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After the Central Division, we complete the NHL Western Conference framework with the Pacific Division teams.
Friday 28 September 2018 21 minutes reading time
The Pacific is a division that sees the San Jose Sharks as huge favorites to the final victory after the 'purchase of Erik Karlsson in defense. Anaheim and Los Angeles will try to annoy the California cousins. Then eyes on the vice champions of the Vegas Golden Knights: will continue the story of the Cinderella of the NHL? What will happen to the Edmonton Oilers and the McDavid superstar? Will they come back to the levels of two years ago? Finally, Arizona, Calgary and Vancouver will focus on raising young people this year.
ANAHEIM DUCKS
The Ducks are certainly a solid team: from 6 years they qualify for the playoffs, they have won five times out of six the Pacific Division and, in the last five years they have always exceeded the 100 points in regular season, reaching the Western Conference final for twice. Nonetheless, they never proved to be able to compete for the Stanley Cup victory.
ATTACCONon there are new prominent names in the offensive lines of Anaheim. The only purchase that should have a certain place is Brian Gibbons, back from a good season in New Jersey. Relying on the Rackell explosion, on the return of Patrick Eaves and hoping that the prospect Sam Steel will maintain expectations, GM Murray believes his attack is satisfactory. But it will be necessary to understand how Anaheim will succeed in replacing Corey Perry, out of cause until at least March after a meniscus operation.
DIFESAfter releasing Sami Vatanen in the exchange that led to California Adam Henrique, with the sale of the promising Shea Theodore in Vegas and with the withdrawal of Beauchemin the Ducks had need of defenders who could move well the puck, able to give greater speed in exit zone and to better manage the disk in power play, so as to make more effective the stage of realization. In this perspective Andrej Sustr and Luke Shenn have been bought and the young Jacob Larsson will be inserted on a stable basis.
PORTIERIJohn Gibson made his record of victories (31 out of 60 races disputed) and his SV% of 0.926 was the 8th best of the League.
ARIZONA COYOTES
The management of the Coyotes, after several disappointing years, has started a reconstruction based on young talents. Inexperience weighed heavily at the beginning of last season, which began for Arizona with 21 consecutive losses. It took some time to get in the lead but in the last 30 games, the Coyotes have recorded an excellent record of 17-10-3.
ATTACK the offensive phase was the real Achilles' heel of the Coyotes last season: worst attack of the Western Conference and second worst attack of the NHL. The best scorer was Clayton Keller, with 23 goals and 65 points. In this off-season the GM John Chayka enriched the roster with Alex Galchenyuk, exchanged with Max Domi, and with the left wing Michael Grabner (27 goals) in the last two seasons). In addition, there are great expectations on rookie Nick Merkley (39 points in 38 games in AHL last year) and on 21 year old Dylan Strome (1st choice in the draft of 2015), although the latter has struggled a lot last year.
DEFENSEImportant the renewals of Ekman-Larsson and Kevin Connauton that will go to support Goligoski, Demers and Hjalmarsson. In the defensive rotation, 20-year-old Jakob Chychrun will also be reconfirmed, ready for the training camp after last year's knee injury.
PORTIERITrah the goalkeepers who played at least 40 games, Antti Raanta had the best GAA with 2.24 and SV% with .930; numbers that have earned him the renewal of the contract for another 3 years. Darcy Kuemper, purchased from Los Angeles, is instead a security as a backup for a team that last season, in this role, has fielded five different players.
CALGARY FLAMES
A young and talented team that, in the late 18th / 18th, also involved numerous injuries, only placed 5th in the Pacific Division and 20th place in the NHL. During the summer, GM Treliving worked hard to reinforce especially the offensive department, sacrificing a prized piece like Dougie Hamilton. On paper in Calgary nothing is missing to be able to play an excellent season and aim to qualify for the playoffs.
ATTACKn a stellar season of Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau and despite Sean Monahan recorded 30 goals, the Flames attack was placed only in the 27th place of the whole NHL. Clear sign of the lack of depth of the roster, especially in 3rd and 4th lines. With the summer reinforcements, a top-line of exception is proposed, with James Neal to support Monahan and Gaudreau; also the second line with the young Tkachuck (49 points in 68 races), Backlund and the new purchase Elias Lindholm, appears convincing.
DIFESAN despite the excellent season disputed (best defensive offensive of the NHL) Hamilton was sacrificed by Calgary. The hope is that Hanifin can replace it worthily. It should pair with Hamonic, while T.J. Brodie should be lined up with Giordano.
PORTIERII 37 year old Mike Smith will be the holder among the posts. Last year he played an excellent championship, until the injury in February that held him for over a month. Considering the age and the fact that the player is the last year of the contract, the young Jon Gillies and Davide Rittich could also find space in the regular season.
EDMONTON OILERS
The current best player in the world - Connor McDavid (108 points in 82 games) - is not enough, alone, to make a team competitive. The 103 points of 2016 / '' 17 were quickly canceled in Edmonton by a rather disappointing season closed in 23rd place overall. During the off-season the GM, Peter Chiarelli, could not make big moves for reasons of salary cap, considering that as many as 33 million dollars are blocked on McDavid, Lucic, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins. In the free agency Rieder and Brodziak were bought, which alone will not shift the balance, but give more depth to the roster.
