Pacific Division Rivals

Here is an in-depth look ahead to the Yotes' and Canucks' new Pacific Division Rivals.


Anaheim - GM Bob Murray saw almost all positives in a 2012-13 season when his team flew out of the gate and never really slowed down, ultimately winning the franchise's first Pacific Division title in five years and earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Even a loss in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Detroit Red Wings, though disappointing, didn't change Murray's opinion.

"I think we got beat by a team that had been injured all year long but was getting healthy and was a very veteran, experienced playoff team. I looked at it as some of our younger players, while it would have been nice to have another round, got some really quality playoff time, and our younger players played very, very well for us. That’s a giant plus for us, that they got there and they got to experience playing a great team like the Detroit Red Wings. I don't look at any negatives from that, except we lost."

That's a big change from the previous season, when the Ducks started 6-13-4 and finished 13th in the West. It didn't help that all-star center Ryan Getzlaf had the worst season of his career, finishing with 11 goals, 57 points and a minus-11 rating. Murray said he believes Getzlaf also struggled adjusting to his role as captain in the 2011-12 season. Getzlaf was back to his usual star form last season, finishing with a team-best 49 points in 44 games. There also was improvement off the ice. The solid play of Getzlaf raised the team around him. The Ducks upped their scoring average from 2.45 goals per game to 2.79, and the power play rose from No. 21 in the League at 16.6 percent in 2011-12 to fourth in the League at 21.5 percent. Some of that was a byproduct of the team adjusting to coach Bruce Boudreau's up-tempo offensive style. Boudreau replaced Randy Carlyle in November 2011, but only this fall will he have his first training camp. The Ducks' young players should give Boudreau a lot of options. Kyle Palmieri, 22, saw time on the top line alongside Corey Perry and Getzlaf in the playoff loss to the Red Wings. Palmieri had 10 goals and 21 points in 42 regular-season games, and five points in seven playoff games. Emerson Etem, 21, made his NHL debut with three goals and seven assists in 38 games last season, and had five points in seven postseason games. Jakob Silfverberg, who arrived from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Bobby Ryan trade this summer, had 10 goals in 48 games as a rookie. Peter Holland, 22, and Rickard Rakell, 20, also are expected to compete for spots as forwards. After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012, the Anaheim Ducks rebounded in a big way in 2012-13, winning the Pacific Division and finishing second in the Western Conference. Though the season didn't end the way anyone in Anaheim wanted, a seven-game loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it had to be viewed as a successful one. Trading Bobby Ryan to the Ottawa Senators opened a significant hole on the team's top line. Who slides into that spot? Kyle Palmieri saw time there in the postseason, and after a breakout 2012-13 season when he scored 10 goals in 42 games, he could get the first shot there this season. Jakob Silfverberg, acquired from Ottawa in the Ryan deal, could jump into that spot. He had 10 goals and 19 points in 48 games last season. Another option could be free-agent signing Dustin Penner, creating the intriguing possibility of a reunion of arguably the team's best line in its run to the 2007 Stanley Cup: Penner with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks could look to go physical by placing Matt Beleskey on the line, or add speed with Emerson Etem.

Teemu Selanne turned 43 last month, but he certainly doesn't act his age. He was fourth on the team with 12 goals last season, and tied for fifth with 24 points playing 46 of 48 games. So the skill and durability are still there, but is the will? Having gone this far into the summer without an answer from Selanne is nothing new. The Ducks have an open door, allowing him to spend as much time as he needs to make a decision. Clearly Selanne can't play forever, and the Ducks have a group of young forwards ready to earn top-six ice time. But if Selanne wants to play and is committed, the Ducks would welcome him. The Ducks signed goalie Viktor Fasth, 30, in September 2012 to add organizational depth, but he emerged as a surprise star in place of Jonas Hiller. Fasth won his first eight starts and keyed the team's strong start. He finished 15-6-2 with a 2.18 goals-against average and four shutouts. Hiller took back the starting job with an 8-0-2 run from mid-February through mid-March, and finished 15-6-4 with a 2.36 GAA. When the Stanley Cup Playoffs started, coach Bruce Boudreau used Hiller exclusively, and though the Ducks lost the series, Hiller had a respectable 2.46 GAA. Hiller and Fasth appeared to create a strong partnership last season; if that stays true this season, the Ducks could be poised for another successful run. Palmieri, the Ducks' first pick in 2009 (No. 26), is one of a few young forwards poised to move into major roles. He's split the past three seasons between the Ducks and their American Hockey League affiliate, but the 22-year-old looks ready to become a full-time NHL player. Right behind him ready to make the jump are three forwards who saw significant ice time last season: Etem, 21, who had five points in seven playoff games; Peter Holland, 22, who had five points in 21 games; and Rickard Rakell, 20, who played four games at the start of the season before being returned to his junior team, the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. Then there's the haul the Senators got from Ottawa in the Ryan deal: Silfverberg, 22, who had a strong rookie season with the Senators; and Stefan Noesen, 20, a power forward with a nose for the net. With a spot on the top line open and Selanne's return questionable, there will be opportunities for expanded roles for at least one of the young forwards. The question will be who takes it. Ryan Getzlaf admittedly had the worst season of his NHL career in 2011-12, finishing with 11 goals, 57 points and a minus-11 rating. He rebounded last season with 49 points in 44 games, then had six points in seven playoff games, showing he was healthy and able to perform at a high level again. Also, Murray said he sees him better adjusted to the duties that come with being captain, a role he was given at the start of the 2010-11 season. After a strong regular season when the Ducks won their first division title since 2007 and finished second in the Western Conference, they blew a 3-2 series lead en route to a seven-game first-round loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Ducks' season likely will turn on how those young players come back after that tough finish.

 

Los Angeles - The feeling among Los Angeles Kings players as they parted for the offseason was mutual disgust. Surely this wasn't their first time losing a playoff round, but it was the first time they lost one after winning the Stanley Cup. That's why it felt so terrible to go out in five games against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. Brown is realistic. He knows the Kings, even with their championship core players intact and signed long-term, can't win the Stanley Cup every year. It's been 15 years since a team has repeated. But the Kings thought they should have done it last season, and that feeling hasn't changed. Every NHL team enters training camp with the goal of winning the Cup; the Kings expect it now and think they're better prepared to do it again because of the lessons they learned last season on how to deal with success. They went from the hunters to the hunted and figured out the latter comes with its own supply of challenges, namely a target that doesn't go away and only feeds a hungry opposition. Lombardi is talking about conversations he had last summer with champions in other sports. He spoke with John McVay, the chief executive who presided over four Super Bowl championships with the San Francisco 49ers from 1982-90. Lombardi met with former 49ers safety Ronnie Lott, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Everything they told him about trying to repeat, about being hunted, dealing with the inevitable adversity they avoided in the 2012 Cup run, it all came true. The Kings had injuries to deal with before the regular season began. Willie Mitchell couldn't play and ended up missing the entire season with a knee injury. Matt Greene injured his back on his first shift of the season-opener against the Blackhawks and missed the next three months. That's one-third of the Kings defense and their two most important penalty killers. After getting through the regular season as the fifth-place team in the Western Conference, L.A. lost the first two games of the quarterfinals to the St. Louis Blues before rallying to win four straight. The Kings had to go blow-for-blow with the San Jose Sharks before finally fending them off in Game 7 with a 2-1 win. The Kings lost three one-goal games to the Blackhawks in the Conference Final and were ousted 91:40 into Game 5 when a turnover in the offensive end gave way to the wizardry of Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. By most measurements, the Kings succeeded as they learned how to deal with it. It just wasn't the level of success they were now used to in L.A. The Kings were one of the final four teams playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and an overtime goal away from taking the series against Chicago back to L.A. for Game 6. Yet the Kings left for the summer feeling they didn't play up to their standards in the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and got to the Western Conference Final last season, losing in five games to the Chicago Blackhawks. Most teams would consider being among the final four teams playing a somewhat successful season, but Kings players parted for the offseason with a sour taste, feeling they never played up to their high standards in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After spending several years learning how to win before becoming Stanley Cup champions, the Kings spent last season learning how to deal with success. It wasn't a straight ride and they had their share of adversity, injuries and slumps, along the way, but the Kings made it to the Western Conference Final, so it was a successful season considering 26 NHL teams didn't get that far. Now that the Kings have learned how to win and deal with success, they need to prove they are better because of it. The only way to do that is to win the Stanley Cup again. Willie Mitchell missed all of last season trying to recover from a knee injury that presented more problems than initially thought. The team survived without him and fortunately was able to let defenseman Jake Muzzin go through a development year that should be beneficial to both the player and the Kings this coming season. However, Mitchell, even at 36 and coming off a major knee injury, is a key part of the Kings' blue line, especially because Rob Scuderi left to sign a four-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Robyn Regehr was brought in midway through last season to spell Mitchell. If Mitchell is able to play, Regehr would turn into Scuderi's replacement. Mitchell has been skating this summer at the Kings' practice facility in El Segundo, Calif., but according to the team he has turned down interview requests. If Mitchell can't play, the Kings covered themselves by signing Jeff Schultz and re-signing Alec Martinez and Keaton Ellerby. Including Mitchell, they have nine defensemen under contract. Nothing about Anze Kopitar's age (26 when the season starts), history (476 points in 522 career games) or talent suggests his struggles in the second half and in the playoffs last season will carry into 2013-14. The center is the last guy the Kings are worried about at this point. They know what to expect and how much Kopitar demands from himself. That said, Kopitar was not even remotely close to being himself in the playoffs, when he had nine points, including three goals, in 18 games a long way from the 20 points in 20 games he had during the 2012 Cup run. Kopitar also went the final 16 regular-season games without a goal. There was talk about injuries, but nothing ever came of it. Kopitar, who wore a knee brace all season, a necessity after he got injured while playing in Sweden during the lockout, said he wasn't hobbled by any type of significant injury during the playoffs. If that's the case, then he was dramatically off his game. The Kings should have every reason to believe he'll find it again. The Kings will no doubt wrestle with the concept of what's best for Tyler Toffoli, a top prospect who appears ready for the NHL, especially after producing six points in 12 playoff games. They have enough depth to give Toffoli, 21, more time to develop his game in the American Hockey League, but if he has a good training camp it'll be almost impossible to keep him off the NHL roster. Lombardi, though, said if Toffoli makes the team, it could be in a bottom-six role even though he projects as a top-six forward. The idea would be to keep the pressure off Toffoli and allow him to showcase and develop other parts of his game. Lombardi said the concept comes from what the St. Louis Blues did with Doug Gilmour 30 years ago. He came in as a high-end scorer out of the Ontario Hockey League, but the Blues made Gilmour a checker for a few seasons so he could become a more complete player. Gilmour turned into a three-time 100-point player, a Selke Trophy winner, and in 2011 was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Matt Frattin came to the Kings in mid-June in the trade that sent Jonathan Bernier to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who always projected Frattin to blossom into a top-six forward. Frattin may be better suited for a third-line role with the Kings, perhaps playing with center Jarret Stoll. It could have the makings of a dangerous checking duo that could take advantage of the opposition's top scorers by forcing them to play defense. Stoll can win faceoffs, and Frattin, who had seven goals in 25 games last season, has a resume that suggests he can be a goal-scorer. The scenario of Daniel Carcillo reuniting with Mike Richards and Jeff Carter seems likely, at least on paper, especially if the Kings don't have a problem starting Toffoli in the bottom-six should he make the team. The Kings acquired Carcillo from the Chicago Blackhawks because they needed a  left wing to replace Dustin Penner, who was a regular with Carter and Richards. Carcillo played with Carter and Richards when they were with the Philadelphia Flyers. Carcillo is a wrecking-ball type of player who can clear space, dig pucks out of the corners, go to the net, basically do all the dirty work. It makes sense for Sutter to put Carcillo with Richards and Carter, at least at the start of the season, but Carcillo has a history for committing the questionable penalty at the wrong time of the game. He's a high-risk, high-reward player if a coach wants to use him in a significant role.

 

San Jose - When the San Jose Sharks open their 2013-14 season Oct. 3 versus the Vancouver Canucks, they will look largely unchanged from the team that clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth for the ninth consecutive season in 2012-13. However, that continuity doesn't mean it's been a quiet offseason in the Bay Area. Since the April 3 NHL Trade Deadline, which, if you're talking to general manager Doug Wilson, is when his preseason planning actually began, San Jose has added or converted four forwards, shored up its prospect pool, and locked up franchise faces Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski on extended contracts. All of the moves were calculated steps in what San Jose calls its "reset/refresh" philosophy. No personnel or philosophy decisions are made without first analyzing what came previous. By late March of 2012-13, the analysis was grim. After a 7-0-0 start, the Sharks were struggling, scoring at a glacial pace and dropping out of postseason position. With the trade deadline looming, Wilson and coach Todd McLellan started the strategizing usually reserved for the offseason. The resulting "reset/refresh" system hinged on the coaches' recommendation that San Jose recommit to a north-south, attacking philosophy. Longtime Sharks who didn't mesh with the style were shipped out, including forwards Ryan Clowe and Michal Handzus, and defenseman Douglas Murray. The Sharks added forward Raffi Torres and defenseman Scott Hannan, and moved Brent Burns from defense to the wing. The moves paid dividends, especially the decision to bump Burns to forward for the first time in his NHL career, and San Jose clinched yet another postseason berth. Despite an impressive run as the Western Conference's sixth seed, taking the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings to seven games in the semifinals, Wilson knew the work was just beginning. San Jose's first offseason moves showed confidence in its prospects, namely 19-year-old Czech phenom Tomas Hertl. The Sharks took him 17th in the 2012 NHL Draft, and the center is poised to make an impact in San Jose in 2013-14. Prognosticators have slotted Hertl to start on the second line alongside prodigious passer Joe Thornton and bruising Burns. San Jose re-signed goaltending prospects Alex Stalock and Harri Sateri to one-year contracts. Wilson said he expects the pair, who split starts in Worcester of the American Hockey League last season, to compete in training camp to back up Antti Niemi. If little-used backup Thomas Greiss, who left this offseason for the Phoenix Coyotes, is an indicator, whoever eventually occupies the backup slot shouldn't expect too much playing time. That's because Niemi is quickly becoming one of the League's best goalies. The Finn started 43 of 48 regular-season games in 2012-13, clocking more ice time (2,580:46) than any NHL goaltender, and his 2.16 goals-against average and .924 save percentage earned him his first Vezina Trophy nomination. Niemi backstopped the League's sixth-best defense, a formidable combination of speed and strength, youthful energy and veteran savvy. The top pairing of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun, each 26, routinely shut down the best combinations opponents had to offer, and as a group the blue line killed penalties 85 percent of the time and conceded 2.33 goals per game. At the draft, Wilson moved to add the final piece to his forward puzzle, acquiring Tyler Kennedy from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for San Jose's second-round pick. The Sharks hope Kennedy, along with re-signed Torres, can bolster San Jose's attack-challenged lower lines. Despite Wilson's insistence he's comfortable with that forward quartet heading into training camp, San Jose likely would have been more active in the free-agency window if not for Martin Havlat. The Czech forward had surgery this summer for a groin injury he sustained in the postseason and will be sidelined indefinitely. That means the Sharks weren't able to use one of two compliance buyouts on the final two years of his six-year, $30 million contract. Without Havlat, big contributions from Couture and Pavelski will be vital to San Jose's success.

Last season, the San Jose Sharks clinched their ninth consecutive berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the sailing was not always smooth. After a scorching January, the Sharks hit an offensive rough patch that threatened their postseason chances. The slump was so severe management was forced to shuffle the lineup and address long-term questions during the busiest point of the season. This offseason, general manager Doug Wilson has continued implementing his "reset/refresh" philosophy in an attempt to avoid the emergency surgery of last season. Has Wilson done enough to steer the Sharks toward running their playoff streak to 10 in 2013-14? According to the website OnTheForecheck.com, the Sharks will cover more miles than any team in the NHL competing in a realigned Pacific Division. Their goaltender, Antti Niemi, is world-class, but he's looking for a backup. The Sharks shone on special teams last season but struggled at full strength, and the defense again may be asked to carry a big load. San Jose relied heavily on Niemi last season in goal; the Finn started 43 of 48 games and earned his first Vezina Trophy nomination. But he will be in more need of relief over an 82-game season, and his backup the past two seasons, Thomas Greiss, was picked up by the Phoenix Coyotes in free agency. That leaves the competition for the spot open, with Alex Stalock the most likely candidate. San Jose drafted Stalock in 2005, and he was off to a promising start before a skate blade sliced a nerve behind his knee in early 2011. Stalock missed an entire year but has made a full recovery, and his strong season in 2012-13 with Worcester of the American Hockey League earned him a one-year, two-way contract this summer. The Minnesota-Duluth product will have some familiar competition, Finnish goalie Harri Sateri. The pair split time in Worcester, Sateri played in 39 games to Stalock's 38, and though Stalock's numbers were better, some argue Sateri possesses more natural ability. Wilson made it clear these would be the two battling for the backup job when training camp opens in September. Despite San Jose's offensive struggles last season, the Sharks were 24th in the League with 2.42 goals per game, the team ranked among the NHL's best on special teams. The Sharks converted on the power play 20.1 percent of the time and killed penalties at 85.0 percent, each in the top seven League-wide, thanks to a suffocating forecheck and gifted scorers Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau. That man-advantage prowess only served to emphasize San Jose's even-strength futility. The Sharks were 18th in the League in 5-on-5 goals for/against, conceding a goal for every one scored at full-strength. Wilson was determined to address this problem during the offseason, and believes he did so by re-signing Raffi Torres and trading for Tyler Kennedy. Wilson said those two, as well as prospect Tomas Hertl, can inject some offense into the lower forward lines.

For four consecutive seasons, from 2007-08 to 2010-11, the Sharks finished atop the Pacific standings. Now, with the division growing increasingly competitive, it's been two straight seasons out of the top spot. In 2011-12, when the Sharks finished second to the Phoenix Coyotes, the third-place Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup. Last season, the Sharks experienced their worst divisional finish since 2002-03, when they were third, behind the Anaheim Ducks and Kings. With realignment adding the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks to the Pacific and subtracting the Dallas Stars, the climb becomes more treacherous for the Sharks. Niemi has won a Stanley Cup, coach Todd McLellan has proven he can scale that mountain, and Couture and Pavelski likely will earn their big contracts. But the Sharks were top-heavy on offense last season, when they were effective at all, and questions remain about Wilson's quartet of new forwards. San Jose certainly is a postseason player, but conquering a seven-team division will be a different beast. Though many around the League might disagree, for Wilson the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Wilson brought Torres, considered by many a liability for his history of penalties and suspensions, in at the NHL Trade Deadline. He scored twice and had four assists in 11 regular-season games, showing glimpses of the offensive ability that made him the fifth pick in the 2000 NHL Draft. He fit well into the Sharks' attacking style with his aggressive forechecking, and Wilson said he jelled immediately with teammates off the ice. In the postseason, Torres received a suspension in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals for an illegal hit to the head of Kings forward Jarret Stoll. Wilson remained undeterred, however, and re-signed Torres to a three-year, $6 million contract and touted him to NHL.com as a key part of his "reset/refresh" philosophy.

Last season the Sharks had a 17-2-5 home record, third-best in the League, at HP Pavilion, now known as SAP Center at San Jose. A key turning point in the season came from March 27-April 5, when San Jose went undefeated in a season-long six-game homestand. San Jose's dominance on home ice played a significant role in its ninth straight postseason berth. The Sharks went unbeaten at home in the playoffs, using Niemi and a smothering defense to hold opponents to nine goals while posting a 5-0-0 record. In a 2013-14 season during which realignment will force San Jose to travel 57,612 miles, by far the most in the League, taking care of business at home will be paramount. In March, Wilson and McLellan decided to move Brent Burns from defense to forward. The move shook up the blue line and removed perhaps San Jose's most dynamic defenseman, but the Sharks plugged Matt Irwin into Burns' position and continued as if nothing happened. San Jose was sixth in goals-allowed per game last season, and the penalty kill improved from second-worst in 2011-12 to sixth-best in 2012-13. At 25, Irwin is one piece of the youth movement taking place on the blue line. The Sharks' top pairing of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun, which most recently shut down the Sedin twins in San Jose's sweep of the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs, are each just 26. Jason Demers, who played 22 games last season as San Jose's seventh defensemen, is 25. And it is likely more young players, NHL-ready prospects Nick Petrecki, Matt Tennyson and Taylor Doherty, will see time on the third pairing or as seventh defensemen in 2013-14. With a deep, talented stable of defensemen and a star goalie, San Jose should remain among the League's elite units.

Edmonton - Seven years have passed since the Edmonton Oilers made that memorable run to Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final before falling short against the Carolina Hurricanes. Nobody at the time could have thought it would mark the beginning of a long postseason drought. The Oilers improved last season (19-22-7), but it wasn't enough to save the jobs of either general manager Steve Tambellini or coach Ralph Krueger. Craig MacTavish, who won the Stanley Cup three times in Edmonton as a player, was named GM on April 15. MacTavish fired Krueger on June 8, and Dallas Eakins, an up-and-comer in the eyes of many, was hired two days later to coach this young, talented group. Eakins is the Oilers' fourth coach in five seasons. Eakins, 46, spent the past four seasons as coach of the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League, compiling a record of 157-114-4. The Marlies made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, including a trip to the Calder Cup Final in 2012. That season, the Marlies set franchise records for penalty-killing percentage (88.1), fewest power-play goals allowed (37), fewest penalty minutes (1,134) and fewest goals allowed (175). An assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2006-08, Eakins reportedly also interviewed this summer for coaching vacancies with the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, a testament to how strongly he was viewed around the NHL. MacTavish, who was intent on being active this summer, spent the majority of July revamping the Oilers' roster. Perhaps his biggest move came July 10, when he traded forward Magnus Paajarvi and a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for left wing David Perron, who has been placed in a position to thrive alongside a plethora of young, talented forwards. Perron wasn't the only addition made by MacTavish this summer. Edmonton also landed a needed veteran presence on its blue line when it signed 34-year-old defenseman Andrew Ference to a four-year contract on the opening day of free agency. Ference, who grew up an Oilers fan in nearby Sherwood Park, Alberta, has appeared in 760 regular-season games and another 120 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He helped the Boston Bruins win the Cup in 2011 and return to the Final this spring, and said he believes his hometown club is on the verge of something special.

