2020-21 NHL Season Division Preview: West Division

The 2020-21 NHL regular season is already one-of-a-kind-and not single game has been played as yet. That's because the league has realigned into four new divisions for this season only, splitting up to reduce travel time, adhere to health and safety protocols and, in case of the North (aka Canada) division, bend to governmental restrictions barring entry into the country without proper quarantining.

It adds up to a proposed 56-game schedule for each team-two-thirds of the usual NHL 82-game season-to separate Stanley Cup contenders from rebuilding teams. All games will be within the division, which means teams will play only six or seven other teams from Wednesday until May 8. Once the regular season ends, there will be two divisional playoff rounds among the top four teams each in the West, North, Central and East to decide a divisional winner that advances to the Stanley Cup semifinals (rather than conference finals). Division champions get re-seeded by regular-season standings points to set up No. 1 facing No. 4 and No. 2 versus No. ) in the first round. The format is sure to intensify rivalries, rekindle others and create brand-new ones. It's going to be a fun to see how it turns out.

Let's start the frivolity with a preview of the West division, then check back for the North (aka Canadian) division preview Wednesday, Central division preview Thursday and East division preview Friday.
WEST DIVISIONTeams: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights
Number of teams from Pacific Division and future Seattle Kraken rivals: Four. Anaheim, LA, San Jose and Vegas. Arizona will move to the traditional Central Division in the Western Conference beginning with the 2021-22 season.
Division outlook: There is widespread expectation that Colorado and Vegas will not only be in the divisional postseason mix, but legitimate contenders to win the 16 games necessary to win the Stanley Cup. Only one will survive two rounds of division playoffs
Anaheim Ducks2019-20 finish: Didn't make the postseason round of 24.
New faces: Kevin Shattenkirk, D and, likely, Trevor Zegras, C, who was MVP for the gold-medal winning Americans at the just completed 2021 World Junior (U20) Championship.
What to know: Two years of rebuilding-and finishing in dregs among 31 teams-has yielded Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who starred for USA in the World Junior but is likely to continue his development in the AHL.

Outlook: More rebuild and no postseason, translating to another high pick and a team turning the corner to winning more games when it becomes a Kraken division opponent.
Arizona Coyotes2019-20 finish: As No. 11 seed, upset No. 6 Nashville in 2020 Qualifying Round of postseason. Lost to Colorado, 4-1 in games, during first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: Bill Zito, GM But it's more about who's missing-elite left wing Taylor Hall, who signed a one-year free agent deal with Buffalo after the Coyotes traded away its 2020 first-round draft choice for him.
What to know: Arizona violated testing rules at the NHL Combine. As a result, the league took away the team's second-round pick in the 2020 Draft and its first-round pick for the 2021 Draft. Ouch.

Outlook: This squad will go as far as goalies Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta takes it with help from a strong defensive corps and always-prepared coach Rick Tocchet. But the addition of St. Louis and Minnesota is this division will make a tough task in the desert.
Colorado Avalanche2019-20 finish: g first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: Brandon Saad in trade with Chicago.
What to know: This team is loaded with so many skilled forwards and defenseman that it is likely one of them will be a tempting pick for Seattle when Kraken GM Ron Francis and colleagues see who is not on the Avalanche protected list. A wonderful team to watch to see how the game is played successfully in today's NHL.

Outlook: Nathan MacKinnon wins some votes (from players and coaches) for best all-around player in the world. Calder Trophy rookie-of-the-year Cale Makar is a playmaking defenseman who will scare opposing coaches (especially the assistant handling penalty kills) for the next decade. This group considers winning the Cup as the only satisfactory outcome for 2020-21.
Los Angeles Kings2019-20 finish: Didn't make the postseason round of 24.
New faces: This will depend on which prospects make the roster. Forward Quinton Byfield, the No. 2 pick in last October's draft, could stick. Other possible breakthrough prospects: Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev and defenseman Tobias Bjornfot, who are all coming off strong performances in the World Juniors.
What to know: The Kings have been stockpiling draft picks, selecting 11 prospects in the first and second rounds of the draft over the last four years.

