With the current playoff format, the top three teams from each division automatically make the playoffs, regardless of overall conference positioning. In addition to those six teams, two “wild card” teams also make the playoffs, in each conference. Last season, the Pacific Division’s top-three finishers were (in descending order) the Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and Vegas Golden Knights. Both wild card teams for the Western Conference came from the Central Division.
A few of the Pacific Division teams had significant turnover, the Golden Knights included, whereas others have had a less active summer. All these variables lead me to believe there will be some realignment within the Pacific this season. Without further ado, here are my Preseason Power Rankings for the Pacific Division.
Power Rankings (2019-20):
Number One: Vegas Golden Knights
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 43-32-7, 93 points (3rd Place)
2018-19 Playoff Result: 1st Round Loss to the San Jose Sharks (7 games)
Jonathan Marchessault and the Golden Knights have a high-powered offense (USA Today Sports)
Recap:
Last season, the Golden Knights were deeply affected by injuries, before the season even began. Forwards Alex Tuch and Cody Eakin started the season on the injured list. Making matters worse, they were forced to start without Nate Schmidt, their number one defenseman, who was suspended (PEDs) for the first 20 games. Those three men are integral to the team’s success and their loss was felt. When Schmidt returned from his suspension, the team had a dismal 8-11-1 record.
They’d go on to lose Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny, Reilly Smith, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for stretches of the season. Despite the caliber of players lost to injury, the team was able to maintain and finish with a top-three position, due in part to the strong first half of Tuch. Tuch’s point-per-game output in the first half, the unexpected production of AHL call-up Brandon Pirri, and the trade deadline acquisition of Mark Stone helped the Golden Knights survive their injury woes. They will be coming into the 2019-20 season with a chip on their shoulder as a club that feels they were unjustly robbed of a Game 7 win in San Jose.
Key Additions:
Nicolas Roy (C), Garret Sparks (G)
Key Departures:
Erik Haula (C), Colin Miller (D), Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Carpenter (C/RW), Nikita Gusev (W)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
While they have a few question marks on both ends of the ice, the Golden Knights enjoy the luxury of returning their top two scoring lines from the end of last season. By all accounts, the lines of William Karlsson centering Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith and Stastny centering Pacioretty and Stone will return. Where the forward group gets dicey is in the bottom-six.
Mark Stone was a huge get at the 2018-19 trade deadline (USA Today Sports)
Two-way center Cody Glass, their first-ever draft pick, is itching to make his NHL debut. Eakin has one year left on his deal and survived the salary cap casualty trades made this summer and looks to continue to play a big role. Eakin and Tuch should be locks for the third line, with Glass presenting the only real competition to Eakin. They have the depth scoring talent – Pirri, Valentin Zykov, Nicolas Roy – to field four scoring lines, but the presence of grinders William Carrier and Ryan Reaves limit just how much they can do with the fourth line.
Defensively, they have a good mix of puck-movers and stay-at-home defensemen. As we have seen in the past, Head Coach Gerard Gallant enjoys pairing the two. Aside from Miller, the defense corps remains intact, with Deryk Engelland signing a new one-year deal this summer. There is an open competition in camp for a rookie to make the team and Nick Holden, who is in the final year of his deal, remains an option. If there’s a definitive weak spot of the team, it may be the blue line. If Fleury stays healthy and the defense holds up, this team will be tough to beat and could make a deep playoff run.
"The Golden Knights are damn good, but their defense will be a problem. They need one of the kids (Hague, Schuldt, Whitecloud) to step up, or they'll be forced to win 6-5 games on a regular basis."
-Ryan Quigley, Knights on Ice
Number Two: Calgary Flames
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 50-25-7, 107 points (1st Place)
2018-19 Playoff Result: 1st Round Loss to the Colorado Avalanche (5 games)
Johnny Gaudreau is an elite talent (USA Today Sports)
Recap:
Calgary won the Pacific Division with a strong effort from their top line. The lethal trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Elias Lindholm were very good and hard to play against. All three men finished the season with more than 75 points. Something clicked when Lindholm was placed with the other two players and the Flames reaped the benefits. Not to be forgotten, the young, aggressive Matthew Tkachuk showed just how good he is, putting up a total of 77 points himself. His blend of high-level offense and grittiness prove invaluable to the team. He is cut in the same cloth as Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks.
