2008-2009 Western Conference Preview
Posted by Mother Pucker on September 4th, 2008The NHL Western Conference is by far my favorite conference. Not just because this is where I live, but also for the style of play. Yes the West doesn’t have the same superstar factor that the East has , but even without those two the West still rules my world… and not just mine, the NHL world. With 11 of the last 20 Stanley Cup winners coming from the West, it is obviously the more dominant conference.
Ok seriously, let’s get down to business. Here are my predictions for the final standings in the West. I know its still super early, but hey, that’s the fun thing about predictions… you go out on a limb and hope for the best… and I’m doing so way before rosters are finalized, and every player has found a home.
- Detroit Red Wings
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- San Jose Sharks
- Anaheim Ducks
- Edmonton Oilers
- Calgary Flames
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Phoenix Coyotes
- Nashville Predators
- Vancouver Canucks
- Colorado Avalanche
- Los Angeles Kings
- St. Louis Blues
- Columbus Blue Jackets
The heavyweights will continue to roll at the top of the conference, and the only one that I had to ponder on was the Minnesota Wild. While they are nowhere near the talent that the Stars, Ducks, and Sharks are, they may very well win their division again and therefore be handed the 3rd seed. I’m still pulling for the Oilers to take out the Wild, but until they land a stud player I’ll keep them farther down in the standings.
The Blackhawks are my suprise pick for this season. I’m hoping for their sake that they will be able to maintain a steady pace all year and slide into to the playoffs in the final week. They are much improved over last season, and at least on paper are looking to do better than the Canucks who proved last year that you need more than a star goalie to ride through every game of the season. The Flames almost fall into this category, but they at least have a star at all three positions… but thats going to be saved for a seperate post.
The LA Kings have taken a beating, but I still kind of pull for them a little, and really hope that they don’t finish last in the conference or dead last in the league. Sorry Columbus and St. Louis, you two aren’t getting any love this year so move aside and take over the suckiest spot in the west.
Well there it is, quick and dirty. I thought about going into great detail about each team, but that has been taken care of by numerous other websites dedicated to their team. As the season rolls on I’ll look back on these predictions and either laugh at myself (likely), or give myself a well deserved pat on the back. Which do you think I’ll be getting?
Think that you have been generous on the Kings and got the ducks and sharks the wrong way round. But i would say that as a ducks fan
Do you think that the Kings are going to be the pot lickers of the west? And yeah its a tough one when it comes to the Sharks and Ducks. If Roenick, Thornton, and Marleau come to play all year, the Sharks take the Ducks.
The Kings are struggling to even make the cap. Not enough scoring there at all. Sharks / Ducks close – but I just don’t think the Sharks can actually do it – history states that as well
[...] onto my least favourite conference… not saying that the East is bad, its just that Ilike the Western Conference just that much [...]