The Edmonton Oilers made some strides last season, but not enough of them to put an end to what is now a seven-year Stanley Cup Playoff drought. Because of that, another new regime is in place. Craig MacTavish, who won three Stanley Cups during his playing days with the Oilers, replaced Steve Tambellini as general manager in April. Two months later, MacTavish put his first official stamp on the club when he fired coach Ralph Krueger and replaced him with Dallas Eakins. So, is this the regime that will finally return this storied franchise back to prominence? It may take some more time before thinking about a Stanley Cup parade in Edmonton, but there could be enough pieces in place for the Oilers to return to the postseason for the first time since they lost Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. This will be the first NHL head-coaching gig for the 46-year-old, Dallas Eakins, but he was coveted by several general managers this summer. Eakins, who coached the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League for the past four seasons and guided them to the Calder Cup Final in 2012, also interviewed for coaching vacancies with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. Eakins is inheriting a club that isn’t short of offensive firepower. Jordan Eberle has 50 goals during the past two seasons. Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011) and Nail Yakupov (2012) were the No. 1 selections at three consecutive NHL Drafts. And on the blue line, defenseman Justin Schultz had 27 points in 48 games as a rookie after signing as a free agent last summer. It will be up to the new coach to get all this talent to play responsibly at both ends of the ice. Should he be able to do that, the Oilers could finish as one of the top eight teams in the Western Conference. After putting up 52 points in 62 games as a rookie in 2011-12, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ production declined last season (24 points in 40 games), mainly because of a nagging shoulder injury. The Oilers and their No. 1 center decided in April that enough was enough and Nugent-Hopkins had surgery to repair the torn labrum. Nugent-Hopkins is continuing to rehab the shoulder in his native Burnaby, British Columbia. But as of late July, he had yet to resume skating. Both parties are holding out hope Nugent-Hopkins will be in the lineup when Edmonton opens next season against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 1 at Rexall Place, but how realistic that goal is remains to be seen. MacTavish said the Oilers will not rush Nugent-Hopkins, with the team’s long-term success far more important. His health will play a huge role in determining if the Oilers will end their postseason drought. Devan Dubnyk has 139 games of NHL experience, and Dubnyk put up solid numbers as the Oilers’ No. 1 goaltender in 2012-13. In 38 appearances, the 27-year-old went 14-16-6 with a 2.57 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and two shutouts. Now that Schultz has a season of professional hockey under his belt, and veterans Andrew Ference and Denis Grebeshkov have been added to the team’s blue line, Dubnyk could be the biggest beneficiary. Dubnyk is entering the final year of his contract, which could be a factor. Justin Schultz finished fifth on the Oilers in scoring with 27 points, but he had a team-worst minus-17 rating. Only Jeff Petry averaged more ice time per game than Schultz, who was a 22-year-old rookie adjusting to the NHL game. Now that he has his feet wet, Schultz will have a better understanding of what to expect and should be able to make some adjustments in his own end of the ice. Nail Yakupov showed glimpses of the exciting player expected to be seen in the NHL for years to come. Despite being shuffled on various lines, Yakupov had 17 goals (six via the power play) and 14 assists in 48 games as a 19-year-old. Whether the Oilers are able to trade wing Ales Hemsky prior to the start of the season could determine Yakupov's line at the beginning of the season, but there is little doubt he is a top-six forward at this level. There’s little doubt surrounding David Perron’s talent, but the 2007 first-round pick (No. 26) has yet to maximize his potential, mainly due to concussion problems that limited him to 67 games between 2010 and 2012. Fully healthy last season, Perron had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 48 games for the St. Louis Blues. Only Hall should be ahead of Perron on the depth chart at left wing, which means the latter likely will skate with Nugent-Hopkins or Sam Gagner, highly skilled centers who should create plenty of scoring chances for Perron. If Perron stays healthy, it’s hard to imagine his production not increasing. Like every other team, much of Edmonton’s success next season will depend on health. It is essential Nugent-Hopkins puts his recent shoulder problems behind him and returns to the form he displayed for much of his rookie season in 2011-12. If he does, and the club continues to see development from Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, Schultz and Dubnyk, the Oilers could return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006. Crafty center Sam Gagner landed the long-term contract he was seeking from the Oilers when he agreed to a three-year deal worth a reported $14.4 million July 22. Gagner, 23, ranked second on the club last season with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 48 games. Gagner's presence will be vital when training camp begins; No. 1 center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is working his way back from shoulder surgery, a nagging injury that limited the gifted 20-year-old to four goals and 20 assists in 40 games last season. The Oilers are hopeful Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, will be able to play when the season begins Oct. 1, though that is far from a guarantee. Denis Grebeshkov will be making his return to Edmonton's blue line after the defenseman signed a one-year contract July 18. Grebeshkov, who had 76 points in 190 games for the Oilers from 2007-10, spent the past three seasons playing in his native Russia. A first-round pick (Los Angeles Kings, No. 18, 2002), Grebeshkov is solid at both ends of the ice and will help shore up the blue line. He also will help fill the void left by Ryan Whitney, who became an unrestricted free agent this summer after Oilers brass opted not to re-sign him. Also joining the mix are goaltenders Richard Bachman and Jason LaBarbera, who will compete for the backup position behind incumbent starter Devan Dubnyk after the latter posted a 2.57 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in 38 games last season. The newest Oilers will join a mix that includes No. 1 picks Taylor Hall (2010) and Nail Yakupov (2012), and Jordan Eberle, a 23-year-old forward with 50 goals during the past two seasons. Defenseman Justin Schultz, who signed as a free agent last summer after opting not to join the Anaheim Ducks (who drafted him in the second round in 2008), had 27 points in 48 games as a rookie. It will be up to Eakins to find a way to get all this talent to work as a cohesive unit. Should he be successful, the Stanley Cup Playoff drought may come to an end.

