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Ducks, Blackhawks and Sharks Making the West More Interesting



It’s been a long time since these three teams made the playoffs, but there is a good chance that at least one of them gets there in 2026.

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48 Comments

  1. About bloody time considering how long these teams were in the basement; and if the Hawks don't win at least 2 Cups in the next 10 years they failed Bedard. Nice to see Coach Q doing great!

  2. Funny thing is I think Kaiser has been the best defenseman for the Hawks and hes not on the board. So many good yound d the organization right now.

  3. I subbed to the athletic for a dedicated writer for every team then NYT bought it out and now Eric Stephens (great reporter) suddenly had to cover all of California. Now, you have better coverage of Anaheim. I've cancelled the athletic and now prefer your channel. Thank you Shannon. What can I do to support you?

  4. The Ducks are for sure a team that has completely made a 180 and will make the playoffs with how this team has been playing with a coach who knows what to do with these guys

  5. Great video THG! Excellent x-ray of these three up and coming teams. I am a Sharks season ticket holder and have enjoyed watching them become an exciting team to watch most nights. That said, I believe the Ducks are going to compete for a playoff spot this year if they stay healthy. The Blackhawks and Sharks still have some needed development and missing pieces IMO. Thanks for this deep dive.

  6. With so many of the other Pacific teams effectively lapping Vancouver, it is the perfect time for the Canucks to do a tear down and rebuild. Too bad the owner steadfastly refuses. It's the only rational course.

  7. As a sharks fan ive always trusted in GMMG and the amount of work it has taken to rebuild things after the Wilson era… GMMG is absolutly NAILING it!

  8. There's finally a mindset change in Chicago. The young guys are starting to put it together. Last three seasons, something bad would happen and they'd fold the tent, not this year. They still lack a dynamic talent to play along Bedard but Burakovsky with his speed and shot has definitely helped.

  9. The last few Ducks games has been insane and they've beaten cup contenders in those games too. This could get dangerous as they've been the strongest towards the end of the season the last few years.

  10. chicago has such a strong base of young talent, they'll be noticeably better by even the all star break, definitely pushing for a playoff spot

  11. I don’t think Anaheim is going to use that cap space to bring in players, they need to sign their own stars first.

  12. For the Hawks' trade deadline i think will depend on where they are in the standings as well on where they are with their prospects.

    If more prospects are ready to jump from the SHL, KHL, and/or NCAA and they are a bit away from a playoff spot i would expect major selling. If the kids arent ready and they are near a wildcard spot, i would not expect any additions, but i would expect them to not sell any players.

  13. Grier is such an underrated GM not saying he's like the best but while his moves look underwhelming they seem to age really well more often than not

  14. As a Rangers fan I want the Ducks to go on a ridiculous cup winning Cinderella run so both Trouba and Kreider can win. The New York Rangers dealt them a bad hand and I really want them to get their revenge. Plus I really like Trouba and Kreider and want to see them succeed.

  15. Sharks are simply fun to watch. There will be nights when they just get dominated but they have the ability to hang in games by scoring. Defense has been better recently but it will still be an issue throughout the season.

  16. Blackhawks fan! LONG SEASON, but there is NO WAY we are bottom three in the conference again this year as others predicted. I said we could be middle of the pack and MAYBE contend for a WC. Elsewhere, Quenneville is great, no big surprise Anaheim is doing better than expected.

  17. Ducks season ticket holder – you can go ahead and use the proper term for the Ducks offense last year – it’s “inept”.

  18. I'm a Sharks fan, but let me start off by saying that, Yes, the Ducks are for real – great mix of strong young forwards and experienced vets. If they stay healthy,they are playoff-bound. As to the Sharks, they've been great fun to watch this year – after a slow start they have begun to find their game. You noted the 6-1 drubbing of Seattle – tonight htey took down the Jets…as they recently did to the Avs and the Wild Everyone is (rightly) talking about Macklin, but Will Smith has been great, and Wennberg, Adam Gaudette, Colin Graf have become reliable 2-way players…and Ethan Cardwell is looking to become the next player to meet that description. On D, Orlov, Ferraro and Mukhamedullin have been strong, and Liljegren is playing his best hockey ever. I don't think they'll make the playoffs, but if they keep up the recent trend that could really make waves next season.

  19. Picking kurashev up was such a smart deal he really helps their top 6 and they also could flip him on the deadline

  20. I'm enjoying the Duck's season so far. I hope they stay healthy and make the playoffs. If they get in to the playoffs and get past the first round it's just gravy.

  21. Lots of talent. Enjoying watching these teams grow. Right now it seems it is Montreal and the Ducks that are the top young teams. I think both are for real.

  22. Here’s the deal with Chicago too, they could have the same record as Anaheim, there are games where they are completely outplaying the other team 5on5. Sometimes the puck goes in sometimes it doesn’t. There are definitely some games they lost that they could have won with a little luck.

    But it’s night and day from years past. Watching the Blackhawks lose in a game where they are as good or outplay their opponent is so much more exciting and relieving than watching them get blown out and outplayed. It’s finally fun to watch Blackhawks hockey again and not just watching the Blackhawks because of Bedard. The Blackhawks are back.

    Big cuddos to Anaheim and San Jose too. The West is going to be so much fun to watch not just this year, but for years onward. I’m so happy about all three of these.

    Celebrini Bedard and Carlsson are going to be feeding families for years.
    LETS GO HAWKS

  23. The grind and injuries are factors why the Sharks and Ducks won't make the playoffs. I like why they are doing in I-5. I knew at some point that they were on the rise, but not this soon. 😂

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