2010 NHL Western Conference Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds
When betting on which NHL team will dominate the Western Conference this year, it looks to be a three team race. They may not be able to win when it counts but the San Jose Sharks (+800 to win the Stanley Cup) are solid in the regular season. That continues this year as they picked up Dany Heatley from the Ottawa Senators.
The Detroit Red Wings (+350) and Vancouver Canucks(+350) are a money hockey bet to win the NHL West, which is wide open this year. The league’s reigning Cup champs, Chicago Blackhawks (+450) had to have a fire sale in the off-season to relieve their salary cap crunch, which should bring them back to the middle of the pack in the conference. San Jose (+400) and Red Wings always seem to be amongst the best in the West each year, and young teams like Los Angeles (+700) and Phoenix (+1300) hope to improve on their breakout campaigns of a year ago.
How will the Western Conference be won? It is going to be a long season battle, that you can bet on.
Here’s a look at the 15 teams that make up the NHL Western Conference:
2010 NHL Central Season Previews
2010 Chicago Blackhawks Season Preview
Almost half of the Stanley Cup roster has left the Windy City since their championship, leaving Chicago with very little depth to compliment their batch of top-tier stars, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Marian Hossa. Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, and Brian Campbell remain on defense, but otherwise, many of the role players that played such a big part in the Stanley Cup run for Blackhawks last year will be wearing different jerseys this season. In goal, GM Stan Bowman opted to let playoff hero Antti Niemi pack it up and head to San Jose, rolling the dice with veteran Marty Turco instead, signing him to a cap-friendly one-year deal. They say that the only thing harder than winning a championship is repeating. It will be tough for Chicago to bring home a 2nd championship this year, but the top-end talent they were able to retain is still good enough to keep them in the playoff picture.
Chicago Blackhawks Odds to Win Western Conference: +450 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Season Preview – Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Columbus Blue Jackets Season Preview
Columbus enters their 10th season as a franchise, and other than a surprise season two years ago that put them in the bottom of the playoff bracket, Columbus has yet to produce a consistent winner. They dipped back down to 14th in the West last year. With that said the Blue Jackets really did not make too many changes over the off season, with the exception of adding former Oiler Ethan Moreau to their forward lines. Unless Steve Mason can return to his rookie form, when he posted 10 shutouts and a 2.29GAA, it’s going to be a long season.
Columbus Blue Jackets Odds to Win Western Conference: +5000 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Columbus Blue Jackets 2010 Season Preview – Columbus Blue Jackets 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Detroit Red Wings Season Preview
Detroit reached at least the Conference Finals in 4 straight seasons heading into last season, as hopes always ride high in Detroit for their hockey team. But injuries ran rampant up and down the Detroit roster, which put even a playoff berth in jeopardy for much of the 2009-2010 season. On a late season surge led by rookie of the year nominee Jimmy Howard in goal however, the Red Wings earned themselves a spot in the playoffs, and even got past a talented Phoenix team to reach the 2nd round, where they eventually fell to San Jose in 5 games. This season, they come back healthy and hungry to get back to making the deep playoff runs. Age may play a factor, but as long as this team can avoid a rash of injuries similar to that of last season, Detroit should do well in the post season.
Detroit Red Wings Odds to Win Western Conference: +350 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Detroit Red Wings 2010 Season Preview – Detroit Red Wings 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Nashville Predators Season Preview
There is no more forgettable team in the league than the Nashville Predators. There are worse teams, but none are more forgettable. The team’s leading scorer a year ago, Patric Hornqvist, scored 30 goals last season, and he does have the potential to improve on that number, but who is going to feed him ? Nashville did add a pair of forwards Matthew Lombardi from Phoenix and Sergei Kostitsyn from Montreal, but neither are game-changers on offense. On defense, they lost Dan Hamhuis, the team’s top blue liner a year ago, who went to Vancouver. New captain Shea Weber and talented youngster Ryan Suter will have to step up their games in front of newly re-signed Pekka Rinne, who will have the starting goaltender job all to himself after the Predators let Dan Ellis head south to Tampa in the off-season.
