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The start of the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season is nearly at hand, and your humble correspondent is ready to go with his pre-season predictions on where teams will finish in each of the four divisional standings. We began the process Thursday with a look at the Atlantic Division, and today, we’re focusing on the Pacific Division.
As part of the process, we’re looking at THN’s collective picks from this year’s THN Yearbook, to provide a reference as to where THN’s opinion is as a group. But these files are this writer’s picks, so never forget you should take them as a friendly guesstimate. Let’s get started:
1. Vancouver Canucks
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 3rd
Why I’ve Ranked Them First: We severely underestimated the Canucks last season, and we’re not making that mistake again. If Vancouver has star goalie Thatcher Demko healthy and thriving, the Canucks are going to be one of the best teams in the league. But even if Demko is sidelined again by nagging injuries, there’s a great deal to like about Vancouver.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin has assembled a deep, balanced group of young and old players, and he’s made several important additions to the lineup, including former Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk, former Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais, former Red Wings winger Daniel Sprong and former Penguins forward Danton Heinen. With those additions bulking up their already-admirable depth, Vancouver can now go to work knowing they’ve got more than enough talent to excel in the Pacific and win the division for the second straight season.
Only one other team in the Western Conference – the Edmonton Oilers, who we’ll discuss below – has the all-around excellence that Vancouver has, and we’d argue the Canucks have a better group on defense and between the pipes. Those factors are what Vancouver will use to win the Pacific and do great damage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Why I Could Be Wrong: As noted above, Demko’s health status could have a major impact on Vancouver’s season, even after Allvin acquired veteran backup Kevin Lankinen recently to serve as Demko’s understudy.
Otherwise, to be honest, we don’t see a situation other than goaltending being the determinant factor that could sink Vancouver’s season. There’s too much to like about the Canucks to imagine them wobbling and falling down the standings in the Pacific, which we see as the weakest of the four divisions.
The Canucks have generational talents at forward (Elias Pettersson), defense (Quinn Hughes) and goal (Demko), and Allvin has surrounded them with capable veterans who are likely to be just as good, if not better this season. It’s going to be another very good year for Vancouver, and the only question is how far they go in the post-season.
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2. Edmonton Oilers
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 1st
Why I’ve Ranked Them Second: Full disclosure: we’ve been a skeptic of the Oilers’ blueprint for success, but last season’s dominant run has given us pause to reconsider. Edmonton came within one win of a Cup, and their lineup this season looks to be excellent. But the Oilers are going to have legitimate competition from the Canucks and Dallas Stars as the best team in the Western Conference, and there’s no guarantee Edmonton will prosper at the right time of the regular season and go on a similar post-season adventure next spring.
However, there’s no question the Oilers have enough top-end talent to run-and-gun with every opponent they’ll face this year. Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and budding star defenseman Evan Bouchard give Edmonton a leg up on the competition, and supporting role players including forwards Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner and Adam Henrique should do more than enough to take the pressure off McDavid and Draisaitl to do all the heavy lifting. All-in-all, the Oilers have the depth to beat most of their opponents and finish the regular season at or near the top of the Pacific.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Despite their many positives, the Oilers are still a flawed team (like any other team). Specifically, their defense corps do not stand out as one of the game’s best. Indeed, in the 2024 playoffs, Darnell Nurse – their highest-paid D-man at an annual average salary cap hit of $9.25 million – was seriously underachieving, to the point some aggrieved fans were talking about making him a healthy scratch. With six years to go on the 29-year-old’s contract, that’s disturbing, to say the least.
Also, young goalie Stuart Skinner will be under the microscope right out of the gate this year, and his backup, Calvin Pickard, is a journeyman netminder who shouldn’t be leaned on to step in and take the pressure off Skinner. All things considered, Edmonton’s back end is their biggest issue, and while there’s lots of time for new Oilers GM Stan Bowman to shake the league’s trade tree and see if he can find a more accomplished veteran netminder, there’s no assurance he’ll find a difference-maker in that department. Edmonton will assuredly make the playoffs, but after that, they could wind up eliminated sooner than they were this past year.
Related: Oilers’ Goaltender Will Dictate Whether They Win It All This Year Or Fail Trying
3. Vegas Golden Knights
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 2nd
Why I’ve Ranked Them Third: The Golden Knights always seem to be one of the NHL’s most active teams in terms of roster additions from year to year, but this summer hasn’t been as eventful on the trade and free agent fronts, as they did much of their heavy lifting late last season. Star defenseman Noah Hanifin and star forward Tomas Hertl were their big gets at the trade deadline last year, and their additions forced Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon to part ways with valuable forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, as well as defenseman Alec Martinez and goalie Logan Thompson.
