Fansided Five

So far we have taken you around the NHL on our Fansided Five to the Atlantic Division, the Northeast, and the Pacific.  Were going to stay out West this week and look at the Central division.

Formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference realignment, the former Norris Division boasts the Western Conference’s eastern most teams.  As of this article, the Pacific Division boasts both the best and the worst team in the NHL.

If there is one team in the National Hockey league that could be labeled a dynasty in the modern NHL full of parity, the Detroit Red Wings would be it.  This organization year in and year out, despite a salary cap and free agency is a destination for players because of the winning attitude.  Detroit wins consistently.  The organization brings in players that help them win, but they also develop their their own players.  One such player is Jiri Hudler.  Drafted by the Red Wings in 2002, he has steadily become a stalwart on the Red Wings Roster. 

Nashville is starting to take root as a team that wil vie for the Stanley Cup in the next few years, but they have some wholes on their roster.  They also have the Suter/Weber UFA/RFA this offseason.  What will it take to make them a contender and who should they be targetting?  Predlines offers a solution to help make Nashville more than a dark horse in the NHL. 

While most of our sites have growing staffs – Bleedin’g Blue is in need of some writers.  If you have an interest in writing about the Blue and Gold of the Western Conference, you should fill out the blogger application here.  I could go on and on about the benefits of being a writer for Fansided Sports, but I would rather direct you to a player who is deserving of a little recognition on a team fighting for supremacy in the Pacific division, goaltender Jaroslav Halak. 

The Chicago Blackhawks are a team looking to capitalize on a core of great young players with a Stanley Cup Ring.  But the Stanley Cup is like Lays Potato Chips to those that have won it, you can’t just have one.  The ‘Hawks had an off night last night as Sam Gagner had a career night. 

This season looked very promising for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who tried to change the culture of hockey in Ohio by adding some players to help make them a contender in the Pacific and the Western Conference.  Bringing in the bottom of the league this year as a dissappointment, the Columbus media are really starting to get on this team. 

Tune in again next Friday as we take a look at another division in the Fansided Five on Sabrenoise.com!

• Follow us on Twitter. In fact, don’t just follow us.  Follow who I follow and who follows me.  You’d be amazed at what you can learn about the Sabres, and how many laughs you can have. Oh, and that’s just @sabrenoise, also follow @dansterlace, @Megan_Colleen_, and @Lardsy
• Join us on Faceboook! Visit the SabreNoise Page or on the Network Blogs App
• Check out our main NHL site,  Too Many Men.  It’s a daily dose of hockey from around the league.
• Have you heard Rink Side Rants yet?  It’s a weekly live podcast that airs on Sunday nights at 9 PM.  It’s like a fireside chat with me and Frank from The Rat Trick about hockey and whatever else is going on.