iinatcc Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Just now, Honky Cat said: Canucks usually have spirited games against the Flames,but for whatever reason, seem to be 'up against it' against Arizona...If the Canucks have any playoff aspirations at all, they cannot go undefeated to Arizona..No ,and, ifs ,or buts. Well there's also beating the cup champs, the St. Louis Blues, in convincing fashion and beating the other cup finals team, The Bruins, in both games. I know they are not Pacific division teams but it does show Vancouver can go toe to toe with the best teams in the league. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Cat Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, iinatcc said: Well there's also beating the cup champs, the St. Louis Blues, in convincing fashion and beating the other cup finals team, The Bruins, in both games. I know they are not Pacific division teams but it does show Vancouver can go toe to toe with the best teams in the league. After watching hockey for a thousand umpteen years..How many times have we seen the Canuck team that shows up for the big teams, plays great, and loses by a goal? Two nights later, play a bottom feeder, and lay a turd. Not saying Arizona is a bottom feeder (in fact, they are almost level with the Canucks)..but you have to be able to at least split the series with bottom third tiered teams..Having a team on your level, dominate you throughout the season is unacceptable. Edited July 2, 2019 by Honky Cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Not necessarily order of the standings but the best teams imo. I think the top 3 teams will be in the top 3 at the end of the season (San Jose may fall out of the top 3), but the order may be different. I do think we'll (the Pacific division) get one of the wild card spots. It'll be a tightly contested division with so many middling teams and only two super talented rosters. I have San Jose and Vancouver on the same level. 1: Vegas 2: Calgary 3: San Jose 4: Vancouver 5: Arizona 6: Anaheim 7: Edmonton 8: LA Call me a homer but our roster got bolstered in a big way, on paper, with the Myers and JT Miller additions. Benn will be a real gamer for us (not in that Fortnite way). Our kids are poised to become superstars. Healthy Boeser, a year older Petey and Captain Bo (just f-ing give it to him) surrounded by quality top 6 guys like Baer (fingers crossed he is healthy) Pearson and Miller is a playoff top 6 imo. Our bottom 6 will consist of Sutter, Beagle, Virtanen, Roussel, Eriksson (?), and Motte. That's really a solid bottom 6 and I'd classify it as a playoff caliber bottom 6. Even if we sub out Eriksson for Gaudette it's looking pretty good if not better. Health is a bigger foe than any of the teams in our division. Us being a playoff team hinges on not losing all our key guys for 15-20+ games like we do every season. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Yeah Vegas form me seems to be the one that will lead in the Pacific. Flames and Sharks will still be good but might regress specifically with their goal tending situation. Vancouver could sneak in a playoff spot only because I don't think the other teams are going to be significantly better. I also think Arizona could surprise as well too. Right now thought I am seeing the conference play like this (thus not changing much) PAC 1. Vegas 2. San Jose 3. Calgary CEN 1. Colorado 2. St. Louis 3. Nashville Wildcard 1. Dallas 2. Winnipeg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure1010 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 I’d say vegas stayed the same san Jose downgraded slightly losing Pavelski and Donskoi. But depends if jones has a bounce back year. Flames depends if rittich is an upgrade on smith for the full season. Cause Talbot as a backup is a massive downgrade. So a slight downgrade. Coyotes got better goaltending still still a question mark. Oilers upgrade in net if smith still has it but they suck. Kings gonna be the same as last year I think. Unless quick stands on his head. Ducks same as last year unless Gibson can steal a bunch a games And the canucks when u compare starting lineups from opening day last year to the projected one this year. This years team is miles ahead. I love the possible d pairings with one speedy offensive puck mover and one solid stay at home dman. Only issues I see are Markstrom needs to have another amazing year and demko needs to prove in his 25-30 games he will get but with a better team in front of them I see them accomplishing that. Playoffs might be in sight for the nucks hopefully. Would love to see another scoring top 6 guy but don’t got the money unless a contract or 2-3 get shipped out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Problem I see with Calgary is it's possible that their playoff performance deflated and demoralized the team somewhat. I would think losing to the 8th seed is in their minds coming into next season . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook007 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 (edited) 21 hours ago, fecklund said: Are you Apollo in disguise Forget it, Saw he went one better Brilliant to see some optimism again. Edited July 2, 2019 by spook007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Pacific is looking about as bad as it has in a long time. Most teams on that list - imo - aren't going to improve short term. Calgary and San Jose - could see each of them taking moderate steps backwards. Vegas, Arizona perhaps sustain. Anaheim, Los Angeles - it aint pretty. Deadmonton - who knows - paper bobcat, real life pussy cat. Vancouver - imo is poised to climb. I think they will compete for a top 3/4 in that mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therodigy Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 My brief divisional analysis: Vegas will have