CaliSports News Pacific Division Predictions

The Pacific Division is the Duck’s to lose.  With some strong summer pick ups like speedy Carl Hagelin, rugged defenseman Kevin Bieksa and forward Shawn Horcoff, GM Bob Murray was looking to plug-in some weak spots in the roster while adding veteran leadership and depth.  Barring injuries or a lightning (not Tampa) strike from the Hockey Gods, look at the Ducks at running away with the Division title.

The Kings are back and boy do they look mean and hungry.  Embarrassed by not making the playoffs last season and having some legal off ice issues that got the team some media attention it didn’t need, the well rested Kings are looking to steamroll their way back into a June playoff series.  New additions Milan Lucic and Christian Ehrhoff were great pick ups that will only help the team in positive ways (at least for this season).  My only concern is the bottom 6 including the “3rd” and “4th” line Centers.  They don’t seem to be as strong as they were in the last 3 to 4 seasons.  Hopefully Nick Shore, Trevor Lewis, Andy Andreoff and/or Jordan Well can fill the bottom 6 hole at the center position left by the departing  Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards.  Time will tell.

I’m expecting the little engine that could to continue chugging along by any means necessary.  With a healthy Captain Mark Giordano returning, TJ Brodie and new addition Dougie Hamilton, the Flames stubborn defensive core just got a whole lot better.  With its defense and the intelligent motivational coaching by Bob Hartley, these Flames are going to be hard to score on, which despite their mind-blowing, terrible analytics, will still find ways to win to make it back to the playoffs.  And everybody, including myself, will continue to shake our heads in disbelief.  This is a team that deeply believes in itself.

After a disastrous 2014-15 season, the Sharks will regroup and clinch the wild card spot to return to the playoffs.  With new head coach Peter DeBoer and former LA Kings back up Martin Jones in net, the Sharks will have a better focus on what needs to be done, something they lacked in spades last year.  They have no choice really, considering that Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are not getting any younger, while GM Doug Wilson is slowly losing his sanity (if he had any to begin with?).  They’ll make the playoffs but anything more than that…would be a miracle.

The Oilers won’t make the playoffs but they will improve this season enough to escape the dusty basement of the Pacific Division.  With the drafting of phenom Connor McDavid, the hiring of experienced coach Todd Mclellan (who just led Canada to the 2015 World Championship Gold Medal) and Stanley Cup winning General Manager Peter Chiarelli now running the team (and finally breaking the Oilers “Old Boys Club” management death grip that had been poorly running the team for the last 15 years), the Oilers have nowhere to go put up.  Chiarelli led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011 and back to the final in 2013 and won’t make the same mistakes that the previous Oilers management made over and over again.  Mclellan is looking to redeem himself after the circus and fiasco he suffered in San Jose and in Edmonton he also won’t have the management interference he had with Sharks GM Doug Wilson.  He’ll be able to coach the team to his liking.  Like I said, the Oilers won’t make the playoffs, but they still will be making some noise.  Watch out for them in the next few seasons.

After making a surprise return to the playoffs last season after a horrible John Tortorella led 2013-14 season, look for the Canucks to fail to make the playoffs again.  The Sedin twins and Ryan Miller are now in their mid-30s and the Canucks didn’t make any proper pick ups to improve the roster enough over the summer which left many in the Vancouver media to shake their heads in disappointment.  I don’t expect the Canucks to do much of anything this season.  Their big move will be during next summer’s free agent window, where they will throw a lot of $$ at LA King’s winger and Vancouver native Milan Lucic who will be an unrestricted free agent by that time. Until then, it’ll be a long and rough year for Canuck fans.

I have to give head coach Dave Tippett credit for sticking with this franchise.  Same to Captain Shane Doan and Goaltender Mike Smith.  I think it’s insane of them to do so but I’ll give them credit for loyalty.  Of course, we’ll see how loyal they will be (or see how loyal the management will be of them) after the Coyotes suffer yet another disaster of a season.  The only highlight here for them is to finally see talented prospects Max Domi (son of Tie) and former Conner McDavid linemate Dylan Strome get opportunities to secure a spot on the main roster and play in the NHL.  Besides that, there’s nothing to see here.  It will be a train wreck.

After losing the Stanley Cup final to the Hawks, The Tampa Bay Lightning will bounce back and take the Atlantic Division.  Somewhere I see them stumbling in the playoffs where the Montreal Canadiens, with the red-hot Carey Price, P.K. Subban and new Captain Max Pacioretty will finally find their way into the Stanley Cup final.  Detroit will squeeze back into the playoffs without coach Mike Babcock’s help for their 23rd consecutive year and the sluggish Bruins will fail to miss the playoffs again.  Florida will slightly improve while the rebuilding Maple Leafs will finish last due to some major growing pains and well …  a lack of everything.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist isn’t the young pub that he used to be.  His window of opportunity to win the Stanley Cup is getting smaller and smaller each year but he will still be great enough to help the Rangers win the division.  Their downfall will be against the Washington Capitals in the second round of the playoffs.  I see them going to 7 games (as usual) but this time with a different ending.  A certain Justin Williams will make sure of that.  Pittsburgh will be an offensive juggernaut but their defense will still be a weak link and this includes goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.  Columbus will gain the wild card spot after having an entire year with healthy players while the John Tavares led New York Islanders will just miss the mark.  Philadelphia could be the loose cannon of the group but things look bleak for New Jersey and Carolina.

Nashville will be a force to be reckoned with and will dominate the division and go neck and neck with the Ducks and Rangers for the President’s trophy and will battle their way into the Western Conference final.  Dallas will improve by leaps and bounds due to their new offensive power but their defense will fail them in the playoffs.  Chicago will suffer a Stanley Cup hangover, plus the confusion and stress that is coming from the bizarre Patrick Kane sexual assault case but they will still be dangerous and competitive.  Minnesota will scratch and claw their way to the wild card spot while the Blues will finally implode.  Winnipeg had a great year last season but will struggle this year while Colorado will be even worse.

I know I’m going to get some flack for this but I need everyone to remember that this is who I think is going to play in the Stanley Cup final, not who I want to play in the Final.  With that said, and it pains me to say this as a die-hard Kings fan but here it is,

Anaheim Ducks vs Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price will stand on his head as the Habs win game 7 and their 25th Stanley Cup.

What did you think of our predictions?  Who do you think will win the Pacific Division or the other divisions and make the Stanley Cup final?  Let us know in the comments section below.  However this actually does play out, I think we all can agree that it’s great to see that HOCKEY … IS … BACK!!!