admin Posted on 1:56 am

Who will miss the NHL playoffs from the west in 2012?

Yesterday, I predicted the top eight teams in the West, except that while I pick the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the playoffs, Calgary is more than likely there instead. So, I have no choice but to lead with the Flames on the list of teams that we think will not make the playoffs.

1. Calgary Flames: If it were completely objective and rational, it would put Calgary in the playoffs, based on how they ended last season. If they keep that rate, they can do even better than the eighth. They lost defender Robgyn Regehr over the summer and didn’t add much, so it’s very likely that they won’t play as well as they did at the end of last season. Who knows? Anyway, this is a big guess.

2. Phoenix Coyotes: The loss of Ilya Bryzgalov in goal will be devastating. This will be the departure of Vewrnon Fiddler, Ed Jovanovski and Eric Belanger. It’s hard to see how offseason additions will make up for offseason losses. That said, though, if things work out, the Coyotes could still make the playoffs.

3. Minnesota Wild: Defense appears to be a challenge this year. Also, it seems like a “tear it down before we build it again” situation in the main office. So why did we pick Wild 11th instead of lowest? We think they will play reasonable solid hockey for the level of talent they have.

4. Nashville Predators: Many people think that Nashville, after a playoff win last year, will get better this year. In fact, it would be easy to pick them for the last spot in the playoffs. But, it seems that things are just not right. They lost a lot of people in the summer, and I’m not sure really good players like Shea Weber can make a difference.

5. Edmonton Oilers: We love Edmonton fans. We think they need a moral victory, if not first choice in the NFL draft. So, we won’t pick them in the end. We chose them two places from the last one. We can’t see the Oilers make the playoffs, but we can see them drop below 13th.

6. Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanches are badly hurt. But maybe not. Maybe it will tighten in the playoffs. Maybe we are crazy to choose them so low. New goalkeepers are always scary. Look for a difficult year in Denver.

7. Dallas Stars: We may be the only people to pick Dallas last. Property issues make things difficult. They won’t make the playoffs. They simply need to rebuild, and that is what they will do. Look them up for a very high draft pick.

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