Last week, I kicked off my preview of the 2017-18 NHL season by analyzing
the Central Division. This week, the focus turns to the Pacific, a division that’s grown to eight teams thanks to the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights. It’s a group of teams that has been dominated by the three Californian clubs in recent years, but the two Albertan franchises are in a good spot to change that this year.
Here’s my best guess as to how the Pacific looks after everyone has played 82 games:
1. Anaheim Ducks
Additions: Dennis Rasmussen, C; Ryan Miller, G
Deletions: Shea Theodore, D; Jonathan Bernier, G; Clayton Stoner, D; Nate Thompson, C
Why I picked them where I picked them: The Ducks began last season winning just nine of their first 21 games, but their veteran core and deep and talented collection of young blueliners pushed them to the top of the Pacific and behind only the Hawks and Wild as the Western Conference’s top squad. They had some of that defensive depth stripped away in the expansion draft, with Shea Theodore traded to the Golden Knights and Clayton Stoner also heading to Vegas, and they may yet trade Vatanen when he and fellow blueliner Hampus Lindholm return to the lineup from shoulder injuries that are likely to keep them sidelined through training camp and into the regular season. That may make their job of repeating as division champs very difficult.
However, there’s a reason why Ducks GM Bob Murray more or less only tinkered with his roster this summer: he’s got a trio of 32-year-old forwards (Cory Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler) all with at least four seasons to go on their contracts, and a solid balance of experience and youth behind them that, with the signing of goalie Ryan Miller, now extends all the way back to Anaheim’s net. Miller’s presence is an upgrade on Jonathan Bernier, and he’ll give head coach Randy Carlyle some terrific insurance in both the regular season and the playoffs – the only place the Ducks are judged.
They made it to the Conference Final for the second time in three seasons last year, but Anaheim are playing for bigger stakes than that – and if Murray can keep the team intact and injury-free, they’ve got a very good chance of representing the West in the Stanley Cup Final.
2. Calgary Flames
Additions: Travis Hamonic, D; Mike Smith, G; Eddie Lack, G
Deletions: Brian Elliott, G; Chad Johnson, G; Lance Bouma, LW; Alex Chiasson, RW; Dennis Wideman, D; Deryk Engelland, D
Why I picked them where I picked them: Calgary made it back into the post-season after a disastrous 2015-16 campaign, but getting swept at the hands of the Ducks in the first round of the 2017 playoffs made evident the Flames’ weaknesses: most notably, their inability to get timely saves. The duo of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson were allowed to walk away in free agency, and Calgary GM Brad Treliving replaced them by dealing for former Coyotes mainstay Mike Smith and ex-Hurricane and Canucks netminder Eddie Lack.
The 35-year-old Smith languished with a weak Arizona franchise for the past six seasons, getting to enjoy post-season play in only his first year with the Yotes. But he’s a workhorse – and Treliving made his life exponentially easier by buttressing an already-formidable Flames defense corps with the addition of former Islanders D-man Travis Hamonic. Alongside Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Michael Stone, Hamonic will give Calgary that much more bite in their own zone, and if the Flames’ skilled forward unit delivers on their side of the competitive equation, there’s nothing stopping this team – which won just two fewer games than the Oilers did last season – from leapfrogging their provincial arch-rivals and evolving into a true powerhouse in the West.
3. Edmonton Oilers
Additions: Ryan Strome, C; Jussi Jokinen, LW
Deletions: Benoit Pouliot, LW; Jordan Eberle, C; Tyler Pitlick, C; Matt Hendricks, LW; David Desharnais, C
Why I picked them where I picked them: The Oilers last year finally looked like the team their ownership and management had sold fans on for the previous decade, finishing second in the Pacific and finishing with the second-best goals-for/against differential (plus-35) in the West. But they got a career season out of goalie Cam Talbot – who appeared in a whopping 73 games – and only one of their top seven point-producers (Patrick Maroon, who played 81 games) failed to play all 82 games in the regular season. Health and production from their netminding are two elements that could be less of a positive for them this year, and with Calgary building a better blueline, I think it’s entirely possible Edmonton falls a spot in the standings.
Still, that doesn’t mean the Oilers aren’t going to be a ton of fun to watch and a major threat in the post-season. Their young core is the envy of many teams; their blueline is still developing and is likely to be a focus of GM Peter Chiarelli, and in Connor McDavid, they have an astonishing centrepiece and a legend-in-the-making. Adding two helpful components in veteran winger Jussi Jokinen and 24-year-old centre Ryan Strome will change the chemistry to a degree, but don’t kid yourself – in many ways, this is a squad that’s essentially the same and is being counted upon to grow together.