Nashville Predators Odds to Win Western Conference: +1800 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Nashville Predators 2010 Season Preview – Nashville Predators 2010 Season Schedule
2010 St. Louis Blues Season Preview
Losing Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya does not sound like it’d be a good thing, right – well, that’s what happened to the St. Louis Blues this off-season, with Tkachuk retiring and Kariya lost for the year, dealing with post-concussion syndrome. So how will the Blues improve. Similar to Anaheim, they’ll look towards their young forwards to step up their game. Former Bruin Brad Boyes will look to bounce back after a major regression last season. Before last year, Boyes scored 76 goals in his previous two seasons with St. Louis, including a 43-goal year. David Backes also took a step back last year, scoring just 17 goals after putting 31 pucks in the net the previous year. If the offense can get back on track, St. Louis will go far. In goal, Halak will be out to prove all year long that the Canadiens chose the wrong goalie to keep. Consider Halak a sleeper Vezina Trophy candidate this year.
St. Louis Blues Odds to Win Western Conference: +1300 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
St. Louis Blues 2010 Season Preview – St. Louis Blues 2010 Season Schedule
2010 NHL Northwest Season Previews
2010 Calgary Flames Season Preview
Beyond Jarome Iginla, the team just does not have a ton of talent built around him. Sure, they decided to bring back forwards Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay, but both were big disappointments last season. They will need to see more out of their big money defenseman Jay Bouwmeester as well, who dropped off big time last season with just three goals and 29 points. Miikka Kiprusoff is a workhorse in net, but even he has been in a downward trend the past few seasons. Beyond Vancouver, the Northwest Division is weak, but we don’t see the Flames doing much out West.
Calgary Flames Odds to Win Western Conference: +1300 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Calgary Flames 2010 Season Preview – Calgary Flames 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Colorado Avalanche Season Preview
Does anyone know exactly how Colorado rose from the depths of the Western Conference last year. The previous season, they posted a Western Conference worst 69 points, but improved their standing by 26 points last season, earning the 8th and final playoff spot in the conference. How did they do it? The Avalance offense went well, scoring the 6th most goals in the league, but with who? Paul Stastny is their leader, but we are not sure he will blow anyone away. They lost a bunch of veterans in the off-season and did not really replace them with anybody. Maybe Colorado will find a way to sneak their way up the standings yet again, but we see this team regressing this year and ending up on the outside of the playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche Odds to Win Western Conference: +3000 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Colorado Avalanche 2010 Season Preview – Colorado Avalanche 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Edmonton Oilers Season Preview
Without the addition of top overall pick Taylor Hall,we do not see how the Edmonton faithful could be excited about this squad. Sweeping changes from top to bottom happened to the Oilers over the off-season, and they are hoping that a new coach and a revamped, young roster can at least keep fannies in the seats up in Edmonton. Their roster is full of holes to pick on, but we will just take aim at the goaltending mess for now, and leave the other Oilers alone. Top netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, who is well past his prime but still has 3 years on his contract, faces potential jail time in Arizona for a DUI charge. Who does that leave? Household names like Jeff Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk, and Martin Gerber. Edmonton seems like they are in line for another top pick in next years draft.
Edmonton Oilers Odds to Win Western Conference: +5000 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Edmonton Oilers 2010 Season Preview – Edmonton Oilers 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Minnesota Wild Season Preview
On paper, the Minnesota Wild should be better than the team that last year finished eleven points out of a playoff spot in the West. They really did not lose too much this off-season, not bringing back aging winger Owen Nolan or defenders Shane Hnidy and Derek Boogaard. The team still has a few question marks to overcome though. If Martin Havlat can rebound from a rough first season in Minnesota, if Pierre-Marc Bouchard can come back from a year where he missed all but 1 game with post-concussion syndrome, if newly acquired centers Matt Cullen and John Madden can contribute to the offense, and if Nicklas Backstrom can return to star goalie status after a disappointing 2009-2010 season, this Minnesota team can give the well-deserving Wild hockey community a fun team to root for. They are at least a year or 2 away from getting back to the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild Odds to Win Western Conference: +5000 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Minnesota Wild 2010 Season Preview – Minnesota Wild 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Vancouver Canucks Season Preview
The Vancouver Canucks boast the reigning Hart Trophy winner in Henrik Sedin, along with his very talented twin brother Daniel, coming off a very solid 85-point season that included missing 19 games with injuries. They also have probably the most talented goaltender in the West with Roberto Luongo, to go with a revamped blue line brigade that added former Panther Keith Ballard and shutdown defender Dan Hamhuis to their lineup. We like everything there is to like about Vancouver heading into this year. They celebrate their 40th anniversary this year, and we think they will be hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup in victory this June.