Mark Giordano is coming off a Norris Trophy win (USA Today Sports)
On the back end, their captain Mark Giordano put together a Norris Trophy season and thankfully, he was finally recognized for his elite talent. Giordano is the perfect blend of responsible defense and prolific offense from the blue line, a truly elite two-way defender. With a shaky goaltending tandem, the Flames defense corps, led by Giordano, performed admirably leading to a Division Championship. David Rittich was the best goaltender, by far, and was retained with Mike Smith headed to less-green pastures.
A disappointing playoff performance will have the Flames hungry to start the season. Colorado did a good job in their first-round series, showing off their speed and youth. Philip Grubauer played well in goal, shutting down the Flames’ Stanley Cup aspirations. Expect a better showing in the 2020 Playoffs.
Key Additions:
Milan Lucic (LW), Cam Talbot (G)
Key Departures:
James Neal (LW), Mike Smith (G)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
Matthew Tkachuk is feisty with scoring punch (USA Today Sports)
With most of their big names returning, the Flames will once again be solid up front. With Tkachuk signing his new deal, the Flames will return a formidable top-six. Tkachuk is the perfect blend of skill and snippiness. Their team defense will continue to be a strength, with Giordano leading the way. Adding Cam Talbot to the mix gives the Flames another option in goal that could play a long stretch of games, at an above-average level, if needed.
Despite all their positives, they aren’t overwhelmingly deep at forward. The bottom-six needs a rejuvenated Milan Lucic, to provide punch at the bottom of the lineup. Teams will be sure to key on the Gaudreau line. The Flames will need to support their top line and if they do, they’ll once again be a tough out.
Number Three: Arizona Coyotes
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 39-35-8, 86 points (4th Place)
Clayton Keller returns with a huge contract extension (USA Today Sports)
Recap:
Led by a solid group of young players, the Coyotes showed that they lacked a true superstar. While their speed and tenacity kept them in games and in the playoff race down to the wire, the Yotes simply came up short. Their roster of sub-25-year-old players has tons of potential yet was overpowered at times during the 2018-19 campaign.
Clayton Keller, their 20-year-old phenom, led the team in assists (33) and points (47). His talent and speed were weapons when on display. Captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson anchors the defense, along with 20-year-old Jakob Chychrun. Both men posted Corsi For % totals in the 50s, solid numbers for young defenders with a young offensive core. The big story of their season was the stellar play of backup netminder Darcy Kuemper, who had sparkling numbers – 2.33 GAA, .925 SV% - in relief of the injured Antti Raanta, who only played 12 games.
Key Additions:
Phil Kessel (RW), Carl Soderberg (C)
Key Departures:
Alex Galchenyuk (C), Richard Panik (LW), Nick Cousins (C/W), Kevin Connauton (D), Cal Pickard (G)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
Phil Kessel is now a Yote (USA Today Sports)
Hello Phil Kessel! A team lacking a true superstar changed that outlook with one major trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kessel, a proven goal-scorer was brought in to help put this young core over the top. Although Richard Panik will not be back and character player Nick Cousins is gone, the addition of Kessel will soften that blow. Even though it took Alex Galchenyuk, the addition of Kessel was necessary and will reap benefits. With a multi-time 30-goal scorer in the lineup, the Coyotes are now a legitimate threat in the Pacific Division.
Both goaltenders are healthy for the start of the season and the young defense corps is good enough to support the offense. With another Pacific Division team losing some big pieces due to salary cap constraints, the playoffs are ripe for the picking for the Arizona Coyotes. An embarrassing 16.28% Power Play will be improved with the additions of Kessel and Carl Soderberg, formerly with the Avalanche. Soderberg could potentially play a role in all special teams scenarios, joining forces with the cheetah himself, Michael Grabner.
"This roster would be the envy of every GM in the league in 2015. (The Coyotes are) my sleeper pick in the Pacific this season. Health and good goaltending will be the difference for the newly Phil Kessel-ed Yotes. Expect speed and opportunistic strikes, especially on the PK."
-Lindsey Brown, CBS Sports Radio 1140 AM
With the personnel changes, a young core of talented players, and a solid goaltending tandem the Coyotes are primed to take over the third spot in the Pacific Division. Which brings me to number four.
