NHL 2010-2011 Pacific Division season preview
While the saga surrounding the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes was one of the top stories to clog the headlines last year, it was their remarkable winning season and entry into the 2010 playoffs which was by far the more compelling story. The San Jose Sharks
managed to overcome their reputation as poor playoff performers by making it all the way to the conference final before being ousted by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks. The Los Angeles Kings also showed that their young team is fully
ready to compete with the top teams in the NHL and they'll be hoping to be one of the teams to beat in the Pacific Division this season.
San Jose Sharks
With veterans like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle all returning to keep the Sharks as competitive as they've become accustomed to, the one glaring change has taken place in goal as long-time goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is gone in
order to give the Sharks more room under the salary cap. In his place is former Chicago Blackhawk Antii Niemi who won the Stanley Cup last year. Forward Devon Setoguchi will be hoping he can hit the 30-goal plateau again this year.
Phoenix Coyotes
The Coyotes shocked everyone last season by finishing second in the division and had the fourth most points overall in the NHL during the regular season. Their success was due in large part to the outstanding play of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov who is back
again this year. On the ice the Coyotes are led by their captain Shane Doan who has spent his entire career with the organization. He's also the only player still around
from when the organization was known as the Winnipeg Jets. They added Wojtek Wolski to their lineup late last season from the Colorado Avalanche and he should give them a boost on offence. Their fortunes will however rest in whether or not Bryzgalov
can repeat the type of heroics he did last season.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings had one of the best young teams in the NHL last season and qualified for the play-offs for the first time since 2001-2002, and they only made their team better in the off-season. Although they lost Alexander Frolov to the Rangers through free agency,
they've added Alexei Ponikarovsky up front and Willie Mitchell on defence. They will also be hoping that 19-year-old Brayden Schenn justifies his first-round, fifth overall, selection in the draft. If Johnathan Quick can be as good, or even a little bit better,
than he was last season the Kings could be real competitors this year.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks were probably a better team than their 11th place finish in the Western Conference may have suggested last season, and they continue to be a good mix of old and young players with a healthy mix of size and talent. They have a trio of big stars
up front in Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan. They've lost Scott Niedermayer who finally decided to call it a career, but they have more than enough of a veteran presence in Jason Blake, Saku Koivu, and Teemu Selanne. The big question mark for the
ducks is in goal where they will rely on Jonas Hiller once again.
Dallas Stars
The Stars have to feel as though they are in rebuild mode as they shipped one of their longest serving and most valuable assets in goaltender Marty Turco, who will suit up for the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks this season. They also dumped Mike Modano
who had played his entire career with the club and holds just about every record for the franchise. Modano insists he's not done and will play for the Red Wings this season. The Stars still have Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson who will both need to have miracle
seasons if the Stars are to have any hope of making the playoffs this season.
What to expect
Although the Phoenix Coyotes story last season was an inspirational one, it was also a one time deal. There is no way the Coyotes will repeat what they did last season, and even fewer people in the desert will care prompting another league-wide outcry to
move the team. The Ducks just don't appear to have the depth and the Stars will get worse before they get better. The Sharks compete every season and will do so again this year, but the Kings are more likely to continue their upward trend and could be an outside
bet to not only make the play-offs but go deep into it. You might even see them take on the Canucks in the conference final next April.
In: Kings and Sharks.
Out: Coyotes, Ducks, and Stars.
Tags: