill them in a long season.

12. Calgary Flames

Last Year: Prediction (12) Actual (10)

The Good: A team that is very wealthy down the middle. Also have some good weapons up front in a veteran (Jagr) and a youngster (Ennis). A good mix on D; have the powerhouse Phaneuf, the veteran Jovanovski and some good youngsters in Nikitin and Sbisa.

The Bad: After a few top guys they are really weak on the wing. Depth on the bottom two lines will really kill them against deeper teams. Big question mark in net, as we see whether Varlamov can really carry a full season workload.

And the Verdict: Have a lot of good pieces that in a wide open Western conference, can be a surprise team. Depth up front is a huge hole going forward.

11. Edmonton Oilers

Last Year: Prediction (4) Actual (4)

The Good: Have top end talent up front with Kesler and Heatley. Jan Hejda and Zanon are not the flashiest D but they get the job done. Henrik Lundqvist is one, if not the best in the league in net, so a huge plus for the Oilers going forward.

The Bad: There is a case of bad forward depth in the West, and it’s become very contagious in Alberta. Defense has 3 good pieces, and 3 ECHL pieces. No backup goalie, but it shouldn’t be that big of a problem though.

And the Verdict:  HENRIK LUNDQVIST. That is the difference between potential playoff team and bottom dweller. If the can solve the holdout of young Derek Stepan, it could be a shot in the arm they need.

10. Anaheim Ducks

Last year: Prediction (15) Actual (14)

The Good: Have a very solid defensive group, led by offseason acquisition, Sergei Gonchar. Made huge inroads up front, by adding Ray Whitney and Frans Nielsen. Give another year of development to TJ Oshie and Gabriel Landeskog’s rookie year, the offense is really beginning to shape up.

The Bad: We have seen bad depth up front, and there is a small case of it in Anaheim but not that bad. Offense coming from the defense could be lacking. Mathieu Garon is not a starting goalie and the Duck’s are hoping that he is.

And the Verdict:  After having top picks the last few years, it’s finally starting to pay off for the Ducks. Not a contender yet but could squeak into playoffs if Garon remains steady.

9. Los Angeles Kings

Last Year: Prediction (10) Actual (2)

The Good: A very good Defense is shaping up in LA. With the addition of Rozsival, the Kings have 6 solid defensemen to count on each night. Kari Lehtonen in net is one of the most underrated in the league. Tomas Plekanec is a very good player to have on your top line.

The Bad: Other teams don’t have the depth; the Kings just don’t have the firepower. There is really no one player that they can count on to provide the offense every night. If Plekanec heads into a slump, they could be starved for goals.

And the Verdict: A very good team on the backend, but a lot of question marks up front. Can easily be a playoff team if they keep the puck out of the net.

8. St. Louis Blues

Last Year: Prediction (13) Actual (9)

The Good: The additions of Brad Richards and Chris Kunitz up front give them more firepower than they have had in a long time. Defense continues to be the strength with Brewer and Volchenkov. Vokoun continues to scrap out the wins in net for the Blues.

The Bad: Very weak up front after a few top guys. If top line slumps, so does the team. Vokoun is getting older and may need to trust LaBarbera more than they want to this season.

And the Verdict:  Losing their top point getter in Alexei Kovalev is a huge blow, but adding younger stars in Richards and Kunitz helps a lot. Seem to always overachieve with little, so with more this season it’s hard not to expect more.

7. Phoenix Coyotes

Last Year: Prediction (3) Actual (6)

The Good: Have two top end veterans up front in Briere and Alfredsson, that can not only provide offense, but leadership. Physical guys like Downie, Gaustad and Brouwer patrolling the 2^nd and 3^rd lines give them grit to be a very hard team to play against. A very veteran heavy blue line will make limited mistakes.

The Bad: Don’t really have the offensive weapons to run multiple scoring lines. Josh Harding in net is not bad, but with no experience being a full time starter; it could cause lots of trouble if he fails.

And the Verdict: A very good team that is certain for a playoff position. Where though all depends on how the goaltending holds up.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last Year: Prediction (9) Actual (13)

The Good: With Spezza and Parise up front, it gives the Jackets two potential 40 goal scorers right off the bat. Add in Laich, Marchand and Desharnais, they do boast some secondary options as well. A remodeled defense is the key. Tim Gleason is the only player under 30 on the D, so health going forward could be an issue but they have depth to back it up. Bryzgalov may not be an elite goalie, but he gets the job done and gets the wins.

The Bad: Age on defense could be an issue but it shouldn’t be that big of an issue. No backup goalie to really carry 15-20 games could bite them in the ass.

And the Verdict:  A very well structured team that can do some serious damage in the West.

5. Detroit Red Wings

Last Year: Prediction (6) Actual (7)

The Good: Can certainly pack a punch. With Datsyuk and Giroux up front, the Wings continue to boast two elite forwards. Very good secondary weapons in Hartnell, JVR, Williams and Zajac gives the Wings plenty of options. With addition of Giordano, the defense is really shaping up. Halak is a goalie that gives any team a chance to win, and will do it a lot with that defense.

The Bad: Not a lot of bad things to say about this team. They may be lacking a bit of scoring depth on their bottom lines, but it shouldn’t be that big of an issue with who they have up front.

And the Verdict: They have the pieces to take the West, but if they can is the big question mark, and if this team can finally pull it all together.

4. Nashville Predators

Last Year: Prediction (5) Actual (8)

The Good: They may not have the elite talent that some of the other top teams in the West have, but they have serious depth. The Predators have the luxury of running 4 deep lines, which will allow them to lean on when some of the better players struggle. The defense is top of the line, and could realistically run 5 very good D pairings if they wanted to.

The Bad: The lack of a top line scorer hurts when you need that go to guy to score a goal. Goaltending could be an issue, they have two guys who can stop the puck well but not steal a win.

And the Verdict: The 2011 champions certainly have the team to return to glory, but need to really have everyone firing on all cylinders to compete with the top teams.

*3. San Jose Sharks

Last Year: Prediction (11) Actual (5)

The Good: The defense has some good reliable guys that they can count on. Last year’s Maurice Richard winner and Art Ross Winner return and will be counted on again. The addition of Roberto Luongo in net is huge and will help them steal more wins this season.

The Bad:  Counting on Gionta and McDonald to repeat would be silly but they are counting on them to be the top line guys. Don’t really have the offensive weapons and could struggle to score goals if they don’t get similar production as they got last season.

And the Verdict: A weak pacific division is ripe for the taking and with Luongo in net, it’s hard to bet against them.

*2. Chicago Blackhawks

Last Year: Prediction (1) Actual (3)

The Good: The Blackhawks continue to boast probably the best defense in the MRFHL. They continue to boast the best centre depth in the MRFHL as well and will certainly have to move some to the wing. Adding Mike Smith as a buffer till Tuukka Rask can take over…is well…… a great buffer.

The Bad: Other than Iginla there really isn’t scoring depth on the wings unless you move some centres over, but it hurts to play them out of position. Not really anything bad you can say about this team.

And the Verdict: Continue to be a powerhouse in the west and are still one of the cup favourites at the end of the day.

1. Vancouver Canucks

Last Year: Prediction (2) Actual (1)

The Good: Ovechkin, Malkin, Stamkos, Zetterberg, Perry, Chara and Seabrook.

The Bad: McElhinney?

And the Verdict: Seriously? Is this an all-star team or what? 4 deep lines, top end defense and enough elite talent to make any of the greatest teams of history blush. It’s championship or bust for the Canucks this season.