From east to west: The NHL’s Pacific Division

Greg Thomson
October 5, 2011

With four of five teams earning playoff berths in 2010-11, and all five amassing 95 or more points, the Pacific Division has arguably never looked better.

After a summer of change for the division-leading San Jose Sharks – most notably the departures of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi – many wonder if the aging franchise can repeat as division champions for a fifth-straight season.

Despite an intriguing lineup, highlighted by a much improved-defense led by Dan Boyle and now Brent Burns, the San Jose Sharks seem determined to crown themselves atop the division, but it won’t be easy. Last year was the first time in NHL history that all three Californian teams — the Kings, Sharks and Ducks — advanced to the postseason in the same campaign, so competition is thick.

Always touted as the team to beat, but also the team that has yet to prove its worth in hockey’s second season, the Sharks underwent a culture change in the summer. The Dany Heatley experiment was clearly not working and general manager Doug Wilson can only hope that his new concoction results in a championship parade through Silicon Valley.

Although he began his NHL career as the closest thing to a glass china doll, Martin Havlat has remained relatively healthy in recent seasons. Over the last three years, he has only missed 14 games; an average of 4.6 per year. If he continues to stay healthy, there is no reason to believe that he can’t reach the 70-point mark while riding shotgun alongside Joe Thornton.

In the past, Anze Kopitar was always relied on to shutdown the likes of Thornton and Logan Couture on San Jose, but Mike Richards, acquired in the offseason from Philadelphia, will lighten the defensive task for Kopitar, while also providing tremendous experience as a proven winner at every level.

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Losing Brad Richards to free agency without receiving anything in return was a huge hit to the Dallas Stars’ offense and their hopes of staying competitive in a highly skilled division. However, they may turn heads, especially with teams primed to take them lightly because a lack of star power. Veterans Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow will be counted on to produce ample offense, as will youngsters Jamie Benn and Scott Glennie.

A sure-fire player to watch in the Pacific is Anaheim’s Cam Fowler, who looks to build on a promising rookie season. There’s also Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a smooth-skating Swede who showed signs of stardom in 48 games with the Coyotes last year.

Fowler and Ekman-Larsson are only two of about a dozen sophomores on the path toward playing more prominent roles for their teams this coming season, ensuring the race for the division title will come right down to the wire, with either the Sharks or Kings coming out on top.

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The Author:

Greg Thomson