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15. St. Louis Blues
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
13. Minnesota Wild
12. Chicago Blackhawks
11. Edmonton Oilers
10. Los Angeles Kings
Jeremy Roenick is in L.A. That is a dangerous combination, one that could cause Roenick to become more parody than player. It will be fun to watch. He has great hands and plays the game hard. He is worth a SoCal season ticket. I love all 30 teams equally, but there are a couple of teams that I like to see win, and for whatever reason, I'd like to see the Kings make the playoffs. They have dynamic offensive players and will be fun to watch.
But the West is so deep and the race for the playoffs will be so tight, you can look at the Kings' goaltending and say that might be the difference. Maybe Mathieu Garon can step up and have a great year, and Jason Labarbera could continue his growth that led to a record-breaking performance in the AHL. That could happen and the Kings could make the playoffs. But until we see it, and I hope it happens, you have to think the Kings will just miss the playoffs.
9. Colorado Avalanche
8. Phoenix Coyotes
7. Dallas Stars
6. Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Brian Burke sailed into SoCal from Vancouver to revive and stabilize a team that was in the Stanley Cup finals three years ago. It is always Burke's show -- he provides such great copy and great TV. He is smart, aggressive and confident, a formula that landed him Scott Niedermayer. This team has a nice mix of veterans and youth. Burke is no dummy; the Ducks have a nice batch of prospects and play in a place which has proven it can attract players. They should be good for a long time.
I am so curious about what is going through Burke's mind concerning Sergei Fedorov. Does he trust him? Did he offer him to teams like Chicago and Boston, who had cap space? Did he, or is he, offering him to the Rangers? Did he offer him to Atlanta? Or is the public-kissing game authentic? I think the more Burke sees Fedorov play in person, the more he will like him. There is nothing Fedorov can't do. To watch Fedorov and Niedermayer skate every night is about as close to hockey heaven as one can get. Ducks season-ticket holders should realize how lucky they are. This pick is a gamble because there is some unproven youth, but I like the vibe I'm feeling.
5. Detroit Red Wings
4. Vancouver Canucks
3. Nashville Predators
2. San Jose Sharks
The Pacific and Northeast Divisions are the two deepest divisions in the NHL. I give the edge to the Pacific because I believe all five teams have a chance to win, depending on injuries and breakout seasons from young players. I have four teams from the Pacific making the postseason. That might be highly unlikely with the weighted schedule, but there is no denying the division's depth.
The Sharks are the best team in hockey … with a $25 million payroll. Coach Ron Wilson can roll out four lines of youngsters for 40 games and then GM Doug Wilson can go get any help he needs with all that cap space. Milan Michalek has really impressed the Sharks' staff and he could provide some much-needed scoring depth. Their defense is a question and they will miss Mike Rathje. But like I said, they have the flexibility to add to their team come trade-deadline time. That's why I pick them for the division. By the way, the trade deadline has been moved from the 26th day to the 40th day immediately preceding the final day of the regular season.
1. Calgary Flames
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
13. Minnesota Wild
12. Chicago Blackhawks
11. Edmonton Oilers
10. Los Angeles Kings
Jeremy Roenick is in L.A. That is a dangerous combination, one that could cause Roenick to become more parody than player. It will be fun to watch. He has great hands and plays the game hard. He is worth a SoCal season ticket. I love all 30 teams equally, but there are a couple of teams that I like to see win, and for whatever reason, I'd like to see the Kings make the playoffs. They have dynamic offensive players and will be fun to watch.
But the West is so deep and the race for the playoffs will be so tight, you can look at the Kings' goaltending and say that might be the difference. Maybe Mathieu Garon can step up and have a great year, and Jason Labarbera could continue his growth that led to a record-breaking performance in the AHL. That could happen and the Kings could make the playoffs. But until we see it, and I hope it happens, you have to think the Kings will just miss the playoffs.
9. Colorado Avalanche
8. Phoenix Coyotes
7. Dallas Stars
6. Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Brian Burke sailed into SoCal from Vancouver to revive and stabilize a team that was in the Stanley Cup finals three years ago. It is always Burke's show -- he provides such great copy and great TV. He is smart, aggressive and confident, a formula that landed him Scott Niedermayer. This team has a nice mix of veterans and youth. Burke is no dummy; the Ducks have a nice batch of prospects and play in a place which has proven it can attract players. They should be good for a long time.
I am so curious about what is going through Burke's mind concerning Sergei Fedorov. Does he trust him? Did he offer him to teams like Chicago and Boston, who had cap space? Did he, or is he, offering him to the Rangers? Did he offer him to Atlanta? Or is the public-kissing game authentic? I think the more Burke sees Fedorov play in person, the more he will like him. There is nothing Fedorov can't do. To watch Fedorov and Niedermayer skate every night is about as close to hockey heaven as one can get. Ducks season-ticket holders should realize how lucky they are. This pick is a gamble because there is some unproven youth, but I like the vibe I'm feeling.
5. Detroit Red Wings
4. Vancouver Canucks
3. Nashville Predators
2. San Jose Sharks
The Pacific and Northeast Divisions are the two deepest divisions in the NHL. I give the edge to the Pacific because I believe all five teams have a chance to win, depending on injuries and breakout seasons from young players. I have four teams from the Pacific making the postseason. That might be highly unlikely with the weighted schedule, but there is no denying the division's depth.
The Sharks are the best team in hockey … with a $25 million payroll. Coach Ron Wilson can roll out four lines of youngsters for 40 games and then GM Doug Wilson can go get any help he needs with all that cap space. Milan Michalek has really impressed the Sharks' staff and he could provide some much-needed scoring depth. Their defense is a question and they will miss Mike Rathje. But like I said, they have the flexibility to add to their team come trade-deadline time. That's why I pick them for the division. By the way, the trade deadline has been moved from the 26th day to the 40th day immediately preceding the final day of the regular season.
1. Calgary Flames
Interesting picks - there are some where I think he's right on, and then there are others where I think he's nuts. But these are just predictions - we'll see how right he is at the end of the season.Link to the column at ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...john&id=2172062
