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Pacific Division Power Ranking
8
Where do we go from here?
Well, the 2013-2014 NHL regular season is in the
books, and for more than half the residents of the Pacific Division that means
golf, holidays, and watching the playoffs on TV. As the post-mortem begins in
Western Canada and Arizona, the most pressing question will be: Where do we go
from here? Charting a course for success will undoubtedly lead to very
different paths, but the end result is always the same: Make the Playoffs and
Win the Stanley Cup. So, with that in mind, in this curtain closing edition of
the Power Rankings, we'll look at what each squad needs to do so that next year
they can achieve regular season success.
#1 - Anaheim Ducks
Despite faltering down the stretch, the Ducks found a way to not only
secure the Pacific Division, but also take home the top seed in the Western
Conference; all told not a bad campaign. Using a mixture of solid goaltending,
stifling defense, and just enough offense, Anaheim overcame all the obstacles
put in their way and showed that last season wasn't a fluke. However, that
doesn't mean they can't improve! One troubling aspect was the lack of road
success, which often placed added pressure on the squad to protect home ice at
all costs. Effort also was concern, as far too often the Ducks were playing
from behind and relying on frantic 3rd period comebacks to steal points they
might not have deserved. These two problems will probably work themselves out
as the youth movement continues to gain experience and learns how to compete
consistently at the NHL level; while removing long in the tooth players like
Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne (yes I said it) won't hurt either.
Last
Ranking: 2
#2 San Jose Sharks
The men in teal fell
just short of stealing away the Pacific title from Anaheim, with injuries and
inconsistent play causing them to finish second. While this campaign featured a
resurgence by Joe Thornton, the way forward for the Sharks depends on someone
other than Pavelski and Couture becoming a reliable scoring threat. The Sharks
are well positioned for that to happen with Tomas Hertl showing flashes of
brilliance and Brent Burns bearing the marks of a 35 goal, 70 point player.
Until that becomes a reality though, San Jose will too often be forced to rely
on aging veterans.
Last Ranking: 1
#3 Los Angeles
Kings
What a difference one player can make!! Ever since they
acquired Marian Gaborik the Kings played like a team reborn, showing that
perhaps there is room in LA for skilled players after all. After years of
grinding checking, Gaborik seemed to light a fire that made many of the Kings
remember that you can win a game by something other than a 2-1 or 1-0 score
line. This path forward marks the best hope for LA as they seek to remain an
elite team within the NHL, as the continuous wear and tear of 82 games (plus
playoffs) is starting to show on the frames of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Jeff
Carter, Justin Williams, and Mike Richards. Lessening the physical toil
inflicted on their stars will not only mean that core group can contend for
longer, but more goals might relieve the pressure on Jonathon Quick, leaving
him fresher and extending his own shelf-life.
Last Ranking: 3
#4 - Phoenix Coyotes
In the end, the Coyotes fell prey to a
very predictable demise: Not enough talent = not enough scoring. The clock
appears to have struck midnight for the desert dogs, who got a lot of mileage
out of playing an honest effort, all heart, and tight checking game - meaning
that changes need to be made to address the ghastly lack of firepower on this
team. While many fans might be tempted to say that Mike Smith's injury cost
Phoenix a playoff spot, the truth is Thomas Griess played just fine and it was
the offense that let the team down. Until the Coyotes find a way to attract
more than middling players, the pressure of no margin for error will only beat
them down, meaning their path forward lies solely in acquiring some snipers.
Thankfully, there are pieces to be moved (such as Keith Yandle) that should
help Don Maloney chart a course to success.
Last Ranking: 4
#5 - Calgary Flames
You probably thought this ranking was just
a reflection of the final standings, didn't you?! Well, the truth is that it's
a reflection of how these squads ended the year, and how easy of a path forward
they have. For the Flames, that path is filled with hope and potential after an
overachieving season that witnessed the birth of some new stars, including Sean
Monahan and Karri Ramo. These two players give the Flames something to build
on, as do the stable of picks they've acquired for the upcoming entry draft.
When you add in a nice salting of veterans that can still play (looking at you
Mike Cammalleri and Mark Giodano), the road back to relevance for Calgary looks
fairly straight forward and short.
Last Ranking: 5
#6 - Edmonton Oilers
Fool me once,
shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! I drank the Kool-Aid on the Oilers
this season, thinking that there was no way a squad with that much talent could
perform so poorly again. And boy was I wrong. With that being said, there are
some signs of optimism for Edmonton, with the best and brightest being Taylor
Hall. Not only did he crack the 80 point barrier, but he finished in the Top 10
of NHL scoring - quite a feat for a player in his early 20's. Additionally, the
emergence of Ben Scrivens as a legitimate NHL goaltender means that for once
the Oilers can start crossing things off their NEEDS list, and start working on
supporting what they already have. That may still mean making a couple trades
that parlay youth into veterans (especially defensemen), but when you're lineup
includes 5 Top 10 draft choices under the age of 25 (Hall, Eberle, Yakupov,
Nugent-Hopkins, and Gagner), you've got some assets to work with. A few savvy
moves, and Edmonton will contend! (And yes, the Kool-Aid still tastes great!)
Last Ranking: 7
#7 - Vancouver Canucks
Bad to
Worse! Welcome to the Vancouver Canucks story, starring… well… no
one!! In a single calendar year the Canucks have been swept in the first round
of the playoffs, traded BOTH members of their goalie controversy for scraps,
fired one coach (soon to be a second), fired their GM, and completed a season
that is best summarized as awful. So where do they go from here? Where to
start! Without a real identity, the Canucks cannot hope to move forward. Are
they a puck possession team? If so they need the Sedin's to be healthy, and
they have to acquire players more skilled than Zack Kassian. Or perhaps they're
going to be a grinding team? Then it's goodbye Sedin's - but how do you make
those trades? And what about Ryan Kessler, who they nearly moved at the trade
deadline and then, inexplicably, decided to keep?! Will he even want to be
back? These questions are only the tip of the iceberg for a franchise that may
not have hit rock bottom just yet, but boy the ground sure is rising up fast!
Last Ranking: 6
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