The Pacific Division is the NHL’s most exciting division. There is offensive firepower scattered throughout this division. Almost every team in the division either has a Hall of Famer or superstar in the making. It’s definitely the season to stay up and watch the late game.
- Edmonton- The Oilers have the best hockey player on earth, Connor McDavid. They also have one of the ten best players in the world, Leon Draisaitl. Zach Hyman fits perfectly in Edmonton. He goes to the net, finds open areas and buries passes from McDavid and Draisaitl. Viktor Arvidsson’s prickly game was added over the summer. Edmonton has championship depth but Evander Kane will miss the start of the season. Kane’s importance to the team showed when he didn’t play in the playoffs. Evan Bouchard emerged last season as a true number one defenseman. Darnell Nurse must at least play like a top four defenseman. Mattias Ekholm is a physical force on the backend. Stuart Skinner is now entrenched as the starting goalie.
- Vancouver- Rick Tocchet’s Canucks took the NHL by storm last season. They will not sneak up on anyone this season. JT Miller, Elias Petterson and Brock Boeser put aside previous disfunction and had monster years. Jake Debrusk will add even more offense. Depth forwards Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua’s abrasive play make Vancouver complete team upfront. Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. Philip Hronek partners perfectly with Hughes on the top pair. Goaltender Thatcher Demko is one of the best in the NHL. The only thing he can’t stop consistently is the injury bug.
- Los Angeles- The Los Angeles Kings are led by their captain Anze Kopitar. Kopitar is a great leader as well as a Hall of Fame two -way center. If he played in a traditional hockey market there would already be a statue built of him. Adrian Kempe is the most underrated winger in the league. He’s a big- time scorer who is sneaky physical. Quinton Byfield showed last season why he was a number two overall pick. Byfield’s size, speed and hands were on display as he kept improving all season. The Kings need more out of Kevin Fiala. The rugged Tanner Jeannot hopes to resurrect his career in LA. Hall of Famer Drew Doughty leads a defense. Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke are highly touted kids. Veterans Joel Edmundson and Vlad Gavrikov will handle the nasty stuff. Darcy Kuemper should stabilize the Kings goaltending situation which has been their Achilles heel of late.
- Vegas – The Golden Knights always push their chips to the middle of the table. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl are aces. Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson are jacks. Vegas doesn’t have as many face cards as they used to. Alex Pietrangelo is still the leader of a very good blueline. Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov will battle for time in net. If either has an All – Star season Vegas could move back to the top of the division.
- Seattle- The Kraken have a bunch of pretty good players. What they need is a superstar. Center Matty Beniers has shown signs he maybe it. Chandler Stephenson is certainly being paid like a superstar. Forwards Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev bring an energy that makes Seattle a fun team to watch. Brandon Montour comes over from Florida to lead better than average defense. Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson are more than just minute eaters. Phillip Grubauer’s play in net will determine if Seattle finishes in the top or bottom half of the division.
- Anaheim- Is this the year goaltender John Gibson is not worn out by Thanksgiving? He might be worn out but he’ll have more wins. The Ducks have a massive amount of young offense talent in Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, Cutter Gauthier, Mason MacTavish. Veterans Troy Terry, Alex Killorn, Robby Fabbri and Frank Vatrano also light the lamp consistently. The Ducks defense isn’t nearly as talented. Long time Duck Cam Fowler is steady not flashy. New Captain Radko Gudas has gone from goon to solid defenseman. Brian Dumoulin hopes to regain one of the two steps he’s lost.
- Calgary- The Flames have lost a ton of high-end talent recently. Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund. Nazem Kadri remain. Connor Zary is a bright spot on the roster because he’s young and skilled. Blake Coleman, Ryan Lomberg and Martin Pospisil play the rough brand of hockey this franchise is known for. Calgary used to have a top-notch defense. Now MacKenzie Weegar is their only above average defensemen. Dustin Wolf and Daniel Vladar will try and fill the hole in net left by Jacob Markstrom.
- San Jose- The Sharks will have number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini in their lineup opening night. Will Smith the Sharks other top prospect will also be on the ice. Veteran forwards Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Granlund and Alex Wennberg are there to assist in both youngsters development. The Sharks defensemen are all fifth and sixth defensemen on good teams. Hot shot goalie Yaroslav Askarov will have plenty of opportunities to make highlight reel saves.
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