Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Key Question For Every Western Conference Team

10/02/2014 at 8:17am EDT

from John Kreiser of NHL.com,

Here's a look at a key question facing each team in the Western Conference:

Arizona Coyotes

Who's going to put the puck in the net? The Coyotes bought out center Mike Ribeiro and let forward Radim Vrbata leave as a free agent, removing two of their top-five point producers from last season. The biggest import is forward Sam Gagner, who in seven seasons with the Edmonton Oilers never topped 19 goals or 49 points. Coach Dave Tippett hopes rookies like 2013 first-round pick Max Domi are ready for the NHL and that young players such as Mikkel Boedker can take the next step. The Coyotes get more offense from their blue line than most teams, but they'll need more firepower up front to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Colorado Avalanche

Was last season a fluke or a harbinger of better things to come? The Avalanche came out of nowhere to win the Central Division under new coach Patrick Roy. Colorado had plenty of speed and skill and the Avalanche were one of the NHL's most exciting teams. But they won the division despite being outshot by 3.2 shots per game and allowing an average of 32.7 shots on goal, the most of any team that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Semyon Varlamov (.927 save percentage) was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, but unless the Avalanche tighten up defensively, they're risking a significant drop in a tight Western Conference playoff race.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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