BY MIKE BROPHY
sportsnet.ca
In anticipation of the new NHL season, sportsnet.ca previews a division a day leading up to opening night.
Although bereft of any Canadian team, the Pacific Division has many reasons to watch this season. To begin, public enemy No. 1 Dany Heatley joins a team that can already score but is often criticized for lacking character come spring. The Californian hockey triumvirate rounds out with the upstart Kings and the usual suspect Ducks.
The Coyotes, albeit full of young talent, will forever be distracted by its off-the-ice power struggle and the Stars enter a year where winning, and not Sean Avery, is once again the focal point. In short, the top two seem intact, but figuring out the rest will take time.
By Mark Spector, sportsnet.ca
SAN JOSE SHARKS
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It wasn't a summer of "re-trenching" or "re-tooling" in San Jose. After yet another playoff flop, the word GM Doug Wilson used was "autopsy."
In the end, Wilson donated vital organs Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek to Ottawa in the Dany Heatley deal, and defenceman Christian Ehrhoff to Vancouver. The heart problems in San Jose still exist, with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton still in charge of the team's ticker.
This team can win a Division. But can win when it counts?
Burning Questions:
How can Heatley possibly cure what ails the Sharks?
OK - so Heatley can score. The Sharks were seventh in goals scored last season, so offence wasn't the problem. Character is, however, and Heatley has never walked out on a team that did not question how much of that he has. Will his indifference to the word "team" simply enable Thornton and Marleau, or can his presence somehow light the fire that needs to be lit in San Jose? Personally, we don't see how it can.
Then, what has to happen for this team to get it done?
Good question. In the past three seasons, San Jose has averaged 51 wins a year. Pittsburgh has averaged 46, and Detroit 51.6 - and both of those teams have contested the last two Cup finals. San Jose has won two playoff rounds in the past three seasons - less than Buffalo or Ottawa. GM Doug Wilson's job rests on figuring this thing out - this year.
Is Evgeni Nabokov the guy in goal?
No chance. His numbers over the past few years have been good, but never has there been a more overt example of stats being for losers. The Sharks need a goalie who can win the game that the skaters can't. Not a goalie who wins when they score three goals, but one who wins that key playoff game when they score one. Nabokov has become another comfortable Shark. Him and Marleau are the poster boys for underachievement in San Jose.
What will San Jose do this year?
They'll win the Pacific - then crash and burn in the first two rounds. Why, at this point, and with the changes they've made, would you say anything different? Heatley wanted a town where he could hide from scrutiny - i.e. not be criticized for lazy, me-first play - and he's got one in San Jose. That attitude is what the Sharks should be trying to divest themselves of, not the other way around. They'll cruise through 82 games, and when they reach down deep for another gear, the Sharks will typically find nothing.
ANAHEIM DUCKS
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The Ducks retooled over the summer without skipping a beat, and make the Pacific a two-team Division along with the Sharks. Next to Detroit, it's hard to find a club in the West that is operated better than GM Bob Murray runs this one.
The only problem we can see with the Ducks being a playoff force this season is if having too many players in the 2010 Olympics takes a toll on their stretch drive. Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Jonas Hiller and Ryan Whitney could all play in Vancouver. That could make for a wicked stretch run hangover.
Burning Questions:
Is Anaheim's Top six enough to guarantee a playoff spot?
Absolutely - especially when coupled with one of the deeper bluelines in the Western Conference. The top line - Getzlaf between Perry and Ryan - is one the top three units in the game today. And over the summer the Ducks added Koivu, who should thrive in carrying less of the load in California, and Joffrey Lupul, who returns to the team where he played by far his best hockey soon after he broke into the NHL. Put Selanne in the mix, and that is two awfully good offensive lines.
Who plays goal for the Ducks?
