We round off our WAY TOO EARLY PICKS with the Fascinating Pacific Division... Kevin andf i do these picks without looking at the other's person's picks and in this case we really couldn't be more different. I think we only agree on....
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Do you agree with Kevin or Eklund, or do you have your own take?
Eklund's Picks:
#1. Vancouver Canucks
A fresh slate for these Canucks is EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. If we go back to the bubble this team was showing amazing progress, and all felt like it was heading in the right direction. Pettersson and Quinn are two young superstars who were derailed by the Covid year in a big way...The mess that was their covid rescheduling is the kind of thing that can make a team feel more determined than ever. Then they cleaned out alot of dead weight and added two REALLY dangerous players in OEL and Garland who will feel reborn in the great Pacific Northwest and the combination of all of that excitement I feel catapults the Canucks to the top, making them THE story of the 21-22 NHL Season. Range 1st to 3rd.
#2. Edmonton Oilers
It is so easy to blame the Oilers goaltening on everything, but let me take a different take. Koskinen and Smith aren't terrible, but they aren't the kind of goalie that thrives in the system this team plays. They need a guy who loves to take alot of shots, but also knows when to freeze the puck and slows things down. a strong side to side keeper. Koskinen is a big positional guy and Smith is an agressive and keep the play moving guy. Duncan Keith could have more of a positice impact in bringing his experience to this defense than he even has on the ice. Nurse will learn a ton from him, but the Oilers need to bring in another player.. a guy like Jason Demers would be cheap and ideal. even Brayden Coburn. I like adding Hyman alot. His loss in Toronto will be felt deeply, and what he birngs keeps Edmonton close to the top. Range 1st to 4th
#3. Vegas Golden Knights.
Just on talent alone given this not quite stellar division the Knights are a playoff team. In ANY other NHL division I think they are a bubble playoff team. Lehner is a wildcard and losing Fleury, who was their spiritual leader on and off the ice, hurts this team greatly. They also beed to see some of their young guys step up. Stone is a rock.....yeh I did that... But he is one of my favorites. Pietrangelo was BETTER than iI thought he'd be by the end of last year. Especially in the playoffs. I think they will struggle and a wild pickl would be for them to be caught by the Kings. Range 2-5
#4. LA Kings
The Kings have all sorts of potential and again if you can remember back to BEFORE covid hit they were a team that was really getting it together. I think Danault really helps because in this division you NEED a shut down center due to all the superstar centers out there...Range 3-6
#5. Calgary Flames. The Flames lost Giordano and that will hurt, but it could also open up some room for leadership. I still think we will see better from markstrom and if Johnny Hockey stays we could see a monstrous year feeding off of a solid year last year. Range 4-6
#6 Anaheim Ducks They are young and simply without pressure on them. They have Gibson and soem attitude. I think they are a surprise and come out of the gate flying. I wouldn't be shocked if they are ion a olayoff spot around American Thanksgiving. I don't know they can maintain that, but the future is bright. Range 4-8
#7. Seattle Kraken As they are currently composed I don't see a playoff team here. There are still UFA's out there who could really help and they HAVE money. They don't need to add BIG names just the right names. Alex Chiasson for example...Bobby Ryan would be a great veteran presence. Their compostion now is just OK. I also need to see that Hakstol can get a team to play fast and quick hockey which is the key to competing right now. I could move them up by the start of the season picks, but as of now they are here..Range 5-8
#8 San Jose Sharks.
Kills me to put one of my favorite teams last...But here we are. They simply have too much money in broken down players and not enough of almost everything. Range 7-8
Kevin's Picks
Vegas Golden Knights: In four NHL seasons, the Golden Knights have recorded at least one point in 66.7% of their regular season games. They have won 36 playoff games. This is a team that knows how to win. We shouldn’t underestimate the impact of losing Marc-Andre Fleury. But Robin Lehner played well last season. Keeping Alec Martinez was important.
Edmonton Oilers: Loved the addition of Zach Hyman and hated the loss of Adam Larsson. Warren Foegele is a plus. Taking a wait and see attitude about Duncan Keith. As much as the Oilers need to address their goaltending long-term, the truth is Mike Smith played well last season. As long as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl do their thing, the Oilers are a threat to win the division.
Vancouver Canucks: We can debate whether the Canucks gave up too much and what the long-term implications are, but the addition of Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson make the Canucks a better team this season.
Seattle Kraken: The team’s offense has potential; the defense is sound and the goaltending should be fine. The excitement of being a new team could carry the Kraken into the playoffs. The freshness of the Golden Knights’ inaugural season made a difference. We could see the same thing here.
Los Angeles Kings: Bullish on the Kings and their range is third to sixth. The acquisition of Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault will make a difference. Team has plenty of young talent scheduled to arrive. We just don’t know if the talent is ready.
Calgary Flames: The team will miss Mark Giordano. Might have overpaid for Blake Coleman, but he will make the team more difficult to play against. The Flames are still highly competitive in this division, but the teams around them have improved. They are a bubble team: Could make the playoffs, but probably won’t
Anaheim Ducks: It will be exciting to see what kind of impact that Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras will have. But they can’t change the fact that the Ducks’ offense isn’t good enough. They have been wasting John Gibson’s strong goaltending
San Jose Sharks: On the big picture side, the Sharks’ outlook is sad. The roster is stale. Too many lengthy contracts that aren’t paying off. The Evander Kane situation is a headache they didn’t need. It’s hard to be optimistic about the Sharks.
Who do you agree with more? Eklund of Kevin?