Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks came second in what was best
division in the NHL last year. The Pacific division sent four out of
its five teams to the playoffs, but only the Sharks made it out of
the first round. The Ducks are poised to have another solid season
and should be a factor in the 2011-12 playoffs.
Anaheim was one of only two teams to
have three players in the top 15 in points last season, along with
Vancouver. Maurice Richard trophy winner Corey Perry (50G, 48A),
Teemuu Selanne (31G, 49A) and Ryan Getzlaf (19G, 57A) led the Ducks'
offense and contributed to the team's 23.5% powerplay percentage,
tied for second in the league. Anaheim would benefit from a more
balanced offense, however, as the Ducks' only other forward inside
the top 100 point scorers last season was Bobby Ryan (34G, 37A). Saku
Koivu was their next-best forward who put up 45 points (136th
in the league).
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| 2010-11 Maurice Richard Trophy winner Corey Perry |
Defensively, Anaheim is led by Lubomir
Vishnovsky who scored 68 points (18G, 50A), tops among D-men last
season, and finished with a +18 rating. Cam Fowler is a young stud on
defense for the Ducks, as he put up 10 goals and 30 assists last year
but finished -19. Toni Lydman had a solid campaign as he scored 25
points while posting a +32 rating which was tied for second-best in
2010-11. This solid group of blueliners helped goaltender Jonas
Hiller finish with a 2.56 GAA and a .924 save percentage, fifth-best
last season.
With a solid crop of talented scorers
and defensemen, Anaheim is set to have another successful season. The
Ducks won 29 out of 39 games last year that were decided by one goal,
which was a league-high. However, the team also surrendered more
goals than they scored in even-strength play, which was only
alleviated by a great PP unit. If Anaheim can continue to win tough,
close games and play better 5-on-5 hockey, expect this team to have a
great season and make a strong playoff run.
Dallas Stars
The Stars finished at the bottom of the
Pacific division last season but had the most points (95) out of all
teams in the NHL that missed the playoffs. Dallas will try to crack
the Western conference's top 8 this year, but will have to do so
without their best player in 2010-11, Brad Richards.
This year, the Stars will look to
captain Brendan Morrow and Loui Eriksson to provide the bulk of their
offense. Morrow finished last season with 56 points (33G, 23A) while
Eriksson put 73 points (27G, 46A). Mike Ribeiro will likely take over
duties as first-line center in Brad Richards' absence, and will
likely see a rise in his point total from last season which saw him
net 19 goals and 52 assists. These three forwards combined for 26
powerplay goals last year, but could struggle to repeat these totals
without Richards quarterbacking the unit. Jamie Benn, who put up 22
goals and 34 assists last year, is another quality forward that will
play an important role providing secondary scoring for the Stars.
On the blueline, Dallas is led by the
veteran Stephane Robidas who put up 30 points (5G, 25A) last year.
The Stars acquired Alex Goligoski from Pittsburgh last season for
forward James Neal, a move which should improve Dallas' defense going
into this season. Goligoski is competent at both ends of the ice, and
scored 14 goals and 32 assists in his unusual 83-game season. The
former Penguin also had a stellar +20 rating as well as 7 powerplay
goals. Dallas's blueline is supplemented by other solid D-men, including Trevor Daley, Matt Niskanen and new addition Sheldon Souray.
The question for Dallas this season is
whether they can make up for the loss of Brad Richards. The signing
of Michael Ryder might help this, but the Stars' goal differential of -6 is a
glaring issue that needs to be corrected if the Stars are to make the
playoffs this year. With a talented goaltender in Kari Lehtonen
surrounded by skilled and experienced players, the Stars have all the
makings of a playoff team.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings were one of the benefactors
of the huge shakeup that transpired in Philadelphia this offseason.
The Flyers sent their captain, Mike Richards, to L.A. for stud
prospect Brayden Schenn and the gritty and talented Wayne Simmonds.
Richards should be a huge factor, especially in the playoffs, for
this team deprived of postseason experience.
Anze Kopitar missed seven games last
season but still managed to lead his team in points with 73 (25G,
48A) to go along with a +25 rating. The Kings' captain, power-forward
Dustin Brown, scored 28 goals and added 29 assists, and plays a
similar game to that of Mike Richards, who put up 66 points (23G,
43A) last year. L.A. should be very solid offensively this year, with
these three forwards who each pose a threat to opponent's defensemen.
Other forwards that will contribute significantly this year include
Dustin Penner, Jarret Stoll, Simon Gagne and Justin Williams.
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| Mike Richards will be a key part of LA's 2011-12 season |
Erik Johnson and Drew Doughty are the
Kings' best defensemen. Doughty played an average of over two minutes
per game more than Johnson, while still finishing with a +13 rating
to Johnson's -21. Doughty, arguably the league's best offensive
defenseman, scored 5 of his 11 goals on the powerplay last season and
added 29 assists, while Johnson put up 42 points (5G, 37A) in six
more games. Doughty and Johnson will head the unit that is
responsible for protecting the ice in front of goaltender Jonathan
Quick. Quick started 60 games last year and posted a .918 save
percentage to go with a 2.24 GAA, tied for 5th in the
league.
