Projecting the Western Conference

by Dirk Hoag on Sep 29, 2009 11:30 PM EDT

Before the first pucks drop on Thursday, every writer worth his salt lays out predictions for all the world to see. So, over these remaining days, I'll chime in on projected standings, and individual offensive totals for the Nashville Predators.

After the jump, my first installment; I take a swipe at how the Western Conference will shape up this season...

1	San Jose Sharks	Should cruise above the rest of the West, at least until the playoffs start.
2	Calgary Flames	Will dominate from the blueline, but can Kipper reverse his long, slow decline?
3	Detroit Red Wings	Still incredibly dangerous, but age and the loss of Hossa & Hudler could hurt.
4	Vancouver Canucks	With Luongo and the Sedins locked up, the goal is now to go for the Cup.
5	Chicago Blackhawks	Exciting young team now has to fight through adversity, and prove Huet can be a solid #1.
6	Anaheim Ducks	The line of Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan will wreak havoc throughout the league.
7	St. Louis Blues	An intriguing mix of young and old; they need Kariya, McDonald and Tkachuk to stay strong.
8	Nashville Predators	Is this the year Shea Weber makes a run for the Norris Trophy?
9	Edmonton Oilers	The combo of Pat Quinn and Tom Renney is fascinating, but the Khabibulin contract is a head-scratcher.
10	Columbus Blue Jackets	Lots of young rookie goaltenders struggle in Year 2; how will Steve Mason fare?
11	Dallas Stars	A year of transition as Dallas looks to the post-Zubov era.
12	Los Angeles Kings	Lots of flash, but they still haven't solved goaltending problems.
13	Minnesota Wild	For a team supposedly implementing a new style of play, the roster didn't change much.
14	Phoenix Coyotes	Hiring Dave Tippet should bring structure, but they're basically starting over from scratch.
15	Colorado Avalanche	Sakic's retirement clears the way for a thorough rebuild.

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My prediction

1. San Jose
2.Calgary
3. Chicago
4.Vancouver
5. Detroit
6. Anaheim
7. Nashville
8.Columbus
9. Dallas
10. St. Louis
11. Edmonton
12. Minnesota
13. LA
14. Colorado
15. Phoenix

FOREVER #9

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by Aditya T (smashville) on Sep 30, 2009 12:18 AM EDT reply actions