That trade-off still leaves Vegas competitive and very likely a playoff team, but the notion they’re a top-five team this coming season feels like a stretch to us. The Golden Knights did have the league’s 12th-best defense last year, but their offense was the 14th-best in the game last season, and we’re not sure they’ve done enough, even with Hertl and Hanifin, to improve in that regard. Vegas projects to be a playoff team, but we see them as a competitive step behind the Oilers and Canucks, and they could turn out to be a wild-card team if their stars don’t line up as hoped.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Under McCrimmon, Vegas has always been relentless in their hunt for a Cup, and this year should be no different. But if the Golden Knights are fully healthy – including top forward Mark Stone – they could have what it takes to win home-ice advantage in the 2025 playoffs.
Related: Despite A Perceived Lack of Loyalty, Jack Eichel Says Vegas Is ‘The Place You Want To Be’
On the other hand, much will come down to the performance of starting goalie Adin Hill, but if he doesn’t perform well and the Knights have to turn to new backup Ilya Samsonov, Vegas could find itself fighting just to get into the playoffs, especially if their bottom-two forward lines don’t deliver as advertised. We’re still inclined to see them as a post-season-worthy team, but the Oilers and Canucks have deeper, better lineups than Vegas does, and we think the Golden Knights will finish behind Edmonton and Vancouver and start the playoffs on the road. We’re happy to be proven wrong, but we’re also content to be skeptical of their capabilities.
4. Los Angeles Kings
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 4th
Why I’ve Ranked Them Fourth: We’ve bought into the Kings as a top team in the West the past couple of seasons, but each year, L.A. has let us down with sub-par first-round showings against Edmonton for three straight seasons, winning one fewer first-round playoff game against the Oilers each time. And in response to the disappointment, Kings GM Rob Blake has decided to focus on his team’s supporting cast and goaltenders as areas he wanted to address.
That meant giving up on star forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and starting goalie Cam Talbot and replacing them with Stanley Cup-winner Darcy Kuemper, former Predators and Lightning winger Tanner Jeannot and former Oilers winger Warren Foegele. That doesn’t sound like an improvement to us, which is why we agree with the THN Yearbook that the Kings could wind up missing the playoffs altogether, even if they do finish fourth in the Pacific.
The Kings may be tougher to play against with Jeannot and Foegele on board, but they also have taken a step back in terms of overall talent. That may prove to be the difference between them making and missing the post-season.
Why I Could Be Wrong: The fourth time could be the charm for L.A. against Edmonton in the first round of next spring’s playoffs, and if Kuemper does his part, the Kings could be a post-season team. That goes double if budding star center Quinton Byfield continues to ratchet up his game.
Related: Ranking Each NHL Team’s Mount Rushmore: No. 12, Los Angeles Kings
Byfield is the closest thing Los Angeles has to a generational talent, and while veterans including Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault and Adrian Kempe are all solid contributors, Blake’s choice to get tougher instead of getting more skilled could come back to haunt him – and potentially cost him his job. Kings fans have every right to be worried about this squad, and if L.A. does miss the playoffs, those fans will be justified in wanting widespread change next summer.
5. Seattle Kraken
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 5th
Why I’ve Ranked Them Fifth: The Kraken took a step backward last season, winning 12 fewer games than they did in 2022-23 and finishing sixth in the Pacific. But they’re still only in their fourth year of operation, and Seattle GM Ron Francis has restocked his roster to bring a number of veterans on board, including former Florida defenseman Brandon Montour and former Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson.
As a result, the Kraken should be slightly better this season, but they may not be better enough to push themselves back into a playoff spot. If they do improve a little bit, that should be encouraging for their supporters, but as is the case for every expansion team, depth is an issue for Seattle. They’ve spent the grand majority of their cap space, so changes during the season will have to be money-in, money-out deals. If the Kings do falter, that could open up a playoff spot for the Kraken, but even in a comparatively weak division like the Pacific, Seattle doesn’t have enough Grade-A talent to keep pace with the teams we’re putting above them in these predictions.
Related: Five NHL Pre-Season Predictions For The Flames, Oilers, Kraken And The Pacific Division
Why I Could Be Wrong: The additions of Stephenson and Montour might be exactly what the Kraken need to get back to where they were in 2022-23 – and if that does come to be true, Seattle could leapfrog a team or two and earn a spot in the post-season. And if youngsters like forward Shane Wright end up delivering excellent results, the Kraken could put a scare into more accomplished opponents and earn their second-ever playoff appearance.
Certainly, for that to happen, Seattle’s goaltending has to be better – specifically, veteran Philipp Grubauer, whose individual numbers (including a .899 save percentage in 36 appearances) were sub-par. If Grubauer and backup Joey Daccord can do their part, the Kraken can be competitive and play meaningful hockey in the spring.
But any major injuries would underscore Seattle’s lack of elite depth as a notable problem for this franchise, and there aren’t any easy answers for what could ail them. Growing in the NHL is not a linear process, and the Kraken’s issues are significant enough to worry their fans and management.
