| Subject: GWHL Western Conference Preview |
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GWHL Press
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Date Posted: 12:43:10 06/10/05 Fri
1st - Victoria: The biggest question in Victoria was how will the goalies split their time? Boasting both Nikolai Khabibulin and JS Giguere on the roster is great, except that one guy, or both, could get upset about playing time. That’s no longer a problem now that the former has been dealt with Jan Bulis for Adam Foote and John Madden. Now there seems to be an embarrassment of riches along the blueline. The offense features scorers and playmakers throughout, but the right-siders Jarome Iginla, Glen Murray and Billy Guerin will be expected to lead the way. Is there a better RW corps in the league? Anything less than a Finals appearance will be disappointing for a team this deep and talented. By the way, I predicted exactly the same thing last year, so maybe they’ll make me look good this time around.
On the spot: J.S. Giguere-Now that Nikolai Khabibulan has been traded to Ottawa, it falls squarely on his shoulders to get this team to the Championship.
2nd - Whitehorse: Despite a couple tough years, Whitehorse is now loaded for bear. Starting with Marty Brodeur in net and non-flashy but solid defensive blueliners like Karel Rachunek, Andreas Lilja and Glen Wesley, this team has their defensive zone covered. Brodeur’s presence alone guarantees a playoff spot. Offensively, GM Grothier will count on big guns Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin St Louis to lead the way, while Adam Deadmarsh, when healthy, will be a force as well. Whitehorse and Victoria will take turns mauling each other within the Division. The winner of the war represents the Western Conference in the Finals.
On the Spot: Ilya Kovalchuk-If there is a weakness with this team it’s depth on left wing. Can the young Russian handle the double duty he’ll be call upon to perform?
3rd - British Columbia: BC is an interesting squad in that they do everything well, but nothing exceptionally well. Without a top-flight scorer or an all-star goalie, the team still boasts talent on every line on the ice. Making the playoffs should be a given, but they’ll be hoping the big two teams in the Conference kill each other before GM Rutkowski’s team has to face them. They are simply counting on too many guys past their primes to do big things. Eric Lindros, Petr Nedved, Roman Cechmanek and Alex Karpovtsev are good enough to get to the playoffs, but would have been much scarier five years ago.
On the Spot: Eric Lindros-The principle player coming back in the Mats Sundin deal all eyes will be on him. Can he live up to expectations and not break down?
4th - Yellowknife: On paper, these guys look too good to miss the playoffs. Then you get to the part of the paper that shows the goalies names. If GM Neil “Purple” Hayes can get Jose Theodore to play above his head, then these guys are a scary playoff team. Despite the weaknesses in net and on the blueline, I cannot see this team missing the playoffs, simply based on their proven ability to squeak in on the last possible day of the regular season. Guys like Modano, Lecavalier, Naslund and Jovanovski pull along everyone else and get them to the dance.
On the Spot: Mike Modano-Presently in the last year of a contract paying him $9,240,000 a season, Modano is going to have to have an incredible year if he wants Yellowknife management to re-up.
5th - Winnipeg: An interesting team for many reasons. Spattered with former all-stars and backed by a good, but inconsistent goalie in Roman Turek, GM Steve Gandour’s team could surprise everyone and be a tough playoff team, or they could surprise everyone and miss the playoffs by a wide margin. With Paul Kariya, Scott Niedermeyer, Jaromir Jagr and Scott Stevens, they look like a playoff contender. With guys like Bobby Holik, Eric Boguniecki and Shawn McEachern playing big roles, they look like a playoff pretender. Using Roman “I like naps” Turek as the tiebreaker, this team probably just falls short of a berth this year, probably on the last day of the season, no less. If they DO get in, however, they’re the ones who most look like they own glass slippers.
On the Spot: Scott Stevens-On a new team with a new multi-year contract in hand can Stevens, at 39 years of age, lead Winnipeg into the playoffs and beyond or is he too old?
6th - Calgary: This team’s weakness is in its depth. The top line is fantastic, as Sakic, Havlat and Gaborik will toast many foes this year. However, after that, the firepower is sporadic at best. The defense, lead by behemoth Zdeno Chara, looks like a mixed batch of good defenders with no puck skills and suspect rearguards who can handle the disc. Relying on youngster Marc Denis to take them to the promised land may be a stretch, as well. This team probably makes it close and finishes out of the playoffs by two points or less.
On the Spot: Brett Hull-Calgary will be counting on Hull to take some of the scoring pressure off of the big line but at 38 years old is he up to the task?
7th - Saskatoon: a team on the upswing of their rebuilding project, GM Ken McKenna’s team will need some hot streaks from Curtis Joseph and a few lucky bounces to get into the playoffs. But that’s OK. For a team that only recently started their overhaul, a shot at the playoffs is just the goal they need to make their youngsters hungry. Built around guys like Michal Handzus, Alex Frolov and Barret Jackman, Saskatoon is in a win-win type of season. In the end, despite fighting tooth and nail, Saskatoon finishes 7th in a tough conference, but fewer than 5 points out of the second season.
On the Spot: Craig Conroy-While the youngsters go through growing pains, Conroy is called to play above himself on the top line. If he goes down, this team is in a heap of trouble.
8th - Edmonton: GM Provencher’s constantly morphing team has yet another new look to start the season. While the playoffs are probably a pipe dream, despite the presence of Eddie Belfour, Edmonton is a team that has better days ahead, rather than now. It’s hard to pick this team to finish last, but this conference is very tough, and Edmonton would have to make some drastic changes to be in the top 4 teams. They could finish as high as 6th, but trades will have to happen to get above that. But at least the fans should stay interested. They are hoping to see teen phenom Rick Nash take the ice this year, and they also have youngster Jay Bouwmeester and Eric Cole to root for. Add the excitement of Pavel Bure and the playmaking of Brenden Morrison and this team has some pizzazz. So, despite a non-playoff year, at least the games will be exciting.
On the Spot: Pavel Bure-The one true bona fide offensive threat on this team, Bure’s knees have been wobbly as of late. Edmonton needs him to stay healthy if they are to do anything this season.
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