NHL Preview, Part 1

Taking a look at the biggest questions in the Western Conference ahead of the 2013-2014 season

By Marcus White

It’s great to be talking about a full season of hockey this fall, as opposed to a lockout-shortened one last winter. And with six (!!!) outdoor games and the Olympics in February also on the schedule, hockey fans are in for an exciting season.

There’s going to be plenty of fresh intrigue in the NHL this season. With new divisions, conferences, and even a revamped playoff format, we could be in for a much different type of season than we’ve seen before.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be taking a look at some of the biggest storylines going into the season. Up this week is the Western Conference, and as it must, our discussion begins with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Can anyone beat the Blackhawks?

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

As the most dominant team in the league last year, it came as little surprise that the Chicago Blackhawks ended the season with Lord Stanley’s Cup. And despite trading Dave Bolland to Toronto and losing Ray Emery and Viktor Stalberg, Chicago looks primed for another run at the Cup.

But, the Western conference poses a formidable challenge this year. St. Louis has improved its forward depth by adding Maxim Lapierre and Derek Roy in free agency, and have boasted one of the best blue-lines in the leagues since acquiring Jay Bouwmeester at the trade deadline this past spring. Los Angeles also improved its forward depth by acquiring Matt Frattin, along with backup goaltender Ben Scrivens, in the Jonathan Bernier trade. Anaheim, Minnesota, San Jose, and Vancouver look to be in the mix as well, but those four aren’t as strong as St. Louis or Los Angeles.

It may not matter what the rest of conference does, as Chicago was that good last year. And if rookie Brandon Pirri can fill the void at second-line center, arguably Chicago’s biggest weakness? Then it’s a distinct possibility the Windy City will see a third Stanley Cup championship in five years.

Will the Sharks keep its core together?

During Doug Wilson’s nine season tenure as Sharks’ GM, San Jose has qualified for the playoffs each year. Despite the consistency, San Jose has only appeared in the Conference Finals three of those nine times, never making it past that point. Dan Boyle, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Thornton are all unrestricted free agents at the end of this year, nearing the downturn of their careers. Because of this, many are wondering if the Sharks will move on from their “big three.”

A strong start would likely keep Boyle, Marleau, and Thornton beyond the trade deadline, but if the team falters out of the gate? Don’t be surprised if Doug Wilson, unafraid of making blockbuster trades, pulls the trigger on a deal shipping at least one of the Sharks’ prominent veterans elsewhere.
 

It’s not all doom and gloom in San Jose, however. The Sharks played Los Angeles very evenly in its epic seven-game, Western Conference semifinal last spring, despite missing two top-nine forwards in Martin Havlat (injury) and Raffi Torres (suspension). While Torres will start the season in the line-up, Havlat is still recovering from off-season surgery. A healthy Havlat, coupled with draft-day acquisition Tyler Kennedy and 2012 first round pick Tomas Hertl, will provide San Jose with the forward depth necessary to contend.

Is this the year Edmonton finally makes the leap?

Going into last year’s lockout-shortened season, many expected Edmonton’s rebuild to finally start paying dividends, and see Edmonton contend for a playoff spot. Hopes were buoyed by the dominant performances of young guns Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Justin Schultz while playing for Edmonton’s AHL affiliate during the lockout.

Once the season finally started, however, Edmonton was unable to translate the hype into on-ice success, experiencing three losing streaks of four games or more during the season. Ralph Krueger’s first year with team ended up due to the Oilers’ unimpressive performance, and has been replaced by Dallas Eakins, who has a great deal of head coaching experience in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, but none in the NHL.

Edmonton has an incredibly dynamic offense, even with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the shelf to start the season. The addition of David Perron was a good one, and makes Edmonton’s top 6 forward group much more impressive. The team also added Denis Grebeshkov, Phillip Larsen, and Andrew Ferrence for help on the blueline, but defense remains the team’s weakness. The Oilers could certainly find themselves in the playoffs if Eakins is able to solve the team’s defensive issues and goaltender Devin Dubnyk continues to improve. That’s a lot to ask of a rookie head coach, though, so Edmonton faces a tough road back to the playoffs.

What will become of Roberto Luongo?

After two years of will they, won’t they, on-again, off-again drama surrounding Roberto Luongo’s time with the Canucks, GM Mike Gillis shocked the hockey world by shipping out Cory Schneider instead. Luongo seemed all but gone, but Vancouver traded their apparent present and future in goal.

Perhaps it was Cory Schneider’s shaky performance against San Jose in the first round that convinced Gillis to stick with Luongo, or his inability to receive what he deemed fair compensation in a trade, but now the Canucks are moving forward with Luongo. And that may prove to be a wise decision.

The arrival of defensive-minded disciplinarian John Tortorella could be very beneficial for Roberto Luongo. Henrik Lundquist experienced his best years in Tortorella’s system, and there’s hope that Luongo could experience a similar bump. Plus, knowing he’s firmly entrenched as Vancouver’s starter is probably a great relief, and the desire to start for Canada in an Olympic year should serve as additional motivation. Don’t be surprised to see the Luongo of old manning the crease in Vancouver this season.

How does newcomer Winnipeg fit in the playoff picture?

Since the Atlanta Thrashers became the Winnipeg Jets prior to the 2011-12 season, enthusiasm from the Winnipeg fans has been unwavering, turning the MTS Centre into one of the hardest places to play in the league. Winnipeg has a 36-23-6 at home over the past two seasons, but haven’t been able to translate that success to the road, posting a 25-33-7 record over that same span. That record came in a weak Southeast division, however. In the last two years, the Washington Capitals were the only team in the division to qualify for the playoffs.

This season, Winnipeg enters a much tougher division, having to play three playoff teams from last season in Minnesota, St. Louis, and Chicago, as well as improved Nashville, Colorado, and Dallas squads. And while the team’s top six forward group did improve with the addition of streaky scorer Devin Setoguchi, the Jets didn’t make many other additions. Instead, the Jets chose to lock up their own restricted free agents, such as Zach Bogosian and Zack Wheeler, to long-term contracts.

While the Jets undoubtedly have some talented young players on their roster and in their system, it’s a bit odd they threw so much money at re-signing players from a team that struggled to make the playoffs in a much weaker division last season. Unless the Jets’ young core makes significant strides this season, especially goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg will struggle mightily in their first year in the Central Division.