 

 

Calgary - The Flames finally have conceded it's no longer 2004. That year, the Flames got within one victory of a Stanley Cup championship. Those Flames were led by the combination of captain Jarome Iginla, one of the NHL's top power forwards, and newly acquired Miikka Kiprusoff, who stepped in to provide the kind of goaltending the Flames hadn't seen in years. Iginla and Kiprusoff unquestionably were the two best players on that team. Unfortunately for the Flames and their fans, they were still the team's two best players entering the 2012-13 season, a big reason Calgary had not advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2009 and hadn't won a playoff series since its near-miss in 2004. Each streak was extended another year after the Flames wound up No. 13 in the Western Conference, 13 points out of the final berth in the playoffs. Now, however, the organization's philosophy of refusing to deal stars and chase, unsuccessfully, a seventh or eighth seed appears to be finished. Iginla was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March, bringing back a couple of prospects and a first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. That deal was made not long after the Flames sent veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues, bringing back another 2013 first-rounder. General manager Jay Feaster asked Kiprusoff if he wanted to be traded, but the winningest goaltender in franchise history opted to stay and said he plans to retire rather than play the final season of his contract. Trading Iginla, the longtime face of the franchise, marked a new era in Calgary. Feaster continued his shakeup before the draft, sending center Alex Tanguay and defenseman Cory Sarich to the Colorado Avalanche for forward David Jones and defenseman Shane O'Brien. The GM also added young forward [and Calgary native] TJ Galiardi from the San Jose Sharks for a 2015 draft pick. The net result is a team that finally is beginning a rebuild, one Feaster hopes will get the Flames back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a roster built around a core of young talent. But for that to work this season, they will have to find a goaltender to replace Kiprusoff. Feaster brought back veteran backup Joey MacDonald, a waiver claim last season, and signed former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Karri Ramo, who is back in the NHL after playing four seasons in Russia, during which his goals-against average never was higher than 2.11. At 27, he's earned an invitation to Finland's Olympic orientation camp and knows there's a job waiting to be won in Calgary. The Flames think he can do it, they gave him a two-year deal worth $5.8 million.

