Western Conference Previews - 2015-2016 Season
Sept 22, 2015 17:31:15 GMT -5
Hawks, AvsGM, and 6 more like this
Post by gmcanucks on Sept 22, 2015 17:31:15 GMT -5
Vancouver (CP) - The Western conference may lack the depth that saw eight teams surpass 100 points in 2014-2105, but it still contains some of the very best teams in the JGHL and the race for the final two or three playoff spots should be very interesting. Just for fun, here are this reporters' fearless forecasts for the 2015-2016 season.
CENTRAL DIVISION
St. Louis Blues – The Blues were one of the top teams in the league last year, losing a hotly contested six-game series to the Canucks in the Western Conference final. General Manager Gary Tater has ensured that the pieces are in place for another strong run in 2015-2016. Any discussion of the Blues title hopes has to begin with all-world goalie Carey Price, who has the ability to single-handedly win a seven-game series. Add in an excellent defense led by stalwarts Brent Burns and Kevin Shattenkirk and youngster Danny DeKeyser and you have a club that’s tough to create offense against. Veterans David Backes, Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter and emerging superstar Vladimir Tarasenko lead the offensive charge. The Blues are one team no one wants to face in a playoff series.
Prediction: 1st in the Central Division, 3rd overall in Western Conference
Nashville Predators – Suddenly the Nashville Predators are looking a lot like the 2012-2013 club that claimed the JGHL Cup after a dominant 56-win regular season. And much of the credit has to go to GM James Dammann. Blessed with outstanding talent all over the rink, the Preds boast an elite offense that includes Logan Couture, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and youngsters Mark Stone and Nikita Kucherov. On the blueline, veterans Shea Weber and Alex Pietrangelo lead an elite blue-line corps that also includes youngsters Damon Severson, Darnell Nurse and Rasmus Ristolainen, and 5th overall draft pick Noah Hanifan. The only question mark is weather Andrew Hammond, aka the Hamburgler, will be able to carry the load between the pipes. If that question is answered, Nashville will be a handful for anyone who meets them in a seven-game series.
Prediction: 2nd in the Central Division, 5th overall in Western Conference
Minnesota Wild – The Wild are the model of consistency, making their 8th straight playoff appearance in 2014-2015. Nothing indicates an end to that streak this season. Led by centres Claude Giroux and Tomas Plekanec and wingers Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer. GM Jeff Karas’ Minnesota squad will find a way to score enough goals. Veterans Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf are the leaders of an underrated defense that are difficult to play against. The potential fly in the ointment is in goal, where Jonas Hiller will get the majority of starts as the club waits for the emergence of future starter John Gibson. The future is in good hands with youngsters Zemgus Girgensons, Nathan Beaulieu, Matt Murray and first rounder Denis Gurianov developing quickly. All-in-all, it looks like another solid season for the Wild, who will be focused on making it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007-2008.
Prediction: 3rd in the Central Division, 6th overall in Western Conference
Chicago Black Hawks – Another team in the rebuilding mode, the Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs last spring to the Detroit Red Wings, after being to the Conference finals and the League finals the previous two seasons. With the departure of offensive leader Bryan Little and veteran sniper Eric Staal, the Hawks will rely on youngsters Nick Bjugstad, Brandon Saad, Mika Zibanejad and Tanner Pearson for big contributions. Emerging star Roman Josi and powerplay wizard Tyson Barrie anchor an inexperienced but talented back-end. Perhaps the most important player on the 2015-2016 Chicago roster is goaltender Roberto Luongo, who will be forced to shoulder a heavy load if the hawks are to make a 5th consecutive playoff appearance for GM Gavin Steidele.
Prediction: 4rd in the Central Division, 8th overall in Western Conference
Winnipeg Jets – The jets interrupted their rebuild this summer, adding a couple of key veterans that might well make them a contender for a playoff spot in 2015-2016. Playmaking centre Joe Thornton and All-Star defenseman Andrei Markov were signed as free agents by GM Tyrone Powell and their addition alone might be enough to earn Winnipeg a post-season spot. Goaltender Jonathan Quick remains the key player in the Manitoba capital and the club’s overall success will be determined by his play. Mathieu Perreault is one of the few scoring threats on a club that will struggle to find goals, but Markov does have some help on the backend in veterans Jan Hejda and Brad Stuart. Long-term the club is accumulating a nice group of prospects that includes Marco Dano, Mirco Mueller and Malcolm Subban, so brighter days are ahead.
