No matter how you finished last season, a new campaign offers renewed hope for all 30 teams in the NHL. While there is still an abundance of quality free agents on the market, for the most part the main framework for each team is set. And with about three weeks remaining until training camps open, it's not too early to start handicapping the new season.
The following will outline the Western Conference teams' biggest potential roadblock to winning the Stanley Cup in 2015-16. This is not to say that each issue is created equal, or that each one is the only problem facing the respective team. The likelihood of the Arizona Coyotes winning the Stanley Cup still is much lower than the Anaheim Ducks, for instance. Further, this list does not account for the ability teams have to patch holes (minor-league depth, money) during the season.
(Check back next week for reasons to be optimistic.)
Anaheim Ducks: No. 1 defenseman. There are plenty of new faces and added depth on the roster after Ducks general manager Bob Murray's busy offseason, but the defense is still lacking a top pairing. Hampus Lindholm, 21, has improved in each of his first two seasons, but at the least he needs some help. (Peter Barzilai)
Arizona Coyotes: Long way to go. If you don't know why the Coyotes won't win the Stanley Cup, you probably haven't been paying attention. Last season brought on full dump-and-chase mode, as in dump players and chase one of the top draft picks. Now there is little left behind in the way of NHL-ready firepower. That would be Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Coach Dave Tippett will keep the Coyotes competitive, and that's as good as it will get until the prospects come of age. (PB)
Calgary Flames: Repeat or retreat? The collapse never came last season, as the Flames defied conventional wisdom and statistical evidence to reach the playoffs and win a round. But the back-slide is a real possibility in 2015-16. Several veterans, including Jiri Hudler, Dennis Wideman, Mark Giordano and Kris Russell, had arguably the best season of their career and to expect more of the same is foolish. Likewise, the goalie platoon of Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo was solid, yet neither is one you would expect to lead a team to the Cup. (PB)
Chicago Blackhawks: Crucial pieces gone. No team has won back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98. With major players such as Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya elsewhere, and a police investigation swirling around perennial playoff hero Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks aren't likely to break the streak of non-repeaters. (Kristen Shilton)
Colorado Avalanche: Young core has not won. The Avalanche's core players are too green, and the team's attention to defense has been nonexistent the past few seasons. The club let Ryan O'Reilly go in the offseason and are relying on guys such as Gabriel Landeskog, 22, and Nathan McKinnon,19, to be major contributors behind the leadership of aging veterans Jarome Iginla and Francois Beauchemin. Semyon Varlamov could play the best hockey of his career and it still wouldn't be enough to make this strange hockey experiment of a team a true contender. (KS)
Dallas Stars: Defensive zone play. The Stars brought in Antti Niemi to bolster their goaltending, but it's a stretch to expect the Niemi-Kari Lehtonen duo to be able to make up for Dallas' wretched defense. Without getting the team's young stars as interested in blue-line play as they are in scoring highlight-reel worthy goals, the Stars will stall once again. (KS)
Edmonton Oilers: Getting there. Connor McDavid is not the only newcomer. GM Peter Chiarelli and coach Todd McLellan will also play a big role in trying to turn around this moribund franchise. But it won't happen this season, at least not to the point of the Oilers winning the Stanley Cup. McDavid is going to be a star, but for now he is an 18-year-old rookie with much to learn. And speaking of learning, the other core members of the Oilers have not showed they know how to win yet. Cam Talbot, acquired from the Rangers in the offseason, is unproven as a No. 1 goalie. (PB)
Los Angeles Kings: Moving on. With heart-and-soul players such as Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards elsewhere, the Kings are drifting further away from what made them two-time Stanley Cup champions. Although Stoll and Richards had struggled – with Richards' contract being terminated by the team – they joined Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter in making the Kings' depth down the middle one of their strengths. Now the Kings look to the versatile Trevor Lewis and youngsters Nick Shore and Andy Anderoff. The defense is also thin with Slava Voynov's future in doubt, although the recent signing of Christian Ehrhoff will help. (PB)
Minnesota Wild: Counting on same crew. Minnesota plays in this stacked Central Division and was swept in the playoffs by the Blackhawks last season, yet all they saw fit to do in the intervening months was sign goalie Devan Dubnyk long term. That either shows the faith the organization has in Dubnyk and the team's young pieces to be able to bring it all together without outside help or they've already resigned themselves to not playing this June. (KS)
Nashville Predators: Can they can beat the best? The Predators do all kinds of things right in the regular season, but getting in – and staying in – the playoff picture is a hurdle they haven't been able to clear recently, especially when facing their pesky rival Blackhawks. The team's best player, Shea Weber, isn't getting any younger, and Nashville's inability to push past the best of the best in their conference continues to bode poorly for his chances at a title with the club. (KS)
St. Louis Blues: Overbearing Ken Hitchcock. Hitchcock's smothering coaching style has always had a tendency to stifle the younger end of the Blues roster. Given the youth movement the club is currently experiencing (23-year-old Vladimir Tarasenko is their highest-paid player), Hitchcock's failure to loosen his grip and let the youngsters spread their wings will lead to another disappointing playoff exit for St. Louis. (KS)
San Jose Sharks: Stuck in the middle. The Sharks are trying to rebuild on the fly. It didn't work last season and it won't 2015-16. Free agents Joel Ward and Paul Martin have been added to the mix of veterans that includes Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Instead the Sharks should be getting younger, adding to players who will carry the team in the future -- Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Chris Tierney, Mirco Mueller to name a few. (PB)
Vancouver Canucks: Age-old questions. Not only will the Canucks not win the Cup, there is good reason to believe they will miss the playoffs. The top players are getting old, including the Sedins turning 35 in September and Ryan Miller already there. The newly acquired Brandon Sutter is considered a "cornerstone" by GM Jim Benning, although that wasn't the case in Sutter's previous stops in Carolina and Pittsburgh. That may leave youngsters such as Bo Horvat, Jake Virtanen and Sven Baertschi to carry the load, which is asking too much at this point. (PB)
Winnipeg Jets: Goaltending. Ondrej Pavelec, Stanley Cup-winning goalie just doesn't sound right. Are we to believe Pavelec has turned into an above-average netminder after one year? He's been one of the worst goalies for much of his career. If he turns into a pumpkin, enter Michael Hutchinson, 25, who wore down as last season progressed. Andrew Ladd's and Dustin Byfuglien's uncertain futures will also test the club's focus. (KS)
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