|
Predicting The Pacific Division |
|
|
|
|
|
With most rosters set now seems as good a time as any to take a look at the Pacific Division, see the risers and fallers and make predictions on how the standings will play out. Will the Kraken be able to squeak into a playoff spot or will they be at the bottom of the pile? Read on to find out! We're going to start from the bottom and work our way up.
8) San Jose Sharks
There just isn't anything to be excited about for this roster unless you are a die hard Sharks fan (my condolences). Only a few short years ago the Sharks were supposed to have the most dominant defensive core in the NHL with Burns, Karlsson, and Vlasic patrolling the blue line. Now they are roughly 28 million in dead cap space for the next 4+ seasons. Logan Couture has struggled the past couple seasons and his long term 8 mil deal is looking worse every year, especially considering the forward is 32 years old. I could spend an entire blog talking about the issues with Evander Kane but... I don't want to.
There are some decent younger pieces on this roster like Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc but these aren't players that can carry a team. The Sharks right now do not have any young prospects or elite level rookies that are ready to jump in and save the season.
The Sharks Make The Playoffs If... Every other team in the Pacific forgets to set their alarm and sleeps in from October until April.
The Sharks Don't Make The Playoffs If... They ice the roster they currently have.
7) Anaheim Ducks
While I expect the Ducks to still be near the bottom of the Pacific, unlike the Sharks there is reason to be hopeful in Anaheim. The Ducks have amassed a nice collection of young, high end talent which could easily become the new core of this franchise. Trevor Zegras, Isac Lundestrom, Sam Steel, Troy Terry, and Jamie Drysdale are all under the age of 24 with Zegras and Drysdale in particular having the highest ceiling.
Some decisions are going to need to be made on some of the supporting cast such as Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson who are all set to be UFA after this season but the Ducks have cap space and could either extend them or more likely look to replace them in free agency in the following year. Perhaps the biggest wildcard for the Ducks is goaltender John Gibson who I believe remains one of the best netminders in the league who has just had the misfortune of playing in front of a not very good team over the past few seasons. It'll likely be another losing season for Anaheim but fans will get a glimpse of their future which should breed optimism.
The Ducks Make The Playoffs If...Trevor Zegras bursts onto the scene and establishes himself as a legit first line centre while Gibson stands on his head between the pipes.
The Ducks Don't Make The Playoffs If... The young guns simply aren't ready to handle the burdens of a full 82 game season leaving the likes of the aged vet Getzlaf to take on more minutes than he can handle. The Ducks continue to have the scoring woes that have existed through the Eakins era.
6) Calgary Flames
While I might bear a striking resemblance to the Oilers blogger on this site I do not bear any ill will against the Calgary Flames. It's simply my belief that they will continue to regress this season. Up front the Flames added some good pieces such as Blake Coleman, Trevor Lewis, and Tyler Pitlick and these players will help make the Flames tougher to play against but last season the Flames struggled to score goals. I don't see this roster having much better luck in that regard.
The deeper concern the Flames should have is their backend. While Mark Giordano was long in the tooth and starting to show his wear and tear, he was still a crucial part of that blue line and took on some hefty minutes and has been replaced with Nikita Zadorov. Clearly the plan is to rely on the Hanifin and Tanev pairing which played solid last season to the surprise of many but now they will be relied upon even more. In addition are the younger guys such as Rasmus Andersson who struggled last season on the first year of his new 4.55 million dollar, six year deal, Juuso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington. Calgary needs all of these players to take a step forward because if they don't than things could get ugly fast. That would be made exponentially worse if goaltender Jacob Markstrom continues the Jekyll and Hyde routine he had last season.
The Flames Make The Playoffs If...The team buys fully into "Sutter Hockey" and Matt Tkachuk proves that last season was the outlier in his career.
The Flames Don't Make The Playoffs If...The Hanifin and Tanev pairing cannot handle the hefty minutes and the lack of defensive options to cover leaves Markstrom with a 0.900SV%.
5) Seattle Kraken
Right now this is where I see the Kraken; on the outside looking in but still in the mix. If this occurs it should be seen as a success rather than a failure. How can I see Seattle ahead of the Flames for example? While Calgary certainly has more proven firepower, I believe that Seattle is going to be able to play with most teams due to their strong defensive group and goaltending situation. Instead of one true top pairing, I think Seattle will be able to split their minutes out among the likes of Oleksiak, Giordano, Larsson, and Dunn as the main top four with the likes of Cholowski, Soucy, and the Fleury's in toe as well. Add to that a top end goalie in Grubauer and potential starter in Driedger and Seattle should be able to limit their chances against.
In order to win however the team is going to need some of the young players brought in to rise up and achieve more than they have in their young careers. Players like Jared McCann, Wennberg, Geekie, Bastian, and others are going to need to produce. In addition the players that have been more of the complimentary pieces such as Gourde, Eberle, Schwartz, and Donskoi are going to need to step up as leaders as well. The defense should be solid but they need to have forwards who can transport the puck.
