A new year can always be looked at as a way to start fresh, even in the NHL. While New Year's resolutions may not be the status quo of losing weight or eating healthier or breaking a bad habit like smoking for hockey teams, all should view January 1 as a turning point of the season and a time to right the ship.
Here are the New Year's resolutions for all fourteen Western Conference teams.
Anaheim Ducks: Keep the home streak alive
The last time the Ducks lost in regulation at the Honda Center? Game Seven of the 2013 playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings. While Anaheim has been good but not great away from home, the toughest part of the schedule appears to be out of the way. The Ducks have played nine more games on the road than at Honda Center and remain 14-0-2 at home and tied for the best record in hockey with the Chicago Blackhawks. Scary.
Calgary Flames: Trade Mike Cammalleri
The Flames are not going anywhere any time soon, and Cammalleri's value will not get any higher as time goes on. Trading him for youth and/or draft picks would be a wise move for this rebuilding team.
Chicago Blackhawks: Keep the pedal to the metal
After a historic start to last season, people expected the Blackhawks to go into some sort of slump. Every team goes through slumps, right? Well, it never happened as the Hawks went on to capture the Stanley Cup. This year, Chicago is tied with Anaheim for the best record in the NHL and still has not fallen into any sort of slump. It still seems inevitable, but this team is so talented that it has the potential to cruise into the playoffs and never slow down.
Colorado Avalanche: Turn the clock back to October
The Avalanche was the biggest surprise in the NHL through the first month and a half, but has now come back down to earth, losing seven of its last ten games. Colorado needs to figure out what has gone wrong before it gets swallowed up by the rest of the strong Western Conference.
Dallas Stars: Don't disappoint the fans
Sports fans in Dallas have been through an awful lot. The Texas Rangers have found all sorts of ways to choke the last three seasons away, the Stars seem to stay in the playoff hunt until the last week of the season every year and we all know what the Cowboys do. It's time for the Stars to be the ones to right the ship in the Big "D" and bring the fans something to cheer about.
Edmonton Oilers: If there are no signs of improvement, blow it up
What other option is there for the Oilers at this point? They are not making the playoffs this year and everyone is getting impatient about how the young talent has not been able to produce wins. If the struggle continues for another month or two, this already rebuilding team needs to start rebuilding all over again.
Los Angeles Kings: Score more goals
The Kings are one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup, due mostly in part to their defense and goaltending. No matter who is between the pipes, it seems like nobody can score on Los Angeles. The offense has still been decent, but if the Kings start to score just a little bit more, nobody should be able to stop them.
Minnesota Wild: Start fresh in 2014
The end of 2013 was a nightmare for Minnesota, losing its last five games (as of December 30) and seven of ten. The Wild can't score goals or win on the road, and Minnesota is now on the outside looking in in terms of the playoff picture.
Nashville Predators: SCORE.
Despite netting six goals against Detroit on Monday night, the Predators are dead last in the Western Conference in scoring. They are at the bottom of the Central Division, but remain well within reach of a playoff spot with Pekka Rinne set to come back within the next week or two. If Nashville can start scoring, it can push its way into the thick of the playoff race.
Phoenix Coyotes: Don't bank on the "loser point"
The Coyotes lead the Western Conference in overtime losses with nine - which translates to nine points from overtime losses. In fact, the last three games in which Phoenix played resulted in overtime or shootout losses. Getting a point for losing is better than nothing, but the Coyotes need to start finishing off their opponents in order to jump back into the race.
San Jose Sharks: Start winning more on the road
There really isn't much that the Sharks need to fix. The team seems to be doing everything right and holds an incredible 14-1-3 record on home ice. Nevertheless, the 11-7-3 road record, while still better than many teams, could improve.
St. Louis Blues: Learn how to beat the California teams
Like San Jose, the Blues don't have many things to fix. One glaring issue, however, is that the Blues are 0-5-0 so far this season against the Ducks, Kings and Sharks. If the Blues have any hope of winning the Stanley Cup this season, they will almost certainly need to go through at least one of these teams in the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks: Trust Torts
Many questioned the hiring of John Tortorella as head coach of the Canucks this past summer, but everything is working out great so far. Vancouver is a whopping 10-1-2 this season, and it has re-established itself as one of the top teams in the NHL.
Winnipeg Jets: Make some moves
Since moving to Winnipeg in 2011, the Jets have hardly made any roster changes whatsoever. Sure enough, they are hovering around mediocrity once again. If management wants to get this team on the right track and give some excitement to the loyal fans, it needs to start wheeling and dealing.
2014 should be without a doubt an exciting year in hockey, as many twists and turns surely await us in the coming days and months. On behalf of eDraft Sports, we wish you a happy and safe new year!