*Minnesota Wild: Minnesota might not be the flashiest team in, but boring hockey tends to win games. The Wild's defence is the most underrated in the league-with offseason acquisitions Marek Zidlicky and Marc-Andre Bergeron joining the incredibly gifted Brent Burns and Kim Johnsson. The offence will struggle to score, relying almost solely on RW Marian Gaborik, but a lack of scoring has never held back Jacques Lemaire's teams. With another season of stellar goaltending by Niklas Backstrom the Wild will finish atop the division.
*Calgary Flames: Losing LWs Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay is troubling, as the Flames struggled to score with them last season. Relying on RW Todd Bertuzzi-who continues his bizarre love-affair with Head Coach Mike Keenan-to fill the void is a risky proposition, although C Mike Cammelleri should have a great season on the second line. G Miikka Kiprusoff should bounce back after reporting to camp in shape. Any team with RW Jarome Iginla and D Dion Phaneuf should finish in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture.
*Vancouver Canucks: After posting a 6-0-1 preseason record, Vancouver could exceed most pundits' predictions and squeak into the playoffs. The Canucks' solid defensive corps is led by two of the best-kept secrets in the league-Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler-but Vancouver's hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of one of the league's best goaltenders: Roberto Luongo. If Luongo can continue to excel, and if the Canucks can get big years out of their new additions-C Pavol Demitra and RW Steve Bernier-they should narrowly make the playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche: The goaltending tandem of Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft doesn't inspire confidence, and Colorado's entire season hinges on one of their two netminders putting in a solid performance. Neither goalie will be helped by the Avs' defence, which boasts a glut of solid players but no top-level defenders. On the bright side, Colorado has no shortage of playmakers up front with the return of C Joe Sakic and the emergence of C Peter Stastny. The Avalanche will fall just short of the playoffs unless their offence can score frequently enough to make up for mediocre goaltending.
Edmonton Oilers: There is a very real possibility that less than 10 points will separate the first and last-place teams in the Northwest Division, and unfortunately for the Oilers, not all five teams from the Northwest can make the playoffs. The Oilers' young stars C Sam Gagner and C Andrew Cogliano will be exceptional down the road, but Edmonton lacks the goaltending to make the playoffs this year. If the defence can take its mind off scoring goals long enough to focus on keeping pucks out of their own net, the Oilers might surprise, but otherwise Edmonton fans should continue looking towards the future.
*-denotes playoff team
2008 Woodie Awards
Be the first to comment on this story