A look around the NHL’s Pacific Division entering the 2024 season:
Anaheim Ducks
Last season: 27-50-5, missed playoffs
The Ducks improved just one standings point last season compared to the prior season and were one of just three teams worse than the Kraken (2.61) in goals per game (2.48). All this mediocrity despite an ever-growing list of exciting young talent, such as Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson and former Everett Silvertip Olen Zellweger.
It seems like that cast of characters must produce something good eventually. The Ducks just named 34-year-old defenseman Radko Gudas their first captain since Ryan Getzlaf retired two years ago. This could be the year when Anaheim stops being a Pacific punching bag. Alas, it’s been said before.
Vegas Golden Knights
Last season: 45-29-8, wild card, lost in first round vs. Dallas
The defending champions from 2022-23 slid into a wild-card spot and took the Stars to seven games.
Then the financial reality caught up and the exodus began. Aside from losing Chandler Stephenson to the Kraken, the Golden Knights said goodbye to 2023 Cup champions Jonathan Marchessault, William Carrier, Paul Cotter, Alec Martinez and goaltender Logan Thompson.
Vegas snagged Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin at the trade deadline, and they’ll ease the transition. Captain Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore and William Karlsson remember that Cup run. Adin Hill is still their guy in net.
If new-look Vegas can recoup that lost scoring, they’ll continue to be a threat in the West.
Tom Fox / Tribune News Service Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) and Thomas Harley (55) attempt to steal the puck form Seattle Kraken center Morgan Geekie (67) during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series in Dallas, May 2, 2023.
Los Angeles Kings
Last season: 44-27-11, 3rd, lost in first round vs. Edmonton
The Kings looked shaky before the playoffs but held on … to be ousted by the Oilers for the third straight season. L.A. didn’t stock up in hopes of avoiding the same fate this summer. The biggest deal was for goaltender Darcy Kuemper, a Cup champion just two summers ago, who came over from Washington to become L.A.’s new starter.
It’s business as usual in L.A. Adrian Kempe led the team with 75 points (28 goals, 47 assists), followed closely by Kevin Fiala and ageless wonder Anze Kopitar, who was third on the team with 70 after missing only one game. Rising star Quinton Byfield has a new five-year, $31.25 million contract and much is expected of him.
Calgary Flames
Last season: 38-39-5, missed playoffs
The Flames called it at the trade deadline and started dealing veterans, banking on young talent to fill in going forward. Connor Zary, 23, had a strong rookie season and will be in a bigger role, and it appears first-rounder Matt Coronato will get his chance.
Leading scorer Nazem Kadri is back, and second-place Yegor Sharangovich has a new contract in hand. Calgary is still waiting on a bounce-back season from Jonathan Huberdeau, who saw his production tank after a trade from Florida.
Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Andrew Mangiapane are gone, while Anthony Mantha and Ryan Lomberg joined up. It’s a new era in net for Calgary. Flames general manager Craig Conroy dealt starting goaltender Jakob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils for a tidy sum. His backup, Dan Vladar, is still around. The goalie they’re counting on is Dustin Wolf, formerly of the Everett Silvertips, who has been working toward this chance since he was drafted back in 2019. Wolf is a two-time AHL goalie of the year, the league MVP in 2023 and could be scary good.
Edmonton Oilers
Last season: 49-27-6, 2nd, lost in Stanley Cup Final vs. Florida
To count the Oilers out, no matter how bad it looks, is simply foolish.
They started 3-9-1 and were 14th of 16 Western Conference teams at Thanksgiving, a telling benchmark for most. But after a coaching change, the Oilers zoomed past the wild cards and all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, after another nearly impossible rally in that series.
In early September they made Leon Draisaitl the highest-paid man in hockey as far as cap hits, agreeing to an eight-year extension worth $112 million. He and megastar Connor McDavid are in their prime. Edmonton added forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to an already loaded lineup. They look like the ones to beat this season. Perhaps they’ll skip the head fake this time.
Vancouver Canucks
Last season: 50-23-9, 1st, lost in second round vs. Edmonton
The hype surrounding the resurgent division champs was punctured when goaltender Thatcher Demko sustained a mysterious injury to his popliteus muscle (back of the knee). Arturs Silovs, who relieved Demko in the playoffs, is poised to do the same at the start of the season. He has only nine regular-season starts under his belt.
Coach Rick Tocchet’s crew didn’t lose much this offseason but added Jake DeBrusk from Boston. If they can wait out Demko’s injury, and any other issues involving their star goaltender, they’ll be in good shape.
San Jose Sharks
Last season: 19-54-9, missed playoffs
The Sharks dropped their first 11 games en route to the NHL’s worst record, but it wasn’t for nothing. They won the draft lottery and took heralded prospect Macklin Celebrini first overall this summer.
He’s expected to play immediately, making the Sharks an intriguing matchup every night. Try as he might, Celebrini can’t do it all himself, as shown by the league’s second-worst team, the Chicago Blackhawks. They drafted the top overall pick and projected generational talent Connor Bedard, who took Rookie of the Year honors despite missing serious time because of injury. But clearly the Blackhawks’ depth was lacking.
The Sharks are in a similar boat. Team captain Logan Couture, who played just six games last season, is starting the season on injured reserve. Former fourth overall pick Will Smith is turning pro after a year at Boston College, and returning goals leader Fabian Zetterlund is set to play alongside Celebrini. Veterans Mikael Granlund, 32, and Tyler Toffoli, also 32, add some gravitas. They’re expecting greatness — eventually — out of 22-year-old goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, acquired from Nashville.
Kraken fans will recognize No. 21 in teal. That’s Alex Wennberg, an original franchise player dealt at the deadline this year.
The Sharks are still rebuilding, and it won’t be pretty. But there’s nowhere to go but up.
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