6. Anaheim Ducks
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 7th
Why I’ve Ranked Them Sixth: The Ducks had a boatload of cap space this summer, and after the game of musical roster chairs ended, they still do – more than $20.9-million in space, to be precise. Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek has not spent money frivolously but the other side of the coin is that the Ducks still won’t be a playoff team this year.
That said, with adequate growth from their core of young talent, the Ducks should be improved from the team that finished with the league’s third-worst record (27-50-5). But it’s not realistic to see Anaheim as anywhere close to a playoff team. If they can move up a spot in the Pacific, that could be the best-case scenario for this franchise. Youngsters including Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson give them an excellent foundation – and their 2024 draft haul of winger Beckett Sennecke and defenseman Stian Solberg will add to their competitiveness down the road.
But for the moment, the post-season is a bridge too far for the Ducks, and the 2024-25 campaign should have more than its share of bumps in the road for them.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Veteran goalie John Gibson was injured in this year’s pre-season, so Anaheim will have to go with youngster Lukas Dostal and minor-leaguer Oscar Dansk for the time being. That could be a recipe for disaster, and the Ducks could finish no higher than seventh place for the fifth straight season. Even with growth from the aforementioned young players, the Ducks don’t yet have the high-impact performers to keep pace with the strong Pacific teams.
There are always Cinderella hopes to keep Ducks fans optimistic, and maybe there is a possibility of a minor miracle ahead for Anaheim. But imagining this team will be better than any of the five teams we’ve put ahead of them in these predictions is far-fetched in the extreme. The Ducks’ full rebuild still needs time to percolate, and that should result in another difficult season, even if there are more bright spots than at any point in recent memory.
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7. Calgary Flames
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 6th
Why I’ve Ranked Them Seventh: The Flames began their rebuilding process last season by moving out Elias Lindholm, Hanifin, Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev, and they continued the process this off-season by dealing starting goalie Jacob Markstrom. You don’t make those moves if you’re truly intending to compete for a playoff spot anytime soon, and that’s why we’re expecting Calgary GM Craig Conroy to continue to strip down his roster wherever possible this year and focus on two or three years from now as their entry point into the post-season.
If that’s what comes to pass, Calgary easily could slide down the Pacific ranks. It’s true they finished fifth in the division for the past two seasons with essentially the same record, but imagining they’ll be as competitive this coming year is an exercise in pipe-dreaming. Far more likely is a step backward for them, and if that happens and the Flames get a top draft pick next summer to land a generational talent, all the losing will be worth it.
Until then, though, more pain is ahead for this organization, and Calgary supporters are wise enough to be fine with that if it means coming away with elite talent.
Why I Could Be Wrong: As clear underdogs, the Flames aren’t facing the kind of pressure that’s hounded them in recent years, and if veterans such as forwards Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau have big individual seasons, Calgary could be in the mix for a wild-card berth in the spring.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest on the Flames and Blue Jackets
But let’s be honest here, if the goal is to get into a playoff spot and get demolished in the first round, is that very productive in the long-term picture? We say no. Being a ‘mushy middle’ team is what Calgary should be avoiding at all costs, and unless the Flames somehow get to the top of the Pacific, their focus should be adding more youngsters, taking it on the chin in the standings in the interim and setting their sights on being a legitimate Cup contender down the line.
8. San Jose Sharks
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 8th
Why I’ve Ranked Them Eighth: The Sharks were the league’s worst team last season, but landing No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini was a proper reward from the hockey gods for their current strategy. San Jose now has a first-rate foundation of youngsters (including 2023 first-rounder Will Smith and 2024 first-rounder Sam Dickinson) and a top-rated young goalie in Yaroslav Askarov, so there are more than a few long-term pieces in place,
The reason they’re picked in last place in the Pacific is the rest of their roster, an island of misfit toys, including an at-the-end-of-his-NHL-career defenseman in Marc-Edouard Vlasic, captain Logan Couture, and veterans Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Granlund, Barclay Goodrow and Alexander Wennberg. Some of those veterans could be traded by the deadline, but that shouldn’t change the trajectory of this team. They are going to be better this year, but not better enough to even consider a playoff spot.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Both Celebrini and Smith will be first-rate rookies this season, and perhaps they can elevate San Jose’s competitiveness beyond the level most pundits peg them at this season. And the Sharks now have three goalies – including Vitek Vanecek, MacKenzie Blackwood and Askarov – to battle for game action. So there’s room for growth in this present-day lineup. But it would be one of the league’s all-time greatest overachievements for San Jose to be in the playoff mix this year.
Sharks GM Mike Grier has gone about rebuilding his team the right way, but that means accepting more losses in the short term and rolling with the punches until there’s a season where they’re legit playoff contenders. That time isn’t now, and while San Jose fans have some great youngsters to invest their money and hope in, the Sharks simply aren’t talented enough to surprise people and become a menace in the Pacific.
Related: Predicting the NHL’s Atlantic Division Rankings In 2024-25
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest on the Flames and Blue Jackets
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- Predicting The NHL's Pacific Division Rankings In 2024-25
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