Prediction: 5th in the Central Division, 10th overall in Western Conference
Colorado Avalanche – After a lengthy rebuild that has seen the Avs miss the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, GM Jon Madsen’s club is finally on the verge of a break-through. Adding Drew Doughty in the off-season to a blue-line that already included Erik Karlsson and future star Seth Jones was a key moment in the history of the Colorado franchise. Added to a young forward core that includes breakout candidates Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, Nathan Mackinnon, Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Huberdeau, the possibilities have die-hard Avalanches fans dreaming about a return to the championship days of 2004 and 2006. Only sub-par goaltending keeps them from being a playoff lock this season, but an upgrade between the pipes could bring them their first post-season appearance since 2008-2009.
Prediction: 6th in the Central Division, 11th overall in Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings were one of the big surprises of the 2014-2015 season, finishing 2nd overall in the Western Conference before a mild, second round upset at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. What happened next was a double shuffle at the GM position and a complete tear-down of the club with an eye on the future. New GM Hunter Jones has a lot of good prospects and young talent, but very little in the way of proven JGHL-caliber players. Veteran centre Jason Spezza remains the only big-time offensive threat on a team that finished 6th overall in the league last season with 295 goals. And rumours of his departure persists. It could be a long season in Motown, but watching an impressive array of youngsters develop will make it interesting. A full revival of the Red Wings is not too far in the future.
Prediction: 7th in the Central Division, 12th overall in Western Conference
PACIFIC DIVISION
Vancouver Canucks – Not content to rest on the euphoria of the club’s first JGHL championship, Canucks’ head honcho Joe MacDonald had another busy off-season, tweaking his Cup-winning club and making them odds on favorites for a second title. The JGHL GM of the year brought in forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Rick Nash and goaltender Ben Bishop, among others to augment a strong core from the 2014-2015 champs. Vancouver is solid at nearly every position, and the club addressed a weakness from last year’s club by trading for top penalty killers Boyd Gordon, Like Glendening and Drew Miller. With three scoring lines, a talented defense and two starting caliber goalies, the Canucks will again be a favorite, but may face its toughest challenge winning its own division ahead of the arch-rival San Jose Sharks.
Prediction: 1st in the Pacific Division, 1st overall in Western Conference
San Jose Sharks – The Sharks have never missed the JGHL Cup playoffs in 12 seasons, a remarkable feat of consistency that must make General Manager Jake Graas and the entire Sharks organization proud. Look for more of the same in 2014-15, as the GM has built a serious contender to claim the organization’s second league championship. Led by an explosive offense that includes superstars John Tavares and Steven Stamkos, and an impressive supporting cast, featuring wingers Max Pacioretty, Blake Wheeler and Jakub Voracek. Throw in youngsters Johnny Gaudreau and Gabriel Landeskog and scoring goals will not be a problem. A strong defense is anchored by veterans Ryan Suter and Dennis Wideman. Veteran Anttii Niemi will be counted on to provide the key saves when needed. The Sharks could be one of the top two or three teams in the league, but will face a big challenge to win their division with the defending champs also resident in the Pacific. Expect those matchups to be close and heated.
Prediction: 2nd in the Pacific Division, 2nd overall in Western Conference
Calgary Flames – Like Anaheim, the Flames took Vancouver to seven games before being eliminated in the Conference semi-final, ending a frustrating season for the perennial powerhouse. Despite question marks in goal and a lack of quality depth up front, the Flames remain a quality team lead by stars Jonathan Toews and Evgeni Malkin up front, and a stacked defense lead by Norris candidate P.K. Subban, Double Threat Dustin Byfuglien and rising stars Jack Johnson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The holes in the roster are by design, as GM Chris Ralph decided on a rebuild on the fly in the off-season and now has an impressive batch of quality draft picks and prospects to build for the future. Still a team to be feared, and a club with the assets to make in-season moves to become a real contender. Should, at the very least, challenge for home-ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Prediction: 3nd in the Pacific Division, 4th overall in Western Conference
Edmonton Oilers – Year 2 of the Olier’s rebuild should see improvement as the club builds toward returning to the Cup Finals in the not too distant future. After missing the playoffs for only the third time in club history in 2014-2015, GM Darren Schienbein has the club pointing in the right direction again. That trend should start with a return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Leading the charge will be young goalkeeper Frederik Andersen and two forwards at the opposite ends of their careers – Calder candidate Filip Forsberg and veteran Martin St. Louis, who is expected to retire after the season. Veteran Niklas Kronwall anchors a defense that, while not good enough to win a title, should be plenty good to win quite a few-games in the watered-down Western Conference. No championship this year perhaps, but a step in the right direction, for sure.
