| Subject: Western Division Preview |
Author:
Dino Bambino
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Date Posted: 16:15:00 11/01/03 Sat
Western Conference Preview
Last season Victoria finished first in the division, Saskatoon went to the cup and just fell short. What will happen this year? Can the top four remain in a playoff spot? Have the bottom four done enough in the off-season to get there? Obviously only time has the answer, but lets take a look at each team and handicap their chances.
Victoria – Last season - 47 wins 102 points, 1st in the West
Is there a “Roy” of hope?
Last season was nothing short of amazing for Victoria…until the playoffs. Expected to go to the cup finals, the Totems fell short of their goal and now find themselves short their franchise goalie. Unable to convince Patrick Roy to return for another season, the Totems hand the job over to young JS Gigure and hope for the same magic.
Helping “Gigy” achieve success will be a rock solid defense featuring Eric Brewer and 3 solid very in Stevens, Numminen, and Chelios. White and McKee make up a 3rd pairing that would make most teams jealous.
GM Shawn McDonald felt there was a lack of scoring so he jumped at the opportunity to land his latest franchise player in Bill Guerin. Teamed up with either Roenick or Federov, look for Guerin to have a massive season.
Expect another solid season for Victoria, but they will hard pressed to be in first again with the loss of Roy. Look for Victoria to defend its conference title, but with fewer points than last season.
Calgary – Last season - 47 wins 100 points, 2nd in the West
Can Calgary remain in the century club?
After 3 seasons of making the playoffs and two back-to-back 100-point or better seasons it’s not wise to bet against the Cougars.
Calgary has two very solid top two lines, and depth to spare behind them. Lead by Joe Sakic and also featuring Marian Gaborik, Tony Amonte, Miro Satan, and the legendary Brett Hull, expect this team to fill the net. The forwards also include great defensive and excellent role players. Solid to say the least.
The blue line is good, although they lack the prerequisite superstar that an above average team must have. They do have one in the waiting though, as Zdeno Chara gets better every year. Patrice Brisebois is really the only D man that boasts any offensive flare in the group.
The biggest question mark will be between the pipes. Can Johan Hedberg and Byron Dafoe give this team the quality netminding it needs? Tough to say, but you could easily predict them splitting the time and each playing at .500. That would be enough to make the playoffs, but not enough to lead this team to the finals.
Look for a 4th place finish this season for the Calgary Cougars.
Saskatoon – Last season - 44 wins 96 points, 3rd in the West
Sell, sell, sell!
That was the mantra of the Silos this offseason as they fell just short in their quest to win the title against Halifax. Gone are Todd Marchant, Alexei Yashin, John Leclair, and Curtis Joseph will be too if GM Ken McKenna can find a seller!
Just who is going to score for this team? After Dainus Zubrus, Robert Lang, and Theo Fluery, there isn’t much to speak of. There is some great talent on the horizon, but that won’t help fill the net this season.
On defense it’s the same story. Janne Niinimaa and Karlis Skraskins are solid, but it slim pickings after that. There are going to be some long nights in the ‘Toon this season!
In net is probably the only highlight for this team, if you can ignore the Joseph situation. He is currently on the farm awaiting a trade because Tommy Salo was brought in to replace him. Dwayne Roloson is a solid backup, and is in an unenviable situation to say the least.
Look for a long rebuilding season for the Silos and an 8th place finish.
B.C. – Last season - 41 wins 88 points, 4th in the West
One more try for the Magnificent one?
When your centerpiece player is pushing 40 you may think that you have some serious concerns, unless that player is the legendary Mario Lemieux. Once again Lemieux is “back” and GM Robert Rutkowski is hoping his “back’ holds up.
Behind Mario, there are some decent offensive pieces on this BC team, but they are not the deepest team in the west either. Adding Peter Bondra should help considerably in the team’s march towards the playoffs. One or two key injuries and you could see Rutkowski cleaning house quickly.
Other than Jaroslav Modry, there is little to no offensive talent on the blue line. Basically they are a collection of journeymen and plumbers. This could be one of the weakest bluelines in the league.
The “Bulin wall” had better be one this season. Nicolai Khabibulin is going to see a lot of rubber, and no doubt steal his fair share of games for BC this season. The backups are solid as well, so expect this group to keep BC in the hunt for a while.