Hiller stole the job from incumbent J.S. Giguere down the stretch last season, played all but 17 minutes of the postseason, and played well. The Ducks knocked off San Jose and took Detroit to seven games, with Hiller posting wicked numbers - .943 and 2.23 - in his maiden playoff voyage. There is a great deal of loyalty to Giguere - and don't forget he carried a cap hit of $6 million for this season and next. But in the end, this is very likely going to the year Hiller establishes himself as Anaheim's No. 1 for the foreseeable future. With Hiller's salary at $1.3, Giguere could be trade bait come March, though he has a no-move.
How much will Anaheim miss Chris Pronger?
No doubt a fair bit, but they made a smart trade and been preparing for it for some time. Bringing in Ryan Whitney set the table for this trade, and recouping Lupul and Luca Sbisa. Alongside 25-year-old James Wisniewski, the Ducks blue-line is still mighty good, but suddenly a lot younger.
How will Anaheim do this year?
Just fine, thanks. We're giving the Division to San Jose, but the Ducks should finish fourth or fifth in the West, and will be an intimidating playoff opponent. They've got great size, a strong defence, excellent goaltending and a savvy head coach in Randy Carlyle. If there is anything else a team needs to contend, we're not sure what it might be.
LOS ANGELES KINGS
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Kings GM Dean Lombardi has reached that place that few Kings GMs have travelled before. For once, the organization has patiently waited for the GM's plan to unfold. They haven't traded for any big names, or sent draft picks out for free agents. For once, the Kings have identified a strong young corps, and played them through a few losing seasons.
All patience requires an eventual reward, however, and this could be the year for Lombardi's blueprint to begin rising above the horizon in L.A. This is Lombardi's fourth season, and the Kings have not played a playoff game since 2002. He's got a nice foundation in L.A., but history tells us success had better come soon, particularly with budding GM type Luc Robitaille waiting in the Kings wings.
Burning Questions:
Is Jonathan Bernier finally ready to be the goalie in L.A.?
Well, not unless he bolts past Jonathan Quick and Erik Ersberg, who were 1-2 in net midway through camp. The Kings have been wisely patent with Bernier, after picking him 11th overall in '06. But in the meantime, Quick has become a pretty decent netminder, posting a .914 saves percentage last season. The good news is, the Kings are deep in goal - and young also.
What's the story in Jarret Stoll?
At 27, Stoll has arthritis in both knees and wrists. Who knew Rachel Hunter could be so hard on a guy? Seriously, Stoll's right wrist is giving him the hardest time, which is meaningful when you make your living taking faceoffs the way the Melville, SK-native does. At 57.2 per cent, Stoll had the seventh best winning percentage in the NHL last season. If he's not healthy, the Kings have the puck less. If they have the puck less… Well, you know how that goes.
Will two veterans help drag the Kings into the playoffs?
If you were going to name two character guys to show this young team the way in April and May, could you do better than Rob Scuderi and Ryan Smyth? The Kings nabbed the former Penguins defenceman as a free agent in July, and traded for Smyth from Colorado. Neither are Grade A, high impact players, but both are loaded with character and work ethic - the exact qualities that are prerequisites for this Kings group to get over the top.
How will Los Angeles do this year?
You know how we pick the Red Wings to win the central every year, and will do so until they are supplanted? Well, we're the same way with L.A. making the playoffs. We really like the job Lombardi is doing - the patient, smooth build - but we're still in the Show Me State with the Kings. They'll be in the race until the end though.
DALLAS STARS
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A new coach, a new GM, and hopefully a new page turned from the disaster that was the 2008-09 season in Dallas. Remember last season? Sean Avery tore the Stars dressing room apart, and after being bought out, resulted in the firing of former co-GM Brett Hull. Dave Tippett didn't survive the summer either, so Marc Crawford and Joe Nieuwendyk take over to try to reinstate the Stars as a Western Conference power.
Dallas is on the precipice of a total rebuild here, with Sergei Zubov gone, Mike Modano ageing and Marty Turco coming off of a horrible season. The core of this team must change. That doesn't happen over night.
Burning Questions:
Was last season an aberration for Marty Turco? Or is he on the decline?
