Very Early Western Conference Standing Predictions

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by heep223

I think you're missing the forest for the trees...his save percentage was terrible because the team's D is terrible. That hasn't changed in fact it's gotten worse.

Dallas Defence 13/14:
Goligoski-81 games
Daley-67
Gonchar-76
Benn-78
Dillon-80
Connauton-36
Robidas-24
Rome-25
Oleksiak-7
Nemeth-8
Gaunce-9

Dallas Defence 14/15-
Goligoski-81
Daley-68
Klingberg-65
Benn-73
Dillon 20/Demers 61
Jokipakka-51
Oleksiak-36
Nemeth-22

Goligoski, Daley, Benn were all constants from one year to the next. Klingberg was a big upgrade on Gonchar's corpse.
Demers for Dillon doesn't seem like a giant sea change to me.

Most of the defence last year was the same as 13/14 when Dallas was 17th in goals against.

Lehtonen looks like the culprit to me.

[Erick Estrada]

Sharks are a wild card. They very well could have one good year left in them or they could be mediocre like last season. I think the Kings will be well rested/regrouped after missing the playoffs and should be better so the Flames have their work cut out for them and as far as I'm concerned they are a 50/50 proposition to make the playoffs at best.

[CN10]

Top 3 in the Central is tough to call with respect to the order, but those 3 teams feel like a lock to make the playoffs, along with Anaheim. The remaining 4 spots are up for grabs.

I'm optimistic Calgary takes another step forward in development and can get home ice in round 1 of the playoffs. I expect LA and San Jose to bounce back after a bad year and overtake Vancouver, along with a fall from grace for Nashville.

Pacific
Anaheim
Calgary
LA
San Jose (WC2)
Vancouver
Edmonton
Arizona

Central
Minnesota
St. Louis
Chicago
Winnipeg (WC1)
Colorado
Dallas
Nashville

[activeStick]

San Jose is tough to predict. They still have elite scoring talent in Pavelski, Couture and Thornton and really shouldn't have done as badly as they did last season.

On paper Calgary has a very deep and balanced defence but the experience with Bouwmeester does have me a touch worried as for whatever reason, adding him didn't end up working with the existing mix.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Dallas Defence 13/14:
Goligoski, Daley, Benn were all constants from one year to the next. Klingberg was a big upgrade on Gonchar's corpse.
Demers for Dillon doesn't seem like a giant sea change to me.

Most of the defence last year was the same as 13/14 when Dallas was 17th in goals against.

Lehtonen looks like the culprit to me.

You don't make the playoffs with bad defense. Yes the Stars have some decent offensive d-men but overall their D are bad, including their overall team D. Bottom 5 in the league bad. Similarly, you don't miss the playoffs with the best D in the league (Flames) because "everything went right last year". I think you're way off on this.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by heep223

You don't make the playoffs with bad defense. Yes the Stars have some decent offensive d-men but overall their D are bad, including their overall team D. Bottom 5 in the league bad. Similarly, you don't miss the playoffs with the best D in the league (Flames) because "everything went right last year". I think you're way off on this.

The Dallas Stars have already made the playoffs with most of their current D-core in 2013/2014.

So either its:
A.Possible to make the playoffs with a bottom five D-core, or
B.The D-core is not as bad as you are making it out to be

[kermitology]

The acquisition of Hamilton and Frolik will certainly help offset some of the "coming back to earth" in my opinion, and if the Flames can get a solid goaltending performance they could do quite well, otherwise they're a bubble team still.

Calgary won't be top of the pacific until they can beat Anaheim on the road.

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

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

That 4 through 6 in the central is going to be tight, and will most definitely take over both wild card spots. They'll also have more points than the 3 spot in the Pacific.

[Weitz]

Personally I think if Edmonton is a bit better this year in that every team in the west doesn't roll them I see it harder for 5 playoff spots to come from the central.

There will be a lot of .500 records of central teams vs central teams which will limit the amount of points accumulated in the division.

I personally think there will be 4 and 4 this year:

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

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

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

The Dallas Stars have already made the playoffs with most of their current D-core in 2013/2014.

It's really very odd, because not only is it qualitatively the same d-corps, but it should have been WORSE in 2013/14 when they had more injuries and had more depth guys in and out of the lineup. Yet they got much worse results last year.

I think it's impossible to accurately allocate the blame for their team GAA issue, but I don't think anyone should be arguing that a bad year for their goaltending played a huge role in it.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

The Dallas Stars have already made the playoffs with most of their current D-core in 2013/2014.

