Many of the major off-season moves made by Western Conference teams were motivated by one factor — to match up better against the Stanley Cup champions and beat the big, deep Kings at their own game.
With that in mind, a number of quality centers landed in new cities. The Ducks acquired two-way standout Ryan Kesler, the St. Louis Blues signed blueblood Paul Stastny, Finnish veteran Jori Lehtera and Swedish scorer Joakim Lindstrom, the Chicago Blackhawks signed playmaker Brad Richards, and the Dallas Stars acquired Jason Spezza from Ottawa to create an impressive one-two punch with Tyler Seguin. The Minnesota Wild, focusing on scoring and its Central Division rivalry with Chicago, signed free-agent winger Thomas Vanek for $19.5 million over three years.
The Blues, brawny and solid and the second-best defensive team in the West last season, seemed primed for a big leap forward. The Wild, which upset Colorado for its first postseason series win in 11 years and took Chicago to six games in the second round, also seemed ready to take that next step.
After the Blues and Wild visited Southern California last week, it appears those who would want to be king — or want to beat the Kings — haven’t scaled that mountain yet. The Kings aren’t conceding anything, least of all goals. And the Ducks, who led the West last season with 116 points, also present a big obstacle at 5-1-0.
The Blues were shut out by the Kings on Thursday and by the Ducks on Sunday, though an injured Stastny didn’t play at Anaheim. The Wild lost to the Ducks on Friday and the Kings on Sunday, each time by 2-1.
Blues Coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team squeezed a 6-1 romp over Arizona into its trip, said improving at center was a primary concern this season.
“Our view was when we play the big boys, we get controlled in the middle of the ice, and so we added Lehtera and Stastny,” he said, adding that Lindstrom was a lucky find because of Lindstrom’s friendship with Blues forward Alex Steen.
“Our feeling after playing L.A. and Chicago and in the season was that teams were better than us in the middle of the ice, and it made differences at the end of the games,” Hitchcock said.
It will take a while to see how much of a difference the new additions will make, but the Blues’ depth is being tested early. Stastny injured his shoulder at Arizona, and his status is week to week. Before Stastny was hurt, Hitchcock said he liked the team’s “compete level” in the middle, as well as its size, weight, and play-making ability. He said he had more flexibility up front, with Patrik Berglund and Jaden Schwartz capable of playing wing or center.
“You’re going to need options because, look, L.A.’s strong. Anaheim adds Kesler. Chicago adds Richards. Everybody’s adding strong players,” Hitchcock said. “We needed to do this just to keep pace, to be honest with you.”
While the Kings and Blues have emphasized size, the Wild has put a premium on collecting youth and speed through the draft.
“For us it’s Chicago and St. Louis that have set the bar pretty high in our division,” General Manager Chuck Fletcher said. “We felt we needed a way to score more goals and were able to add Vanek to our number of good, young players. Our scouts have drafted well. We have 10 players 25 or younger that have come from drafting and developing well. It’s the only way in a cap system that you can have depth.”
Fletcher said he might add some size as he fills in the pieces of his roster, but he has big bodies who can skate in 6-foot-3 center Charlie Coyle and 6-1 winger Nino Niederreiter, both 22, and young defensemen Christian Folin (6-3) and Marco Scandella (6-1). He believes the Wild is on the right track, an opinion shared by knowledgeable fans in Minnesota who had grown frustrated by non-playoff finishes.
“My first three years were tough years, and certainly the fans were disappointed with the performance, but the last two seasons we’ve had a much more competitive team and made the playoffs both years,” said Fletcher, who took over before the 2009-10 season.
“I think with all these young kids coming in, their growth and maturation has been evident to our fans. Our fans know the game, and I think they see that better days are ahead.”
It’s tough to tell how far ahead, though, while the Kings, Ducks and Blackhawks continue to block the path of the Wild, Blues and others.
Slap shots
The Calgary Flames signed defenseman T.J. Brodie to a five-year extension with an average cap hit of $4.65 million. That’s a good deal for both sides, since Brodie has developed into a steady defender who plays tough minutes. He shares the NHL scoring lead among defensemen with seven points.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, San Jose forward John Scott’s goal Tuesday reduced his career penalty-minutes-to-goals ratio from 215 to1 to 143.3 to 1. He has three goals and 430 penalty minutes.
The Vancouver Canucks’ home sellout streak ended at 474 on Saturday when attendance at Rogers Arena for their game against Tampa Bay was about 200 below capacity. The streak began on Nov. 14, 2002.
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