a full year of Stone with Patches and Statsny, giving them 2 terrifying 1st lines. I imagine them as a lock for top 3. Calgary's concern is in net. If they get 2016-2017 Talbot for 40-50 games, they're in good shape. Otherwise, they may "flame out" of a top 3 spot. Sharks have regressed in their forward position, but their D is still lethal, pending Karlsson's health. If Jones has a bounce back, they'll be contenders for the division. Edmonton is a tough call. If Smith gives them some stability in net, they may contend for a wild card, but their D is pretty much butter after Nurse and Klefbom. Arizona should make an impact with Kessel in the lineup. I expect them to contend for a wildcard, possibly even 3rd, provided they stay healthy. Anaheim shouldn't be underestimated. They're a much younger team now that Perry is gone and Kesler on LTIR, but the Gibson/Miller tandem is one of the better goaltending duos in the Pacific. They'll make things interesting. LA is expected to continue their rebuild, but last year could've easily been an anomaly. New coaching could potentially turn things around. Vancouver's new D core is much deeper now, and pending player health, should contend for a playoff spot. Canucks will need to will their way and not hold back. My projected divisional standings will be as follows: 1. Calgary 2. San Jose 3. Vegas 4. Vancouver 5. Arizona 6. Edmonton 7. Anaheim 8. LA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper007 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 12 hours ago, wai_lai416 said: i don't see us better then any of the 5 teams in the central division so our only path to the playoff is top 3.. the only team i see we have a realistic chance of catching after free agent day 1 is SJ I think Winnipeg is taking a real big step backwards. I think the Canucks might be able to pass them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 As @apollo says: poised to dominate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItTakesAnArmy Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 The Bottom two look to be LA and Anaheim both going for the super star at the draft, LA more so The top three are just too experienced and have depth across the board Vegas, SanJose and Calgary. The next three are in a washer, how they come out could be close Vancouver and Arizona are better defensively but Edmonton could explode offensively and if their defense strengthens make it tight. It will be an tense season as these teams are close together but there should be a harder games this year. Top three in no order SanJose Vegas Calgary next three Canucks Yotes Oilers bottom two LA Ana. Now for a wild card spot The battle for a top three spot in the central will be hot StLouis, is about the same Colorado is much improved Dallas took a big step especially in experienced depth Winnipeg goes backwards but still has a solid team and they can still make more deals yet. That leaves Chicago and Minnisota Minnesota is hot after Boeser, hard to ell with them as they age out. Chicago improved, again and should be a serious playoff contender. Unless there is more teams tanking after the trade deadline, some will value the top draft picks of this outstanding draft class over merely making the playoffs and being bounced, the Canucks on the other hand will do like they did for the McDavid draft and go all in to make a spot and damage their best chance to get multiple NHL prospects from the 2020 draft class, Arizona is in the same position, Holland gets a free year to fail and yet win by doing good in the draft. The Canucks do improve, not as much as many fans hope, Pettersson is not a surprise and will be leaned on, Boeser was pretty good but might not have a great season if he holds out which would almost kill off Canuck chances, Horvat has to have FO's and icetime managed better, hopefully Miller is more than advertised. The defence should be more stout, count on injuries to both Tanev and Edler but there is improvement but again is there as much as hoped for? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 What Pac teams did during FA to improve their teams, and prediction of final standings in 2019/20 1. CGY - IN: Talbot, Davidson OUT: Smith, Lazar, Fantenberg 2. VGK - IN: ? OUT: C. Miller, Bellemare, G. Reinhart 3. VAN - IN: J.T. Miller, Myers, Benn, Fantenberg OUT: Hutton, Pouliot, Granlund, Spooner, Schenn 4. ARI - IN: Kessel OUT: Galchenyuk, Boland, Kempe, Panik 5. EDM - IN: Granlund, Smith OUT: Talbot, Sekera 6. SJ - IN: Prout OUT: Donskoi, Pavelski, Nyqvist 7. ANA - IN: Deslauriers OUT: Perry, Cracknell, Sustr, Street 8. LA - ? (I'm not sure they did anything significant) Playoffs baby! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spur1 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 With the number of good teams in the central, chances are they don't get both wild card spots. The Pacific has a better chance of getting both because of weaker teams at the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanucksCountry Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) 1.Vegas. They still have the core pieces they have had the past 2 years and really haven't lost anyone to special this off season Miller Being their Biggest loss 2. Vancouver. Ik i am going bold here it could be may be me being biased but i think we are a way better team then we where last season and with most of the pacific team getting weaker i think we can sneak into #2 3.San Jose. With them losing Pavelski and a couple other good players they are definitely a weaker team then last year and idk if Jones can have a bounce back year 4. Calgary. Goaltending Was their biggest issue last year and i feel like they got worse instead of improving Edited July 4, 2019 by CanucksCountry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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