Northwest Division Preview

Today we take a look at the Northwest Division which when you compare it to all the other divisions may be the weakest in hockey.

Last season Vancouver won the division for the second year in the row only to lose to Chicago in the 2nd round for the second year in a row.

Colorado, who was picked to finish 14th in the Western Conference surprised everyone by clinching the final playoff in the West.

Minnesota was in transition, got of to a bad start and missed the playoffs.

Calgary's window started to close as the Flames missed the playoffs for the 1st time in five season & Edmonton finished dead last in the league making their 2006 cup run seem it was 24 years instead of four years ago.

So is Vancouver still the class of the division or will one of the other four teams be able to challenge them. Let's break it down.

Vancouver Canucks

Last Season: 49-28-5  103 points  Lost in the 2nd Round to Chicago

New Additions:

Dan Hamhuis, D (Nashville) Keith Ballard, D (Florida) Manny Maholtra, C (San Jose) Raffi Torres, LW (Buffalo)

Subtractions:

Willie Mitchell, D (Los Angeles) Michal Grabner, LW (Florida) Steve Bernier, RW (Florida) Kyle Wellwood, C (Phoenix) Andrew Raycroft, G (Dallas) Pavol Demitra, LW (KHL)

Why They'll Succeed:

Did you know that the only team to score more goals last season than Vancouver was Washington? Yeah, neither did I. The fact alone is reason enough to think Vancouver will be successful.

Henrik Sedin scored 112 points last season to win his 1st Art Ross Trophy. That led to him winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Twin brother Daniel was second on the team with 85 points

Alexander Burrows & Mikael Samuelsson both reached the 30 goal mark (35 for Burrows, 30 for Samuelsson) & Ryan Kesler (The next captain of the Canucks if it was up to me)was 3rd on the team with 75 points.

The additions of Hamhuis & Balalrd on the blueline should make up for the loss of Willie Mitchell who missed most of last season due to a concussion.

Why They'll Fail:

Despite what Roberto Luongo has accomplished in goal there are still question marks surrounding him.

He has proven he can be a clutch player when it comes to international play leading Canada to the Gold Medal in the Winter Olympics.

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs though he has yet to make it past the 2nd round losing to Anaheim in 2007 and Chicago the last two seasons. Earlier this summer he gave up being captain of the team hoping it will take some pressure off of him.

We are waiting him to take the next step in becoming an elite goaltender. Right now he is close to being into Marty Turco territory.

Playoff Team:

They are the most talented team in the Northwest and should easily win the division.The knock against Vancouver is that if you jump on them quickly they will fold like a cheap tent.

Yet I look at this team and I don't see any weaknesses in terms of skill. I think they can make a deep run in the playoffs and is the best bet for the Cup to return to Canada.

Minnesota Wild

Last Season: 38-36-8  84 Points  Did Not Qualify

New Additions: Matt Cullen, C (Ottawa) John Madden, C (Chicago) Eric Nystrom, RW (Calgary) Brad Staubitz, LW (San Jose)

Subtractions:

John Scott, D (Chicago) Derek Boogaard, RW (NY Rangers) Andrew Ebbett, C (Phoenix) Owen Nolan, RW (Free Agent)

Why They'll Succeed:

Another season under coach Todd Richards should make things easier than last season. When Richards took over last year he tried implementing an offensive system on a team that was known for their defense. The early result was a 3-9 start that put Minnesota behind the 8 ball one month into the season.

The Wild did play better as the season went along but never were able to get in position to challenge for a playoff spot in the West.

The additions of Cullen & Madden gives the Wild four quality centers which is something a lot of team can not say.

Why They'll Fail:

Martin Havlat was brought in from Chicago and was expected to replace Gaborik as their top goal scorer. Havlat only scored 18 goals which was good enough for 5th on the team. He has to be better for them this season.

I like their group of defenseman on paper but on the ice I feel I should be getting more when watching them play.

Brent Burns has taken a step back from where he was a couple years ago since his concussion. Cam Barker looked lost at times since coming over from Chicago. And as much I liked to rip on Kim Johnsson the transition game wasn't the same after he was traded to Chicago.

The loss of Josh Harding to an injury put more pressure on Niklas Backstrom to be solid this season. Last year you could throw Harding out there to give Backstrom a night off. Now with Harding hurt & no proven backup on their roster Backstrom will be getting most of the work. He will have to be sharp.

Playoff Team:

If you have watched them this pre-season they haven't looked pretty good. Yet I look at them on paper and I see a roster of players that should be better.

After two games in Finland with Carolina, Minnesota plays 6 of their next 8 games at home. A quick start is essential if they want to make the playoffs.