Outlook: It's a stretch to expect LAK to contend for a divisional playoff spot unless some of the kids pick up the scoring punch that was greatly lacking last season. Three prominent members of the Cup-winning teams, center Anze Kopitar, defenseman Drew Doughty and goalie Jonathan Quick, remain in the top end of the lineup but no expert would say they are still in their primes. Kopitar still gets a lot of raves as a two-way player.
Minnesota Wild2019-20 finish: As No. 10 seed, lost 3-1 in games to No. 7 seed Vancouver in the Qualifying Round.
New faces: Russian left wing Kirill Kaprizov, long considered by many as the world's best player not in NHL, arrives this year. Former Edmonton and Calgary (and New York Rangers) goalie Cam Talbot signed as a free agent to replace the trade Devan Dubnyk.
What to know: Can Wild forward Kevin Fiala keep up his torrid scoring pace from last season when he notched 53 points in the final 56 games? Hockey analytics experts know Minnesota sports the league's best "shot-and-scoring change suppression" data over the last two seasons.

Outlook: This is a team that jelled with new coach Dean Evason, who replaced Bruce Boudreau. New captain and defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be a steady presence in the locker room and likely be in sync with Spurgeon. The Wild look like a team that can win enough games to get the division final four. Kaprizov will be intriguing to watch, especially against Colorado, Vegas and St. Louis.
San Jose Sharks 2019-20 finish: Didn't make the postseason round of 24
New faces: F Ryan Donato.
What to know: The Sharks traded for elite defenseman Erik Karlsson right before the 2018-19, giving up several high draft choices in 2019 through 2022, then subsequently signed him to a mega-contract at $11.5 million annually. Karlsson was among top Sharks to miss significant games last season due to injury (same for forwards Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl), dropping SJS out of the playoffs picture.

Outlook: The Sharks have missed the playoffs only three times in the 16 seasons Doug Wilson has been general manager. In this division and this season, make that four times in 17 years. Even with top players back on the ice, the San Jose goaltending has rated out last in the league for two straight seasons.
Vegas Golden Knights2019-20 finish: g first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: D-man Alex Pietrangelo signs as a free agent. The former St. Louis captain won a Cup with the Blues in 2019. His scouting reports on one-year-only division rival St. Louis should prove valuable.
What to know: Goalie Robin Lehner, acquired at the trade deadline, re-signed with VGK and appears to be the starter with expansion-season hero Marc Andre Fleury still in the mix.

Outlook: Expect Vegas to be squarely in the Stanley Cup hunt, perhaps better prepared if the fourth-year franchise can get past Colorado and/or St. Louis at the division level. Hockey analytics reveal Vegas as the NHL's leading team in puck possession (the more you have the puck, the less the opponent has a chance to score and the more opportunities for your squad to score).
St. Louis Blues2019-20 finish: Lost 4-2 in games to Vancouver in first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: Former Boston defenseman Torey Krug signed as a free agent even before Blues Cup-winning captain Alex Pietrangelo moved on to Vegas. Another top free agent, Florida forward Mike Hoffman, signed a one-year deal this past week to stay in camp with St. Louis after beginning training with a professional tryout contact (PTO).
What to know: Hoffman's acquisition will soften the blow of top scorer Vladimir Tarasenko shelved again with a third surgery on the same injured shoulder.

Outlook: While they might not be aligned as perennial Stanley Cup contenders, St. Louis is definitely in Cup chase-though will have to likely beat Colorado and Vegas to reach this season's slant on a final four. But remember only the Blues have grinded to the 16 wins needs to secure the most authentic trophy in professional sports. Top center Ryan O'Reilly and Brayden Schenn are catalysts up front and the Blues will need a bounce-back year from goalie Jordan Binnington (especially since formidable backup Jake Allen signed with Montreal as a free agent). Head coach Craig Berube is adept at getting the most from his players.