Also potentially in the mix is Reto Berra, who was acquired from St. Louis in the trade for Bouwmeester. O'Brien will add muscle, and another newcomer, Kris Russell, brings speed to a defense corps that won't be centered on Bouwmeester for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Rookie TJ Brodie and veteran Mark Giordano were solid last season; Dennis Wideman brings some offensive ability, as does Mark Cundari, an All-Star at the American Hockey League level who was another piece of the Bouwmeester deal. Cundari had a goal and two assists in four games with the Flames. Two other young players, Chris Breen and Patrick Sieloff, also figure to get a chance to land jobs on the blue line. Iginla's departure leaves a hole up front, though his offensive numbers had been in a gradual slide, with nine goals and 22 points in 31 games before being traded. Center Mike Cammalleri and forward Lee Stempniak topped the Flames with 32 points apiece, though Cammalleri was minus-15 and Stempniak was a plus-2. Curtis Glencross was the top goal-scorer, with 15 in 40 games. Numbers like those are a big reason Sean Monahan, the sixth player taken in the 2013 NHL Draft, could make the team as an 18-year-old. Monahan's chances of making the Flames are better than they would be on a lot of teams because of Calgary's lack of production through the middle. Cammalleri, Jiri Hudler (27 points, minus-13), Matt Stajan (23 points, plus-7) and 2007 first-rounder Mikael Backlund (16 points, minus-6 in 32 games) don't terrify opponents. But Monahan isn't the only young player with a chance to make the big club. Sven Baertschi, a speedy left wing taken in the first round in 2011, will get every opportunity to win a full-time job. So will center Corban Knight, who averaged more than a point per game in the past three seasons at North Dakota and brings much-needed size (6-1, 180) at center. Roman Horak and Maxwell Reinhart, who already have had a taste of the NHL, also will have the chance to dislodge veterans and earn full-time jobs. The Flames will be a lot younger, and ending their playoff drought figures to be difficult.

But coach Bob Hartley said he won't accept anything less than top effort. "I want to create an identity, especially since we're going with some younger guys, that we will be a team that's very resilient. We'll never quit."

 

The Calgary Flames haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2009, and they dropped all the way to No. 13 in the Western Conference standings last season, 13 points shy of a spot in the postseason. They're also making a commitment to youth. Gone is longtime captain Jarome Iginla. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is unlikely to return, leaning toward retirement. Those are the stars of the run to Game 7 of the 2004 Final. Calgary is loading up on youth, with three first-round selections in the 2013 NHL Draft leading the charge. Young talent is fine, but someone has to show the kids how things are done in the NHL. For as long as most Flames fans can remember, that person was Iginla, who became the face of the franchise during his 16 seasons in Calgary and served as captain from 2003-04 until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March. But Iginla was more than a leader in the dressing room. He had 11 straight 30-goal seasons before 2012-13; among players on the current roster, only Mike Cammalleri has reached the 30-goal mark in his career. Iginla's departure figures to leave a sizeable hole on and off the ice. Miikka Kiprusoff could have followed Iginla to a Cup contender in the spring but opted to stay with the Flames. However, the winningest goaltender in franchise history said in June he wasn't coming back, giving general manager Jay Feaster the task of finding a replacement. Longtime NHL backup Joey MacDonald played well enough in 2012-13 to earn a one-year contract, but the Flames laid out a reported $5.8 million to bring in Karri Ramo on a two-year contract. Ramo returns to the NHL after four superb seasons in Russia and figures to get first shot at the job. Taken No. 13 in the 2011 NHL Draft, Sven Baertschi teased the Flames and their fans during a five-game call-up in 2011-12, scoring three times. He teased again by scoring three times and finishing with 10 points in 20 games in 2012-13, his first full professional season. With Iginla gone, the Flames need Baertschi to show the kind of offensive flair that made him a first-round choice. The Flames wasted little time getting Sean Monahan's name on a contract, signing him three weeks after making him the sixth player taken in the 2013 NHL Draft. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds but figures to be bigger and stronger by opening night. With a shortage of impact players in the middle, Monahan figures to get a chance to play in the NHL as an 18-year-old, likely as a first- or second-line center. No one on the Flames' blue line is going to be mistaken for Bobby Orr. Dennis Wideman finished with 22 points in 48 games, and no other returning defenseman had more than 15. But even more troubling was the fact the Flames allowed 3.27 goals per game, the most in the Western Conference. They were No. 29 in goals for/against while playing 5-on-5; Calgary allowed almost three goals for every two it scored at full strength. Floods in late June inundated the longtime home of the Flames. The waters came up several rows into the seating area, wiped out the entire event level, including the locker rooms and the ice plant, and destroyed a lot of the nerve center of the building. Flames CEO Ken King said in late July that reconstruction is going well and he expects the building to be ready to go in early September, in time for the Flames to play their preseason games as scheduled. But the amount of damage was substantial, and there's no guarantee all the repair work will be done in time.