After an off-season thus far that saw the Knights lose six players from their line-up, the closely packed Pacific Division will be tough for Vegas to get back into a top 3 spot.
Last season the Golden Knights finished 4th in the Pacific Division, just one point behind the 3rd place Los Angeles Kings. After a off-season to date where the Golden Knights lost top six players in Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson to free agency as well as forwards Michael Amadio, William Carrier and Anthony Mantha, getting back into a top three spot in the Pacific Division won't be easy. The reigning Pacific Division champions in the Vancouver Cancuks, the Western Conference defending champions in the Edmonton Oilers and the rival Los Angeles Kings are all once again expected to compete with the Golden Knights for a top three spot in the Pacific once again this coming season.
While the NHL off-season is only one week in, the majority of teams heavy lifting on their roster construction has been done. There still could be some player movement, but barring anything drastic or unforeseen, the rosters that you see now could be pretty similar to the rosters the teams start training camp with come September. So for now, we forecast how the Pacific Division could play out based on the teams right now.
1. Edmonton Oilers- The Oilers were one win away from becoming the first Canadian team to hoist the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Instead, the Oilers dropped Game 7 in Florida, after coming back down from a 3-0 deficit. The Oilers are poised to make another deep run next Spring as the team will have Super Stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl once again leading the charge. While Zach Hyman may not repeat his 54 goals again, he will still be good for a minimum of 40 goals as long as he's playing with #97. The Oilers were also able to add goal scorers in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to add more scoring depth to their lineup. While they lost hard-nosed forward Warren Foegele and defenseman Vinny Desharnais to free agency, and traded Ryan McLeod to Buffalo, the Oilers still figure to be the class of the division.
2. Vancouver Canucks- After surprisingly winning the Pacific Division last season the Canucks will be out to prove it wasn't a fluke. While the Canucks lost trade acquisitions from last season in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, they will continue to rely on their best players in Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes. Thatcher Demko, who was injured in the playoffs, will be back in between the pipes for the Canucks, after being nominated for his first Vezina Trophy last season. The Canucks were able to land talented forward Jake DeBrusk in free agency as well as the towering defenseman Vinny Desharnais from the aforementioned Edmonton Oilers. If Demko stays healthy and provides the Canucks with the goaltending he gave them last season the Canucks will one again contend for the Pacific Division crown.
3. Vegas Golden Knights- Last season the Knights fell just one point shy of a top three spot in the Pacific, seeing the Kings grab 3rd place over Vegas. While the Knights lost six impactful forwards from their lineup and veteran defenseman Alec Martinez, the Knights should be able to once again finish in a top three spot this season. The Knights still have a lot of offensive firepower led by Jack Eichel, Captain Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Tomas Hertl but what gives them the edge over Los Angeles is goaltending. Yes, the Kings new starting goalie in Darcy Kuemper has a Stanley Cup ring himself, at this point in time the Knights have the stronger starting goalie in Adin Hill. However, you can likely expect for the Knights and Kings to battle for 3rd place in the Pacific all season long.
4. Los Angeles Kings- The Kings made one of the more shocking moves this off-season when they moved center Pierre Luc-Dubois to the Washington Capitals for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. While Dubois didn't live up to his expectations in LA, his departure has weakened the Kings down the middle. The additions of forwards Tanner Jeannot and Warren Foegele will bring speed to the lineup and make them harder to play against but when you compare their pure skill to the Oilers, Canucks and Knights they are a step behind.
Barring any surprises, those are the four teams that will once again make-up spots 1-4 in the Pacific.
The Seattle Kraken will likely finish in the 5th spot in the Pacific, battling for a wild-card spot after missing out on the playoffs last season. The retooling Calgary Flames would than come in at 6th place, while the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks project to finish in spots 7 and 8 and potentially in the draft lottery once again next June. Hauppauge, Long Island's James Hagens is currently the consenus 1st overall pick. Hagens, 17, has played the last two seasons with the USNDT team and will be attending Boston College in the fall.
While the NHL off-season is only one week in, the majority of teams heavy lifting on their roster construction has been done. There still could be some player movement, but barring anything drastic or unforeseen, the rosters that you see now could be pretty similar to the rosters the teams start training camp with come September. So for now, we forecast how the Pacific Division could play out based on the teams right now.
1. Edmonton Oilers- The Oilers were one win away from becoming the first Canadian team to hoist the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Instead, the Oilers dropped Game 7 in Florida, after coming back down from a 3-0 deficit. The Oilers are poised to make another deep run next Spring as the team will have Super Stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl once again leading the charge. While Zach Hyman may not repeat his 54 goals again, he will still be good for a minimum of 40 goals as long as he's playing with #97. The Oilers were also able to add goal scorers in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to add more scoring depth to their lineup. While they lost hard-nosed forward Warren Foegele and defenseman Vinny Desharnais to free agency, and traded Ryan McLeod to Buffalo, the Oilers still figure to be the class of the division.
2. Vancouver Canucks- After surprisingly winning the Pacific Division last season the Canucks will be out to prove it wasn't a fluke. While the Canucks lost trade acquisitions from last season in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, they will continue to rely on their best players in Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes. Thatcher Demko, who was injured in the playoffs, will be back in between the pipes for the Canucks, after being nominated for his first Vezina Trophy last season. The Canucks were able to land talented forward Jake DeBrusk in free agency as well as the towering defenseman Vinny Desharnais from the aforementioned Edmonton Oilers. If Demko stays healthy and provides the Canucks with the goaltending he gave them last season the Canucks will one again contend for the Pacific Division crown.
3. Vegas Golden Knights- Last season the Knights fell just one point shy of a top three spot in the Pacific, seeing the Kings grab 3rd place over Vegas. While the Knights lost six impactful forwards from their lineup and veteran defenseman Alec Martinez, the Knights should be able to once again finish in a top three spot this season. The Knights still have a lot of offensive firepower led by Jack Eichel, Captain Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Tomas Hertl but what gives them the edge over Los Angeles is goaltending. Yes, the Kings new starting goalie in Darcy Kuemper has a Stanley Cup ring himself, at this point in time the Knights have the stronger starting goalie in Adin Hill. However, you can likely expect for the Knights and Kings to battle for 3rd place in the Pacific all season long.
4. Los Angeles Kings- The Kings made one of the more shocking moves this off-season when they moved center Pierre Luc-Dubois to the Washington Capitals for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. While Dubois didn't live up to his expectations in LA, his departure has weakened the Kings down the middle. The additions of forwards Tanner Jeannot and Warren Foegele will bring speed to the lineup and make them harder to play against but when you compare their pure skill to the Oilers, Canucks and Knights they are a step behind.
Barring any surprises, those are the four teams that will once again make-up spots 1-4 in the Pacific.
The Seattle Kraken will likely finish in the 5th spot in the Pacific, battling for a wild-card spot after missing out on the playoffs last season. The retooling Calgary Flames would than come in at 6th place, while the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks project to finish in spots 7 and 8 and potentially in the draft lottery once again next June. Hauppauge, Long Island's James Hagens is currently the consenus 1st overall pick. Hagens, 17, has played the last two seasons with the USNDT team and will be attending Boston College in the fall.