The Oilers can’t avoid the injury bug forever and when it does bite, their depth will be tested, but who can fault Edmonton fans for champing at the bit to see the players back on the ice? They’ve given them ample evidence better days are in the very near-future.
4. San Jose Sharks
Additions: none
Deletions: Patrick Marleau, LW; David Schlemko, D; Micheal Haley, C
Why I picked them where I picked them: Sharks GM Doug Wilson is famous for his consistently patient approach – one that may have frustrated some of San Jose’s fans, but one that resulted in the organization’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance two years ago – but the machinations of the salary cap forced Wilson into saying goodbye to franchise lifer Patrick Marleau, who departed for Toronto this summer. Marleau’s absence from the team’s offense (which, at 221 goals-for, was the second-lowest of any playoff team last season) will be felt, and the pressures on the Sharks’ terrific blueline will increase.
But in Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture, San Jose still has sufficient firepower, and the players coming out of Wilson’s development system will be given every opportunity to assert themselves as the next wave. That said, you get the sense the Sharks will need to lean on their back end in a bigger way this season – goalie Martin Jones’ goals-against average and save percentage crept up a bit last year and they’ll look to him to get them back to 2015-16 levels – rather than rely on their forwards to be the difference-makers.
The Sharks have only missed the playoffs once since 2002-03, a remarkable feat in this day and age. But one catastrophic injury could put them under the gun to make the post-season and leave them in a last-minute scramble to lock up a playoff spot. And with Thornton, Burns and Pavelski all in their thirties, the window on this competitive cycle for them could be shrinking, and shrinking fast.
5. Los Angeles Kings
Additions: Mike Cammalleri, LW; Darcy Kuemper, G; Christian Folin, D; John Stevens, head coach; Rob Blake, GM
Deletions: Jarome Iginla, RW; Devin Setoguchi, RW; Brayden McNabb, D; Darryl Sutter, head coach; Dean Lombardi, GM
Why I picked them where I picked them: When you’ve enjoyed as much success as the Kings did from 2012-14, the struggles they’re currently enduring feel more pronounced to their fans, and so, after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, team ownership made sweeping changes to the front office, pushing coach Darryl Sutter and GM Dean Lombardi out the door and replacing them from within, promoting assistant and former Flyers bench boss John Stevens and assistant GM Rob Blake.
Blake and Stevens inherit a squad that excels in the possession game, but can’t finish. Centre Jeff Carter (with 32 goals) and winger Tanner Pearson (with 24) were the only Kings with 20 or more goals, and although injuries limited winger Tyler Toffoli to 63 games and 16 goals, captain Anze Kopitar posted the worst offensive numbers (12 goals and 52 points) of any of his 10 full NHL seasons. The 29-year-old Kopitar is in Year 2 of a 10-year contract extension with a $10-million cap hit, and the pressure on him to return to his days of scoring anywhere close to 30 goals – something that hasn’t happened since 2013-14 – is enormous.
Under an equal amount of pressure is goalie Jonathan Quick – he of the contract that has five years left at an annual value of $5.8 million after this year – as he tries to rebound from a groin injury that cost him 59 games in 2016-17. When he’s healthy, Quick can be a dynamo, but he’s also now 31 and has a good deal of mileage on him (playing 140 regular-season games from 2014-16 alone). Blake signed former Wild understudy Darcy Kuemper to serve as Quick’s backup, but if Quick hits the injured reserve again, it could translate into another year of disappointment.
Is it possible for everything to go L.A.’s way and see them back in the post-season? It is. But, with due respect to forward Mike Cammalleri – back in a Kings uniform on a cheap $1-million, one-year deal – not enough has changed and there isn’t enough depth in their system to expect that’ll happen. It’s just as possible they’ll be in the playoff race through the end of March, but out of it once the regular-season ends.
6. Vancouver Canucks
Additions: Sam Gagner, C; Alexander Burmistrov, F; Michael Del Zotto, D; Patrick Wiercioch, D; Anders Nilsson, G; Travis Green, head coach
Deletions: Luca Sbisa, D; Ryan Miller, G; Willie Desjardins, head coach
Why I picked them where I picked them: Vancouver’s non-traditional rebuild continued this summer with many moves of note, not least of which was a change behind the bench: Willie Desjardins was let go after three years as head coach, and former NHLer Travis Green was promoted from the Canucks’ American League affiliate to replace him and work with some of the youngsters management is counting on as the team’s base for the next seven-to-10 years.
