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Pacific Division Power Rankings
#7
Looney Tunes Cartoon Characters
Edition
Finally, the Trade Deadline has past, and now
everyone knows what they're rosters are going to look like. For some, this
meant additions to help get them over the hump, while other squads were busy
shuffling players out the door. However, whether they were 'buyers' or
'sellers', none of the teams in the Pacific Division came close to matching the
over-hyped media coverage that surrounded Monday, which prompted the folks at
TSN to candidly admit that they, and the Trade Deadline day have become
caricatures. Since I'm no artist, I figured what's the closest that we could
get to caricature's is cartoon characters! So here we go, with a comparison
that could be brought to you through the miracle of Technicolor!
#1 - Anaheim Ducks (Road Runner) - Meep Meep!! For most
of the season everyone has been trying to run down the Ducks, to no avail. At
this point it seems fairly clear that no can catch them, meaning Anaheim has
the luxury of slowing down and starting some early prep work for the playoffs.
However, they do need to be wary of over-confidence, as unlike their cartoon
avatar it isn't easy to just fire up the engines at 100% once you've let them
idle.
Last Ranking: 1
#2 - Vancouver Canucks (Bugs Bunny) - While the Sharks
might have just thumped them, that isn't enough to overlook the good work
Vancouver has done this year. Still, like Bugs Bunny, it's rather hard to
figure out just HOW they keep coming out on top, when they don't seem to have
any noteworthy abilities. One thing is certain: if Eddie Lack and Jacob
Markstrom falter, the Canucks may find themselves asking "What's up Doc?" about
ways to speed up Ryan Miller's recovery.
Last Ranking: 4
#3 - Los Angeles Kings (Taz) - Rarely seen, but
universally feared, Taz was a force of nature that rarely could be stopped;
much like the good Los Angeles Kings. As their recent 8 game winning streak
proved, when they're in beast mode, no one can stand against them. However,
much like Taz, if they aren't on their game they are kinda dopey and easy to
outwit, which is why Darryl Sutter is working overtime to rile his squad up. If
he succeeds, the rest of the league best "Beware the vicious, ravenous brute
with powerful jaws like a steel trap"
Last Ranking: 5
#4 - Calgary Flames (Marvin the Martian) - Looking cute
and harmless, the Flames are an easy team to overlook; especially since losing
their Captain and leader Mark Giordano. But boy, do they ever pack a punch!!
While they don't possess any earth destroying gadgets, what they Flames do have
is a balanced scoring attack and team first mentality, which allows them to
punch far above their weight class. At the moment that's good enough to have
them handing tough in the playoff race - "Isn't that lovely?"
Last
Ranking: 2
#5 - San Jose Sharks (Porky Pig) - Let's be honest:
despite their many flaws the San Jose really mean well, they just keep tripping
over themselves, stumbling and stuttering every time it looks like they are
about to get rolling. Usually this stems from trying to do too much, when
simplifying things and playing the game their way would allow them to steal the
show. With all of the being said, the Sharks have very little room for error if
they want to make the postseason, and if they miss the playoffs, or falter in
the 1st Round, you have to think "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-... That'll be all, folks" for
this roster and management group.
Last Ranking: 3
#6 - Edmonton Oilers (Elmer Fudd) - Ahh… Elmer
Fudd! The continuous foil for all of the Loney Toon heroes, as he just never
had the smarts, ability, or attention span to ever succeed. It seemed for every
more he made, his opponent was 2 ahead, and this usually resulted in
predicable, and humiliating defeat for Elmer; often long before he realized
that the game was already over. The fact that every one of those comments can
easily be transferred to how the Oilers play tells you all you need to know
about their season.
Last Ranking: 6
#7 - Arizona Coyotes (Wile E. Coyote) - Sometimes, it's
just too easy. Like Wile E., Arizona simply lacks the tools needed win, even if
they try hard. Even sadder: Acme doesn't have a hockey team, and right now,
neither does Arizona. Of course, that's partly because the Coyotes traded away
almost every useful veteran they had, going all out in their efforts to tank
the rest of the season. It seems they're hoping this cliff they just flew off
of contains a soft landing in either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, but if they
miss that mark then the looming anvil of financial troubles could be the last
thing they ever see.
Last Ranking: 7
Contact Ryan at at
ryanhall@letsgosharks.com
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