Playing in the Northwest Division should help their cause. If they can finish in 2nd place that should be good enough for a post-season berth. If not it will be just another spring in the State of Hockey.

Colorado Avalanche

Last Season: 43-30-9  95 Points Lost in 1st Round to San Jose

New Additions:

Daniel Winnik, F (Phoenix)

Subtractions:

Ruslan Salei, D (Detroit) Brett Clark, D (Tampa Bay) Chris Durno, D (Tampa Bay) Darcy Tucker, LW (Free Agent) Marek Svatos, RW (Free Agent)

Why They'll Succeed:

The kids stepped up last season. The leaders in points  were Paul Statsny (20 goals 79 points) Chris Stewart 28 goals 64 points) & Matt Duchene (24 goals 55 points)

Colorado is hoping the kids would bridge the gap between the great Colorado teams when they 1st moved to Denver and the next generation of Avalanche players. After last season it looks like it could be the case.

Craig Anderson was signed to play goal and did better than anyone thought he would going 38-25-7 with a Goals Against Average of 2.63 in leading Colorado back to the post-season.

Why They'll Fail:

Last year the Avs got off to a good start allowing them to be in the playoff picture a month into the season. Everyone kept waiting for them to drop off except they never did.

This year Colorado will not be taken lightly by anybody. That reason alone will make if tough for them to return to the playoffs.

Another thing to worry about is a sophomore slump. A lot of players had career years. I'd like to see them do it for more than one season before I believe in them.

Playoff Team:

It's hard to say. Everything went their way last year in returning to the playoffs. They are in the right division to make a return to the post-season. Much like the Wild if they can finish in 2nd place they will be in the post-season. Anything lower will make the Avs a one shot deal.

Calgary Flames

Last Season: 40-32-10  90 points  Did Not Qualify

New Additions:

Olli Jokinen, C (NY Rangers) Alex Tanguay, C/W (Tampa Bay)

Subtractions:

Eric Nystrom, RW (Minnesota) Chris Higgins, C (Florida) Jamal Mayes, RW (San Jose)

Why They'll Succeed:

They still have Jarome Iginla. The captain of the Flames has scored at least 30 goals the last nine seasons. The Flames are hoping the return of Tanguay can give Iginla the center he has been looking for the last couple seasons

Robin Regehr & Jay Bouwmeester anchor a blueline that lost Dion Phaneuf to a trade last February. Despite the loss of Phaneuf the duo of Bouwmeester & Regehr are good enough to match up against other teams top scorers.

Miikka Kiprusoff had a Goals Against Average of 2.31 in a season where he had his best stats since 2006. He'll have to be just as sharp if Calgary is to return to the playoffs.

Why They'll Fail:

Two words, Olli Jokinen. He is the poster boy for underachievement in the NHL. He has played in the league for 11 season and only has one post-season appearance to show for it.

He had a chance to help New York clinch a playoff berth last season only to be stoned in the shoot out by Brian Boucher. Simply put if Jokinen is on your roster you will probably have a lot of free time in the spring.

Playoff Team:

Sorry, I can't pick this team to be in the playoffs as long as Jokinen is on the roster. The highest I can see them finishing is 3rd if I am being generous. I'm not being generous here. I think 4th place in the division and another year of missing the playoffs is in the cards for Calgary.

Edmonton Oilers

Last Season: 27-47-8  62 Points Did Not Qualify

New Additions:

Kurtis Foster, D (Tampa Bay) Colin Fraser, F (Chicago) Jim Vandermeer, D (Phoenix)

Subtractions:

Mike Comrie, C (Pittsburgh) Ethan Moreau, LW (Columbus) Fernando Pisani, RW (Chicago) Patrick O' Sullivan, C (Carolina)

Why They'll Succeed:

The franchise is in the hands of the kids. Comrie, Moreau, Pisani were let go to make room for young talent like Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi & #1 draft pick Taylor Hall. Colorado did the same thing last year after finishing dead last in the Western Conference. Edmonton is hoping history will repeat itself.

Why They'll Fail:

For the same reasons I wrote above. I think this year will be a learning experience for the Oilers. This team has been trending backwards since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. Last season they hit rock bottom.

Their defense was the worst in the NHL last year allowing 278 goals. While the Oilers do have some defenseman that can move the puck they lack a shutdown defenseman that can stop the other teams top line. They haven't had one since Chris Pronger went to Anaheim in 2006-2007.

Nikolai Khabibulin returns after missing most of last year with an injury. His presence is important if the Oilers are to have any improvement this season.

Playoff Team:

After last year the Oilers have nowhere else to go but up. The young players will have a chance to show they belong as the Oilers try to establish their core to rebuild.

Better days will be ahead for the Oil but not this season. A last place finish in the division looks likely again.