The West is full of Frauds 2023-01-31 Why every current playoff (and playoff-adjacent) team in the West (and the Blackhawks) is a fraud except for me, allowing me to make the playoffs with room to spare: (I’m counting everyone tied at 54 and then the Wild at 53 as in a virtual tie for now and throwing out win % for getting my list) Calgary Flames The Flames might think they’re in a good position… cap left to add at the trade deadline and decent depth but they lack in leadership. When they are finally challenged, their oldest player is 32. Great for the long run but terrible for this year as I’m hearing rumors of a bad locker room environment and no one is willing to step up and be the adult in the room. Additionally their third line defensive depth is a bunch behind the rest of their D. If I had to pick a team for the future, these guys are promising. But it’s not their year yet. Trading for leadership doesn’t work either. Chicago Blackhawks They’re frauds in the opposite direction. They were frauds about how bad they were. After going winless for their first 30 games, they have 9 wins in their past 18 games. Robby is only 18 points back with 2 games in hand on the Ducks. -96 goal differentials mean nothing as Robby starts to get hot. Trading Kase and some pizza for some sevenths and poutine and then getting two picks for Matt Martin may just be the moves the Blackhawks needed to regain control of their own destiny Colorado Avalanche If Jack Campbell goes down, their next goalie is 7 ovr back. Their forwards are top heavy, with one good line and Boone Jenner holding down the fort while people like a Zach Parise get significant minutes is rough also. They’ll need to trade for some forward depth and a backup goalie if they want to go deep. The other thing to watch is that they have a high win % but their goal differential is only +2. It is worrisome and something to keep an eye on for now. Edmonton Oilers Just like in real life, it’s the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl show with “Noah Buddy” being their next biggest contributor. Mike Smith and Stuart Skinner are an AHL goalie tandem at best. It’s a good thing they have 10 NHL defensemen, maybe they can merge some of them to be some complementary pieces. Los Angeles Kings I’m frankly not really sure how the Kings are in a playoff spot… Ryan Johansen and Claude Giroux are their best forwards and there’s a steep drop off to Connor Farland and Jordan Eberle. After that they have no forwards over 70 overall. They’ve got Jonathan Quick commuting from his nursing home for their goalie as well. Nashville Predators They lost to Chicago. Enough said. They’ve also got someone on their team who played for Clarkson, a major detractor. They’re only 4 goals over .500 goal differential wise so they could fall back to the middle of the pack here too. Vancouver Canucks Vancouver played a top-heavy strategy in the roster draft and have some fantastic depth. The biggest worry I have about this team is their GM. He is a great tanker but has never actually been in a position to win before. Is there a chance he panics and makes a bad trade? Absolutely. Their record may also be inflated by their 5-game win streak. Vegas Golden Knights No room at to add cap wise is a major concern but they seem to be in otherwise good shape. Malcolm Subban really isn’t a backup goalie option, but he’s been good enough. They also have Zuccarello who I put a hex on because I accidentally took Kopitar instead of Zuc because I got confused about cap vs salary. As such, there’s no chance they win until they get rid of him. Winnipeg Jets Another contender without a backup goalie… Dustin Tokarski (who?) is their backup goalie, meaning if Hellebuyck goes down (especially after the trade deadline) it’ll be all over. Their 4th line is a bit worrisome Colin White has been pushed to the third line. I’m not convinced that they are as sustainable as we make them out to be, and really shouldn’t be President Trophy contenders like they are now as their all-stars are great but not amazing. They’ve been punching above their weight.
