Season Review: LA Kings

Well, as we're advancing toward the conference semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the next team to be eliminated from the playoffs: The Los Angeles Kings.

My prediction: First in the Pacific Division and in the playoffs.

The truth: Fourth in the division and made the seventh seed in the Western Conference. They were eliminated in six games against the San Jose Sharks.

So what happened?:
1. Every team in the division has their big man at center: Phoenix has Martin Hanzal, San Jose has Joe Thornton, Dallas has Brad Richards, and Anaheim has Ryan Getzlaf. LA has Anze Kopitar, who is excellent but went down right before the playoffs. This absolutely affected their chances of going deep in the playoffs.
2. The Dustin Penner acquisition was an absolute bust so far, and unless he commits to better health (or if the Kings can get rid of him for something in return) then this is going to look like a very regrettable trade for the Kings.
3. Not everyone was as productive as the team would have hoped. Michal Hanzus and Wayne Simmonds topped out at 30 points while Alexei Ponikarovsky hadn't produced as few points has he has since the 2002-03 season. That all carried into the playoffs and stacked up against the Sharks, it just wasn't enough.

So what's next?: Drew Doughty and other key RFAs need to be re-signed and the Kings would loved to bring in another first-line forward. The only way that's seemingly going to work is if Penner's moved or sent to the minors and paid over $4M to do so. Hanzus will either come back at a lower salary or will need to be replaced as well. I will say this though, they don't need to blow too much up. That's for certain.

Season Review: Anaheim Ducks

Well, as we're advancing toward the conference semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the next team to be eliminated from the playoffs: The Anaheim Ducks.

My prediction: Fourth in the Pacific Division and out of the playoffs.

The truth: Second in the division and made the fourth seed in the Western Conference (this was thanks in part to a serious mid-season surge thanks to some key acquisitions.) They were eliminated in six games against the Nashville Predators.

So what happened?: The Ducks often played like two teams: The first was the highly-skilled squad that has sent numerous players to their respective countries' Olympic teams; the second was a team that completely lacked discipline and found themselves in the penalty box far too often. GM Bob Murray was able to correct defensive deficiencies by trading for Francois Beauchamin and goaltender Dan Ellis while signing goaltender Ray Emery to help replace the void left by Jonas Hiller's mysterious ailment best described as vertigo, but the team simply couldn't get past the Predators' defense-oriented system to advance beyond the first round. Not that their goaltending was overly stellar in the round but you can't expect much from two guys who weren't on the roster when the puck dropped back in October.

So what's next?: The team's got $9.6M to lock down six players next season, one of them will be Teemu Selanne if he decides to return for another year. All and all, they look to have the components in place to have a more balanced attack next year, but how well they perform next season largely rests on whether or not Hiller can return from whatever it is that's affecting him.

Season Review: New York Rangers

Well, as we're advancing toward the conference semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the next team to be eliminated from the playoffs: The New York Rangers.

My prediction: Fourth in the Atlantic Division and out of the playoffs.

The truth: Third in the division and made the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to a Carolina Hurricanes loss. The success was short-lived, however, as they were dispatched in 5 games by the Washington Capitals.

So what happened?: The backup goalie (Martin Biron) who was supposed to take playing time away from the oft-overworked Hendrik Lundqvist ended up injured, the defense looked awfully young after sending Wade Redden to the minors and Michal Rosival to the Phoenix Coyotes, and few forwards came to play on a consistent basis (I'm pretty certain that Marian Gaborik isn't making first-forward money to put up 2 points in 5 playoff games.) The team's got a flair for the dramatic but the most dramatic thing that's happened in the past two seasons was barely missing and barely making the playoffs, respectively. In summary: The team spent a lot on their roster but didn't necessarily spend well.

So what's next?: They've got nearly $15M available in cap-space going into next season but need to qualify Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Matt Gilroy, and Mike Sauer, not to mention have to wonder what they're going to do with veterans Valcav Prospal, Bryan McCabe, and Ruslan Fedotenko. In other words, it looks like they're going to have another season of exactly what they've been up to until some heavy duty contracts come off the books (like Chris Drury's disappointing $7M+ cap hit) but even then, these guys haven't shown that they can build a winning team within the confines of a salary cap; and that's very problematic for Rangers fans.

Season Review: Phoenix Coyotes

Well, as we're advancing toward the conference semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs: The Phoenix Coyotes.

My prediction: Second in the Pacific Division and going for a nice playoff run.

The truth: Third in the division and made the sixth seed in the Western Conference, where they were swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings.