However, Green is also tasked with making the most out of the elements that remain from the Canucks’ Cup Final glory era – namely, the Sedin Twins and defenseman Alex Edler – and the veterans the franchise surrounded them with as they tried in vain to build upon that era. They’ve finished sixth in the Pacific two seasons ago and dead last in 2016-17, but GM Jim Benning and team president Trevor Linden are banking on the insertion of a quartet of experienced hands – including forwards Sam Gagner and Alex Burmistrov, defenseman Michael Del Zotto and goalie Anders Nilsson – adding enough depth to the mix to vault Vancouver back into the playoff race.
That’s not going to be easy when you consider the Canucks were 15 points out of a playoff spot, but you also need to remember (a) Vancouver closed out the year on a 1-9-0 skid (b) they were ravaged by injuries, with only the Sedins and centers Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter playing anywhere close to 82 games. With a fresh messenger directing them, better luck on the health side and growth from burgeoning talents such as D-man Troy Stecher, Horvat and winger Brock Boeser, it’s not at all a stretch to see them vaulting past the Kings and challenging for a wild card berth. I don’t think they’ll get there, but considering how poorly things have gone for them in recent years, any steps ahead are good ones for them.
7. Arizona Coyotes
Additions: Derek Stepan, C; Nick Cousins, LW; Antti Raanta, G; Niklas Hjalmarsson, D; Adam Clendening, D; Rick Tocchet, head coach
Deletions: Radim Vrbata, RW; Shane Doan, RW; Connor Murphy, D; Mike Smith, G; Alexander Burmistrov, F; Anthony DeAngelo, D; Peter Holland, C; Josh Jooris, RW; Dave Tippett, head coach
Why I picked them where I picked them: Other than a three-year span from 2010-12, the Coyotes have missed the playoffs every season since 2003. They were out of the playoff race almost before it began last season, winning their first game, then losing six of their next seven and 18 of their next 25. Consequently, more change was in order, and this time, the change affected virtually every aspect of the organization: head coach Dave Tippett was shown the door in June (one year and one month after signing a five-year extension that also made him executive VP of hockey operations); veteran goalie Mike Smith was dealt to Calgary; leading scorer Radim Vrbata was allowed to walk as an unrestricted free agent; and team captain (and last link to the organization’s time in Winnipeg) Shane Doan was not tendered a new playing contract.
Change doesn’t get much more comprehensive than that, but as the Coyotes struggle to build a fan base and continue to lobby for a new arena in downtown Phoenix, GM John Chayka has focused on what his predecessors have focused on – a core of youngsters, augmented with a veteran presence to show them the way. The youngsters this year include winger Max Domi, centers Clayton Keller, Christian Dvorak and Dylan Strome, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun. And the veteran base of defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski has been expanded to include ex-Rangers center Derek Stepan, former Flyers forward Nick Cousins, longtime Hawks blueliner Niklas Hjalmarsson, former Rangers D-man Adam Clendening and former Rangers goalie Antti Raanta.
What does that leave us with? Tough to say. There are just three Coyotes forwards over the age of 25, and although Raanta looked tremendous in Manhattan last season, he’s never played more than 30 NHL games in a year. Arizona has hired former NHL head coach (and Penguins assistant last season) Rick Tocchet to replace Tippett behind the bench, and he’ll be challenged right away to keep his group confident and focused. The talent is in place, but getting them all to pull on the competitive rope in the same direction is easier said than done, and this might be another year in which development and movement up the standings happens in small doses. Still, they’ll be one of the more fascinating teams to keep an eye on.
8. Las Vegas Golden Knights
Additions: Um,
everybody
Deletions: Um,
nobody
Why I picked them where I picked them: The choices made by Golden Knights GM George McPhee clearly prioritized stockpiling defensemen in the expansion draft and flipping them to aspiring playoff teams for draft picks and prospects. Some of that strategy has paid off – Marc Methot to the Dallas Stars, David Schlemko to the Canadiens, Alexei Emelin to Nashville – but McPhee still has a plethora of veteran blueliners (six of whom will be unrestricted free agents next summer) and it’s safe to expect a couple will move during training camp (after other teams deal with injuries) or early in the regular season.
But change is likely to be common for the first-year franchise throughout the season: winger James Neal has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to list eight teams he can’t be traded to, but otherwise, he’s a 29-year-old soon-to-be-UFA who’s scored at least 20 goals in each of his nine NHL seasons, and he’ll likely be an ex-Knight well before the trade dealine; similarly, winger David Perron (another UFA after this season) is the same age as Neal and scored 18 goals for the Blues last year.
There are players McPhee will be highly unlikely to let go of, but the goal for his franchise this year can’t and won’t be about making the playoffs. It’s about establishing a fan base in Nevada and establishing a talent base that will come together organically a number of years from now. That’s not going to translate in many wins in 2017-18, but it will provide a lot of pleasure for fans and students of creating a Stanley Cup contender from the ground up.
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