The 2021-22 NHL Western Convention preview

Motive to consider within the Geese: John Gibson may be top-of-the-line goalies within the league when he’s at his greatest, however he may actually use some help in entrance of him. The Geese even have two actually excellent younger gamers in Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale to begin constructing round.

Motive to not consider within the Geese: The roster as an entire is simply not superb. Even worse, they don’t appear prepared to select a course through which to go. They don’t seem to be near being a contender however additionally they refuse to go all-in on a full-scale rebuild. That simply leaves them caught in impartial.

Playoff staff: No. Not even in a weak Pacific Division. 

Motive to consider within the Coyotes: They no less than appear to have some sort of a long-term plan. The short-term scenario is awful, and this isn’t going to be an excellent staff, however they’re no less than giving themselves a whole lot of future belongings to attempt to construct with. Will it work? Who is aware of. However no less than you cannot accuse them of not having a course. 

Motive to not consider within the Coyotes: Effectively, they’re merely gutting the roster. They’ve nearly no long-term commitments, they’re buying and selling each veteran not named Jakob Chychrun, and the roster simply appears like one of many league’s worst. That is going to be an extended season.

Playoff staff: No. However Chychrun would possibly get some Norris Trophy votes. 

Motive to consider within the Flames: They play in a weak division and do have some expertise on the roster. It’s not a BAD staff. It’s simply merely not an important staff, both. They positively have a path to the playoffs with Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, and Sean Monahan on the roster. Chris Tanev was nice on the blue line final yr, and Jacob Markstrom may be higher. 

Motive to not consider within the Flames: Whereas the roster shouldn’t be dangerous, it’s also not likely on par with the contenders within the NHL. Plus, they’ve the entire Gaudreau contract scenario looming over their heads. Buying and selling him might be not an choice attributable to his no-trade clause and the management he has over the place he goes, however they should determine one thing out right here. He’s too good to lose for nothing. 

Playoff staff: The general weak point of the Pacific Division completely places them in play. 

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Motive to consider within the Blackhawks: They’re getting Jonathan Toews again, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat are high scorers, they usually added the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in Marc-Andre Fleury this offseason. These are the positives.

Motive to not consider within the Blackhawks: They spent a ton of cash this offseason however there are some critical questions with that. Will Fleury, at age 36, be capable to duplicate his 2020-21 efficiency? It was an outlier from latest years and he isn’t enjoying behind an important defensive staff. They spent a ton of cash on Seth Jones who has not been good for 2 years now. Will he bounce again? They nonetheless have some top-line expertise, however the depth is a critical query mark.

Playoff staff: Most likely not. Even with the offseason additions this nonetheless appears just like the fifth or sixth greatest staff in its personal division on paper. 

Motive to consider within the Avalanche: That is nonetheless top-of-the-line rosters within the league on paper with a whole lot of key gamers nonetheless within the prime of their careers. Nathan MacKinnon is a top-five participant (perhaps top-two), Mikko Rantanen is dominant, Cale Makar has Norris Trophies in his future, and the protection as an entire is improbable. They’ve every thing a Stanley Cup-winning staff ought to have. Superstars. Depth. Protection. All of it.

Motive to not consider within the Avalanche: The one query that may be lurking is in purpose. Is Darcy Kuemper going to be the man? Additionally they should get by means of the Second Spherical ceiling, however proficient groups like this in the end determine it out and get there. 

Playoff staff: Sure. Prime Stanley Cup contender. 

Motive to consider within the Stars: Accidents to Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov for just about your complete 2020-21 season actually damage this staff. They misplaced a ton of one-goal video games, many in extra time and shootout, after which missed the playoffs by 4 factors. Seguin and Radulov may have made an enormous distinction there. They’re again this season. Mixed with this protection (Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg, Ryan Suter) they could possibly be an enormous shock this season.

Motive to not consider within the Stars: Even with the returns of a wholesome Seguin and Radulov they nonetheless shouldn’t have a whole lot of impression gamers at ahead and offense could possibly be a little bit of a priority. 

Playoff staff: Sure, and really comfortably. 

Motive to consider within the Oilers:  They’ve Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They’re two of the very best offensive gamers on the planet. Within the prime of their careers. They’ve mixed to win three of the final 5 MVP awards and can in all probability be top-three scorers this season. They need to be the muse of a Stanley Cup-winning (or no less than Stanley Cup contending) staff. 

Motive to not consider within the Oilers: The depth is terrible, the protection is worse, they usually playing on a 39-year-old Mike Smith to duplicate his 2020-21 efficiency which was an excessive outlier from the earlier three seasons. They’re losing the prime years of their two superstars. 

Playoff staff: Even with all of their flaws they need to be as a result of the Pacific Division is awful after the Vegas Golden Knights. 

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Motive to consider within the Kings: They’ve excellent middle depth with Anze Kopitar, Philip Danault, and high prospect Quinton Byfield (when he returns from his ankle harm) down the center. They added Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville who may have a pleasant bounceback yr. Additionally they have top-of-the-line farm techniques and greatest collections of younger expertise within the league. The longer term is shiny right here.

Motive to not consider within the Kings: The protection shouldn’t be notably good they usually would possibly nonetheless be attempting to carry onto Jonathan Fast’s previous success as a substitute of enjoying the superior goalie proper now, Cal Petersen.

Playoff staff: That is extra doable than lots of people will count on. The middle depth, Petersen enjoying greater than Fast, and the division open the door for them to take a much bigger than anticipated step this season. 

Motive to consider within the Wild: Kirill Kaprizov nearly single-handedly turned them into some of the thrilling groups within the NHL a yr in the past. He’s a possible celebrity and has made the Wild entertaining for the primary time, in, effectively, ever? Goaltending is strong. Protection is robust. 

