Very Early Western Conference Standing Predictions

[davidus_49]

My guess:
Anaheim
LA
Calgary

Edmonton
Vancouver
San Jose
Arizona

St. Louis
Chicago
Minnesota
Winnipeg*
Dallas*

Nashville
Colorado

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by JohnnySkittles

1. Anaheim

Lost: Beleskey, Fleischmann, Beauchemin, Etem.
Gained: Hagelin, Bieksa, Khudobin, Horcoff.
But they solidified the goaltending, got a big upgrade on Etem to Hagelin

Solidified their goaltending? Is the 30 year old backup goaltender Khudobin actually an upgrade on Gibson?

And IMO, Hagelin replaced Beleskey, not Etem. While Hagelin is a lot quicker than Beleskey, he never scored as many goals last year, nor does he have the physical game of Beleskey.

Originally Posted by JohnnySkittles

2. LA

Lost: Williams, Richards, Sekera, Regehr, Martin, Stoll.
Gained: Lucic, Enroth.

Losing Richards and Stoll is addition by subtraction, Williams might hurt a bit, but I'm expecting a big bounce back year from Lucic and their forward group in general.

I don't disagree with you ranking them 2nd, as I did too, but which of their forwards do you believe underachieved last season?

Kopitar, Carter, Gaborik, and Brown all had seasons last year that were right on track with their averages the last few seasons.

I could see Toffoli increasing on his 49 points, but as for the 4 players above, I expect the same as last season.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Solidified their goaltending? Is the 30 year old backup goaltender Khudobin actually an upgrade on Gibson?

And IMO, Hagelin replaced Beleskey, not Etem. While Hagelin is a lot quicker than Beleskey, he never scored as many goals last year, nor does he have the physical game of Beleskey.



I don't disagree with you ranking them 2nd, as I did too, but which of their forwards do you believe underachieved last season?

Kopitar, Carter, Gaborik, and Brown all had seasons last year that were right on track with their averages the last few seasons.

I could see Toffoli increasing on his 49 points, but as for the 4 players above, I expect the same as last season.

Stewart replaced Belesky

[JohnnySkittles]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Solidified their goaltending? Is the 30 year old backup goaltender Khudobin actually an upgrade on Gibson?

And IMO, Hagelin replaced Beleskey, not Etem. While Hagelin is a lot quicker than Beleskey, he never scored as many goals last year, nor does he have the physical game of Beleskey.



I don't disagree with you ranking them 2nd, as I did too, but which of their forwards do you believe underachieved last season?

Kopitar, Carter, Gaborik, and Brown all had seasons last year that were right on track with their averages the last few seasons.

I could see Toffoli increasing on his 49 points, but as for the 4 players above, I expect the same as last season.

Maybe not solidify, but added proven quality NHL depth. Having Andersen, Khudobin, and Gibson is a lot more solid then having just Andersen, and the rookie Gibson.

Beleskey was gift wrapped goals from playing on the top line, and had a Bryan Bickell esque playoff run. He could prove last season was no fluke, but IMO 22 goals will be his career high unless he gets fed PP time and plays top line minutes. He has decent goal scoring and physicality while Hagelin has speed and borderline elite defensive play, he's like a faster Frolik. Personally I'd rather Hagelin then Beleskey. I'm sure they're hoping that Stewart will offset the big physical body of Beleskey too.

Toffoli, Pearson, and Lucic are the main three that I expect a bounce-back/better year from the most, especially Pearson. The Kings in general need to be a lot more consistent in their play and not take half the season off.

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Stewart replaced Belesky

Etem and Stewart are RW. Beleskey and Hagelin are LW.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Etem and Stewart are RW. Beleskey and Hagelin are LW.

I meant the role. Stewart takes Belesky's role

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I don't disagree with you ranking them 2nd, as I did too, but which of their forwards do you believe underachieved last season?

Kopitar, Carter, Gaborik, and Brown all had seasons last year that were right on track with their averages the last few seasons.

I could see Toffoli increasing on his 49 points, but as for the 4 players above, I expect the same as last season.

The biggest thing about LA is that they went 3-15 in shootouts/OT which are essentially coin flips.

Had they gone a still putrid 6-12 they would have been in and Calgary out.

Had the Kings gotten some breaks and had a winning record(10-8) in these games they would have finished second in the division ahead of Vancouver.

Last year they went 12-8. That's a huge point swing fom one season to the next on things that wouldn't count in playoff hockey.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Anaheim
Los angeles
San jose
Calgary/vancouver
Edmonton
Arizona

Chicago
St louis
Minnesota
Nashville
Winnipeg
Dallas
Colorado

Tampa bay
Detroit
Montreal
Boston
Ottawa
Panthers
Sabres
Leafs

Penguins
Rangers
Isles
Capitals
Blue jackets
Flyers
Canes
Devils

I think each division gets a wild card but if someone gets two it would be the Metropolitan.

