Free NHL Futures Pick
It’s finally here, the 2014/15 NHL season has arrived and 30 teams will vie for Lord Stanley’s mug over a grueling 82 game season and four rounds of playoffs.
NFL Futures Insight
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The Los Angeles Kings pulled off one of the most memorable Cup runs in recent memory a year ago, rallying from a 3-0 series deficit in round one against the San Jose Sharks. In round two the Kings were again pushed to the brink, and managed two straight wins after falling behind 3-2 in their series with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Kings dethroned the reigning champion Chicago Blackhawks in round three in yet another seven game series, before finally knocking off the New York Rangers in the final to take home their second Stanley Cup in three years.
This season the Kings are once again among the favourites to win the Stanley Cup at 15/2 odds. The Chicago Blackhawks enter the 2014-15 season as odds on favourites to win it all at 13/2.
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So we know who the favourites are but who am I picking to win it all this year?
This season the Stanley Cup stays in the Western Conference once again, and it won’t even have to leave the state of California in doing so.
My pick to win it all is the Anaheim Ducks.
Why I picked the Ducks:
For starters I like the 10/1 odds, and I’ll definitely put down $50 for a shot at $500 at season’s end on this team.
The Ducks, were one win away from downing the Kings a year ago (so were the Sharks and Blackhawks) but last year I really felt they were the team most likely to take LA down. The Ducks have kept their core in tact from a year ago, and their young talent is another year older and have some playoff experience to draw on when this team inevitably makes the post season this year.
Anaheim sports what is probably the most dominant, point producing tandem in the NHL in Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (Crosby and Malkin could be argued for that title, but they’re both centres and don’t see regular time on the same line apart from on the power play).
There’s no concrete decision as to who will be the third member of the Ducks’ top line as coach Bruce Boudreau had a tendency to ride whatever player on his roster is rolling with the dynamic duo throughout the season.
Kyle Palmieri saw time with the top line last year, as did Jakob Silfverberg (both are returning this year) and Dustin Penner spent a good deal of time on the top line before getting injured, and he has decamped this year as well.
On Defense:
Where I really like this team is on their blue line. Cam Fowler is a stud in the making and will be 23 this year. He’s poised to break out and put himself among the young elite defensemen in the West like Drew Doughty in LA and Alex Pietrangelo in St. Louis. Francois Beauchemin is a great match on the top D pair with Fowler, as his stabilizing presence as a stay at home d-man with some puck moving ability will free Fowler up to be the creator from the back end.
Second pair D-man Hampus Lindholm is just 20 years old and enjoyed a rookie campaign a season ago where he racked up 30 points and was an impressive plus-29. Lindholm will likely be paired with stay-at-home stalwart Ben Lovejoy.
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That’s a very solid top four on the blue line for Anaheim with a nice mixture of young, new generation defensemen who can chip in on offense and the old guard who take care of business in their own end.
Goalies:
In net there are some question marks, just in the sense that neither John Gibson or Frederik Andersen is very established at the NHL level, with just 31 NHL games between the two of them. This tandem is very good though and I’d expect them to battle and push each other all year long for the starter’s role.
What does that mean for the team? Two young goalies who won’t be overworked come playoff time.
Forwards:
Finally, let’s look at the forward group. As I said, Getzlaf and Perry are what they are. You know what you’re going to get from them. Perry is a 40 goal man and Getzlaf is a dominant power forward who can score when he needs to and for his size is also one of the best passers in the game (think right-handed Joe Thornton with more of a mean streak).
Where the Ducks fell short last year against the Kings was depth. LA had it in spades and was able to outwork every team’s second and third lines. Top line for top line the Ducks can hang with anyone. The addition of Ryan Kesler as a second line centre will work wonders. This guy is getting up there in age but he is a proven competitor who always brings his game up a level come playoff time.
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I really do think Kesler is a huge X-factor for the Ducks this year as he’ll ease some of the pressure from Getzlaf and Perry and he gives this team a real threat on the second line where he’ll likely play with another new addition in Dany Heatley as well as Jakob Silfverberg or Kyle Palmieri. Kesler will also add some punch to the second power play unit.
Returnees like Patrick Maroon, Devante Smith-Pelley, Matt Beleskey and Andrew Cogliano round out a forward group that is going to be a handful for any team every night.
The Ducks will take care of their business at home as they always do during the regular season and will secure themselves at least two rounds of home ice in the playoffs.
I think the added depth at centre and a blue line that is another year wiser will be enough to get this team another Stanley Cup.
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