Post by Yzerman Is The Man on Sept 7, 2015 9:53:20 GMT -6
Thanks to Dangles for part two of four of his "Puck Luck" series. If you want to write a blog for us, just PM me with your ideas.
What can make or break a team's season? A big injury, a struggling player, a bad locker room? There a few things that can really sink a team and some things that can make a season roll smoothly for another team. I am going to go over a few possible red flags and/or positives for the teams in the Pacific Division and predict how I see their seasons going.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are a powerhouse in the West and stacked at every position, couple that with the fact that they advance a round each postseason and I can see them winning the Stanley Cup this season. Anaheim has good enough amount of prospects in the system that they can withstand almost any injuries and make trades to bolster their team near the trade deadline if need be. The only way failure for them will be if they don't win the Stanley Cup.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes are the exact opposite of the Ducks. They are weak in every position and are in store for a bottom 5 finish in the league, this is going to be a rough year for their fan; James Tanner. Arizona has some nice prospects and a couple of good young players already on the team but they are poised to be picking top 5 come draft day and nothing will fix that.
Calgary Flames
The Flames are a very well rounded team but they lack a true starter in net and both Ramo and Hiller are more suited to 1B duties. That duo is capable of getting them to the playoffs but they need one to get hot if they want to make some noise in the preseason. Calgary is also a little light on firepower up front but they have enough quality depth to get by and their defence is arguably best in the league and can make up for their lack of superstars. The Flames are all but a certainty to make the playoffs this year.
Edmonton Oilers
The team that lucked into Connor McDavid boasts a scary amount of offensive weapons that rival many teams in the league, however they lack at every position outside of forwards. They have two goalies who have never been true starters, Scrivens played terrible last season and Talbot is unproven and could just as easily flop as succeed. The defence is the biggest weakness of the Oilers and unless they add one or two bonafide top four players then their season is already over. Edmonton will fall between a wild card team and a lottery team this season.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are in a weird place right now as they have won two Stanley Cups in the last 4 seasons yet they missed the playoffs entirely last season. LA has had quite a few of their players end up in legal trouble and that certainly hurts their chances and who knows if they have other players that may end up having run-ins with the law. On the ice the Kings boast a very solid core of players who should enable them to reach the playoffs but one major injury to Kopitar, Doughty or Quick and their seasons are likely toast.
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is in a period of transition where they just replaced their coaching staff and have some question marks on their team. The Sharks have a OEL forward group and the defence is in a pretty good spot plus they have a few prospects knocking at the door so the only big question is can Martin Jones come in and be a starting goalie? If Jones falters and Stalock can't pick up the slack the Sharks may be in for a long season. I predict they will be a top team in the West but I still expect them to fall short in the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are a franchise that appears to be in a downward swing. They have made some questionable roster decisions and their core is ageing to the point where they could be in serious trouble inside of a couple of seasons. As it stands now I can see them grabbing a wild card spot if the dominoes fall into place but I could just as easily see them being a lottery team this year
What can make or break a team's season? A big injury, a struggling player, a bad locker room? There a few things that can really sink a team and some things that can make a season roll smoothly for another team. I am going to go over a few possible red flags and/or positives for the teams in the Pacific Division and predict how I see their seasons going.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are a powerhouse in the West and stacked at every position, couple that with the fact that they advance a round each postseason and I can see them winning the Stanley Cup this season. Anaheim has good enough amount of prospects in the system that they can withstand almost any injuries and make trades to bolster their team near the trade deadline if need be. The only way failure for them will be if they don't win the Stanley Cup.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes are the exact opposite of the Ducks. They are weak in every position and are in store for a bottom 5 finish in the league, this is going to be a rough year for their fan; James Tanner. Arizona has some nice prospects and a couple of good young players already on the team but they are poised to be picking top 5 come draft day and nothing will fix that.
Calgary Flames
The Flames are a very well rounded team but they lack a true starter in net and both Ramo and Hiller are more suited to 1B duties. That duo is capable of getting them to the playoffs but they need one to get hot if they want to make some noise in the preseason. Calgary is also a little light on firepower up front but they have enough quality depth to get by and their defence is arguably best in the league and can make up for their lack of superstars. The Flames are all but a certainty to make the playoffs this year.
Edmonton Oilers
The team that lucked into Connor McDavid boasts a scary amount of offensive weapons that rival many teams in the league, however they lack at every position outside of forwards. They have two goalies who have never been true starters, Scrivens played terrible last season and Talbot is unproven and could just as easily flop as succeed. The defence is the biggest weakness of the Oilers and unless they add one or two bonafide top four players then their season is already over. Edmonton will fall between a wild card team and a lottery team this season.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are in a weird place right now as they have won two Stanley Cups in the last 4 seasons yet they missed the playoffs entirely last season. LA has had quite a few of their players end up in legal trouble and that certainly hurts their chances and who knows if they have other players that may end up having run-ins with the law. On the ice the Kings boast a very solid core of players who should enable them to reach the playoffs but one major injury to Kopitar, Doughty or Quick and their seasons are likely toast.
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is in a period of transition where they just replaced their coaching staff and have some question marks on their team. The Sharks have a OEL forward group and the defence is in a pretty good spot plus they have a few prospects knocking at the door so the only big question is can Martin Jones come in and be a starting goalie? If Jones falters and Stalock can't pick up the slack the Sharks may be in for a long season. I predict they will be a top team in the West but I still expect them to fall short in the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are a franchise that appears to be in a downward swing. They have made some questionable roster decisions and their core is ageing to the point where they could be in serious trouble inside of a couple of seasons. As it stands now I can see them grabbing a wild card spot if the dominoes fall into place but I could just as easily see them being a lottery team this year