NHL Preview: Pacific Division

Yesterday, I previewed the NHL Metropolitan division. Today, I head west to take a look at the Pacific division, home of the top western conference team in last year’s regular season.

(TheUltimateSportsBlog.com)

Anaheim Ducks

Last season: 51-24-7 (109 points). Lost in Western Conference Finals.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Acquired Kevin Bieksa and Carl Hagelin to essentially replace Francois Beauchemin. 

This season: The Ducks are once again in great shape to contend. The duo of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry is as good as any duo in the league, Ryan Kessler stayed healthy and provided the team with exactly what they needed throughout the year and their defense is solid. Their biggest problem is in goal. Right now they have three guys who could be the #1 guy, which means they have no #1 guy. Whether it’s John Gibson, Frederik Anderson, or Anton Khudobin, if one of them emerges as the top guy, the Ducks should be set for the season.

Biggest question: Who will carry the load in net? 

Outlook: Like the Capitals, the Ducks success isn’t based on what they do in the regular season. They’ll be one of the top teams in the west all season, but if they fail in the game seven again, heads might roll. 

Prediction: 1st in the Pacific Division.

Vancouver Canucks

Last season: 48-29-5 (101 points). Lost in 1st Round of Playoffs.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Traded their best goaltender for nothing. 

This season: The Canucks surprised a lot of people when they made the playoffs last season. And then they surprised even more people when they traded Eddie Lack, the reason they made the playoffs, to the Hurricanes. Now they head into the season with an aging and declining Ryan Miller carrying the load. The Sedins twins are back, one year older, one year wise, with Radim Vrbata to form a strong first line, but they lack depth on offense. Their defense is young, perhaps to young, and Miller isn’t the goalie that he once was. It’s unclear if this team will make another playoff push or rebuild. 

Biggest question: Will the Sedin twins finally decline?

Outlook: I don’t know what to make of this Canucks team. It doesn’t seem like they should be a playoff team, but the Sedin twins are magical and Miller has shown the ability to get hot, although that was years ago. I’m going with my gut and saying that the Canucks take a big slip this season. 

Prediction: 6th in the Pacific Division.

Calgary Flames

Last season: 45-30-7 (97 points). Lost in 2nd Round of Playoffs.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Fleeced the Bruins for Dougie Hamilton.

This season: After a surprise run to the playoffs last year, the Flames are ready to bank on their young talent. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monohan, and Sam Bennett are top flight talents up front and Hamilton and Mark Giordano could be the league’s top pairing by the end of the year. Things get a little shaky in goal with Jonas Hiller and Kari Ramo. Neither are #1 guys, although Hiller is serviceable enough. 

Biggest question: Will they hit a sophomore slump?

Outlook: There’s a lot to like about this team. They’re talented up front and on the back end. I do worry about their goaltending situation, but the Hiller/Ramo duo played well up until the postseason. They aren’t quite ready to contend, but they’re definitely a playoff team. 

Prediction: 2nd in the Pacific Division.

Los Angeles Kings

Last season: 40-27-15 (95 points). Missed playoffs.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Lost Justin Williams, gained Milan Lucic.

This season: The Kings were the first Stanley Cup champions since the 07 Hurricanes to miss the playoffs in the following season. I doubt that happens again. Jonathan Quick is a big time goalie and their bruising style is going to be tough for teams to play against. Their offense has been more miss than hit over the past couple of seasons, but they have the defense and the goaltending to get things done.

Biggest question: Will their physical game be enough against speedy teams? 

Outlook: The Kings were the best team not to make the playoffs last year and did a good job re-tooling in the offseason. They’re going to be tough to play against every night with as many big bodies as they have and they play a sound defensive game. They won’t score a ton of goals, but they’ll win a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games.

Prediction: 3rd in the Pacific Division.

San Jose Sharks

Last season: 40-33-9 (89 points). Missed playoffs.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Traded for Martin Jones, added Paul Martin and Joel Ward.

This season: The story has been the same for the Sharks for years now: great in the regular season, failure in the playoffs. Last year, they failed in the regular season. Their core of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Pavelski are still together, which is probably bad because they needed a bigger shake-up. They added some good depth in Paul Martin and Joel Ward, but Jones has never been a full season #1 goalie, so their net problems, which has always plagued them, could still be an issue. 

Biggest question: Are Thornton and Marleau finished?

Outlook: I think the Sharks will be slightly better than they were last season, but it won’t stop them from failing in the playoffs again. That said, since they’ll likely be underdogs in the playoffs, maybe they’ll perform better without the pressure. 

Prediction: 4th in the Pacific Division.

Edmonton Oilers

Last season: 24-44-14 (62 points). Missed playoffs.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Somehow won the NHL Draft lottery again and drafted Connor McDavid, re-tooled their entire front office and coaching staff, signed Andrej Sekera and traded for Cam Talbot.

This season: The Oilers have so much offensive talent that it seems a little unfair. Even if they don’t always play up to their ability, they have the potential to score a lot of goals. Taylor Hall is a pure goalscorer and Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are very skilled players, but their defense and goaltending have been terrible for years. McDavid isn’t going to solve their defensive woes, but their hope is that a good offense is the best defense. 

Biggest question: Will McDavid live up to expectations?

Outlook: All eyes will be on McDavid all season. I fully expect him to put up big numbers and and for the Edmonton offense to be scary good on some nights. That said, their defense still isn’t quite up to par and Talbot hasn’t proven himself as a #1 guy for a full season. The Oilers should make progress, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to make the playoffs. 

Prediction: 5th in the Pacific Division.

Arizona Coyotes

Last season: 24-50-8 (56 points). Missed playoffs.

Offseason Moves that Matter: Acquired Chris Pronger’s contract. Yes. A contract. 

This season: The Coyotes won’t be good this season. They have a lot of young players, most notably Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, worth keeping an eye on, but they have no depth and their young guys aren’t quite ready to make a huge impacts. 

Biggest question: Will they finish dead last?

Outlook: Nothing is expected out of Arizona this year, so in a sense they’re playing with house money. If anything, everyone wants them to suck so they can get the 1st overall pick, draft Auston Matthews, who was born in Arizona, and stay in Arizona. Doing well helps no one.

Prediction: 7th in the Atlantic Division.