Over the past few seasons, the NHL's balance of power has definitely shifted westward. Chicago and Los Angeles have combined to win five of the last six Stanley Cup titles, and in the one year the East did win, Vancouver and Boston went seven. And the best regular season teams (Anaheim, St. Louis, San Jose) have been from the West, too.
This year I think that changes. The best teams I can think of all play in the East. The West still has Anaheim and Chicago, and this is the Kings' year to win the Cup, but I definitely think the Eastern Conference as a whole is better. With that being said, however, we've still got plenty of competitive hockey in store from our friends out West.
Chicago hasn't won three Stanley Cups in six years by accident. The Blackhawks have turned into the NHL's model organization, and don't expect that to be any different in 2015-16. Sure, they couldn't keep everybody and Brandon Saad was a casualty of that reality. But they still have all of their major players and will make another deep playoff run. Will it lead to another trip to the Finals? I'm not sure. It really might depend on how much of a distraction Patrick Kane's legal situation becomes (and whether or not he has to miss any time because of it).
If anybody's going to challenge the Blackhawks for the Central Division title, it might be Minnesota. Like Columbus, the Wild will be that team nobody wants to face in the playoffs. St. Louis, meanwhile, continued its recent trend of a great regular season followed by playoff disappointment last year. I'm not sure how much longer the Blues can keep that up. It's not fair to Brian Elliott, who's a better goalie than his record suggests. They probably won't be as good in the regular season this year, though. They traded T.J. Oshie to Washington, which is really going to adversely affect their offense. Regardless, I think the Blues are still strong enough for another playoff disappointment.
Dallas is the most interesting team in the Central. I don't really know what to expect from the Stars. They're a terrible matchup for a number of teams. But are they good enough to win a series? Probably not. Regardless, I think the Stars will be fighting with Nashville for fourth place in the division and, most likely, a playoff spot. The Predators actually won this division last year before collapsing against Minnesota in the playoffs. Do they have enough to get back? I'm not sure.
Then there's Colorado. The Avalanche unexpectedly won the division two years ago, only to miss the playoffs last season. They're probably better than they showed in 2014-15, but that's still not gonna be good enough for them to return to the postseason. The Jets have actually been back in Winnipeg for five years, believe it or not. Last year marked their first trip to the playoffs since the NHL returned to Alberta. A lot of people think the Central is the best division in hockey, and the Jets are the reason why. I think they're the seventh-best team in this division, yet they could easily be a playoff team.
In the Pacific, it's all about Anaheim. The Ducks were the best team in hockey for most of last season, but, like pretty much every team that runs into the Blackhawks in May, lost to Chicago in the Western Conference Finals. They're still the best team. The addition of Carl Hagelin made them even better. If I had to pick a favorite to represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final, it might be Anaheim. Not many flaws in this team.
Last year, the Kings didn't even get a chance to defend their title. They failed to make the playoffs. Well, that should change. Yes, it's LA's year to win the Cup, but in order to do that, they have to first get back to the postseason. That shouldn't be a problem. The Kings should rebound. San Jose should, too. Which sets us up for our annual Sharks playoff failure after a year off.
Vancouver and Calgary met in an all-Canadian first round series last year, and I think they're both capable of getting back. They won't meet again, though. Because all three California teams are better than them. And it's really a coin toss between these two. I'll give the slight edge to the Canucks because of the Sedin brothers. Although Johnny Gaudreau is so much fun to watch play.
After being so bad for so long and stockpiling all those No. 1 draft picks, you've gotta think the Edmonton Oilers are due for a breakthrough. It's going to happen soon. It just may not be this year. The Oilers will definitely be more competitive, though. They've got Cam Talbot in goal now, and Connor McDavid gives them a tremendous 1-2 punch with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. They're really starting to remind me of the Islanders and the way they built, then just took off. I'm fairly certain that at the very least, Edmonton won't finish in last place this season. That honor belongs to the Arizona Coyotes. Arizona's easily the worst team in the Western Conference.
So, if it looks like business as usual, that's because the top teams in the Western Conference are just that good. And none of them show any signs of letting up. From the Central, I've got Chicago, Minnesota and St. Louis clinching the guaranteed playoff spots, with the three California teams claiming the spots out of the Pacific. As for the wild cards, in a pair of tight races, I'm going with Dallas and Vancouver.
The Western Conference Finals will be a rematch between the Ducks and the Blackhawks. They're the two best teams. Except this year, the result will be different. This time Anaheim beats Chicago and moves on to the Stanley Cup Final. And, slightly contradicting what I said before, I see the Ducks winning the Cup. The East might be the stronger conference, but the Ducks are the best team. And the best team hasn't won the Cup in a while.
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