Turco's .898 Saves percentage was 42nd among NHL goalies last year. That means 30 starters and another 11 backups were steadier than Turco. In his defence, the Stars failed to furnish him with a feasible backup so that he could take some time away from games to work on his game when it faltered. Alex Auld will fix that problem. He is unrestricted after this season, and has been a very good goalie thus far in his career. We're predicting a bounce back season for Turco.
How did the Stars get so old so fast?
Jere Lehtinen [36] and Mike Modano [39] are nearing the end. The Stars without Zubov, who has gone to finish his career in Russia, will be a strange sight indeed. Turco is 34. Even Brenden Morrow is 30 now, and coming off of a serious knee injury last season. Of all the pre-lockout powers, no team struggled with the new game the way the Stars have. They looked to have things figured out when they lost the Conference final to Detroit two years ago, but were brutal last season and are now at a crossroads. Dallas may have to go south before returning north.
Is this another struggling Sun Belt market?
No team in Gary Bettman's southern expansion has integrated the game into its home state the way the Stars have. They own rinks all over Texas, two minor league teams, and have been very, very successful in growing the game in - of all places - Texas. But not only was Dallas the worst draw on the road of all 30 NHL teams last season, their home attendance has sunk to 14th, despite a beautiful, new rink. This is a big league town with lots of options. When you're the hockey team in the Big D, you can't be as bad as the Stars were last season and still draw. Owner Tom Hicks, meanwhile, is a tad over extended. He'd have no trouble selling the Stars though. This is one of the league's premier organizations.
How will Dallas do this year?
They're in the Group of Five - 5 teams that will fight for the final two playoff spots out West. The Stars' season hinges on Turco regaining his form, on Morrow and Brad Richards showing no residual effects from last season's injuries, and on the defence contributing more offensively - Matt Niskanen - without seeing their plus-minus take a beating. The Stars will miss the playoffs, but will fight the good fight until the final week of the season.
PHOENIX COYOTES
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Though it is rare in sports, the Coyotes give us that opportunity to view what will be a disastrous season of historic proportion in Phoenix this winter. Usually, these things unfold somewhat unexpectedly. But not in Phoenix, where the fight for the franchise between Jim Balsillie and the NHL has scorched the earth so deeply, nary a single seed of hope germinates for the Coyotes 2009-10 campaign.
Assuming the Coyotes play in Phoenix this season, it will be in front of smatterings of fans and under the yoke of financial losses in the $50 million range.
Burning Questions:
Will there be any fans at jobing.com Arena? Any board signs?
Fans, not so much. In-house advertising, we suspect, will be furnished by the league at a cut-rate price - assuming Balsillie doesn't own the team. The fall-out from the court proceedings has been an obvious loss of interest from the few fans that existed in Arizona, and a complete lack of trust from the business community. Even the few corporate partners who existed were loathe to cut a cheque to a team that has declared bankruptcy.
Will this team be better without Wayne Gretzky?
The Great One stepped down in the aftermath of the messy franchise squabble, leaving the coaching duties to Dave Tippett, Dave King and Ulf Samuelsson. Tippett is an excellent coach who got a bum steer in Dallas, and King — who had some health problems but should still assist — is as knowledgeable as they come. Tippett has seen a lot of these players from behind the Stars bench, and what he doesn’t know, Samuelsson can fill him in on. Good coaches all — they’re problem is they have little talent to send over the boards.
Does this team have even an outside chance?
Not likely. They still have the veteran Shane Doan, who potted 31 last year, and a young corps that includes Mikkel Boedker, Viktor Tikhonov, Kyle Turris and Keith Yandle, but the Coyotes are too young and inexperienced to win consistently. Both special teams ranked 28th last season, and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is the picture of inconsistency.
How will Phoenix do this year?
The Coyotes have 15th place in the West written all over them - even if they play all 41 home games in Glendale. If the improbable happens, and they end up traveling the Pacific Division from Hamilton, they might finish 18th in a 15-team Conference. The roster is not strong, the coaching is in a flux, and there is no money to augment the lineup. And when good things do happen, the depressing affect of having 4,000 people in the building will re-apply the damper.
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Poll
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Who will win the Pacific Division?