The Kings' special-teams units were a
mix of good and bad last year. Their PK came 4th with a
success rate of 85.5%, while the power-play converted on only 16.1%
of tries, 23rd in the league. L.A. has all the talent
necessary to have a great power-play unit, especially with Doughty at
the point. Look for the Kings' PP numbers to improve this year, and
for Los Angeles to finish the season comfortably in playoff
position.
Phoenix Coyotes
The Coyotes surprised many last year
and finished sixth in the Western conference, although they had the
lowest win total of any playoff team (tied with Buffalo). Phoenix had
thirteen overtime losses last season, tied for the most in the
league. The biggest change for the Coyotes this year will be in net,
as they lost star goalie Ilya Brygaloz to free agency.
Veterans Shane Doan and Ray Whitney led
the offensive charge for the 'Yotes in 2010-11. Captain Doan missed
10 games but still managed to produce a team-high 60 points (20G,
40A), while Whitney had 57 points (17G, 40A) in 75 games. Radim
Vrbata was next-best for the Coyotes with 48 points (19G, 29A),
including 10 powerplay goals. Youngster Kyle Turris will likely
improve on his 25 points with another year under his belt.
Keith Yandle came to Phoenix in the
deal that saw Peter Mueller sent to the Avalanche. Yandle didn't
disappoint in 2010-11 as he finished with the Coyotes' 2nd
highest point total. Yandle also finished 3rd in the NHL
in points for defensemen with 59 (11G, 48A), to go with a +12 rating.
Yandle also logged a whopping 24:22 minutes per game. Phoenix's
blueline is strengthened by veteran Adrian Aucoin and mid-season
acquisition Michal Rozsival. Aucoin tallied 22 points in 75 games and
had a solid +18 rating, while Rozsival had 21 points and a +6 rating
in just 65 games.
The Coyotes' special-teams were
atrocious last year, especially for a playoff team. Their PP unit was
24th in league, converting on 15.9% of chances. Even worse
was their penalty-kill, which survived unscathed just 78.4% of the
time, 26th in the NHL. One stat which seemingly explains
the Coyotes' playoff berth despite their special-teams woes is their
even-strength goal for/against ratio of 1.17. This figure was 4th
in the league last year, behind only Boston, Vancouver and
Philadelphia.
Goaltenders Mike Smith and Jason
Labarbera are in charge of the Coyote net now that Ilya Bryzgalov
signed a huge deal with the Flyers this offseason. Phoenix's chances
of repeating their playoff season from last year will greatly depend
of the performance of these two. I expect the Coyotes to narrowly
miss the 2011-12 postseason in what is the most competitive division
in a tough Western conference.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks yet again fell
short of their sky-high expectations last playoffs, after a strong
regular season. The Sharks finished at the top of the Pacific
division and behind only President's trophy winners Vancouver in the
Western conference. After acquiring two big name players in Brent
Burns and Martin Havlat, GM Doug Wilson is hoping that his team finally has
all the pieces of a Stanley Cup champion.
The Sharks' offense starts with elite
playmaker Joe Thornton. Thornton has a history of getting the most
out of his linemates, like he did with Sergei Samsonov and Martin
Lapointe in Boston. He will now have Martin Havlat to work with, who
is a talented and valuable contributor when healthy. Havlat came over
from Minnesota in a deal that sent Dany Heatley to the Wild. Havlat
managed to play in all but four games last season, finishing with 22
goals and 40 assists. The Sharks finished 5th in goals for
last year, and will likely finish near the top again this season. Joe
Thornton tallied 21 goals and 49 assists last year and was 2nd
in San Jose to Patrick Marleau's 73 points (37G, 36A). The Sharks
have tremendous depth up front, as the list of talented forwards
continues with Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe and Logan Couture. Pavelski
is a tremendous asset; a two-way forward, great centerman and
excellent penalty killer. Clowe plays a gritty all-around game, as
displayed in his 62 points (24G, 38A), +13 rating and 100 penalty
minutes. Couture had a Calder trophy-worthy season in his first year
recording 32 goals and 24 assists with a +18 rating.
San Jose's depth continues at the
blueline, led by the puck-moving and smooth skating Dan Boyle. Boyle
had 9 goals and 41 assists last season, logging a tremendous 26:14
minutes of ice-time per game. New addition Brent Burns, acquired from
the Wild for Devin Setoguchi, is a highly skilled defensemen capable
of providing offense from the point and shutting down opposing
forwards in the defensive end. Burns will look to have a similar
season to last year where he put up 46 points (17G, 29A), playing
just over 25 minutes a game. These two headline a defensive group
that also includes solid blueliners like Ian White, Jason Demers and
Marc-Eduoard Vlasic.
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| Antti Niemi will try to win his second Stanley Cup, this time with the Sharks |
With amazing talent in front of him,
goaltender Antti Niemi should be able to build on his solid season
last year where he put up a 2.38 GAA, a .920 save percentage and 6
shutouts. San Jose has all the potential to dethrone Vancouver as
President trophy winners, and should make it at least as far as they
did in the 2010-11 playoffs, the conference finals. One issue that
may arise is Martin Havlat's playoff performance. He is by no means a
tough or experienced playoff performer— a guy that could easily
succumb to the mental and physical rigours of the NHL postseason.
This is why I think Havlat won't be a major contributor if San Jose
is to take the next step and compete in the Stanley Cup finals.
Predicted division standings:
1. San Jose
2. Anaheim
3. Los Angeles
4. Dallas
5. Phoenix
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