by JM Van Horn

Created on: October 04, 2010

The Western conference has produced the Stanley Cup champion in three of the last four seasons and is home to several teams that look to be the favorites with the start of the 2010-11 NHL Season. Let’s take a look at each division to see how they will shape up in time for the NHL playoffs.

Central

The Blackhawks will be ready to try and repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but are going to have a hard time due to some off-season moves. Do not expect Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to go quietly.

The Red Wings may not the dynasty team we have seen in the past but they do have the talent with Pavel Datsyuk and Jimmy Howard in goal who are going to push the Blackhawks to the limits.

The Blues have the ability to be one of the best in the Western conference or the absolute worst. They have a lot of young players who can score but the team’s biggest question mark is with their goalie Jaroslav Halak.

The Predators always seem to find a way to find success with their top notch defense and without a big name scorer in their lineup.  The Blue Jackets will be in for another rough year as their hope lies in Rick Nash to carry the team.

Prediction – Detroit Red Wings

Northwest

The Canucks have become the heavy favorite to earn a shot at the 2010-11 Stanley Cup thanks to the Hart trophy performance of Henrik Sedin. The only question is can goalie Robert Luongo finally live up to his potential? The Avalanche surprised a lot of people last year and will be ready to continue this upward trend. They will only be able to go as far as goalie Craig Anderson can carry them.

The Wild may not be pretty an score a lot of goals, but they have the defense and goalie to stop the majority of the teams in the Western Conference. The Flames have yet to figure out a way to benefit from the performance of their standout goalie, Mikka Kipprusoff and score enough points to win meaningful games.

The Oilers have the chance to be something special this 2010-11 NHL season if their young talent, like Taylor Hall, can make an immediate impact on the ice.

Prediction – Vancouver Canucks

Pacific

The Sharks have been unable to figure out how to translate success in the regular season into the NHL playoffs. The question is does this team have enough now to hold off an upstart team like the Coyotes? The Coyotes will be looking to rebuild upon a successful season with a deep run in the NHL playoffs.

The Kings lost some keys players to free agency but have some serious talent, like Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, in their lineup to make things difficult on the Sharks and Coyotes. The Ducks do have one of the top first lines in hockey with Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. But where do they go after that?

The Stars will focus on rebuilding in this 2010-11 NHL season. They will be keeping a close eye on young prospects, James Neal, Jamie Benn, and Brendon Morrow, with the hopes of forming a top tier nucleus.

Prediction – San Jose Sharks

Learn more about this author, JM Van Horn.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.