The Pacific Division. Star studded. Or is it, the Stars who are studs.
Actually, both are true. This divsion is full of big-time NHL stars, and its best team, the Dallas Stars, are the defending Stanley Cup champs, poised to shoot for a repeat.
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Complacency won't be a problem. I don't see any of
that in here, quite honestly. We're not stupid. There's a fine
line between winning and losing. ” |
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— Stars forward Joe
Nieuwendyk |
Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock and team management did not stand pat this offseason in the hope that the same exact team could accomplish the same exact goal of winning the Cup.
Instead, they shed some age by letting Pat Verbeek and Dave Reid walk, as well as Craig Ludwig, who retired but remained with the team as a scout.
In their place, the Stars have Pavel Patera, 27, the Czech Olympian who may emerge as one of the league's premier rookies.
"He's a really accomplished offensive player," Hitchcock said during the preseason.
In addition, Richard Jackman, Blake Sloan, Jamie Wright and Juha Lind could be ready to contribute on the NHL level.
Conventional wisdom says all this bodes well for Dallas because successful teams that become complacent with personnel rarely repeat that success.
Having said all that, there are two questions looming in Dallas. Ed Belfour played great last season, but he's getting on in years and has had back problems in the past. Trading Roman Turek to St. Louis could look like a bad move if anything happens to Belfour, and the Stars are forced to rely on Manny Fernandez.
The other issue relates to defenseman Richard Matvichuk. Dallas' depth is superior, but Matvuichuk is so solid. A protracted holdout could hurt.
Sharks have plenty of bite
As for the rest of the teams in the Pacific, the one team with the fewest stars could be the most improved team. The buzz all over the league is that San Jose will be a tough team to beat.
Vincent Damphousse is back for a full season. Defenseman Gary Suter is healthy. And with little fanfare, the Sharks picked up solid two-way player, Niklas Sundstrom from Tampa Bay via the Rangers.
"The big adjustment for him (Sundstrom) will be the pace," Sutter said in training camp. "This is a younger group and a faster group of forwards than he's used to playing with. It's probably the first time he's playing with guys younger than him."
The key for San Jose will be the play of Jeff Friesen and Owen Nolan, as well as the development Patrick Marleau. If all three produce on offense, the Sharks are a sure bet to be above .500 this season.
|  | | Teemu Selanne is one of several all-stars from the Pacific Division. |
Ducks and Yotes not without holes
With Anaheim and Phoenix, both teams need their stars to challenge the Stars.
No team in the NHL depends on two players more than the mighty Ducks depend on Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne. The Ducks are 34-4-8 when Kariya and Selanne each score goals in the same game.
The re-acquisition of Oleg Tverdovsky will bolster an already formidable power play.
Depth could be a problem, but if healthy, the Ducks are dangerous and an extremely entertaining team to watch.
Phoenix, on the other hand, could be headed for a tumble.
Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick are prepared to do their part and play aggressive, in-your-face hockey as usual. But the holdouts of Robert Reichel and Nikolai Khabibulin could prove too much to overcome.
Reichel isn't even in the country, and the Coyotes recently rescinded their three-year, $9 million contract offer to Khabibulin, who wants to be paid like a top-5 goalie -- which would be in the $5 million range.
"The front office will do what it's always done and that's make sure we have a quality team on the ice," owner Richard Burke told The Arizona Republic. "Would we like to have Nik signed and playing for us? Yes. But we've done what we can do, and we feel comfortable with where we're at."
It's difficult to imagine the goalie tandem of Mikhail Shtalenkov and Bob Essensa leading any team deep into the playoffs.
Kings looking more polished
The best word to describe the Los Angeles Kings is "new."
A new Coach, arena and top-line players give the Kings a fresh start after a disappointing '98-99.
The question remains whether new will tranlsate into improved.
First-time NHL coach Andy Murray will demand a lot from this team, and hopefully they'll respond. A few losses in a row, and all of a sudden, the hard-nosed approach can get tense.
Zigmund Palffy is a major talent and could complement Luc Robitaille's scoring in a big way. Throw in a healthy dose of Bryan Smolinski, Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel, and the Kings put two solid lines on the ice every night.
In the final analysis, however, Rob Blake must play a full season for the Kings to do well, regardless of how many goals the team scores. A return to the playoffs isn't out of the question, but a lot of things have to fall into place if the Kings are to improve the 10-15 points necessary for making a run at the postseason.
Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.
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ALSO SEE
Dallas Stars preview
San Jose Sharks preview
Anaheim Mighty Ducks preview
Phoenix Coyotes preview
Los Angeles Kings preview
Dallas primed to defend Stanley Cup title
Atlantic Division: Rangers up the ante
Northeast Division: Depth is a strength
Southeast Division: Fighting for respect
Central Division: Wings unflappable
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