ATTACK the front line, with McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins and if necessary Draisaitl who can play as right wing, is certainly one of the most dangerous of the NHL. The big problems arise in the other offensive lines, especially on the right: Puljujarvi, Rattie, Yamamoto are all very young with virtually zero experience. Another problem to fix is ​​the power play, last in the league, with only 14.8% of realization.
DEFENSEAlthough the defense, disappointing last year, both in coverage and in game setting, has remained unchanged, with Nurse, Larsson, Kelfbom and Sekera. It should however be noted that last season was very unlucky. Sekera has missed the first 46 games for a knee operation, Klefbom has played with an injured shoulder and then operated and Larsson, after the death of his father, has often had to shuttlecock between Canada and Sweden.
PORTIERICam Talbot, exceptional two years ago, disappointed last year. From one year to the next, from a SV% of 919 to 9.08, a GAA 2.39 to 3.02 and, above all, from 42 to 31 wins.
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Despite the great season by some important pawns, the Kings last year stopped immediately, in the first round of the playoffs, beaten in four races by Vegas. A very thin booty in the post season for Los Angeles, which after taking home the Stanley Cup four years ago, managed to win only one playoff match. The greatest difficulty remains above all in scoring goals. Only three facts in the four against the Golden Knights and an average of 2.89 per game in the regular season, which is a success compared to the year before it was even lower.
ATTACK 'Ilya Kovalchuk, who returns to the NHL after five years, could get things fixed. But the Russian, aged 35 and in a league with different characteristics than the one he had left, will still make the difference? If the answer is yes and the various Kopitar, Brown, Doughty will manage to stay on last season's levels, Kings can become a loose cannon.
DEFENDS Defense continues to be the flagship. Los Angeles was the team with the fewest goals conceded on average per game (2.46) and the best penalty killing of the NHL (85%). Having armored Drew Doughty with an 8-year contract for $ 88 million total was a great victory. And 'he, now, the symbol of this team and this department, which also includes the' experience of Phaneuf and the quality of Muzzin and Martinez.
PORTIERIJonathan Quick is the undisputed leader among the goalkeepers of Los Angeles. It was the best in the short playoff race of last year. The only one who managed to keep the team afloat in the four losses against Vegas.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
During the summer San Jose had moved above all to free space in the salary cap and confirm his best men.Fallito the assault on Kovalchuk and Tavares, GM Wilson threw himself headlong into the affair Karlsson who managed to close a few weeks ago, making San Jose a legitimate Stanley Cup candidate.
ATTACCOPrima line with Evander Kane, Couture and Pavelsky; second with Mejer, Thornton and Hertl. In the third Donkoi and Labanc should be assisted in the middle by rookie, top scorer in Finland, Antti Suomela, who will replace Tierney. An attack capable of striking from all lines, well organized and balanced.
DIFESALa everyone asks about the possibility to deploy Burns and Karlsson simultaneously on the ice in the same line or in the same special team: a lethal weapon in the hands of coach DeBoer.Complete the department Dillon, Vlasic, Braun and Ryan: also in this In the event we are faced with perfectly balanced experience and youth.
PORTIERIGli Sharks re-propose for the third year the pair Martin Jones owner and Aaron Dell as a backup. A reliable duo although it has not distinguished itself in recent years, but this year will count on the support of an excellent defensive department to protect the cage.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
This could be the 'zero year for the Vancouver Canucks. After the withdrawal of the Sedin and Dorsett twins (due to injury), the team is forced to embrace the green line and continue with a slow reconstruction.
ATTACCOBaertschi, Bo Horvat, Boeser: this is the first line on which the future Vancouver is played. The three guys showed great things last year, combining for example 11 points in the victory against the Penguins on 4 November. However, from that moment on they were scourged by injuries so that their athletic grip and the constancy of performance is still to be demonstrated. But the major doubts concern the other lines.
DIFESAN no reinforcement in defense where veterans remain Edler, Del Zotto, Hutton and Tanev and with them Gudbrason, Stecher and Pouliot. The newcomer Hughes, chosen at the 7th absolute last draft, will return to the University of Michigan for another year.
PORTIERIQuasi still to be defined in this role at Canucks. Nilsson and Markstrom contended for the starting spot last year with mixed results and behind them already the promising Demko.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Hands up those who, a year ago, these days, believed in a season like last year for newborn Golden Knights. Perhaps not even the players themselves chosen by GM McPhee during the expansion draft. Some of them had turned up their noses because they would have preferred to stay where they were. A year later everything has already changed: the 'thrilling march up to the Stanley Cup final has made the Las Vegas desert also coveted by players from the excellent pedigree as Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty. However, Vegas lost two key players like James Neal and David Perron.
ATTACKSThe strength of the Vegas attack was a constant production by all the offensive lines. Karlsson, winner of Lady Byng, scored 78 points, Marhcessault 75, Perron 66, Riley Smith 60, Haula and Tuch in 3rd line have put together a total of 92 points. Cody Glass could find a place in the roster, which has scored 102 points in 64 games in Portland (WHL).
DEFENSE This summer Vegas left Sbisa, due to its frequent injuries, replaced by NickHolden, who will support the excellent Deryk Engelland. The Golden Knights will have to do without Schmidt for the first 20 games because of the disqualification due to the use of doping substances; therefore one could find space in the starting lines between Merrill and Hunt.
PORTIERThe real MVP of last season was Marc André Fleury, who immediately became the undisputed leader of the locker room. With his superlative performance, Fleury silenced the skeptics once and for all. Behind him, to contend for the backup spot, there are Malcom Subban and Oscar Dansk.
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