Previous page: The Western Playoff Teams
9) St. Louis Blues
Can you win with a May-December lineup?
Scorer Brad Boyes, 27 years old, is the only core player in his prime. Everyone else is either well past 30 or under 26. Until the young guys grow up and take over, the playoffs are an iffy proposition. Chris Mason - the second-best goalie named Mason - is coming off a fine year. Asking him to duplicate it is a stretch, especially because the Blues can't match the defensive depth of their rivals.
10) Los Angeles Kings
How long can you get away with calling it a youth movement?
When a team introduces another 19-year-old whiz kid every year, it's always assumed to be "a couple of years away." After a while it's just an excuse. Leaders like Dustin Brown (24) and Alex Frolov (27) aren't so young anymore, and it's time somebody won the goaltending job for real. A battle-scarred forward (Ryan Smyth) and defenceman (Rob Scuderi) have been added to push the process along. But it's a tough conference to make progress in.
11) Dallas Stars
Is it too late to play for the 2005 Cup?
The Stanley Cup is still missing an entry for '04-'05, thanks to the lockout. This team would have looked great back then: Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Brad Richards and Marty Turco all at the top of their game. What a difference five years makes. The one truly elite player in Dallas these days is Brenden Morrow. He's everything you want in a winger and leader, but asking him to stay healthy and rally this group is a tall order.
12) Nashville Predators
How far can Jason Arnott carry a team?
Predators' fans ought to call him Saint Jason, considering the load he carries for this team. He's almost 35 years old and coming off a career year for goals (33). Arnott and J.P. Dumont might be the only reliable forwards left in town. Nashville's top three defencemen - Suter, Weber, Hamhuis - could play for any team, but there's not much behind them. Pekka Rinne was last year's sensation in net. Let's see what kind of staying power he has.
13) Edmonton Oilers
When does the future arrive?
The Oilers are always young and fast and exciting and just wait a few years when these kids really get it together and what a team it's gonna be... We've been hearing it since Mark Messier skipped town. As before, the latest rebuild is showing unsightly cracks. Young scorers like Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano have to make serious progress, and they could really use another defenceman who can knock people over.
14) Colorado Avalanche
Is Sakic for Sacco the worst trade of the year?
When daisy-fresh coach Joe Sacco looks down the bench, he won't find guaranteed Hall of Fame center Joe Sakic. The retirement of one of game's all-time great players launches the Avalanche into full rebuild mode, with a rookie coach and rookie GM handling a roster full of holes and question marks.
15) Phoenix Coyotes
Where to begin?
For starters, halfway through training camp this team still didn't know who the coach was, thanks to Wayne Gretzky's entanglement in the ongoing bankruptcy mess. Phoenix has a slew of good looking young players. But if that's the kind of guidance they can look forward to, it's going to be an ugly year for hockey's ultimate sad sack franchise.
See Also: Eastern Conference Preview
