Buffalo Boy's Blog

Well, a new season is upon us and what will change in the Pacific?

Not much. Besides losing Brian Campbell the San Jose Sharks come back the team to beat in the Pacific but one surprise team I think is Wayne Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes.

Yes, the Coyotes I am going to go out on a limb and pick them for a strong second place finish ahead of Anaheim. Talent wise, the Coyotes have the tools to compete. They are lead by veterans Shane Doan and Ed Jovanovski who btw I wanted to and still want to see in a Buffalo uniform.

With any kind of decent goaltending in Phoenix between Mikael Tellqvist and Ilya Bryzgalov this team could be dangerous. The addition of Olie Jokinen gives Shane Doan a legitimate number one center to feed him the puck and should increase scoring on the number one unit and power play.

The Dallas Stars are probably the other team that could challenge for the top two spots in the conference and with a full season of Brad Richards, that could very well be the case. Sean Avery could give them the toughness needed and the sand paper to draw plenty of penalties. So, with my second place pick of Phoenix, Dallas I am picking for third, however, if Phoenix or San Jose falter, Dallas could easily be a top two team in the Pacific.

Anaheim, I think is due for a third place finish. They really don't have the fire power up front to support a somewhat aging defense. Ryan Getzlaf is their only real threat. Beyond him is dicey with unproven forwards. Teemu Selanne is gone and Doug Weight is gone which will ultimately hurt any offense.

The LA Kings are last but certainly not least. Of all the teams in the NHL I can honestly say I know the least about the Kings but one look up and down their lineup they have a solid base of good, young talent. Patrick O'Sullivan, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov and Dustin Brown all provide solid offensive support. The defense is an unknown and unproven bunch and the goaltending that featured 7 different starters last year is a huge question mark. I give the Kings another year to get their defense and goaltending in order.

So for the Pacific Division:

1. San Jose

2. Phoenix

3. Dallas

4. Anaheim

5. LA

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