So either its:
A.Possible to make the playoffs with a bottom five D-core, or
B.The D-core is not as bad as you are making it out to be

Lehtonen's stats during the time of the core d-men you're talking about:

2010-11
Sv% .914
GAA 2.55
Team goal differential: -6
Playoffs: NO

2011-12
Sv% .922
GAA 2.33
Team goal differential: -11
Playoffs: NO

2012-13
Sv% .916
GAA 2.66
Team goal differential: -12
Playoffs: NO

2013-14
Sv% .919
GAA 2.41
Team goal differential: +7
Playoffs: squeaked in

2014-15
Sv% .903
GAA 2.94
Team goal differential: +1
Playoffs: NO

So, with the core d-men you're talking about:

- the team squeaked into the playoffs one season out of 5 (they made it in the one season that Sergei "the corpse" Gonchar was playing top 4 mins)
- the team was consistently in the bottom half of the league in shots against, goals against
- the team was in the top half of the league in goals for, aside from one year, and was 2nd in the league last season
- Lehtonen consistently had great numbers aside from last year

Bottom line: Lehtonen is not the problem. Nor is goal scoring. Their D suck.

[Jets4Life]

Pacific

1. Anaheim
2. Calgary
3. LA

San Jose
Edmonton
Vancouver
Arizona

Central

1. St Louis
2. Minnesota
3. Chicago

(WC1) Winnipeg
(WC2) Colorado
Nashville
Dallas


-----

Playoffs:

#1 St.Louis vs WC2- Nashville (Blues in 6)
#2 Ahaheim vs WC1- Winnipeg (Jets in 6)
Calgary vs LA (Flames in 7)
Minnesota vs Chicago (Blackhawks in 6)

St. Louis vs Winnipeg (Jets in 6)
Calgary vs Chicago (Hawks in 6)

Chicago vs Winnipeg (Jets in 6)

[JohnnySkittles]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

It is equally unlikely that they play .800 hockey against the Pacific, or that they go 10-0 against Edmonton and Arizona.

On the whole, I would say Anaheim is easily the class of the Pacific. Calgary and LA a couple steps below, then Vancouver and San Jose, both likely to miss, then Edmonton (catching up but not quite there), and Arizona being this year's Sabres.

I won't even predict the Central, except to say that Colorado is the only team I definitively see outside the playoffs.

Really? I'd say that's Dallas, not Colorado. they have Oiler level defense

[Textcritic]

I can't think that anyone who has SJ slotted ahead of the Flames is actually serious. The Sharks are a steadily aging team that really started to show it last season, and I don't see where there will be any improvement this year.

They will finish better than the Canucks, and the Oilers and Coyotes by a massive margin, but will be very hard pressed to make the playoffs this year ahead of one of Anaheim, LA, or Calgary.

[saillias]

Central

1. Minnesota
2. St. Louis
3. Colorado
Wildcard 1 - Chicago
Dallas
Winnipeg
Nashville

Pacific

1. Anaheim
2. Calgary
3. San Jose
Wildcard 2 - LA
Edmonton
Vancouver
Arizona

[saillias]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I can't think that anyone who has SJ slotted ahead of the Flames is actually serious. The Sharks are a steadily aging team that really started to show it last season, and I don't see where there will be any improvement this year.

They will finish better than the Canucks, and the Oilers and Coyotes by a massive margin, but will be very hard pressed to make the playoffs this year ahead of one of Anaheim, LA, or Calgary.

True but there's not a lot of sure things in the Pacific. For all the flak SJ gets about aging I see a potential disaster in LA as well. Their forwards look pretty lifeless these days and every year another member of that core has nothing left in the tank. This year it's probably Brown.

[polak]

Haven't been following the teams in the Central with much interest so I might be way out to lunch there... Plus they all seem decent. Outside of St. Louis and Chicago, I could see any of the other teams missing out however, I guarantee they will hold both wild cards. Tough to call.

Central:

1. St Louis x
2. Nashville x
3. Chicago x
4. Minnesota x - Wildcard 1
5. Winnipeg x - Wildcard 2
6. Dallas
7. Colorado

Pacific:

1. Anaheim x
2. Calgary x
3. LA x
4. Vancouver
5. Edmonton
6. SJ
7. Arizona

Yes I think Edmonton will improve a bit but not enough to challenge for a playoff spot. San Jose will be in freefall in my opinion. LA will be about the same with Vancouver sliding a bit.

Arizona LOL.

[Demetric]

washington wins the west

[Jason14h]

The Sharks are a steadily aging team that really started to show it last season

I believe SJ had the most starters under 25 last season. It is a bit false that they are old. Just Thornton and Marleau are old.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I believe SJ had the most starters under 25 last season. It is a bit false that they are old. Just Thornton and Marleau are old.

Pavelski also just turned 31-years-old. That's 3/4 of SJ's top forwards over the age of 30, with two well into their late thirties.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I believe SJ had the most starters under 25 last season. It is a bit false that they are old. Just Thornton and Marleau are old.

Maybe so, but if you look at TOI, you have to go down to #9, Hertl, to find someone born in the 90s.

Compare that to the Flames who have 3 of the top 6 and 5 of their top 10 (by TOI) born in the 90s.