Pre-camp preview: Pacific Division
The NHL might be all about offense these days, but as far as the Anaheim Ducks are concerned, defense will be the real name of the game this season. That isn't really a surprise considering the Anaheim blue line will be led by one of the greatest back-end tandems in league history.
Anaheim removed last spring's main roadblock to the Stanley Cup Finals by trading for defenseman Chris Pronger, the biggest individual reason the Edmonton Oilers were able to stop the Ducks in the conference finals. He'll join Scott Niedermayer and a crop of fine young talent ready to emerge up front and make Anaheim a favorite to go even deeper this season.
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| A postseason run-in with Chris Pronger didn't turn out well for Teemu Selanne and the Ducks. (Getty Images) |
Phoenix, meanwhile, made Wayne Gretzky's debut season as coach even tougher than it might have been. But the Coyotes improved their defense significantly during this offseason and have taken chances with some veterans who are determined to prove they can still play. The Coyotes have been drafting in high positions recently as well, and have a couple of youngsters who could crack the lineup and make an impact.
Last year's Pacific champs came from Dallas, a team that won the division mainly because of its defense, and the Stars look stronger in that regard this time around. They bowed out meekly in the playoffs, but they've shifted a few pieces and with core veterans Mike Modano, Marty Turco, Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen still there, Dallas should stay in the mix.
It might be a lot tougher for the Los Angeles Kings to do so, despite bringing in a coach who has a Stanley Cup win on his resume. They are in a transition stage this season, but they don't seem to have the necessary skill in the lineup to compete for a playoff spot.
Here's a closer look at what the Pacific Division teams have done since the season ended.
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| Eric Lindros, Dallas (Getty Images) |
The Stars also bought out Bill Guerin this summer and let goalie Johan Hedberg and defenseman Willie Mitchell hit the open market. But they upgraded their blue line by getting Darryl Sydor and Jaroslav Modry, and added a couple of effective grinders in Jeff Halpern and Matthew Barnaby.
One of Dallas' sleeper moves could be getting Patrik Stefan from Atlanta. He was the first overall pick in 1999 and never found his game in Atlanta, but won't turn 26 until September.
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| Mark Bell, San Jose (Getty Images) |
San Jose's other big move was adding left wing Mark Bell in a three-way trade with Ottawa and Chicago. Bell came from the Blackhawks and will see top line time with Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, who could turn Bell into a 35-goal scorer in San Jose.
San Jose lost forwards Nils Ekman, Scott Thornton, Alyn McCauley and defenseman Tom Preissing in the shuffle this summer. But the organization that believes strongly in growing its own retained nine of its own restricted free agents and went to arbitration with only one. This is a better team now than the one that upset by Edmonton in the second round.
