There really was no doubt about who the best team in the NHL Western conference was a year ago, as the Vancouver Canucks cruised to the pay head points lead and a Presidents trophy to clinch home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Fast-forward one year later and after failing to clinch the Stanley Cup on home ice, the Canucks have some company at the top of the conference with the other two latest Western conference champions now caught up to them again in terms of skill and depth. Both the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks will challenge Vancouver for first place in the west this season, and whichever team finishes the highest of that group will have the best shot at hockey’s ultimate sports betting prize.
In Detroit, the main objective this NHL season will be to stay healthy after injuries took their toll on the lineup a year ago. Future Hall of Fame defenseman Nik Lidstrom is back for one more year, while Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are both healthy and determined to win another championship together before that window closes. For the Blackhawks, a salary cap purge cost them last season when they were forced to unload some big names to get under the number on the heels of a Stanley Cup, but with the development of Corey Crawford and the addition of a couple of role players they should be primed to bounce back. The Canucks will once again compete for the top spot in the Western conference, only this year they will have some company with Detroit and Chicago both making a run.
