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7. Calgary Flames - 2013-14 NHL season preview of new Pacific Division

October 1, 2013
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  • There is no doubt the Calgary Flames are the worst team in the Pacific Division. There is little doubt they are the worst team in the Western Conference and entire NHL.That is because they are finally doing what was obviously needed years ago—a full rebuild. Gone is their aging elite goalie and forward they had leaned so heavily on just to compete for the playoffs, and there is not one star on this team. They probably have the worst goalie tandem in the NHL and have below average skaters. They are not playing for 2013-14, but for 2015-16.
  • The Edmonton Oilers began their rebuild years ago, and have probably the most forward talent in the NHL. However, that talent is not full developed, and they will be missing two key players for a while at the start of the season.This plus their still-developing blue line and goalie will make it tough for them to be in position for a Stanley Cup playoff run at the trade deadline. Look for them to deal Ales Hemsky for a young blue-liner with an eye beyond this season.
  • The Phoenix Coyotes have one of the top-10 blue lines in the NHL and a very good goalie tandem in Mike Smith and Thomas Greiss. They are lacking in top-tier forwards, relying on one good second line and one shaky second line for their scoring lines.They will finally have stability and are very well-coached, but that is not enough to overcome their lack of talent up front in a tough division. They may just squeak into the playoffs if the Central Division's fourth-place team (Dallas Stars?) are not strong enough, but that is unlikely given the superior competition. They may even become deadline sellers and fade down the stretch.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are a team on the decline. They have lost 10 of their last 11 playoff games, no longer have their goalie depth and have not overcome their drop-off on special teams.Still, they have speed and talent, are used to dominating their fellow Northwest Division transplants and could rebound under new coach John Tortorella. It will probably take a while for them to adjust to his sacrifice-the-body defensive style, but often fiery coaches turn around their teams in the first year—before his condescension wears on them.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have the talent in all three units to repeat as Pacific Division champions in 2013-14. However, much of that talent is unreliable for one reason or another.No matter how great his conditioning is, Teemu Selanne is on the wrong side of 40 and will not be as good as he was last season. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are the only two true scoring forwards.Defensively, Jonas Hiller cannot stay healthy and Viktor Fasth has just 25 NHL starts. Francois Beauchemin will never be as good as he was in the condensed 2013 NHL season, Cam Fowler has been disappointing following his rookie season and the aging Sheldon Souray is starting the season on injured reserve.They will their way into the Stanley Cup playoffs for one more run, but will be lucky to beat out the Vancouver Canucks for third place in the Pacific Division.
  • The San Jose Sharks are a difficult team to read. Even in the condensed 2013 NHL season, they could not sustain high levels of play from beginning to end. They once again finished strong, including a 7-4 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the end was still disappointing.Is this a team whose window closed two seasons ago, one that is now gritty enough to get the job done or are they just hoping for one more chance? Since the summer of 2011, the Sharks have transitioned to a team strong on the back end. However, they still appear to be one scoring-line forward short of the team they were when they won four consecutive Pacific Division titles through 2011. There is no reason to think they are better than the team that knocked them out of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.
  • The Los Angeles Kings are unmistakably the best team in the Pacific Division. Their Stanley Cup run in 2012 included a series win over the champion Phoenix Coyotes, and their 2013 Western Conference finals appearance came at the expense of the division alpha San Jose Sharks while their rival Anaheim Ducks fell in the first round.They have lost some players over that time, but found suitable replacements—i.e. Rob Scuderi may be gone, but Willie Mitchell is returning. They have one of the most dangerous one-two punches for scoring lines, and their stars defend with no equal but San Jose. They have a two-way blue line led by a Norris Trophy candidate and might have the best goalie in the world.
7. Calgary Flames
Tom Szczerbowski, Getty Images

There is no doubt the Calgary Flames are the worst team in the Pacific Division. There is little doubt they are the worst team in the Western Conference and entire NHL.

That is because they are finally doing what was obviously needed years ago—a full rebuild. Gone is their aging elite goalie and forward they had leaned so heavily on just to compete for the playoffs, and there is not one star on this team. They probably have the worst goalie tandem in the NHL and have below average skaters. They are not playing for 2013-14, but for 2015-16.

MJ KasprzakSan Jose Sharks Examiner
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