2012-13 NHL Regular Season Predictions: Western Conference

August is the time of the year where things are very slow regarding NHL news, especially since the free agency “frenzy” has cooled down and that NHL training camps are still about one month away.

However, with a lock-out looming over the league and the players, following Gary Bettman’s announcement last week that there will be no hockey in October if the NHLPA and the NHL don’t find a way to come to an agreement and renew the current CBA (which is set to expire on September 15, 2012), the following rankings will most likely change or don’t happen at all if the entire season is wiped out.

2012-13 NHL regular season predictions: Western Conference

15. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS = 69 points

After a very difficult season during which the Jackets collected only 65 points, GM Scott Howson was faced with the biggest challenge of his career: trade his captain Rick Nash. That’s what he finally did on July 23rd, sending him to the Rangers in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a 1st round pick: not the kind of return Blue Jackets fans were expecting for their franchise player. With Nash gone, only Vaclav Prospal scored more than 50 points last season among the current Columbus players. It will be hard to win games for the Blue Jackets this season, and despite improving their defensive corps with the acquisition of Jack Johnson and the drafting of Ryan Murray, the season will be very long for head coach Todd Richards. The tandem of Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky is not the solution in goal.

14. PHOENIX COYOTES = 76 points

The uncertainty regarding the team ownership has caused a lot of headaches to GM Don Maloney this off-season. Veterans Ray Whitney and Adrian Aucoin left via free agency, and support players such as Taylor Pyatt and Gilbert Brule signed elsewhere. Maloney replaced Aucoin’s veteran presence with Zbynek Michalek on the blue line, but in front, the only notable players willing to sign in Phoenix were power-play specialist Steve Sullivan, band-aid boy David Moss and journeyman Nick Johnson, not a lot of firepower. Yet, the biggest question remains: will captain Shane Doan re-sign with the only franchise he ever played for during his career? With or without Doan, Mike Smith will not repeat last year’s performance and the Coyotes will fall in the standings as a result.

13. CALGARY FLAMES = 80 points

The Flames leaders, Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff, are not getting any younger and the Flames still lack a true #1 centre to pivot their first line after the departure of Olli Jokinen via free agency. GM Jay Feaster solidified his blue line with the signature of rearguard Dennis Wideman, but failed to address the team’s lack of scoring of last year. He replaced Jokinen’s 61-point production with Jiri Hudler’s 56 points, which is not exactly an improvement, especially since Hudler mostly played wing last season. Former KHLer Roman Cervenka and prospect Sven Baertschi will certainly provide more offensive support, but it will not be enough to make the playoffs in the very tight Western Conference.

12. NASHVILLE PREDATORS = 82 points

Ryan Suter’s departure via free agency will hurt the Predators more than you can think and with no notable acquisition this off-season, GM David Poile will have to find other ways to give more scoring punch to his head coach Barry Trotz. Also not returning are troublesome forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn, as well as veteran blue-liner Francis Bouillon. Luckily for Trotz, Poile matched the Flyers’ offer sheet for Shea Weber, otherwise they would finish even lower in the rankings. Look for Pekka Rinne to keep the Predators in most games, but he will be on the losing end of them on most nights.

11. EDMONTON OILERS = 85 points

As much as we all want to see the entertaining Oilers make the playoffs and have success, their lack of defensive depth and the instability in net will hurt them over the season. While youngters such as Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov will be interesting to watch and will rack up points for the young Oilers, overpaid veterans like Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky keep disappointing year after year. On defense, the signature of über-prospect Justin Schultz will certainly help on the power play, but their lack of mobility after Ryan Whitney, who missed 78 games in the past two seasons, is a detriment to the team’s run-and-gun offense. In goal, Devan Dubnyk will get the bulk of the word load while washed-out veteran Nikolai Khabulin plays the last year of his horrible contract.

10. ANAHEIM DUCKS = 88 points

Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf will rebound from subpar seasons in 2012-13, but it won’t be enough for the Ducks to make it back to the playoffs. Veterans Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne are not getting any younger, and the Ducks are not very deep at forward. On defense, Lubomir Visnovsky’s departure will be filled by offensive-minded defender Sheldon Souray, and Bryan Allen will also add some sandpaper on the blue line. In goal, Viktor Fasth will challenge starter Jonas Hiller for playing time. Ultimately, the Ducks will improve under head coach Bruce Boudreau, but their evident lack of depth will be their demise.

9. COLORADO AVALANCHE = 90 points

The young Avs are certainly in the right direction with a young core of talented players such as Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly. If Paul Stastny can find his scoring touch back and complimentary players such as David Jones, Steve Downie and Jamie McGinn score on a regular basis, the Avalanche will be in the thick of the playoff race until the end. The team also signed UFA P-A Parenteau to provide more offense. On the blue line, the team lacks mobility and offensive instincts after Erik Johnson. Veterans like Jan Hedja and Greg Zanon, while good defensively, have a heard time contributing offensively. The goaltending tandem of Semyon Varlamov and J-S Giguere, while good, won’t be enough consistent for the Avalanche to make it back into the spring dance.