Rutkowski will have to decide quickly which direction to take this team. If he wants to contend, he needs to add some pieces. If not, it’s time to unload the star and rebuild. With the current roster expect a 6th place finish.
Yellowknife – Last season - 36 wins 78 points, 5th in the West
Net gain?
Goodbye Mr. Belfour, hello Mr. Osgood! Edmonton’s gains this offseason was certainly Yellowknife’s loss. Not only did they lose Belfour to their conference rival, but the also lost Conroy as well. The question is, will anyone notice? There is no doubt that Yellowknife has one of the best teams on paper in the entire league, but you know how the old saying goes…
The Blades boast a forward roster that is simply scary. Mike Modano, Radek Bonk, Markus Naslund, Mike York, Glen Murray, and Alexei Kovalev just to name a few. This team will score, and score plenty!
Ed Jovanovski and Sergei Gonchar anchor the defense that is solid but not spectacular. They will provide plenty of goals, and keep more than a few out as well.
Chris Osgood is the key. Ed Belfour didn’t get the job done and lost his job as a result. GM Neil Hayes is hoping that Osgood rewards him for the trust he has shown him.
Look for the Blades to take the 2nd spot with a late season rally down the stretch drive.
Edmonton – Last Season - 36 wins 76 points, 6th in the West
Can money buy success?
No team was busier in the off season, and no team spent more money trying to shake the tag of mediocrity. Added to the team were Craig Conroy, Mathieu Schneider, Andrew Cassels, Trent Klatt, Ed Belfour, Andy McDonald, and Steve Yzerman! Will it help? That is the 50 million-dollar question. Time will tell, but they will certainly show improvement over last season.
Even with all of the additions, there still isn’t that one superstar forward that scares the opposition. What they do have is great depth on lines one through four. Look for Edmonton to have very good special teams as a result.
The defense again is solid, but not spectacular. The powerplay will be lead by Kimmo Timmonen and Brian Rafalski, both solid quarterbacks.
Look for Belfour to play 70+ games as he mentors Marty Turko into a future starter.
Edmonton will challenge for a playoff spot, but it will be tight. With all the changes, look for Edmonton to make a charge for 4th, but just fall short and end up in 5th.
Whitehorse – Last season - 33 wins 74 points, 7th in the West
Is the future now?
A relatively quiet off-season in Whitehorse with only the addition of future superstar Ilya Kovalchuk…ONLY?
Already boasting an offence that should scare the hell out of his opponents, GM Robin Park added another dynamic player in young Kovalchuk to go with Simon Gagne, Jerome Iginla,
Todd Bertuzzi, and Martin St.Louis. Not only are they good now, but they will be better in the future! If there is one hole on this team, it is at center. A solid #1 center could take this team all the way to the finals.
The defense is big, tough, and good in both ends of the ice. Lead by Kenny Jonsson, this solid but not flashy group will get the job done. Forwards will pay a price if they stand in front of the net against Whitehorse.
Hoping to rebound from a below average season is Martin Brodeur. Still considered an elite goalie, it is up to him to lead this team into the playoffs. Ron Tugnutt or Tomas Vokoun will spell him off the odd night, but this is his team and is clearly going to have to play 72-76 games this season.
This is the darkhorse team in the west. A playoff spot is there for the taking and Whitehorse should grab it. A third place finish is not out of the question, and with a good trade to add a center they could challenge for first
Winnipeg – Last season - 28 wins 62 points, 8th in the West
Goin’ to Winnipeg…
Many people like to make fun of this economically diverse and very cold city. Frankly, the teams play last season gave no one a reason not to make fun of them, and the only people that were happy to be in Winnipeg was the opposition, who were usually leaving with two points!
GM Ted Shimizu hopes to change all of that this season with a squad that possesses two very strong top two lines. Keith Tkachuk, Daniel Alfredsson, and Alexei Yashin know how to find the net and will be very dangerous as a unit.
The defense is anchored by Scott Niedermeyer and is a good mix of talent. The big question is in goal where Roman Turek could play every game this season. There is no capable backup, and this alone will probably keep the Peg looking to “next year” by the 40 game mark. Look for a slight improvement over last year and a 7th place finish.
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