Prediction: 4th in the Pacific Division, 7th overall in Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks almost equalled the club record of 106 points set in 2013-2014, finishing with 49 wins and 105 points to grab the 8th and final playoff spot in the very competitive Western Conference, before taking the eventual champion Canucks to a tense game seven in round one of the playoffs. Despite the success, GM Al Lefebvre felt the club needed to take a step back to move ahead and wholesale changes were made. Gone are veterans like Henrik Sedin, Vinny Lecavalier, Mats Zuccarello and goaltender Ben Bishop, replaced by a raft of young players, prospects and picks. Short term the road will be tough, but the pieces are in place for a big time bounce back in the not too distant future. With solid goaltending from Brian Elliott and an underrated defense, the Ducks still look like playoff contenders in the weakened western Conference if they can score enough goals. Youngsters Wayne Simmonds, Nino Niederreiter and Michael Raffl will be counted on for major contributions.
Prediction: 5th in the Pacific Division, 9th overall in Western Conference
Los Angeles Kings – Yet another team struggling to complete a long-term rebuild, the Kings have missed the post-season seven times in their 12 year history and have yet to advance past the first round of the league playoffs. But there are signs that the club’s future is bright. The optimism starts with youngsters Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Zadorov, Anthony Duclair and Sam Reinhart and young goalies Petr Mrazek, Robin Lehner and Martin Jones. Prospects Anthony DeAngelo, Anthony Mantha and Christian Dvorak are a couple of years away, but represent the next wave. With a potential lottery pick again this year, the Kings and GM Mike Kohler will be well stocked with talent, even if wins are hard to come by in the foreseeable future.
Prediction: 6th in the Pacific Division, 13th overall in Western Conference
CENTRAL DIVISION
St. Louis Blues – The Blues were one of the top teams in the league last year, losing a hotly contested six-game series to the Canucks in the Western Conference final. General Manager Gary Tater has ensured that the pieces are in place for another strong run in 2015-2016. Any discussion of the Blues title hopes has to begin with all-world goalie Carey Price, who has the ability to single-handedly win a seven-game series. Add in an excellent defense led by stalwarts Brent Burns and Kevin Shattenkirk and youngster Danny DeKeyser and you have a club that’s tough to create offense against. Veterans David Backes, Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter and emerging superstar Vladimir Tarasenko lead the offensive charge. The Blues are one team no one wants to face in a playoff series.
Prediction: 1st in the Central Division, 3rd overall in Western Conference
Nashville Predators – Suddenly the Nashville Predators are looking a lot like the 2012-2013 club that claimed the JGHL Cup after a dominant 56-win regular season. And much of the credit has to go to GM James Dammann. Blessed with outstanding talent all over the rink, the Preds boast an elite offense that includes Logan Couture, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and youngsters Mark Stone and Nikita Kucherov. On the blueline, veterans Shea Weber and Alex Pietrangelo lead an elite blue-line corps that also includes youngsters Damon Severson, Darnell Nurse and Rasmus Ristolainen, and 5th overall draft pick Noah Hanifan. The only question mark is weather Andrew Hammond, aka the Hamburgler, will be able to carry the load between the pipes. If that question is answered, Nashville will be a handful for anyone who meets them in a seven-game series.
