Comments on: The 15 Teams in the WC, Sundin Next Week? And More…

By: FlamingHomer

FlamingHomer — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:02:45 +0000

The big question is why Colorado is ahead of both Calgary and Vancouver?

From an outsider's point of view, Vancouver finished out of the playoffs last year and appear to have lost more than they gained in the offseason. Calgary made the playoffs and depending on whose opinion you want to listen to, either improved or made lateral moves. Whether that is how the season will actually shake down remains to be seen, but most "experts" have Vancouver finishing quite low in the standings as I'm sure you have already witnessed.

By: mojo19

mojo19 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:09:33 +0000

The thing about St.Louis having a bright future stems from the possibility of having another Pronger-MacInnis calibre pairing with Johnson and Pietrangelo.

By: mojo19

mojo19 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:06:39 +0000

Honestly I would rather have Boyle than Campbell.

By: turdfergusson

turdfergusson — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:47:00 +0000

oops. One more thing. Alot of people say that St.Louis has such a bright future. Really?
They have less than a handfull of active, good young players and potentially one cornerstone. If there's a light at the end of the tunnel Mik I don't see it. I consider St.Louis fans well informed and loyal for an American market but their declining attendence figures reflect an era of poor managment on and off the ice IMO.

By: turdfergusson

turdfergusson — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:27:30 +0000

Columbus got bigger, faster and nastier. Factor in Leclaire and a defense first philosophy... It's obvious that they lack a true center but they have a 11 million bucks to fix that and are obviously taking a wait and see approach. It wouldn't be a shock to see Edmonton and Chicago in there but if there's a suprise team in the west this year my money's on the CBJ.

San Jose did good making up for Campbell. Clearly it's still up to big Joe but he hasn't come through yet. They'll be great during the season but I predict more of the same , which is a second round exit, until proven wrong...reminds me of St.Louis a few years back. Somethings just...missing.

By: jonnygf40

jonnygf40 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:31:13 +0000

True. I'm not saying that the Flames are going to suck or anything, nor am I saying that the Canuck's are going win the division it's just going to be close. Look at last year 5th spot to 11th was a mere 9 point difference. This year will probably be even closer with weaker teams like Phoenix and Columbus adding substantially to their respective clubs.

By: mojo19

mojo19 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:45:24 +0000

I agree with what you're saying that the Wings can make an average goalie look respectable. But I hope you're not implying that Ozzie is just average. He is a really good goalie.

www.nhlkvasni.blogspot.com skim past the Boston Bruins part at the top and there's an analysis of a bunch of goalies including an extended section on the much debated Chris Osgood.

By: nordiques100

nordiques100 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:49:09 +0000

not saying it wont be close, its just that with their game breakers, the flames have a slight edge. the difference between 1st and 5th could be like 5 points.

By: jonnygf40

jonnygf40 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:44:59 +0000

That's Mason Raymond.

By: jonnygf40

jonnygf40 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:42:36 +0000

I agree that they do have 2 MVP's (Iginla and Pheneuf), but I would have to say that their first two line will put up very similar numbers. Langkow and Iginla had 163 points, and Hank and Dan had 150 points. Pretty close if you ask me, and like I said before I think that both teams second lines are a crap shoot. Both Calgary and Vancouver are going to have to incorporate a lot of youth into their lineups, and personally I think that's what the new NHL has come to.

Drafting and farm systems are becoming so important, teams that aren't using youth in their lineup aren't going to be making it far in the playoffs. Since the majority of the teams that make the playoffs all spend to the cap ceiling, the only real advantage to a lineup is a bright youngster that's scored 25 goals in the regular season.

Detroit for example: Filppula, Franzen, Hudler, Lebda, and others all contributed immensely to the Red Wings cup run. And apart from Filppula, they still have a handful of players still playing for less than $1 million bucks.

So what I'm saying is, I would have to say that the North West Division may be closer than people think. Obviously I am biased, but looking at their lineup I have a lot of "what if's?" What if Wellwood scores 60 points, what if Bernier can score 25-30 goals with the twins, what if Mason can light it up with 25-30 goals. So I guess we won't really be able to criticize Gillis until at least 1 month into the season. He could look like a total genius putting together a competing team for under the cap, or he could look like a goat that relied solely Sundin and had no other plan to salvage a team that didn't make the playoffs the year before.