The Kraken Make The Playoffs If...Forwards step into prominent roles combined with a steady defense and the team plays a balanced game from top to bottom.
The Kraken Don't Make The Playoffs If... There simply isn't enough scoring talent in the forward group and a heavier more shutdown defensive group gets hemmed too often in their own end.
4) Vancouver Canucks
No team dealt with more strife last season I would argue than the Vancouver Canucks. COVID forced the team to play the remainder of their season in a rushed schedule but prior to that the team dealt with a number of injuries, most notably that of Elias Pettersson. With a healthy roster the Canucks should be back to looking like a competitive team, especially with the new additions. Conor Garland is a great young player and should provide some steady 5 on 5 play and bolster the top six. Nils Hoglander had a solid rookie season and should grow and improve and we should see the rookie Vasili Podkolzin as well.
On the backend all eyes will be on Oliver Ekman-Larsson who may be able to thrive when he doesn't have to be "the guy," but should help to take some of the burdens off the still young Quinn Hughes. The biggest question marks on the Nucks blueline is the right side with none of the options there truly able to be a top pairing player and will need to rely heavily on their partner.
The Canucks Make The Playoffs If...
Pettersson returns to form and the new adds plus the defense plays steady enough to give Demko a fighting chance.
The Canucks Don't Make The Playoffs If...
OEL simply isn't that good anymore and Hughes continues to struggle defensively leaving the Canucks with one of the highest GA in the NHL.
3) LA Kings
The LA Kings made a bunch of moves this off-season and they are looking like they are ready to compete once more in the Pacific Division. Arvidsson, Danault and Quinton Byfield will round out an aging group that needed some life. Byfield in particular will be the guy to watch as he could play anywhere from a top line role to a third line centre depending on his play. Danault was a great pickup who should bring solid 5 on 5 scoring combined with smart defensive play.
The backend is the bigger question mark for the Kings. Doughty hasn't looked good over the past few years but he is also only 31 and has played on some bad Kings teams. With a more productive offense can Doughty be a force on the blue line? In net the young Cal Petersen is a true starter and posted a solid 0.911SV% on a bad team last year. I think the Kings are going to surprise a bunch of people this season and with the Pacific Division wide open I think they can establish themselves as a playoff team.
The Kings Make The Playoffs If...Byfield emerges onto the scene in a big way, Arvidsson bounces back in a big way and Cal Petersen stands tall.
The Kings Don't Make The Playoffs If...Doughty continues to struggle and the remainder of the Kings core are simply one year older and not one year better.
2) Edmonton Oilers
No team is perhaps going to be more feast or famine in the Pacific than the Edmonton Oilers. The offense will be firing on all cylinders with McDavid and Draisaitl leading the charge with a lethal powerplay that will be in the top of the league once again. Oilers fans should be optimistic because of the others adds up front. Hyman provides a different skillset to the top six and adding guys like Foegele and Ryan should give the team a bottom six that won't be completely caved in every night.
The question marks start on the blueline and move back. Duncan Keith has had very poor numbers over the past few seasons but has been in a top pairing role on a Blackhawks team that has struggled. Will he be more effective with Darnell Nurse taking the big minutes? What about Cody Ceci? Will Bouchard look like a rookie or can he jump in and look like a top four option early? Then there is the goaltending situation. Mike Smith had a great 20/21 campaign but two poor seasons before that and he isn't getting any younger. There are a number of gambles being taken here by Ken Holland but the McDavid cheat code still leaves Edmonton in a playoff spot.
The Oilers Make The Playoffs If...
The defensive adds pan out and McDavid and Draisaitl continue to dominate the NHL with a bit more help from the remainder of the forward group.
The Oilers Don't Make The Playoffs If...
The defensive group falls apart and Smith and Koskinen both struggle leaving the Oilers in serious trouble.
1) Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas remains the top team in the Pacific Division but there are some signs of trouble from this team. Mark Stone, Pacioretty, Marchessault, Smith, Karlsson, and new adds Dadonov and Nolan Patrick make this group a force to be reckoned with up front but the centre depth remains a question mark. Chandler Stephenson performed well last season but he shot a high Sh% and if he falters than the team will need to hope Nolan Patrick can finally look like a 2nd overall pick.
The blue line remains solid with Pietrangelo on one line and Shea Theodore on the other and unless injuries occur to these players long term there shouldn't be any concern. The one concern should be Robin Lehner who wasn't at his best last season and without Fleury will be playing far more and taking on the true starter role. Brossoit is a fine backup but he is just a backup, leaving the GK without a competent option if Lehner falters.
The Golden Knights Make The Playoffs If...Lehner stands tall and the forward group continues to come together as they always have in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights Don't Make The Playoffs If... Lehner struggles and the lack of proven centre depth puts the team into a tail spin.
Seattle Kraken Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»