Vancouver Canucks Odds to Win Western Conference: +350 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Vancouver Canucks 2010 Season Preview – Vancouver Canucks 2010 Season Schedule
2010 NHL Pacific Season Previews
2010 Anaheim Ducks Season Preview
The Ducks missed the playoffs last season by 6 points. Anaheim lost their top defenseman when future Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer announced his retirement. How do the Ducks improveand get back into the playoff picture, with their top trio of young forwards. Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf will be leaned on heavily this season to bring this Ducks team to the promise land. The Ducks have solid veteran forwards behind them in Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, and even with the departure of Niedermayer, they still have a decent group of blue liners, led by Lubomir Visnovsky, Luca Sbisa, and the newly acquired Toni Lydman. Jonas Hiller will be the main man in goal. Anaheim squeezes their way into the West’s top eight by the end of the season.
Anaheim Ducks Odds to Win Western Conference: +1800 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Anaheim Ducks 2010 Season Preview – Anaheim Ducks 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Dallas Stars Season Preview
Dallas is in full rebuilding mode, after an off-season where they dumped the two faces of the franchise, goalie Marty Turco and long-time Dallas Star, Mike Modano. GM Joe Nieuwendyk will hope that his youth movement will pay dividends fast enough to keep his job intact, with the goaltending duties handed over to Kari Lehtonen and former Bruin Andrew Raycroft. The Star’s offense should not be much of an issue with Brad Richards leading the way, but their defense is very young and very untested. If Lehtonen can shine in goal, Dallas could knock on the playoff door, but otherwise, having to deal with being in the toughest division in the league will be tough task for Dallas this season.
Dallas Stars Odds to Win Western Conference: +3000 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Dallas Stars 2010 Season Preview – Dallas Stars 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Los Angeles Kings Season Preview
There is a lot to like about the Kings this season, and they may have been the odds favorites in the West, if their off-season plan had come to fruition. Instead, after setting their sights on bringing Ilya Kovalchuk to hollywood, the winger re-signed a huge deal with New Jersey, leaving the LA one sniper short of being a legitimate Stanley Cup favorite. But that does not mean GM Dean Lombardi will not add some scoring to the Kings before the trade deadline. If he can add to a roster that already includes talented forwards like Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth, along with young defensemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, this team will go a long way. The goal is in good hands with former Umass goalie Jonathan Quick manning the crease, but look for his workload to drop from the 72 games he appeared in last season. Los Angeles will lean on up-and-comer Jonathan Bernier to take the pressure off Quick this year, creating a goalie tandem that could rival any other team in the NHL.
Los Angeles Kings Odds to Win Western Conference: +700 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Los Angeles Kings 2010 Season Preview – Los Angeles Kings 2010 Season Schedule
2010 Phoenix Coyotes Season Preview
The Phoenix ownership situationis a huge mess, but the on-ice situation for Coyotes has nothing messy about it. Many odds makers had them pegged for the Western Conference cellar last season, but 107 points in the standings later, the Coyotes enter this year with big expectations. Phoenix added former Carolina winger Ray Whitney to an offense that was already ahead of the curve. If they can find a defenseman that can step up their game and fill the void that Zbynek Michalek left when he exited the desert for free agency, and if they can fix their powerless power play from a season ago, then this team could contend in a Pacific Division that is loaded.
Phoenix Coyotes Odds to Win Western Conference: +1300 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
Phoenix Coyotes 2010 Season Preview – Phoenix Coyotes 2010 Season Schedule
2010 San Jose Sharks Season Preview
San Jose finally got the playoff monkey off their backs last year with a trip to the Conference Finals, eventually losing out to Chicago. The Sharks should contend for the top spot in the West yet again, as they bring back a roster loaded with offensive power, highlighted by former Bruin Joe Thornton, winger Dany Heatley, and re-signed centerman Patrick Marleau. Where San Jose may struggle is on their back end. Gone is defenseman Rob Blake, who retired in the off-season, and veteran goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who made a homecoming, returning to Russia and signing with St. Petersburgh of the KHL. San Jose will hope that Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi, paired with fellow Finn Antero Niittymaki, will be able to hold down the crease duties this season.
San Jose Sharks Odds to Win Western Conference: +400 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS
San Jose Sharks 2010 Season Preview – San Jose Sharks 2010 Season Schedule
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