PS - I really disagree with the methodology some are using to predict here; saying "here's where they finished last year, here is who they added and lost, add a year of experience and here is your new ranking". If it worked that way the Avs would have had 120 points last season.

[Caged Great]

Pacific

Anaheim
Calgary
Los Angeles

Central

Nashville
Chicago
St. Louis

Wild Card

Minnesota
Colorado

9th - Winnipeg
10th - Dallas
11th - Vancouver
12th - Edmonton
13th - San Jose
14th - Arizona

[Imported_Aussie]

Pacific
Anaheim
Calgary
LA Kings

San Jose
Edmonton
Vancouver
Arizona

Central
St. Louis
Chicago
Dallas
Nashville
Minnesota

Winnipeg
Colorado


Pacific division weaker again. Top 3 clear of pack. Canucks implode after injury to Henrik Sedin.
Dallas make a surge thus season to push Winnipeg out of the playoffs. Central is very close, not much between any of the teams. Will be hard to pick before season starts, injuries will determine who makes it in.

[Justin]

Anaheim
Calgary
LA

St . Louis
Minnesota
Dallas

Chicago
Winnipeg

[Gord Wappel]

I predict that it will be unpredictable.
Flames could end up near first overall or behind Edmonton.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Pacific:
1) Anaheim-Losing Beauchemin will hurt more than they think, but in a weak Pacific this team still has plenty of talent to rack up the regular season points.
2) Calgary-Adding Hamilton and Frolik solidifies a lineup that may have undergone some regression this year. Goaltending is still up in the air, but the depth is undeniably good should one of them falter.
3) L.A.-Great top 6 forwards, great goaltending, great top pairing defenders. However, horrible defensive depth will keep this team from being near the top of the standings.

Central: *First of all, this is a tough division that will have very little separation from top and bottom.
1) Minnesota-This team has been building for a while and last year showed what happened when they got halfway decent goaltending. This is a team with a LOT of depth, especially on defense. They also play an aggressive style of game that tends to win more now a days in the NHL.
2) St. Louis-This is still a very good team, but it's beginning to look like their window is closing. Goaltending continues to be a question mark. Decent scoring options, but they do still need to do it by committee. Strong top 4 defensemen.
3) Colorado-Had a big regression last year, but injuries to a defensive group that had poor depth played a significant role, and the young forwards had uncharacteristically poor seasons. Very good forward group and very strong goaltending. A top 4 of Barrie, Beauchemin, Johnson, and Zadorov should be good enough to get them back in the playoffs.

Wildcard:
1) Nashville-incredibly strong defense group, top 3 goaltender in the league (as long as he's healthy), and enough offense from guys like Forsberg, Neal, and Ribeiro to get the job done. They could use one more exceptional scoring forward to really be a contender.

2) Winnipeg-mostly lateral or backwards moves this off-season, but still a young team that has the horses to be competitive. Goaltending is questionable, but there are several options including Hellebuyck (sp?). Should be good enough to be in the playoffs again.

Non-playoff teams:
9) Dallas-all offense, no defense, mediocre goaltending. It should be a lot of fun to watch Dallas this year, but they don't have enough on the back end to make the playoffs. They'll make a run for it though.
10) Chicago-call it a Stanley Cup hangover. Call it massive roster turnover. Whatever it is, I have a feeling that the 'Hawks are going to struggle for most of the year in a very competitive division where everyone will be gunning for them. I just don't think they have the depth to stay on top next year.
11) Vancouver-Desjardins is still a very good coach, and will get more out of this roster than most, but this is still a team on the decline with few young players ready to step in. Miller is now the de facto starter, and Markstrom may take over by the end of the year. The defense is mediocre and not necessarily awful, but won't be a difference maker for this team. The Sedins are aging and the rest of the forwards aren't very scary offensively, but Desjardins will get enough goals out of this group to at least be competitive.
12) San Jose-Trusting in Martin Jones to be their starter could be risky. L.A. backups have often not looked nearly as good as starters on other teams. They have a decent top 3 defenders, but Burns may be needed more on forward yet again. The Sharks still have two young studs in Pavelski and Couture, but there's a serious lack of scoring depth in the organization, and Thornton and Marleau are yet another year older. Not to mention Pete De Boer being a step down from McLellan should set them back again.
13) Edmonton-They started to plug some organizational holes, and I doubt Chiarelli will sit on his hands the rest of the year. Lots of young and unproven talent, and lots of work to be done in terms of team defense, but McLellan is the right guy for the job. The defense is definitely better than last year, but is still pretty poor overall. However, I do predict some solid improvement, but it may take half a season to retrain the on-ice talent.
14) Arizona-likely an absolute bottom feeder this year. Do not expect much more than hard work and Tippet defense this year from the Coyotes. Yet more drama surrounds the team off ice which will likely keep any significant improvements from occurring any time soon. Might be the absolute worst team in the league this year (Hmm...ok, maybe the Leafs ).