Prediction: 2nd in the Central Division, 5th overall in Western Conference
Minnesota Wild – The Wild are the model of consistency, making their 8th straight playoff appearance in 2014-2015. Nothing indicates an end to that streak this season. Led by centres Claude Giroux and Tomas Plekanec and wingers Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer. GM Jeff Karas’ Minnesota squad will find a way to score enough goals. Veterans Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf are the leaders of an underrated defense that are difficult to play against. The potential fly in the ointment is in goal, where Jonas Hiller will get the majority of starts as the club waits for the emergence of future starter John Gibson. The future is in good hands with youngsters Zemgus Girgensons, Nathan Beaulieu, Matt Murray and first rounder Denis Gurianov developing quickly. All-in-all, it looks like another solid season for the Wild, who will be focused on making it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007-2008.
Prediction: 3rd in the Central Division, 6th overall in Western Conference
Chicago Black Hawks – Another team in the rebuilding mode, the Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs last spring to the Detroit Red Wings, after being to the Conference finals and the League finals the previous two seasons. With the departure of offensive leader Bryan Little and veteran sniper Eric Staal, the Hawks will rely on youngsters Nick Bjugstad, Brandon Saad, Mika Zibanejad and Tanner Pearson for big contributions. Emerging star Roman Josi and powerplay wizard Tyson Barrie anchor an inexperienced but talented back-end. Perhaps the most important player on the 2015-2016 Chicago roster is goaltender Roberto Luongo, who will be forced to shoulder a heavy load if the hawks are to make a 5th consecutive playoff appearance for GM Gavin Steidele.
Prediction: 4rd in the Central Division, 8th overall in Western Conference
Winnipeg Jets – The jets interrupted their rebuild this summer, adding a couple of key veterans that might well make them a contender for a playoff spot in 2015-2016. Playmaking centre Joe Thornton and All-Star defenseman Andrei Markov were signed as free agents by GM Tyrone Powell and their addition alone might be enough to earn Winnipeg a post-season spot. Goaltender Jonathan Quick remains the key player in the Manitoba capital and the club’s overall success will be determined by his play. Mathieu Perreault is one of the few scoring threats on a club that will struggle to find goals, but Markov does have some help on the backend in veterans Jan Hejda and Brad Stuart. Long-term the club is accumulating a nice group of prospects that includes Marco Dano, Mirco Mueller and Malcolm Subban, so brighter days are ahead.
Prediction: 5th in the Central Division, 10th overall in Western Conference
Colorado Avalanche – After a lengthy rebuild that has seen the Avs miss the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, GM Jon Madsen’s club is finally on the verge of a break-through. Adding Drew Doughty in the off-season to a blue-line that already included Erik Karlsson and future star Seth Jones was a key moment in the history of the Colorado franchise. Added to a young forward core that includes breakout candidates Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, Nathan Mackinnon, Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Huberdeau, the possibilities have die-hard Avalanches fans dreaming about a return to the championship days of 2004 and 2006. Only sub-par goaltending keeps them from being a playoff lock this season, but an upgrade between the pipes could bring them their first post-season appearance since 2008-2009.
Prediction: 6th in the Central Division, 11th overall in Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings were one of the big surprises of the 2014-2015 season, finishing 2nd overall in the Western Conference before a mild, second round upset at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. What happened next was a double shuffle at the GM position and a complete tear-down of the club with an eye on the future. New GM Hunter Jones has a lot of good prospects and young talent, but very little in the way of proven JGHL-caliber players. Veteran centre Jason Spezza remains the only big-time offensive threat on a team that finished 6th overall in the league last season with 295 goals. And rumours of his departure persists. It could be a long season in Motown, but watching an impressive array of youngsters develop will make it interesting. A full revival of the Red Wings is not too far in the future.
Prediction: 7th in the Central Division, 12th overall in Western Conference
PACIFIC DIVISION
Vancouver Canucks – Not content to rest on the euphoria of the club’s first JGHL championship, Canucks’ head honcho Joe MacDonald had another busy off-season, tweaking his Cup-winning club and making them odds on favorites for a second title. The JGHL GM of the year brought in forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Rick Nash and goaltender Ben Bishop, among others to augment a strong core from the 2014-2015 champs. Vancouver is solid at nearly every position, and the club addressed a weakness from last year’s club by trading for top penalty killers Boyd Gordon, Like Glendening and Drew Miller. With three scoring lines, a talented defense and two starting caliber goalies, the Canucks will again be a favorite, but may face its toughest challenge winning its own division ahead of the arch-rival San Jose Sharks.