So what happened?: In the end, GM Don Maloney built a formidable team on a shoe string budget (again) but the faces that left in the off-season due to the ownership fiasco cost them chemistry that couldn't be readily be replaced or replicated. Their regular season was best described as a .500 season that was dashed with winning streaks. They were able to get solid goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov until the post-season, where his GAA was well over 4 and his save percentage was well below .900. Shane Doan still managed to produce 60 points but at times looked to be the only person on the team who could play at both ends of the ice. Scottie Upshall and Wojtek Wolski were moved for Rostislav Klesla and Michal Rosival, respectively, and while it did help a defense that needed some shoring-up due to injury, the offense that was lost due to trading those two was never replaced no matter how badly the team wanted to lean on the young guys like Kyle Turris and Mikkel Boedker. Keith Yandle and Lauri Korpikoski did very well in contract years, though, so the team's hoping to lock them down with a deal that will be fair without breaking the bank. Of course, the threat of relocation looms...

So what's next?: ... seeing the last note, there's a realistic chance that there may not be a Phoenix Coyotes next season. Regardless of where the franchise ends up, the only way they're going to succeed from here on in is if they get an owner who'll spend what's necessary to not only make the team a playoff team but a Cup contender for years to come.

Season Review: The Rest of The Rest

Haven't had time to give all the eulogies this season it's probably better to focus on the teams that were still in it to win it. That said, here's a rundown of the teams who didn't make the cut and why:

Eastern Conference:

Florida Panthers: Always ice a team that's average at best; this season they managed to finish off as the worst. Could get better if Dale Tallon can use the ridiculous amount of cap space on the team to build a squad that's competitive.

New York Islanders: Injuries, as well as a locker-room that was reportedly lackadaisical, were enough to mute the torrid second-half run they made. Could get better if owner Charles Wang cares to properly invest in the team.

Atlanta Thrashers: The successful first-half wasn't enough to allow them to overcome their rather pedestrian second-half; perhaps the team was more average than they cared to admit in the off-season. Could get better if they get those "marquee" players to come to Atlanta.

New Jersey Devils: Had the only coach to recently come from the AHL that turned out to be a dud. Kovalchuk's contract matters didn't help and this team might have sacrificed the future for one player. Rebuild?

Toronto Maple Leafs: Started getting it together in the second half but could only get so close; should be a playoff team again next season.

Carolina Hurricanes: Lost the game that would have made them a playoff team. They can be successful next season with the right cast and a heaping dose of fortitude.

Western Conference:

Columbus Blue Jackets: Jumped the shark after their only playoff season and rushed their goalie to the NHL too quickly. They don't ever seem to have a strategy that works.

Minnesota Wild: Despite a talented roster, the team came up short more often than not. It cost to coach his job but does it need to stop there?

St. Louis Blues: The team's too young and despite a promising pedigree, there's something that needs to be said about experience. The ownership issues affecting the club certainly didn't help matters.

Calgary Flames: On paper it should work so why doesn't it on the ice? There's going to be another year of this before they'll have the finances freed up to make the moves necessary for an appropriately-balanced roster; hopefully they learn to stop leaning on the same few people to carry them along.

Dallas Stars: Another team that needed to win to get into the playoffs and come up short, this wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't been atop of the standings during the All-Star Break. Did trading James Neal away really lead to THAT monumental of a collapse?!?!

Season Review: Ottawa Senators

Well, as we're advancing toward the semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the third team to be eliminated from playoff contention: The Ottawa Senators.

My prediction: Third in the Northeast Division and on the playoff bubble.

The truth: They were the first team in the Eastern Conference to be eliminated from playoff contention.

So what happened?: Remember that move a few seasons ago to essentially sink all their money into one line and hope the supporting cast could generate around 30 points a season if they were given second-line ice time? Remember that guy who became dissatisfied with being there and was traded to San Jose for Milan Michalek and a guy who's not in the league anymore? Yup. Essentially inconsistent offense, injuries, porous defensive play, and absolutely brutal goaltending had these guys being good in essentially one area: toughness. You'd think there would be a wholesale change in regards to management and coaches, but apparently GM Bryan Murray salvaged his job by bringing in two goaltenders who actually may work out for them beyond this season.

So what's next?:Cory Clouston and his staff have been shown the door. There appears to be a solid group of players in place going into next season; Murray will still have his work cut out for him to bring the right players in while finding a coach who's system will fit the team in place. They could turn it around but it's gonna take some work.