[BruceCody]

Central division:
1) Winnipeg
2) Minnesota
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis (WC)
5) Dallas
6) Nashville
7) Colorado

Pacific division:
1) Calgary
2) Anaheim
3) Edmonton
4) Los Angeles (WC)
5) Arizona
6) Vancouver
7) San Jose

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by JohnnySkittles

Pacific Division

1. Anaheim

Lost: Beleskey, Fleischmann, Beauchemin, Etem.
Gained: Hagelin, Bieksa, Khudobin, Horcoff.

Losing Beauchemin and adding Bieksa will hurt the most. But they solidified the goaltending, got a big upgrade on Etem to Hagelin, and along with their young players continuing to get better I expect them to again win the Pacific.

Hagelin may be an upgrade on Etem but not so much on Palmieri so that leaves a hole in the Top 9 that etem was closest to filling.

The Ducks will be looking at the 4-6 or so Flames forwards that would not look bad at all in their top 9 that will be having trouble making the Flames roster.

[stemit14]

Pacific:
1. LA
2. Calgary
3. Anaheim
4. San Jose
5. Vancouver
6. Edmonton
7. Phoenix

Central:
1. St. Louis
2. Dallas
3. Winnipeg
4. Chicago (WC)
5. Colorado (WC)
6. Minnesota
7. Nashville

[ricardodw]

Chicago looses a complete 2nd line Sharp-Saad and Richards.... That makes Bickell-Asminov -Shaw- Versteeg the 2nd line

They are down to 3 star forwards and two 2 star d-man Big difference from 6 star forwards..

They are one or two injuries away from a high draft pick.

[ricardodw]

Winnipeg made the playoffs with the Kane Mutiny and all the D-men being out at the same time. as well as their 2nd line missing the playoff drive.

With any Karma on the injury front they should be in the playoffs again.

They have a similar situation as Calgary last year..... Will Ehlers make the transition to the NHL the same as Gaudreau? or will he be more like Drouin? This time last year consensus here at CP was that Johnny Hockey was going to do some time in the AHL.

[CaptainCrunch]

Pacific

1) Anaheim - Its hard to counter that combination of skill, speed and especially size
2) Calgary - Numbers be damned, this is a deep team, while it lacks the super high end forward, the have a lot of meat through the lineup. One of the fastest teams in West. Their skill gets overlooked because of their work ethic
3) LA - The Windows closing a bit, but they're better then they were last year when they missed the playoffs. Like Anaheim they're big, fast, but not as skilled but grind teams down.
4) San Jose - I think that the window is really slammed shut on this team. They have a lot of really good elements, but their core is unbalanced
5) Vancouver - Not a fan of this team and I think its worse then last year at this point, they're also a old and slow team. They are possession darlings but I still don't think that really leads to winning hockey.
6) Edmonton - I think Chia's deals have been the whole reshuffling deck chairs on the titanic. McDavid will make a bit of difference but not once. The Oilers have proven that skill doesn't = offense or wins. This team is soft up front. Even with Gryba and Reinhart and Sekeris they still have one of the worst bluelines in hockey. Talbot is wait and see.
7) Arizona - Have a deep prospect base, but this franchise doesn't seem to have the will to do anything but hang on.

Central

1) St Louis - The regular season darlings of the NHL. Big, Strong, Fast, but can't raise the level of their game for the playoffs.
2) Chicago - A slight Stanley Cup hangover. Slightly worse points wise but better position wise.
3) Minnesota - They have to bring it together eventually, a deep team, but goaltending I think will be a question
4) Nashville - Still not a fan of their center depth, but their goaltending and Blueline are top notch (Wildcard)
5) Colorado - I think they'll surprise and squeek in with the final wildcard spot. A lot of good young talent, and a very good goalie. (Wildcard)
6) Dallas - A lot of changes seem to happen every year. I'm not in love with their forward group after the first line, nor do I like their defense.
7) Winnipeg - I think this team is going to fall and fall hard this year. I'm not convinced that their goaltending is solved. I like their blueline and forwards, but I think that they will flounder.

Conference order

Anaheim
St Louis
Chicago
Calgary
LA
Minny
Nashville (wildcard)
Colorado (wildcard)
Dallas
San Jose
Vancouver
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Arizona

[CroFlames]

The only surprising thing in this thread is how high some folks are placing Edmonton.