Burnside: Which Western Conference teams are cooked?

Scott Burnside
Scott Burnside
Burnside: Which Western Conference teams are cooked?
Credit: Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports

The drawing of the Thanksgiving line.

It is an annual rite of passage during every normal regular National Hockey League season.

It’s that moment on the calendar, marked for a number of years now by a full slate of action on Black Friday just to reinforce the import of the moment. A time for reflection and internal candor for NHL teams and their fans alike.

It’s the moment in the NHL season when owners, GMs, coaches, and of course players, have to look in the mirror and ask; are we cooked?

Or is there hope? Are we just a little cooked? Or maybe just marinating?

We can’t profess to be in on every like conversation in the NHL but we can give you our take on those teams who are currently sitting outside the playoff bubble as of Thanksgiving Eve (i.e. Wednesday morning) and how they fit into one of three cooking themed categories;

Truly Cooked, As In Burnt To A Crisp: teams with no chance of making the playoffs and who must, in some cases, confront the possibility of massive overhaul of their organizations and maybe sooner than later.

Cooked Yes, But Not Burnt, Not Yet: teams that have underachieved for a variety of reasons whether it be injuries or COVID-19 or underachievement but who still have at least an outside shot of reclaiming their season.

Just Marinating: those teams who aren’t where we thought they’d be but who we feel will be alright by the time the dust clears in the spring.

So, here we go with our Eastern Conference cooked or not cooked list.

Bon appetite.

Truly Cooked, As In Burnt To A Crisp

Arizona Coyotes

No surprise here given the scorched-earth rebuild that is afoot in the desert.

As of Thanksgiving, the Coyotes were playing their best hockey of the season but still dead last in the NHL with a .263 winning percentage. But credit GM Bill Armstrong, who seems to have emerged from some early missteps in his first NHL GM gig for having introduced a plan with a clear vision of the future in the desert. It won’t be pretty for a while, but already this is a team that seems to be getting it.

And credit, too, to rookie NHL head coach Andre Tourigny for getting the most out of a lineup that pretty much every single night is overmatched. If there was a category ‘burnt to a crisp but okay’ the ‘Yotes would be in it.

Seattle Kraken

Imagine the expansion Kraken acting like a, wait for it, expansion team? Shocking. But that’s the problem when you follow the Vegas Golden Knights, Stanley Cup finalists in their first year of existence, into the NHL. You face a lot of unrealistic expectations.

Certainly, there is little that connects those two teams as the Kraken have failed to be competitive on many nights through the first quarter of their first season. The goaltending has been shoddy and the team defense not much better as the Kraken are dead last in goals-allowed per game. The special teams and offense are middle of the road, but there’s lots of room for improvement for head coach Dave Hakstol.

The challenge will be in navigating the rest of the season and determining how best to reset in the offseason in preparation for a sophomore run. And specifically, moving assets like captain Mark Giordano, who is in the final year of his contract.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver is a tire fire and it’s hard to see how the team manages to beat back the flames and make a run at the playoffs. The shocking regression of star center Elias Pettersson is just one of a litany of problems that ail this franchise.

Ownership, ultimately the makers of this mess with their handling of management matters over most of the last decade, have to decide what options there may be for GM Jim Benning, who has lurched from one contract crisis to another, the latest being the addition of Oliver Ekman-Larsson in a misguided reclamation project that promises to haunt the team moving forward.

And what of Travis Green, who has gone from being praised as one of the bright coaching minds in the game to someone who looks overwhelmed? Hard to imagine a change of scenery isn’t needed for both the team and the coach to move forward. In the end it’s less about making the playoffs than who is left standing when this season ends.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks were a late add to the ‘burnt to a crisp’ designation after we watched them get mauled by Edmonton and Calgary this week.

In spite of a brief surge under interim head coach Derek King, the nightly reality is that this team is not very good. They handle the puck carelessly, they are woeful in their own zone and there is a sad realization that Jonathan Toews looks spent. Unless Marc-Andre Fleury stands on his head, the Hawks have little chance of beating even mediocre teams.

With Dallas underachieving and Nashville in sight, the playoffs are not out of the question…wait, yes they are. Never mind. As you were.

Cooked Yes, But Not Burnt, Yet

Dallas Stars

Such a disappointing start to the season for a team that two years ago was two wins away from winning a Stanley Cup.

We figured this team to be right in the heart of the Central Division discussion given their mix of youthful skill and veteran experience. Nope. The offense stinks, especially 5-on-5, where they are dead last in the NHL. And frankly we’re surprised at some of the decisions made by head coach Rick Bowness, including scratching Riley Tufte at home in Minnesota. Once again, karma, my friends, karma.

Barring a dramatic reversal of fortune don’t see the playoffs being in the cards and that means hard decisions for GM Jim Nill, vis a vis John Klingberg, who is in his contract year. Same with Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov, who seems pretty much out of gas at this point.

San Jose Sharks

There’s been a resurgence in the three California markets after two straight years with no California teams in the playoffs.

The Sharks and the Kings (see below) are deadlocked in points and frankly deadlocked in our mind in terms of whether they have the goods to push into the top eight. We’re skeptical on both counts but good on head coach Bob Boughner for keeping the Sharks in the hunt. And what a great story James Reimer – 1.87 GAA and .940 save percentage – has been for San Jose.

Los Angeles Kings

We like the Kings’ chances better than we do the Sharks’ chances and not just for this season, but moving forward. Staying in the hunt without Sean Walker, Drew Doughty and super prospect Quinton Byfield all out with significant injuries, has been impressive. Even if the Kings fall short again this season, this is a Los Angeles team that is definitely on the rise.

Just Marinating

Colorado Avalanche

The Avs are like a bear hibernating (or marinating if you will). Having played fewer games than any of their Western Conference and still without Nathan MacKinnon, the Avs will hit the Thanksgiving signpost on the outside of the playoff bubble. Just.

Probably not a bad thing for a team that didn’t have much in the way of adversity last season and crumbled against Vegas in the second round. There aren’t many folks around the game who are worried about this team not being in the playoffs next spring. Maybe none.

A contract extension for Jared Bednar was a smart organizational move, even if the two-year term doesn’t scream commitment. The goaltending has only been meh – they’re 26th in goals-allowed per game – which may be making GM Joe Sakic just a little nervous. But how about Nazem Kadri, who as of Wednesday was tied for fourth in NHL scoring?

So, which of the eight teams currently ensconced in a playoff spot are most vulnerable? Well, the Avs are knocking someone out of a spot and we’re still not sold on Nashville, although great to see Matt Duchene reinvigorated for the Preds. And do you believe in the Anaheim Ducks? We do but they’ve got to prove they’re the real deal post-Thanksgiving but seem equipped to do just that.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

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