In part one of The Lead’s Pacific Division preview, one team rose even more after last year. In a weak division, there was a noticeable shake-up in who will make the playoffs.
That said, what’s to come for the anticipated playoff teams? The Golden Knights still seem to be a fixture in the division. The Edmonton Oilers will always be a threat with their star-studded roster. The Ducks are in win-now mode, and the Sharks are better than ever. In part one, we predicted the following standings among the non-playoff teams.
8. Vancouver Canucks
7. Seattle Kraken
6. Calgary Flames
5. Los Angeles Kings
If four Pacific teams make it past early April, who will they be?
4. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks were a surprise last season. Year one with Joel Quenneville as their bench boss catapulted them into the playoffs, and even a series win. In fact, it was their first playoff series win since 2018, when they made it to the Conference Finals. Although it was an impressive season, it shouldn’t be considered the norm moving forward. With the established giants and rising teams in the Pacific, the Ducks will have to hold on tight to maintain playoff success.
The Leo Carlsson offer sheet fiasco really shaped the Ducks’ offseason. With a serious cap crunch, the Ducks had to offload players like Mason McTavish and Olen Zellweger to make room for Carlsson’s monster deal. Cutter Gauthier and Pavel Mintyukov also got extensions, locking down the team’s current and future core. Drafting Nikita Klepov late in the first round proved beneficial, as he later signed to his ELC and could make an impact as soon as this season.
Lukas Dostal will be a major player for the Ducks’ success. At 26, this season will be a big one in determining whether he’s a bona fide starter. He’s shown flashes, but last season was particularly concerning. His stats didn’t jump off the page, and for a team that made a brief playoff run, the expectation is that he would’ve brought more confidence to the starting crease. Regardless, he’s entering year three as the clear-cut starter in Anaheim, and it will be a big one in determining his future with the organization.
As mentioned earlier, it’s hard to justify a rise in the standings for the Ducks. At the absolute best, the Ducks will stay put. With risers in the division, however, they seemed poised to drop ever so slightly. The supporting cast got weaker, and more pressure will rest on Carlsson and Gauthier to drive the team’s scoring. Thankfully, they have a young group of studs, which should serve them well for years to come. Perhaps a rally behind newly named captain Mikael Granlund will energize the team to beat their unimpressive offseason.
3. San Jose Sharks
What is there to say about the Sharks that hasn’t already been said? For a long time, they were a force in the West led by Jumbo Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Despite an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, they couldn’t get the job done and slowly deteriorated into a full-blown rebuild. Last season, the team went from rebuilding to competitive, fighting for a playoff spot to the bitter end. Although they couldn’t break the playoff line, they’re heavily bought in and look ready to play some postseason hockey. With Macklin Celebrini as the franchise’s new captain, the Sharks are full steam ahead for mid-April.
The Sharks overhauled the defense by trading for Darnell Nurse and signing Jacob Trouba. The additions are largely underwhelming, but still an improvement and an opportunity to bridge the gap until their defensive prospects can make the jump. Michael Kesselring was another blueliner brought in to stabilize the group. Mason Marchment was an incredible top-six signing, and Ivar Stenberg has Calder Trophy-winning upside as the second overall pick in the draft.
This season almost entirely hinges on those defensive additions. Trouba, Nurse and Kesselring don’t need to be Norris Trophy-worthy. They’re veteran players meant to give a young group some consistency. So long as they do that, the Sharks should enjoy a very successful season. Look for Yaroslav Askarov to benefit in net with these additions as well.
How far they go remains to be seen. At the end of the day, it’s still a budding group with no playoff appearance so far. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s doubtful the San Jose Sharks will build a Stanley Cup winner in just a few seasons. Still, expect the group to establish themselves as a new threat in the Pacific.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are one of the most successful expansion teams in the modern era. Several NHL teams are looking for their first cup, and the Golden Knights did it in just year six and have three trips total to the Finals already; in one-third of their seasons, the Golden Knights have reached the Finals. After last season’s run, they are clearly still a force in the West and have no plans of slowing down.
Like most contenders from last year, the Golden Knights had a quiet offseason. Unfortunately for them, purely from a roster perspective, the group got weaker. The main example is one trade that sent Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers. With a contract pending and RFA status, there was simply no way to support his extension. Beyond that, the Golden Knights prioritized retaining the players that they could and maintaining consistency. They also decided not to retain interim head coach John Tortorella and signed Ryan Craig.
Goaltending has been a major point of contention ever since the end of the Marc-Andre Fleury x Robin Lehner era. Last season, Carter Hart was a pleasant surprise who disappeared in the Finals. Adin Hill is inconsistent at best, but was largely disappointing last year. The Golden Knights have the horses on both ends of the ice. There’s no denying their firepower in the offensive zone and the physical, stifling defensive motor. It’s rare that teams win Cups with a poor goaltending situation. The Knights better hope one of those two guys can at least stay consistent not only through the regular season but all the way through the playoffs.
The Golden Knights, more often than not, have led the Pacific or come close. This season looks to be no different, as they’re poised to finish top-two yet again. That said, they didn’t make any noticeable improvements. In fact, they offloaded a major contributor in Dorefeyev. Still, it’s just impossible to overlook this team. Only one other roster in the division looks stronger than the Golden Knights.
1. Edmonton Oilers
It’s about time Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl get back in the saddle and win the division they have never even won. The last time the Oilers took ownership of a division was 1986-87 in the five-team Smythe Division. Of course, this was in the middle of the Gretzky-led dynasty. McDavid has long had his reputation marred by a ringless career, despite having one of the most impressive individual resumes in league history. Most hockey players will take one ring over any individual accolade. The crew in Edmonton seems more energized and hungry than ever to bring glory back to their city, known for its Cup wins many moons ago.
The Oilers were pretty nifty with their offseason compared to most contenders. Two moves headlined their offseason. The first was a “buy low” trade that brought in Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres. Next, they dumped Darnell Nurse to the Sharks in exchange for Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp. Mukhamadullin slots in the lineup as a younger, cheaper, but still relatively reliable defenseman. Some would argue that dropping Nurse even makes the team better, at least given what he’s being paid. With a few other extensions, the lineup was set.
Oilers’ Goaltending Woes
The Oilers have a similar issue to the Golden Knights, and it’s arguably worse for them: goaltending. For whatever reason, regardless of the name in net, the Oilers have not had a reliable goaltender in many seasons. The aforementioned Levi trade at least gives them a young option with breakout potential in a new organization. Tristan Jarry was brought in via trade last season and immediately took a noticeable dip on the stat sheet. Ideally, defensemen like Mattias Ekholm, Connor Murphy and Evan Bouchard can support their goaltenders and instill some confidence in the crease. Pair that with continued offensive success, and no team in the Pacific is stronger than the Oilers.
For a team up against the salary cap, the Oilers did a solid job with their offseason. Once Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returns from his injury, which shouldn’t take long, the Oilers will arguably be the strongest they’ve ever been. Not only should this team win the division, but they should also make a deep run like in 2024 and 2025. Ideally, in this rodeo, they don’t fall short and take down whoever they meet on the Eastern Conference side of the bracket.
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