Prediction: 1st in the Pacific Division, 1st overall in Western Conference
San Jose Sharks – The Sharks have never missed the JGHL Cup playoffs in 12 seasons, a remarkable feat of consistency that must make General Manager Jake Graas and the entire Sharks organization proud. Look for more of the same in 2014-15, as the GM has built a serious contender to claim the organization’s second league championship. Led by an explosive offense that includes superstars John Tavares and Steven Stamkos, and an impressive supporting cast, featuring wingers Max Pacioretty, Blake Wheeler and Jakub Voracek. Throw in youngsters Johnny Gaudreau and Gabriel Landeskog and scoring goals will not be a problem. A strong defense is anchored by veterans Ryan Suter and Dennis Wideman. Veteran Anttii Niemi will be counted on to provide the key saves when needed. The Sharks could be one of the top two or three teams in the league, but will face a big challenge to win their division with the defending champs also resident in the Pacific. Expect those matchups to be close and heated.
Prediction: 2nd in the Pacific Division, 2nd overall in Western Conference
Calgary Flames – Like Anaheim, the Flames took Vancouver to seven games before being eliminated in the Conference semi-final, ending a frustrating season for the perennial powerhouse. Despite question marks in goal and a lack of quality depth up front, the Flames remain a quality team lead by stars Jonathan Toews and Evgeni Malkin up front, and a stacked defense lead by Norris candidate P.K. Subban, Double Threat Dustin Byfuglien and rising stars Jack Johnson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The holes in the roster are by design, as GM Chris Ralph decided on a rebuild on the fly in the off-season and now has an impressive batch of quality draft picks and prospects to build for the future. Still a team to be feared, and a club with the assets to make in-season moves to become a real contender. Should, at the very least, challenge for home-ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Prediction: 3nd in the Pacific Division, 4th overall in Western Conference
Edmonton Oilers – Year 2 of the Olier’s rebuild should see improvement as the club builds toward returning to the Cup Finals in the not too distant future. After missing the playoffs for only the third time in club history in 2014-2015, GM Darren Schienbein has the club pointing in the right direction again. That trend should start with a return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Leading the charge will be young goalkeeper Frederik Andersen and two forwards at the opposite ends of their careers – Calder candidate Filip Forsberg and veteran Martin St. Louis, who is expected to retire after the season. Veteran Niklas Kronwall anchors a defense that, while not good enough to win a title, should be plenty good to win quite a few-games in the watered-down Western Conference. No championship this year perhaps, but a step in the right direction, for sure.
Prediction: 4th in the Pacific Division, 7th overall in Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks almost equalled the club record of 106 points set in 2013-2014, finishing with 49 wins and 105 points to grab the 8th and final playoff spot in the very competitive Western Conference, before taking the eventual champion Canucks to a tense game seven in round one of the playoffs. Despite the success, GM Al Lefebvre felt the club needed to take a step back to move ahead and wholesale changes were made. Gone are veterans like Henrik Sedin, Vinny Lecavalier, Mats Zuccarello and goaltender Ben Bishop, replaced by a raft of young players, prospects and picks. Short term the road will be tough, but the pieces are in place for a big time bounce back in the not too distant future. With solid goaltending from Brian Elliott and an underrated defense, the Ducks still look like playoff contenders in the weakened western Conference if they can score enough goals. Youngsters Wayne Simmonds, Nino Niederreiter and Michael Raffl will be counted on for major contributions.
Prediction: 5th in the Pacific Division, 9th overall in Western Conference
Los Angeles Kings – Yet another team struggling to complete a long-term rebuild, the Kings have missed the post-season seven times in their 12 year history and have yet to advance past the first round of the league playoffs. But there are signs that the club’s future is bright. The optimism starts with youngsters Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Zadorov, Anthony Duclair and Sam Reinhart and young goalies Petr Mrazek, Robin Lehner and Martin Jones. Prospects Anthony DeAngelo, Anthony Mantha and Christian Dvorak are a couple of years away, but represent the next wave. With a potential lottery pick again this year, the Kings and GM Mike Kohler will be well stocked with talent, even if wins are hard to come by in the foreseeable future.
Prediction: 6th in the Pacific Division, 13th overall in Western Conference