Number Four: San Jose Sharks
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 46-27-9, 101 points (2nd Place)
2018-19 Playoff Result: Western Conference Final Loss to the St. Louis Blues (6 games)
Erik Karlsson is one of the best, when healthy (USA Today Sports)
Recap:
Another season, another disappointing finish. The San Jose Sharks seem to always find themselves on the cusp of finally getting that elusive Stanley Cup, but falling just short. A trip to the Western Conference Finals is nothing to scoff at and the Sharks benefited from uncanny forward depth, mixed with a talented defense corps with multiple Norris Trophy winners. Up front, the team was led by captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Gustav Nyquist, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Evander Kane. That group is impressive and certainly showed it throughout the season.
New captain Logan Couture is as steady as they come (USA Today Sports)
Erik Karlsson battled injuries throughout the season and Brent Burns’ defensive-zone play was exposed, but overall, the Sharks boasted a solid group of defensemen. With Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun serving as reliable stay-at-home defenders, the offensive Karlsson and Burns were able to implement their game at will. In their losses, the lack of above-average goaltending was evident. Both Martin Jones and Aaron Dell finished with sub-.900 save percentages and will have to be better if the Sharks want to maintain their place at the top of the Pacific Division.
Key Additions:
Jonny Brodzinski (C), Zachary Gallant (C)
Key Departures:
Joe Pavelski (C/W), Gustav Nyquist (RW), Joonas Donskoi (RW), Justin Braun (D)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
Two very skilled forwards are out the door after signing elsewhere this offseason. New captain Logan Couture will soften that blow, but Pavelski was a fixture in the Sharks lineup and he will be missed as will Nyquist. Resigning Kevin Lebanc at just $1 million for the season was a big win for the team and keeps them deep on offense. This team’s ceiling relies on the goaltending which once again features Jones and Dell. It’s very likely the team won’t be able to survive the losses of Pavelski and Nyquist, their shaky goaltending tandem, and inevitable injuries Karlsson.
Evander Kane is immensely talented and tough (USA Today Sports)
"The Sharks' margin of error is much thinner this year. They've lost three top-9 forwards in Pavelski, Nyquist, and Donskoi with no proven replacements. While they still boast the high-end players to make a deep playoff run, unlike last season, they can't afford another serious Erik Karlsson injury or Martin Jones let-down. They simply don't have the depth this year. I expect them to make the playoffs with relative ease, but they aren't my favorites for the division. It is worth noting that they have a couple mil of cap space right now, so they should be able to bring in some reinforcements at some point."
-Sheng Peng, Fear the Fin
While it may be a bold prediction, the improved Coyotes will make a run for and take a top-three position in the Pacific from the Sharks.
Number Five: Edmonton Oilers
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 35-38-9, 79 points (7th Place)
Connor McDavid’s speed is nearly impossible to replicate (USA Today Sports)
Recap:
A disappointing 20-game start to the season led Head Coach Todd McLellan’s firing. Ken Hitchcock took over and led the team to an uninspiring 26-28-8 record the rest of the way. Superstar Connor McDavid will always get his points and when flanked by Leon Draisaitl, formed a lethal duo. Both men finished the season with over 100 points. Draisaitl spent 59% of his 5-on-5 TOI flanking McDavid. Skating without McDavid, his CF% of 50.74% dropped considerably to a mediocre 43.75% without the best player in the NHL. From the top, to the bottom, most players had considerably better numbers skating with No. 97. He is the lifeblood of the Oilers and he clearly needed more support.
Supporting them was second-line center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who finished the season with a pedestrian 45.46% CF% at 5-on-5. Although he contributed 69 points, a good number for a 2C, 26 of them came on the power play. Nugent-Hopkins remains invaluable to the team due to his ability and willingness to play in all situations, logging 139 minutes of penalty kill time this past season. Outside of a 22-goal campaign from Alex Chiasson and a shocking 15 goals from Zach Kassian, the Oilers had minimal offensive punch.
Key Additions:
James Neal (LW), Riley Sheahan (LW/C), Josh Archibald (RW), Markus Granlund (RW), Mike Smith (G)
Key Departures:
Milan Lucic (LW), Andrej Sekera (D), Cam Talbot (G), Tobias Rieder (LW), Andrej Sekera (D)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
A swap of Milan Lucic for James Neal provides Neal a chance for redemption and a possibility for the Oilers to have five 20-goal scorers, provided he bounces back to his pre-Calgary production. Chiasson continuing his 2018-19 production is crucial for the Oilers to stay afloat among the middling teams in the division. With new coach, Dave Tippett the team will look to play faster and build depth through their forward lines. Jujhar Khaira has looked promising over the past two seasons and could be a very important depth piece moving forward. For a team that had so much promise and so little finish, their offseason inactivity was surprising. It’s hard to envision the Oilers taking a step forward when their new GM, Ken Holland, neglecting to improve the roster.
