1 down-to-earth prediction for each Pacific Division team

The Pacific Division is a monster. And that’s not just because the Seattle Kraken are now involved. That’s because there are at least three teams with Stanley Cup aspirations in the division, and at least six who enter the 2023-24 season with the goal of being one of the last eight teams standing in the Western Conference.

The debate between whether the Atlantic or Pacific is an overall better division will continue to rage, but there’s no doubt that the Atlantic trumps the Metropolitan and the Pacific does the same to the Central. Winning the division is nice, but making it out of the division is what a few of the below teams will be looking to do come early 2024.

Yes, the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks will probably not be sniffing anywhere near the postseason. But the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, LA Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights all believe they have what it takes to still be playing hockey next April. Here’s a down-to-earth prediction for all eight of them.

Oilers: McDavid wins Hart, Draisaitl snags Rocket Richard

The easiest prediction to make in the NHL next season is that Connor McDavid will lead the league in scoring. He’s done it three years in a row, and he was second to only teammate Leon Draisaitl in 2019-20. After a truly outrageous 64-goal, 153-point campaign, there is belief that the 26-year-old can reach even higher heights next season. Unless he gets injured, he’s as close to a shoo-in to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP as you can get.

This season, expect Draisaitl to improve on his 52 goal showing in 2022-23. He will follow up his insane 13 goals in 12 Stanley Cup Playoffs games by scoring over 60 and winning the Rocket Richard. But the big question is: can these two juggernauts bring a title back to Edmonton for the first time since 1990? We’ll have to wait and see.

Flames: Jonathan Huberdeau bounces back spectacularly 

Jonathan Huberdeau, like most of the Calgary Flames, was absolutely abysmal in 2022-23. After winning 50 games and capturing the Pacific Division crown in 2021-22, the team fell off a cliff last season. They missed the playoffs, but of more concern, they looked like a shell of their former selves (when Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau were still Flames).

Expect a massive bounce back year from both player and club in 2023-24. It’s crazy to think that Huberdeau went from 115 points in 2021-22 to 55 in 2022-23. It just doesn’t make sense, and expect the 30-year-old to return to a point-per-game pace in Calgary this season. They may miss the playoffs again, but it won’t be Huberdeau’s fault.

Kings: Win a playoff series for the first time since capturing 2014 Stanley Cup

The Los Angeles Kings are eyeing postseason success for the first time since winning their second Stanley Cup in three seasons back in 2014. The Kings rivalled the Chicago Blackhawks in the early 2010s, but haven’t been able to win a round since defeating the New York Rangers in five games nearly a decade ago.

Expect that to change this year. The team boasts one of the premier center cores in the league, with Anze Kopitar, new addition Pierre-Luc Dubois, Phil Danault and Quinton Byfield up the middle, and complements it with excellent scorers in Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe. The defense is still strong, especially with the addition of Vladislav Gavrikov, and the only real question mark is goaltending. Still, I see the Kings finally returning to at least the second round in 2024.

Canucks: Return to the postseason for first time since 2020

The Vancouver Canucks have been saying every season since 2020 that the goal is to make the playoffs. That has happened exactly zero times since their scintillating bubble run to Game 7 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020. They also defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in the first round.

Fans in Vancouver are desperate to watch this team back in the dance, and I think 2024 is the year this team slides into a Western Conference wildcard spot. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are only getting better, Thatcher Demko will have a bounce back year, and the additions of Carson Soucy and Filip Hronek will be enough for this team to still be playing hockey next April.

Sharks: Finish last in the division by a mile

The San Jose Sharks are absolutely awful now that Erik Karlsson is no longer living in California. Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl are the two good things this organization still has going, and GM Mike Grier said this offseason he was willing to trade both of them if they would prefer that to a rebuild.

The Sharks won just 22 games in 2022-23, although they avoided the Pacific Division basement by beating the Anaheim Ducks by two points. That will not be the case in 2023-24.

Kraken: Regress, miss the postseason in 2024

After missing the playoffs in their inaugural season, the Seattle Kraken were excellent in 2022-23, cracking 100 points and upsetting the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in a thrilling Game 7. They were maybe the surprise of the NHL last season, and entered training camp hungry for more.

I apologize to Kraken fans in advance, but I don’t see how this team returns to the dance, especially with so many playoff-aspiring teams in the division. Everyone did their job admirably last year, and it took them within one game of the Western Conference Final. But I don’t have faith in Phillip Grubauer, and I don’t have faith that Jared McCann will score 40 goals and 70 points again. Let it be said this is the prediction I’m least sure about.

Ducks: Trade John Gibson at deadline 

The Anaheim Ducks have finally sorted out their restricted free agents, locking up two key pieces of the future in Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. They will be better than their last-in-the-Western-Conference showing in 2022-23, but I don’t see them being anywhere near a playoff spot when the NHL Trade Deadline comes around.

For that reason, it’s finally time for the trade rumors to get put to bed and GM Kris Verbeek to deal away John Gibson. The star goalie has been keeping this squad afloat for years, and has never complained. It’s time for him to go to a contender and have a chance at winning a Stanley Cup. At 30-years-old, and as loyal as they come, Gibby deserves that.

Golden Knights: Win the division for the second straight year

Unlike most defending Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights boast basically the same roster (minus Reilly Smith) that beat the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to capture their first championship. If Adin Hill can translate his excellent playoff into the regular season, they’ll be flirting with 50 wins and 110 points, just like last year.

The Oilers, Kings and Flames will be battling, but I expect that Vegas will enter the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top team in the Pacific Division, and the Western Conference favorite.