|
|
Pacific Division Power
Rankings A Dream of Spring Edition
Ahh
Spring! Here in Canada, you can tell the
seasons are changing by the foot of snow that got dropped on us over the
weekend. Even though that was rude of Mother Nature, at least we can shovel and
clean things up, all the while reminding ourselves that in a few weeks it'll be
melted away. We have something to look forward too, unlike many of the teams
currently inhabiting the NHL's Westernmost Division.
For some clubs,
all hope was lost before the calendar flipped to 2018, while others have
suffered a long, slow, painful descent into irrelevance. For the scant few that
remain with something to play for, Spring, and its playoff rebirth, can't come
soon enough. All they need to do is hold out a few more weeks, because once the
post-season starts everyone's championship dreams get new life.
So,
take a walk with me into the future, as we examine the Pacific Division Dreams
of Spring
#1 - Las Vegas Golden Knights
The
Knights still hold down the top spot, though there have been some chinks in
their armor of late. A subpar 3rd quarter of the season saw Vegas suffer
through some losing streaks, as the pace and intensity of the competition
ramped up. Despite these struggles they still maintain a healthy 10-point lead
in the Pacific, even if top spot in the Western Conference now looks to be out
of reach. Fans are dreaming of a deep playoff run, though GM George McPhee may
have provided a glimpse of his own mindset when he overpaid to pry Tomas Tatar
out of Detroit. It's been a miracle season so far, but is there anything left
in the tank for April? That answer, more than anything, will determine whether
the Knights dreams will flower or die in Spring.
Last Ranking:
1st
#2 - Anaheim Ducks
What a difference a healthy
lineup makes! For most of the season Anaheim was playing without significant
pieces of their roster, and the result was a middling team trying to stay alive
in the playoff hunt. However, since getting everyone back, the Ducks have gone
on a run, posting a 9-4-3 record since February 1st, and finding themselves on
the happy side of the post-season bubble. However, while they are trending in
the right direction, the club is still hamstrung by their poor first 50 games,
and will have to fight the rest of the way to secure their ticket to the dance.
Should they manage to do so, this is a team that boasts enough weapons,
experience, and toughness to be a dangerous post-season foe. Of course, this
assumes their now injury prone - and aging - stars can stay healthy. If they
can, Anaheim has the potential to become a nightmare for everyone else in the
West.
Last Ranking: 3rd
#3 - San Jose Sharks A team
of two natures, you never know which Sharks club will show up. Is it the team
that struggles to score, or the fast, dynamic squad that makes opponents pay
for every mistake? The addition of Evander Kane seems to tip the balance in
favour of the latter, and if that continues San Jose could make some noise in
the playoffs; provided they quality. This uncertainty seems to be taking a toll
on fans, as the excitement level surround the team has lagged all season,
perhaps also due to an emotionally tough offseason split with Patrick Marleau.
On the ice, the great unknown is the status of Joe Thornton, who has been less
visible than the underside of Brent Burns chin. If he can return and
contribute, the Sharks will be able to roll 9 deep at forward, making them
extremely difficult to game plan against. While it's hard to make a case that
this is a Cup contending team, stranger things have happened in April, and one
last deep run may be what it takes to breath new life into a suddenly lukewarm
fanbase.
Last Ranking: 5th
#4 - Los Angeles Kings
Will they, or
won't they? Are they in, or are they out? Like a cat standing in front of an
open door, the Kings just can't seem to make up their mind on where they are
going or how to get there! On one hand, they have a solid road record, are +27
in goal differential, and are mostly healthy. Then again, they lose to lesser
opponents, and go through obscene goal droughts (they've scored 2 or fewer
goals 26 times this season). And then there is the antics of the suddenly
petulant Drew Doughty, who seems to have completely forgotten how to control
himself whenever things go wrong. All together, to say this club is streaky is
an understatement, and they appear poised to either make a run to the finals or
implode and completely miss the playoffs altogether. While fans may dream of
Springtime glory, it seems anything other than a raging tire fire should
probably be considered a success.
Last Ranking: 4th
#5 -
Calgary Flames
Putting the Flames in the 5th spot is more a nod to
what they've accomplished so far this season, rather than an acknowledgement of
anything noteworthy recently. To recap, Calgary has gone ice cold, dropping 3
points out of the playoff picture while posting a 3-5-2 record over their past
10 games. Certainly, the injury to Mike Smith has been a big reason for this,
as they are a more fragile team in front of Jon Gillies and David Rittich. That
still doesn't explain the lack of offense, or defensive zone lapses that have
plagued them of late, as the Flames are too talented to be playing this poorly.
For that reason, they remain dangerous, especially with Smith returning to
practice on March 7. There's still time to rescue their season, and write a
happy ending to this story.
Last Ranking: 2nd
#6 - Arizona
Coyotes
Yup, you read that right. The Coyotes are currently tied
with Anaheim as the hottest teams in the Pacific Division, which deserves to be
recognized. Even if this season has been uglier than a White Walker (you knew a
Game of Thrones Reference was coming with this editions' title, didn't you?),
there might be, perhaps, maybe some reason for optimism in the future for
Arizona. Of course, it's easier to win when you are playing without any
pressure, and other teams can't help but look past any squad that will have to
hustle to hit the 65-point mark, but still: good on the Yotes for playing out
the stretch hard. Looking ahead to the Spring, while everyone else is focused
on the playoffs, GM John Chayka will need to decide what to do about UFA Antti
Raanta, and suddenly expendable youngster Max Domi. Those two decisions will go
a long way to shaping the future for this club, and determine whether the
Desert Dogs ever reach the promised land of contention.
Last Ranking:
8th
#7 - Vancouver Canucks
Let's start at the
beginning, the Canucks are right where they belong to be, near the bottom of
the league standings. Anyone who was clear eyed knew that this club wasn't
going to be a factor come March, and that they remained competitive as long as
they did deserves a doff of the cap to everyone involved. Now, when it comes to
making improvements, Vancouver needs to focus on shoring up their Goals Against
(217), which is the primary reason they boast an atrocious -37 differential as
their 180 Goals For is near the middle of the pack. To do that, Van City needs
a good Spring, by having their NHL youngsters get more experience at the World
Championships (hello Sven Baertschi, Alex Biega, Markus Granlund, and Nikolay
Goldobin), their AHL affiliate in Utica to make the post-season (they're
currently in a playoff position), and their junior prospects to have a deep
playoff run (especially Kole Lind from Kelowna in the WHL). If those things can
break their way, the Canucks will be able to content themselves dreaming about
future April successes in the years ahead.
Last Ranking: 7th
#8 Edmonton Oilers
I've flogged the Oilers in past columns, so
I'm not going to do so again. Suffice to say this was a team that had dreams of
spring glory, but those will need to be played out on the golf course rather
than the ice. In the Board Room, big decisions will need to be made to address
the problems on the wings, which is where most of Edmonton's problems stem
from. Sure, it's sexy to blame the D, or the goaltending, but any contending
team needs to have wingers that can effectively forecheck, and cover their men
in the defensive zone. For most of the seasons the Oilers have been lacking
just that, which has exposed other areas to scrutiny. While it's unlikely Peter
Chiarelli will be able to unload contracts like Milan Lucic, the real challenge
will be adding without subtracting, such as the foolhardy rumours of trading
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a scoring winger. Rather, Edmonton needs to take a deep
breath and look at other options, such as perhaps trading what appears to be a
Top 5 draft pick for more immediate help. This season has already been a
nightmare; Oilers fans need to hope Spring doesn't become a sequel.
Last Ranking: 6th
Contact Ryan at at
ryanhall@letsgosharks.com
|
|
What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|