Motive to not consider within the Wild: Heart depth is a significant concern, however Marco Rossi has star potential. The wage cap scenario is about to get very bleak in future seasons after the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts and that may considerably restrict their means so as to add gamers round their core items.

Playoff staff: Sure. They need to be. Perhaps not a Stanley Cup contender, however a playoff staff. 

Motive to consider within the Predators:  Filip Forsberg is wholesome they usually have an excellent beginning goalie in Juuse Saros, and that’s one place and participant that may single-handedly change a staff. Saros did {that a} yr in the past when he salvaged their season and carried them to the playoffs nearly by himself.

Motive to not consider within the Predators: Saros might be the one purpose this staff made the playoffs a yr in the past, they traded Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis, and are bringing again largely the identical flawed roster round that. Not an important roster on paper. If Saros shouldn’t be an All-Star all season this season may get ugly for them actually shortly right here. 

Playoff staff: It will be actually troublesome for this staff to get again there with out some dramatic enhancements from inside. 

Motive to consider within the Sharks:  Perhaps a few of their veterans discover the fountain of youth and have huge bounce-back seasons. Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns should be higher, and maybe they are often. Additionally they have the posh of a weak division to stack factors up in opposition to. 

Motive to not consider within the Sharks: It’s an growing old staff with dangerous contracts, Evander Kane’s scenario retains looming over them, Tomas Hertl is a free agent after this season and could possibly be a commerce chip, and the goaltending remains to be a query. 

Playoff staff: Most likely not. They’ve been a continuing within the playoffs for the previous 20 years and at all times a robust Stanley Cup contender, however that run appears to be over for now and a rebuild needs to be on the horizon. This needs to be a 3rd straight yr exterior of the playoffs. 

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Motive to consider within the Kraken: Phillip Grubauer and Chris Driedger ought to give them a strong goaltending duo to construct round, and that at all times offers you an opportunity. They might have missed some alternatives within the enlargement draft, however they do have some good gamers right here and on paper would possibly already be the fourth or fifth-best staff within the Pacific Division.

Motive to not consider within the Kraken: They merely lack impression gamers, which is to be anticipated for a first-year enlargement staff. 

Playoff staff: They don’t seem to be going to be Vegas (then once more, no person anticipated Vegas to be Vegas in its first yr) however don’t rule out the potential of them sneaking into that third Pacific Division spot. 

Motive to consider within the Blues:  Including Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich offers them a formidable ahead group, particularly with Vladimir Tarasenko nonetheless being within the combine for now and (hopefully) being wholesome. Ryan O’Reilly is likely one of the greatest all-around, two-way facilities in hockey. 

Motive to not consider within the Blues: The protection took an enormous step backward a yr in the past they usually haven’t completed something to deal with that besides dropping Vince Dunn to Seattle within the enlargement draft, who was in all probability one in every of their only (and possibly underused) defenders in latest seasons. Jordan Binnington can be a significant query mark as a result of no person actually is aware of which model they’re going to get on a given night time. The nice one from the Stanley Cup yr, the common one from the previous two common seasons, or the meltdown from the previous two Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

Playoff staff: Nonetheless a playoff staff, however Binnington’s play and the protection will decide what sort of playoff staff they’re. A make the playoffs and lose within the First Spherical staff, or nonetheless a legit Stanley Cup contender. 

Motive to consider within the Canucks: They’ve some glorious high-end gamers right here with Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, and Conor Garland main the way in which. They need to be capable to construct one thing round that group. The ahead depth is definitely trying higher than it has lately with the additions of Garland, Jason Dickinson, and the emergence of in-house prospects Nils Hoglander and Vasili Podkolzin. 

Motive to not consider within the Canucks:  The protection is a priority, with some actually costly gamers again there which have in all probability already performed their greatest hockey. Undecided Oliver Ekman-Larsson goes to present them what they count on, and whereas Hughes is an impression participant offensively he took a step backward defensively in his second season. 

Playoff staff: They need to be with that high half of the roster and that division. However there are sufficient questions on protection to make that removed from a given. 

Motive to consider within the Golden Knights: They’re merely top-of-the-line groups within the league, and have been from the day they began enjoying within the NHL. Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore are top-line gamers and a legit championship stage core. 

Motive to not consider within the Golden Knights: Having Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner was an enormous benefit, however now solely Lehner stays and it goes with out saying that it’s a important drop in goalie depth. Additionally they lack impression gamers at middle, which has been an issue. Their offense dries up deeper within the playoffs largely as a result of they don’t have a ton of middle depth. Can Nolan Patrick have a breakout season right here? The change of surroundings would possibly assist him.

Playoff staff: Undoubtedly. By far the very best staff within the Pacific Division and they need to win it simply by a big factors margin. They’re a legit, top-five Stanley Cup contender. 

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Motive to consider within the Jets: They’ve a top-three goalie within the NHL in Conor Hellebuyck and a few actually high-end forwards that may rating. Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor are improbable, whereas Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Pierre-Luc Dubois are proper there with them. Depth is a little bit regarding, however they’ve essentially the most troublesome gamers to seek out (the star gamers) already in place. 

Motive to not consider within the Jets:  Ahead depth past the top-six is a priority, whereas the protection has in all probability been their largest Achilles heel lately. They tried to deal with that this offseason with the additions of Nate Schmidt from the Vancouver Canucks and Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals. They want Schmidt to bounce again from a down yr to actually make a distinction. With Schmidt and Dillon becoming a member of Neal Poink and Joshua Morrissey they need to have a strong top-four at present. The depth is a priority although. 

Playoff staff: With their high-end forwards and goaltending they need to be there so long as the protection is strong.