Continued growth from guys like Darnell Nurse will take the Oilers closer to contention, but they lack a strong blue line to hang with the top-tier offenses. With the best player in the NHL, I expect an improved finish for the Oil. If it becomes another rough season for the Edmonton Oilers, it wouldn’t be shocking to see their superstar captain’s patience run thin.
"The Oilers are Connor McDavid and literally nobody else. James Neal is a disaster. Their blue line is a disaster. Mikko Koskinen is their best goalie. They will be awful."
-Ryan Quigley, Knights on Ice
Number Six: Vancouver Canucks
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 35-36-11, 81 points (5th Place)
Elias Pettersson is not afraid to mix it up (USA Today Sports)
Recap:
Vancouver capitalized on their 2018 first-round draft pick this past season. Elias Pettersson (5th overall) had a Calder Trophy winning campaign, finishing with 66 points in 71 games. Combined with Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat, he rounded out a trio of high-end talent aged 23-years-old or younger. A lack of depth up front did the Canucks in and their fifth-place finish was actually a solid landing spot considering their limited upside.
In goal, Jacob Markstrom was a solid presence for the club. His 2.77 GAA and .912 SV% were fine for the club in front of him. An eight-game losing streak (0-7-1) in November was the low point of the season. Boeser missed time and his absence was felt. The Canucks simply weren’t built to survive without one of their three elite forwards. Overall the season wasn’t great, but the Canucks performed admirably with what they had.
Key Additions:
J.T Miller (C/LW), Micheal Ferland (LW), Justin Bailey (RW), Jordie Benn (D)
Key Departures:
Erik Gudbranson (D), Sam Gagner (C/RW), Michael Del Zotto (D)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
University of Michigan alum, Quinn Hughes, is ready to battle his brother for the Calder Trophy (USA Today Sports)
Quinn Hughes will be playing his first full season on the Canucks’ blue line. He is highly regarded and should provide more stability to a team that needs it. The 19-year-old saw five games of action last season and should be ready to make the jump, full time. Mix him in with Loui Eriksson and you have a good star. With the acquisition of the big-bodied Ferland the Canucks suddenly have two solid forward lines. The club will be able to hang with some of the top teams in the conference on a night-by-night basis. They won’t be able to surpass the truly elite teams, but they also won’t get run over. While they're trending in the right direction, it could be a long season, with a few bright spots sprinkled in.
"Boeser, the "other" Hughes (Quinn), annnnnnd Pettersson....that's about it. Oh! And Loui Eriksson.....Exppect another developmental season. They still need a lot of pieces, but this is a heck of a young core."
-Lindsey Brown, CBS Sports Radio 1140 AM
Number Seven: Los Angeles Kings
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 31-42-9, 71 points (8th Place)
Recap:
There’s no sugar-coating it, a last-place finish for this Kings team is unacceptable. With stars like Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Ilya Kovalchuk, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick team management expects better results. Center Alex Iafallo improved on a solid rookie campaign, while a group of veterans struggled to produce. Aside from former captain Dustin Brown, most vets had a down year, including Kopitar, fresh off an MVP-finalist season in 2017-18. Jonathan Quick struggled for the first time in his career after suffering a meniscus injury. Backup Jack Campbell went down soon after, with a meniscus tear of his own. Losing their top two goaltenders in the first two months of the season was a blow to the club.
A healthy Jonathan Quick can win many games on his own for LA (USA Today Sports)
Already heading down a bad road, just 13 games in, GM Rob Blake decided to fire Head Coach John Stevens, with Willie Desjardins serving as the interim for the remainder of the season. This is the second time Stevens was fired as a team’s bench boss, his first dismissal coming from the Philadelphia Flyers’ bench in December of 2009. Under Desjardins, the team experienced mixed results, floundering to their last-place finish. Doughty summed it up best in his exit interview, “This season’s never going to be erased from my mind no matter how hard I try. It was a terrible season”.
