Rozner: To be kings of West no easy task for Blackhawks
Escaping the Western Conference during the NHL postseason feels a little like climbing Mount Everest.
On your knees. Backward. In a blizzard.
It's the bigger, meaner, faster and better conference, and since the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup of this millennium in 2010, the West has only gotten bigger, meaner, faster and better.
From a talent standpoint, there were probably 10 teams good enough to make the playoffs last season had they played in the East, but only eight get in and the fight for those last couple spots will be fierce in the West again this season.
In the Central Division, where the Hawks finished behind Colorado and St. Louis last season, the Avalanche suffered the biggest loss when free agent Paul Stastny departed for the Blues, who added the best player available in free agency.
The Aves, in turn, brought in the likes of Jarome Iginla (37), Danny Briere (37) and Brad Stuart (34). Maybe they were just trying to find some players closer in age to Joe Sakic (45) and Patrick Roy (48) than Nathan MacKinnon (19). In any case, unless goalie Semyon Varlamov can outperform his amazing season of a year ago, the Aves may take a step back this season.
The Blues will probably win the division because the Hawks don't seem to care much about that title - nor should they - and if the Blues stay healthy in goal, they should be a force in the spring.
The Hawks are the Hawks. They expect to win every year and they'd own three of the last five Cups had they started getting serious in the Los Angeles series a week earlier, or if they'd gotten a bounce in Game 7.
Dallas, meanwhile, had a nice summer, too - trading for Jason Spezza and signing Ales Hemsky - after giving Anaheim all the Ducks could handle in a first-round, six-game playoff series that ended with an overtime defeat.
The Stars will be better and could jump into the top three in the Central, while Minnesota looks to do the same. The Wild are young, improved and on the rise, but until they can keep a goalie in one piece and on the ice when it matters, they'll have a tough time going anywhere.
Nashville has enough talent to compete for a playoff spot with new coach Peter Laviolette's up-tempo offense. Seth Jones should take a step forward and a healthy Pekka Rinne is good news for the Preds.
Over in the Pacific Division, the Kings did nothing. They didn't have to. Wherever they finish in the regular season is irrelevant. Like the Hawks, they'll be a big part of the postseason conversation, but no team has repeated since the '98 Wings and the bet here is against the Kings.
Look for Anaheim to have another huge regular season, having added Ryan Kesler, Dany Heatley and Clayton Stoner, and they'll be relying on young goalies Frederik Andersen and John Gibson, the latter of which looks like he's destined for stardom.
If it all comes together for the Ducks this year, they have a big chance to get back to the Cup Finals for the first time since they won it all in 2007.
San Jose is always San Jose, an enigmatic and very talented team that can't seem to finish anything it starts. Why would this year be any different?
The most intriguing team in the Pacific is Vancouver. The Canucks finally have a professional coach and a new GM, and they might surprise enough to sneak into a playoff spot.
In the West, the road still goes through Chicago and Los Angeles, two cities that can claim four of the last five parades, but the conference continues to improve and there will be no easy outs in the postseason.
It's much more than luck and bounces. It's talent, depth, size and determination, not to mention health, which is often a product of good fortune. The Hawks and Kings have the pedigree and the confidence.
In the month of May, both will be challenged and there are plenty of candidates that believe they're now good enough to take on the last two champs. This time, they may be right.
So fasten your seat belts, the eight-month thrill ride known as the Western Conference is about to take off.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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