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Who's Going to the Playoffs?

According to Chris Custance of the Sporting News, the Kings are.  I'm not so sure.  This is all way too early to seriously speculate about, but the way I see it the Sharks are going to win the division again and the Ducks will probably finish 2nd unless Scott Niedermayer or Ryan Getzlaf get injured for any length of time.  The Kings would have to finish 3rd in the division and hope that the Central beat each other up enough so they only sent 3 teams to the playoffs.

 

So really, the Kings need to be better than the Dallas Stars and the Phoenix Coyotes and then hope.  Are the Kings going to better than the Stars and the Coyotes?  I think so, but I'm not confident.  The Stars got the best free agent of the three because Brendan Morrow will be back, while the Coyotes were competitive last year even though pretty much all of their young guys underperformed.  Plus, they have the best goaltender of the three.  The Kings did add 2 top-6 forwards (I'm counting Justin Williams) and a top-4 defenseman, but will the goaltending hold up?  Will Kopitar rebound?  I think there are too many questions on the Kings to pencil them into the playoffs just yet.

What do you think?

Poll
Right now, who will be the best of the three?
Dallas Stars
83 votes
Los Angeles Kings
175 votes
Phoenix Coyotes
16 votes

274 votes | Poll has closed

Comment 15 comments  |  0 recs  | 

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San Jose, Detroit, Chicago — I think those three will be great but maybe not as great in the case of the first two.

Vancouver, Calgary, St Louis, Columbus — should expect to fight it out for the 4-7 seeds, more or less. Vancouver can always suck for a chunk of time and make it interesting, but they won’t totally crap out.

That leaves, basically, one playoff spot for the rest to fight over.

Anaheim, Minnesota, Nashville, Edmonton, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Colorado. I think the Kings will finish ahead of COL, PHX, DAL and EDM. The other three, it’s a crap shoot.

However, I think the Kings feel they should be able to compete with the Vancouver, Calgary, St Louis, Columbus “group” and I think it’s reasonable to expect at least one of those four teams will struggle enough to make it interesting.

Frankly, I think it would be insane for any team to be confident in their playoff status, unless you’re Detroit. The others, even San Jose and Chicago…it’s not a lock for them.

I think of it in terms of the housecleaning threshold. How low does a given team have to finish in order for there to be a housecleaning? For the Kings, I think it’s anything lower than 10th this year. For teams who “expect” to make the playoffs, the threshold in higher. What if San Jose finishes 7th? 6th? I think that would be it for that regime.

by Quisp on Jul 29, 2009 2:48 PM PDT reply actions  

Don’t know I agree with

What if San Jose finishes 7th? 6th? I think that would be it for that regime
that comment. I think it would do them good and they would battle to stay in the playoffs past the 2nd / 1st round.

Least, that is my hope.

Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?

by ang6666 on Jul 29, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions  

Here is my prediction

1) SJ or ANA
2) CHI or DET
3) CGY
4) DET or CHI
5) ANA or SJ
6) VAN
7) COLU or NASH / STL
8) NASH or COLU / STL

STL is the dark horse to maybe displace Columbus, but I think NSHV makes it. If any other team upsets this model and makes the playoffs it would have to displace the teams in 7 or 8 and likely be EDMN or DAL.

Pretty close to Quisp, but I put ANA higher and STL lower.

by Mike in OC on Jul 29, 2009 5:11 PM PDT reply actions  

1) SJ or ANA

Whoa, I don’t know if I’m that optimistic. I’d take anything in the top 8, really.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jul 31, 2009 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions  

I just think this new team will perform better in the regular season, and not be so clutch in the post season.

You have to admit the team under archived all season last year until the end of the season. I would think that means we should see an improvement.

SJ on the other hand, may have over achieved all regular season, so they would naturally be due for some reality check.

DET should get a little worse, CHI should get a little better. (just based on attrition and acquisition)Thanks my logic anyway for those predictions.

by Mike in OC on Jul 31, 2009 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions  

BTW Earl.

looks like Chicago fucked up again. They are getting investigated for violating the CAP with the Hossa deal. If guilty they could get fined 5 mil and lose picks.

Would that 5 mil fine count against thier cap? That would be awesome if it did.

by Mike in OC on Jul 31, 2009 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions  

I really don't know where anyone will finish

since it depends on story-lines that haven’t emerged yet. Anaheim is an example of a team I have no clue about. I enjoy hating them, so I like to think they could drop out of the playoffs. I certainly had fun last season when they were basically neck-and-neck with the Kings before the wheels fell off. St Louis, without so many injuries, how could they not be better? Maybe the Andy Murray injury plague, I don’t know. San Jose — I really just don’t know what this team is, who they are, etc., and I think they have to make a few moves in the next month, so my opinion will either be more solidified then or even more confused. They could suck. It’s something to hope for.

I just want it to be interesting right down to the wire. And it seems likely, since most teams seem to be trending toward the middle.

ang6666 -

Yes, you’re right. If they finish 8th and then go to the finals, all will be forgiven. If they finish 6-8 and go out in the first round, not so much.

by Quisp on Jul 29, 2009 6:35 PM PDT reply actions  

Phoenix doesn’t seem to have really done anything of value this off-season. Am I wrong? I thought they were going to be good last year and they weren’t, and they’re basically no different this year as far as I know.

Nobody cares about your opinion.

by brokenyard on Jul 29, 2009 8:58 PM PDT reply actions  

Did you forget that Coyotes signed Jason LaBarbera? You don’t consider that value? Is there such a thing as subtraction by addition?

On a side note…one of my great anticipations for next season is the possibility of the Kings going to a shootout against Phoenix with Babs in goal.

by RealDrew on Jul 29, 2009 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions  

That just put a HUGE smile on my face. I cant wait to see LaBarbara flailing and diving out of the way… FOR SOMEONE ELSE!

Remember last season when he was actually the Kings starter for the first 10 games to begin last season? Man that sucked….

View From My Seats
Sarcasm: God's gift to smart people...

by Matt Reitz on Jul 30, 2009 1:25 AM PDT up reply actions  

Just wait until LaBarbera stops all our shots. C’mon, you know it’s inevitable.

Fuck you, Denis Gauthier. You suck at hockey... and life.

by Kevin Y on Aug 5, 2009 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions  

You’re up at the re-draft Rudy.

When I'm not battling in California:

http://www.cyclelikesedins.com

by jamestobrien on Aug 1, 2009 11:38 AM PDT reply actions  

I said LA

But I vote D) None of the above

This should have been an option. Of the above three teams LA has the best, (long) shot IMO.

PREPAREDNESS_Because those goddamn zombies aren’t going to kill themselves

by adragon on Aug 7, 2009 10:55 PM PDT reply actions  

Poll wasn’t about playoffs, it was about best of the three teams next season. “None of the above” wouldn’t have made any sense unless you’re counting on a three-way tie in the standings.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Aug 9, 2009 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions  

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