8. MINNESOTA WILD = 93 points

With the notable signatures of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, the Wild made the biggest splash of the summer on the free agency market. The two talented players will provide a much-need offensive boost to the goal-starving Wild. The arrival of talented prospect Mikael Granlund to the existing group of Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi will give the Wild two good scoring lines. Suter’s presence will solidify a young and unproven defensive corps including Tom Gilbert, Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella. In net, Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding are one of the best goalie tandems in the league. Look for a slow start for the Wild as their new players adjust to their surroundings, which is why they will not finish higher.

7. DETROIT RED WINGS = 96 points

The Red Wings are bound to go down the standings after losing Nicklas Lidstrom (retirement) and Brad Stuart (free agency). Their departures mean that youngters like Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith will finally get their chance on the thinnest defensive corps the Wings will use in a long time. At forward, the Wings are still very deep with offensive dynamos like Pavel Datysuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. Jimmy Howard will be the go-to guy in goal, with former Maple Leaf Jonas Gustavsson backing-up.

6. SAN JOSE SHARKS = 98 points

Gone are the days of total regular season dominance for the Sharks as Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton’s performances have dwindled in the past few years. Dynamic forwards Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski are ready to take over the challenge to lead this unpredictable team deep into the playoffs. If Martin Havlat can stay healthy and Brad Stuart gives the Sharks more stability on the blue line, there is no doubt the Sharks will finish with a similar point total than last year. Anti Niemi and Thomas Greiss make up for a solid goaltending duo.

5. DALLAS STARS = 99 points

The revamped Stars will be interesting to watch this season with newly acquisitions Derek Roy (BUF), Jaromir Jagr (UFA) and Ray Whitney (UFA) providing much needed offensive punch to the team. Gone are Radek Dvorak, Sheldon Souray and Mike Ribeiro. With Ribs gone, Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson are Dallas’ new offensive leaders and will be heavily relied upon this season. Head coach Glen Gulutzan also hopes that his veteran Brenden Morrow will be fully healed after an injury-riddled campaign in 2011-12. The Stars can also count on a trio of steady blue liners in Stephane Robidas, Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski. Kari Lehtonen will get the bulk of the workload in goal.

4. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS = 103 points

The Blackhawks didn’t make any major changes in the off-season already counting on a solid team despite an early playoff exit last spring. Talented players such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp lead the way offensively. The top defensive pairing of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook remains one of the most efficient duo in the NHL. Gone are veterans Sean O’Donnell, Brendan Morrison and Andrew Brunette. Youngters Brandon Bollig, Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw are ready to step up and give the Blackhawks the depth the team has been lacking in recent years. Joel Quenneville hopes Corey Crawford will rebound from a dreadful playoff series against the Coyotes.

3. ST. LOUIS BLUES = 105 points

The Blues opted for stability this off-season, keeping fairly the same line-up other than letting go veterans Jason Arnott, Kent Huskins and Carlo Colaiacovo. A healthy David Perron and prospect Vladimir Tarasenko will give an offensive boost to an already potent forward group composed of T.J. Oshie, Patrick Berglund, Andy McDonald and David Backes. On defense, Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk will lead the way offensively, while veteran Barret Jackman and undervalued Roman Polak will neutralize the opposing forwards. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott will continue to be brilliant as Ken Hitchcock will lead his promising team to another playoff berth.

2. VANCOUVER CANUCKS = 108 points

After a first round exit, the biggest question mark surrounding the Canucks is the status of elite goaltender Roberto Luongo. Will the team trade him or keep him in the fold with stellar young goalie Corey Schneider? The Sedin twins will continue to be the spark plugs of the Canucks’ offense, while Ryan Kesler, David Booth and Alex Burrows will provide Vancouver with complementary scoring. On defense, gone are Sami Salo and Aaron Rome, replaced by power-play specialist Jason Garrison who will form a dynamic offensive trio with Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa. Overall, the Canucks are expected to repeat last season’s performance, save for the first round exit.

1. LOS ANGELES KINGS = 112 points

The Stanley Cup champions are bound to continue on their momentum and have a great season. Almost every player from last year Cup run will be back which means that Jonathan Quick will have a very deep team in front of him. With impact players like Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter at forward and quarterback Dew Doughty on defense, the Kings are filled with star players. Los Angeles also relies on steady veterans like Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and Simon Gagne to score goals, as well as unheralded rearguards such as Rob Scuderi, Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell to protect their net and prevent scoring chances. Quick should be the #1 consensus pick among goalies next season.

Do you agree to the above predictions? If not, why?