2008-2009 NHL Western Conference Playoff Teams
The Rest of the Pack that Will Vie for a Chance at the Stanley Cup
The National Hockey League's Western Conference has classically been the closer of the two conferences. Often competitive teams in the East would miss the playoffs altogether had they been playing in the Western Conference. That being said, the conference is maybe as weak as it's been in recent memory due to a huge number of teams in transition. Look for a huge turnover rate in the teams that will make the playoffs this year, with respect to those that made them last year. Here are the remaining five teams, in decreasing order, as they will be seeded next spring.
4) Vancouver Canucks
One needn't look beyond Henrik and Daniel Sedin to to see how thin the Canucks' offense was spread the past few years. With the offseason departures of Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison, that offense is practically anorexic. Still, Steve Bernier and Pavol Demitra are decent acquisitions, and Kyle Wellwood is better than a bag of wood sticks, one supposes. Bottom line, the Canucks won't win with their offense. They will however win with Roberto Luongo in nets. There are reports surfacing that head coach Alain Vigneault is being pressured into putting a more exciting product on the ice (meaning more goals). Trouble is, he has what he has. Once management realizes that the Canucks won't be able to win that way, they'll cave. And fans won't care either way as long as they win.
5) Anaheim Ducks
Scott Niedermayer is a hall-of-fame caliber defenseman, but it remains one of life's great mysteries how so many people believe that one player (who isn't Wayne Gretzky, or Bobby Orr, etc.) can singlehandedly turn a team around. When Scott Niedermayer returned from quasi-retirement last year, the Ducks suddenly became the "Best of the West" and the team that could surpass the at-the-time unbeatable Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. Well, everyone knows how that one turned out. The Ducks can't win if they believe their fate rests in the play and leadership of one man (or two now that Teemu Selanne will presumably be brought aboard with Mathieu Schneider being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers). Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are the best offensive weapons this team has, and that's not saying enough. The Ducks are a good team, but not great until proven otherwise, until they prove it to themselves.
6) Chicago Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are just two reasons why many are claiming the Blackhawks to be Dark Horses to make a run for the cup. Okay, just one. After a decade of futility, there is a renewed hockey buzz in Chicago, and this team has the young offensive corps, young defensive corps (led by stalwart Brian Campbell) and above-average goaltending in Cristobal Huet (and Nikolai Khabibulin if he remains with the team) to back it up. Even if the Blackhawks don't win the Cup, they are at least going in a positive direction.
7) Minnesota Wild
This year is Marian Gaborik's contract year, so it stands to reason that he'll go all out to increase his market value come unrestricted free agency in June. Considering however that Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston left the fray, the offense is pretty scarce. Still, Jacques Lemaire doesn't necessarily rely on goals for wins as a coach. Goalies Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding are good enough to soften the blow dealt up front, but Gaborik's motivational upgrade will last only as long as he is healthy. Historically, that has never been long.
8) Calgary Flames
The Flames will barely sneak into the postseason, despite the hype surrounding their offseason acquisitions. Excitement over nothing is probably more accurate terminology. Todd Bertuzzi is a shell of the player he once was. Rene Bourque and Curtis Glencross are glorified third liners. And Andre Roy, no offense to him, isn't even that valuable. The only decent acquisition was Mike Cammalleri, but general manager Darryl Sutter had to give up Alex Tanguay in the process of getting the former. A hefty price to say the least. Miikka Kiprusoff's flair for the art of the shutout has faded away in recent seasons and the Flames are more of a two-pony chariot led by Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf. Calgary is a good team, but one in transition, transitioning the wrong way.
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