Key Additions:
Mario Kempe (C)
Key Departures:
Jake Muzzin (D), Carl Hagelin (LW), Tanner Pearson (LW), Dion Phaneuf (D)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
A buy-out of defenseman Dion Phaneuf signaled a changing of the guard and a look to the future for the Kings. They know they need to get younger, faster, and more competitive. Incoming coach, Todd McLellan inherits a team that figures to be a bottom-feeder, with a few intriguing players in the mix. Bounce-back seasons from the core veterans will be crucial for the team to actually contend, nightly after night. McLellan’s dismissal from the Oilers last season was a bit surprising, but GMs expect production when they have the best player in the NHL. In McDavid’s own words, “Todd was a guy that everyone liked, but ultimately, we’re a team that’s underachieving.”.
Imagine having to settle for Anze Kopitar after coaching Connor McDavid (USA Today Sports)
He now finds himself behind the bench of another team with high-level stars, who are underachieving in their own right. Whether he can use his charisma to turn the team around is yet to be seen, but the story starts and ends with the core, who have tasted the Stanley Cup, multiple times in recent history. A healthy tandem of Quick and Campbell in net is a good start and everyone knows, good goaltending can steal games. This preseason has been particularly encouraging for the aforementioned vets and provide the Kings with a glimmer of hope.
"This is going to be a season heavy on veteran accountability. It seemed last year that a lot of established guys just stopped playing when things got difficult. There were a lot of bad habits that seemed to creep into their play that still seem present during the preseason. Can Todd McLelland whip the team into shape?"
-Robyn P, Jewels From the Crown
Number Eight: Anaheim Ducks
2018-19 Regular Season Finish: 35-37-10, 80 points (6th Place)
Captain Ryan Getzlaf is looking to have a bounce-back season (USA Today Sports)
Recap
Although they had one of the best goaltenders in the league in John Gibson, the Anaheim Ducks struggled to win games. That was due in part to ranking dead last in the league in Goals For, with just 199. That mere 2.43 goals per game average was not enough for a team that gave up five goals or more in 16 of 82 games (19.5%). Those numbers come with Gibson as the number one, fresh off signing an eight-year, $51.2 million extension last summer.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf recorded 48 points - his lowest since his rookie season - in just 67 games played. On top of a down year for their captain, the Ducks were forced to play without former MVP Corey Perry for a majority of the season (31 Games Played). Perry is a proven scorer and point producer whose absence was felt. Once he returned, he was a shell of himself, from February on. Upon Gibson’s return from his own injuries (head/neck/back) in March, the Ducks began stringing wins together, pushing them to a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Division.
Despite their best efforts, a disastrous string of 19 losses in 21 games from late December to early February put the team behind the eight ball. Their two wins were sandwiched between 12 and seven-game losing streaks. Their combination of a lack of offensive depth and leaky defense handcuffed a team with some intriguing players in all three positions. A coaching change may have been what they needed – with Randy Carlyle ousted and replaced by GM Bob Murray – but it was too little, too late. Their strong finish to the season wasn’t enough to right their early-season wrongs.
Key Additions:
Nicolas Deslauriers (RW), Chris Wideman (D), Justin Kloos (C/RW), Michael Del Zotto (D), Anthony Stolarz (G)
Key Departures:
Corey Perry (RW), Brandon Montour (D), Andrew Cogliano (C/W)
2019-20 Season Outlook:
Welcome Dallas Eakins, the new Head Coach of the Anaheim Ducks. He faces an uphill battle, but as the team showed at the end of the 2018-19 season, there is potential. Perry was bought out by the club, with two years remaining on his $8.625 million AAV contract. Although the move was necessary to fill holes throughout the lineup, they have yet to bring in a better supporting cast with the money saved.
John Gibson is back, giving the Ducks some sense of stability (USA Today Sports)
Heading into the season without center Ryan Kesler (hip surgery) is a tough pill to swallow for the Ducks. They will need bigger contributions for Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell in order to make up any ground in a top-heavy Pacific Division. On paper, they lack the firepower of the top four teams and even pale in comparison to the proven veteran stars on fellow bottom-dwellers like the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. While Gibson will put the team on his back for a fair number of games, the Ducks seem poised for the same fate they suffered last season. Anaheim will be on the outside looking in for the foreseeable future.
Be sure to follow me on the Twitter and I will keep you up-to-date on the team’s comings and goings including a trip to California during Rookie Camp in early September!
Vegas Golden Knights Blogger • 
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