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The Western Conference is chalk full of Stanley Cup contenders. The Detroit Red Wings grab the number one spot this summer. San Jose and Dallas are close behind.
1) Detroit Red Wings: Detroit’s signing of Marian Hossa was a coup and they held on to Brad Stuart. Both were solid moves. They signed a great backup goalie in Ty Conklin. They are the favorite. 2) San Jose Sharks: The addition of Dan Boyle and Rob Blake was incredible. New coach Todd McLellan will bring a fresh and knowledgeable perspective. Former coach Ron Wilson wore out his welcome. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau anchor the high-octane offense. 3) Dallas Stars: Mike Modano, Brendan Morrow, and Brad Richards are top-quality. Steve Ott and Jere Lehtinen add depth. Newly-acquired Sean Avery speaks for himself. The defense could be their Achilles heel. Marty Turco is one of the top-three goalies in the game. 4) Anaheim Ducks: Anaheim should convince Teemu Selanne to return. The addition of Brendan Morrison was an underrated deal; his presence will be significant. The Ducks had fatigue issues last season as they traveled to London to play their first two games and appeared un-Duck like for much of the season. 5) Chicago Blackhawks: They should be commended for the signings of goalie Christobel Huet and Brian Campbell. With star youngsters Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, they may sneak into the playoffs with steady goaltending and youthful momentum. 6) Calgary Flames: The loss of Alex Tanguay will hurt. Jarome Iginla steers the ship and always has MVP aspirations. Goalie Mikka Kiprusoff is one of the best in the business. Todd Bertuzzi was an interesting signing and should bring leadership and grit. David Moss could have a big year. 7) Minnesota Wild: Marian Gaborik may be the best player named Marian. Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikko Koivu consistently help Gaborik. Minnesota always relies on teamwork and this year will be no different. Look for them to be in the middle of the playoff hunt. 8) Vancouver Canucks: The firing of former GM Dave Nonis should not hurt. Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison will be missed. Goalie Roberto Luongo could help the Canucks return to the playoffs on his own but offensively they will struggle. 9) Edmonton Oilers: Alex Hemsky is a star in Edmonton but not many in the United States have heard of him. Goalie Dwayne Roloson gives the Oilers a chance to win each game. Sheldon Souray and Dustin Penner must have bounce-back years for Edmonton to have a chance. 10) Columbus Blue Jackets: The acquisitions of R.J. Umberger and Raffi Torres will help Columbus develop two good scoring lines, a luxury they have never had. Kristian Huselius and Mike Commodore will add leadership and depth. Re-signing Michael Peca is a good move. Rick Nash will have a solid supporting cast to propel them into playoff contention. 11) Colorado Avalanche: The re-signing of Adam Foote was a great move. They should re-sign Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Milan Hejduk is not a superstar and will not take the reigns of this squad. The goaltending with Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft is suspect, at best. 12) Los Angeles Kings: The departure of Rob Blake was not good. They will have to cope with blue-collar players. Anze Kopitar, only 20, is a rising star. Jack Johnson also should step up and be one of the best defenseman in the Western Conference. 13) Phoenix Coyotes: Olli Jokinen will bring scoring and Ed Jovanovski will always be a good, physical defenseman. They lose Radim Vrbata and sign Todd Fedoruk and Drew Fata who are older role players. The Coyotes will be howling in the woods when they are left out of contention. 14) Nashville Predators: They beat the Red Wings twice in their first-round series but they will not get the chance this season. This team has a couple gamers in Jason Arnott, Jordin Tootoo, and David Legwand; not much else. 15) St. Louis Blues: They made no major additions and did not lose any instrumental players. Look for them to be at the bottom of the NHL. Erik Johnson is their best player and he is solid. Other than that, Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk are a shadow of what they once were. Manny Legace is a backup and not a starter.
The copyright of the article NHL Power Rankings- Western Conference in National Hockey League (NHL) is owned by Max Sherry. Permission to republish NHL Power Rankings- Western Conference in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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