Sean’s 2025-2026 Pacific Division Rankings

Edmonton Oilers – I have the Oilers finishing atop the Pacific Division for a few reasons. Sure, they have 2 of the top 5 players in the world, but they have had those players in the past, so let’s go over what else has changed. What has changed is a little bit of a youth movement, as well as other players getting used to the Oilers’ culture. I also think that the addition of Mangiapane is a very sneaky one that will be a very good fit for them. Kasperi Kapanen and Trent Frederick are both acclimated to Edmonton now and should be able to contribute. The 2 young guys I’m excited to see break out are Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard. Savoie is a skill guy that has had growing pains in the professional ranks, but is poised to take a step. Howard is an NCAA Hobie Baker winner that left TB because he is cocky and really wants to prove himself. Well kid, welcome to hockey in a Canadian market playing with the best players; sink or swim. Where Edmonton sets themselves apart from years past other than the youth movement is their defense. Jake Walman was a great find and he tops off their top 4 in a big way. I also think that Zach Hyman will be back, and even if he misses some time, he is the glue of this team as illustrated by his absence in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Vegas Golden Knights – Many people will have Vegas winning the division, but not I. Although they have incredibly strong bones to their team, I think Pietrangelo will be dearly missed, Stone is not always a sure thing, and I think Marner will need time to get acclimated. Vegas was an interesting choice for Marner, because if he doesn’t perform in the playoffs, they may find a way to get rid of him. I’m mostly joking, but Vegas is a cutthroat organization and if you don’t get the job done, then you’re done. I do think Marner will have a great career in Vegas, but it may take a half season to get him going. I ultimately think he pairs with Hertl and not Eichel though. Vegas still has great defensemen and strong goaltending with Adin Hill, as well as an imposing home crowd. One of my breakout players who already sneakily broke out last year is the young 24 year old Russian sniper Pavel Dorofeyev. He is going to have tons of playmaking talent around him, and he is primed for 40 goals. Vegas is good at everything they need to be good at and with Eichel, Hertl, and Karlsson, they are a force to be reckoned with at the center position.

Anaheim Ducks – I am going to get absolutely slaughtered for this hot take, but some weird concoction is happening in the cauldron in Anaheim that Pat Verbeek is cooking up. Don’t get me wrong, I think Verbeek is a simpleton; however, his team has been bad for so long that their A-tier prospects are becoming experienced NHL’ers and they have a ton of money to bring in veteran players. Verbeek better get Mason McTavish signed or this take is going to age like an Amish person on Rumspringa. The Ducks have a cocktail of players that is really hard to deal with in my eyes. They have young studs like Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier, Olen Zellweger, Jackson LaCombe, and Pavel Mintyukov that can skate laps around you. Then, they have these grizzled vets like Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, Jansen Harkens, Ross Johnston, and Chris Kreider who will put you through the wall. Not to mention the random veteran offensive skill of Frank Vatrano, Troy Terry, and the newly added Mikael Granlund. I also think that Ryan Poehling was a nice add in the culture shift away from Trevor Zegras. I know I named like their entire roster, but it is an interesting and deep team that can make noise. They also have a new coach, which typically makes all of these players motivated to impress the new coach, which can yield positive results. Young players want to elevate their careers and the coach impacts their playing time, and veterans will want to show that they belong here. I actually have them making the playoffs here in 3rd in the Pacific Division, and I think that young netminder Lukas Dostal is the real deal that makes all of this possible.

Los Angeles Kings – The Kings are a team I could see getting in, but I have them regressing and missing the playoffs. I do like Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke as young building blocks for the future, but right now this team does not excite me. Trevor Moore, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, and Mikey Anderson are their solid core pieces that could potentially get them to snag a playoff birth. I have them missing for a few reasons, and the first reason is age. Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty should not be playing 20+ minutes a night, and this roster is built like they will be. I don’t know what Ken Holland was thinking here, it’s like he was fixing Rob Blake’s collosal mis-steps with masking tape. Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, and Corey Perry in free agency makes little sense to me. This blue-line is too old and slow, and I am not predicting Darcy Kuemper to have another career year to bail them out between the pipes. So, I see around a league average team in terms of goal scoring, with a lot to be desired defensively. This is another one of my hot takes, but I have the Kings out of the playoffs, and the rebuild will need to start finally.

Vancouver Canucks – This is another team that I wouldn’t be surprised to be back in the playoffs, but I have them out. I think that the west will be a very tight race this year however, and Vancouver will be fighting till the bitter end. Thatcher Demko somehow got a raise without playing any games, and this team’s success may be at the hands of the oft-injured American netminder. I have no recent evidence that should lead me to trusting him through the rigors of an entire NHL season; so I simply won’t. I do like the Canucks’ blue-line a lot to help out their goalies however. Quinn Hughes is unstoppable, Hronek is steady Eddie, and Marcus Pettersson is a defensive wizard. The main gambles on Vancouver have to do with Elias Pettersson regaining form into a 100 point playmaker, and both Evander Kane and Filip Chytil being healthy and consistent in their top 6. A lot of things have to go right in Vancouver for this to work out; and although it could, I am guessing that something bad will happen and they miss out yet again.

Calgary Flames – The Flames are pretty boring. I don’t have much to say because not much has changed. For this team to make the playoffs, they would need Dustin Wolf to literally win the Vezina Trophy, and maybe flirt with the MVP. Don’t get me wrong, I think Wolf is going to be awesome for a long time, but this roster is super mid. Kadri, Backlund, Huberdeau, and Coleman are all old men at this point, and they would all have to outperform their mean expectation. They are all terrific players at what their skill-sets are, but there simply isn’t enough offense here to warrant enough goals to be a playoff team. Blake Coleman has been one of the most under-rated goal scoring power forwards for some time now, and he deserves his flowers. Both Frost and Farabee are pretty decent, and I think young Zary and Coronato have the potential to take a step. I just don’t see enough here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if by the trade deadline Rasmus Andersson was in another city’s colors.

Seattle Kraken – This is the most boring team in the NHL and their management has done a terrible job with this expansion franchise. Jason Botterill has a tall order to fix things, and he doesn’t have a good track record of doing that (cough cough Buffalo). At this point I think Shane Wright and Matty Beniers are what they are going to be. That is very solid middle 6 centers in the NHL, but not top line players which you hope to draft in the top 5. The rest of their roster is pretty much the same except for the additions of Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau. Marchment was a nice add for good value, Gaudreau doesn’t move the needle for me at all. This team is just my anti-Viagra and I doubt that changes any time soon. So long as Grubauer starts games for you, your team is finished. Shoutout to Joey Daccord for being a legit beast in net however, as well as Jared McCann who just knows how to score goals.

San Jose Sharks – The Sharks may be in the toilet for 1 more year, but Mike Grier has done a fabulous job rebuilding this franchise with future assets. This team could be good, but they will intentionally stink for another year, to try to win the draft lottery to draft Gavin McKenna. Regardless of if they draft 1st overall or 5th, the future is bright in San Jose. They have tons of money in the bank with a crazy potential free agent period coming up, as well as a great amateur draft. Macklin Celebrini’s ceiling is outer space, Will Smith looks like a potential dynamic playmaker like Mitch Marner, and Michael Misa grades out to be a top 6 offensive weapon as well. William Eklund is an absolute beast and is still super young, and the rest of their roster is mostly bad. They have a piss-poor blue-line and I think that is intentional. They want to give up goals and lose and trade all of their UFA’s at the deadline for 1 more season. When this team decides to explode, they will skyrocket from the bottom to around the top of the standings. The wait is almost over in San Jose, and even though they still should stink this season, they will be super fun to watch.