North by Northwest

I would apologize for the delay, but this shit's free. Off we go to the might northwest division.

Vancouver Canucks: This team will win the division. I believe the Hockey News picked the Canucks, to win the cup. I'm calling bullshit. Not that I don't think they're talented enough because looking at the roster, they're one of the deepest teams in the league. I just question the ability to perform under pressure from their "captain" Roberto Luongo. Henrik Sedin had a career year last year. He won the Art Ross and Hart trophies, so clearly the 30+ point improvement over the previous year was noticed. Brother Daniel was also on pace for a career year before his ankle/foot injury. If both of them can perform to roughly the same level, that's a scary combination. I don't see 100+ for both, but 90points is not out of the question.
Defensively, they lost Willie Mitchell, but got Dan Hamhuis. There are rumors of Bieksa getting moved, but he if does it'll most likely be towards the deadline if Vancouver needs help somewhere else. Not a bad problem to have though if you're the Canucks. This team should easily win the division, as the team that has improved the most, will probably miss the playoffs. As I said in this blog's initial post, this team will live and die by the play of Luongo. If he folds under pressure, as he often does, it'll be a disappointing season for the Canucks.

Calgary Flames: .......... Really, what can you say about the Flames? All-Star goaltender, hall of fame winger, solid defense and the most confusing front office in the league. I think 99.99% of people out there, can agree that the Olli Jokinen's play in Calgary the first go round was a bust. They trade him to the Rangers, no harm done. So what do they do July 1? The only logical thing of course, re-sign him to a two year deal! My brain melts at the thought of even attempting to understand the rationale of Mr. Sutter. So I guess Olli is the #1 to play with Iginla, but will it work this time? My gut says no. So does my brain and everything else. I hope for Iginla's sake I'm wrong.
Calgary also needs a backup goaltender, who isn't named Toskala, so Kipper can get a rest and if the Flames can actually make the playoffs, he'll be fresh enough to win a series. I still think the defense of Calgary is solid enough to compete, but the offense is lacking. I hope Sutter knows something we don't, because this team is on borrowed time as it is. Iglina and Kipper aren't getting any younger, and i don't think Lanny MacDonald's mustache is ready to unretire.

Minnesota Wild: More like the Minnesota Mild! oh i'm so pucking clever. Seriously though, what does this team have aside from Niklas Backtsrom? Go ahead, think about it. I'll give you a minute. Exactly. There's nothing on this team. I mean Havlat has been a bust, and must be better to help this team. Mikku Koivu will also have to play better, hopefully approach the 30 goal level. Draft Pick Mikael Granlund should be able to make the squad and get decent minutes, assuming he's ready for north american ice. He's spent his entire career in Finland, so he might go to down to the minors and get some seasoning. When all is said and done though, this is a team that's going to miss the playoffs again.

Colorado Avalanche: The Avs were the surprise of the year, well them and the Coyotes, coming out fast and fooling everyone. We all sat and waited for the other shoe to drop, but it didn't. The team didn't do anything remarkable this off season, but they did add some depth guys and resigned Budaj. If he and Craig Anderson can duplicate the kind of success they had last year, this team will make the playoffs again. Now this team is a far cry from the Avs of the late 90's, into 2000, but they're still a solid team. Look for Matt Duschene to improve upon his 55 point rookie campaign, and hopefully Stastny will have another solid season of almost a point per game average.
What will be working against this team is themselves. No one is going to be fooled by the avalanche this year. I think the early jump last year took everyone by surprise, but the rest of the west should be ready this year. I don't think they'll be as good, but should still sneak into the playoffs again this year.

Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall. I'd say more but that's all Edmonton cares about. While he should be exciting to watch, assuming he makes the squad. Alright he's pretty much a lock, but anything is possible. Honestly though I think Tyler Seguin will have a better rookie season, because there's less pressure on him to perform. The Oiler nation is banking on Taylor Hall bringing them back to glory. I can understand why, this kid has been a winner at every level.
What I'm more interested in seeing is whether or not Ales Hemsky can come back from his injury and be as consistent. he was on a point per game pace last year until he went down. he will need more goals though, as edmonton needs all the help they can get in that department. Also the Sheldon Souray debacle will be interesting to watch unfold. If he stays healthy and plays well, he will be traded, but when's the last time Souray was healthy enough to really impress anyone? And last but not least we come to Nikolai Smirnoff....I mean Khabibulin. As this DUI appeal is underway, pending the outcome, look for Edmonton to try and find a way out of his contract without having to keep him on the books. While he did play well in 08-09 to earn his contract, his play last year before he went down was less than impressive.
So once again Edmonton is a team with more questions than answers. However, I think the future looks bright for the Oilers. I also think the playoffs are still a long ways off though at the moment. They will miss this year, and will possibly be a lottery team in the 2011 draft, but it shouldn't be too much longer before they start to be competitive again. Tambellini is trying his best to right the ship, but there's still a lot of work to be done.


Predictions: Vancouver-Colorado-Calgary-Edmonton-Minnesota