It's the most wonderful time of the year. When the coaches are coaching and everyone telling you, your team will suck. It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Yes my friends, it's that time of year again. Training camp opened today and holy crap, what a day it was, highlighted by the trade of Erik Karlsson to the fucking Sharks (because NHL). With the preseason set to get underway here in the next few days, and only 23 days until Regular season puck drop, I'm here to do my preview of the pacific division. Go through each team, give my thoughts on them, and then make my picks for the playoffs. We'll be doing this in alphabetical order, so let's get to it.
1. Anaheim Ducks:
Those damn dirty Ducks. Most fans in the NHL can stand this team. Come playoff time, they're one of the dirtiest teams in the league, constantly hacking and slashing the opposition with little to no consequences. That being said, their still a good team who can never be counted out. Sure Getzlaf and Perry are older, Bieksa and Kesler probably won't play for a while, but their young guys of Ritchie and Rakell, Montour and Manson, along with star goalie John Gibson, give the Ducks a team to respect.
2. Arizona Coyotes:
At this point, it's practically a cliche to make fun of the Coyotes. A team that was forcefully dragged out into the desert, gone through multiple problems with ownership, and even had a bad situation with Shane Doan 2 seasons ago. However, the Coyotes are starting to turn heads, at least my head. They have a few young players to be excited about. Clayton Keller is a gem, Dylan Strome is still improving, and Anti Raanta is starting to come into his own as a starter. I still think Barret Hayton is a bit of a stretch, but watch out for the Desert Dogs in a season or 2.
3. Calgary Flames:
As an Oilers fan, it'd be easy for me to dump on them...so I will. Calgary is going to not have a good season. While their forward lines did indeed improve, they've brought in too many ex-hurricanes, in Peters, Lindholm, Hannifin, and Ryan. Yes because nothing says success like bringing in players and coaches from a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2009. On top of that, their defence is weaker now (though Hannifin will get better) and they're once again relying on Mike Smith to be a brick wall, praying to the hockey gods that he doesn't get injured.
4. Edmonton Oilers:
No preview needed, because this is an Oilers blog. All I'lll say is that Oilers make the playoffs.
5. LA Kings:
The Kings always baffle me season in and season out. They have some horrible contracts, but the players aren't that bad. They sneak into the playoffs, then win the Stanley Cup. Their biggest off-season acquisition was Ilya Kovalchuk, but Kovalchuk hasn't played in the NHL since 2012 (ironically losing to the Kings in that Cup Final). Still, the Kings have the likes of Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick who always keep the Kings competitive.
6. San Jose Sharks:
I expect them to win the Pacific, if not the for the fact that they have Marc-Edward Vlasic, Brent Burns and now ERIK KARLSSON. On top of that, the Sharks seemed to have reformed Evander Kane and have a wealth of prospects and depth to help them should an injury occur. Their moves suggest their going for the prize, trying to win one for Pavelski and Thorton.
7. Vancouver Canucks:
Most Canucks fans are entering new territory. For the first time in, what, 18, 19 years, Henrik and Daniel Sedin will not be suiting up for an NHL season. Both announced their retirement last season and so the Canucks are forced to start anew without their superstar Sedin twins. Brock Boeser was a nice surprise for them this year, but their still a few years off from playoff contention sadly.
8. Vegas Golden Knights:
How do you decide the path of a team that makes the Cup Finals in their inaugural season? The answer is, you don't. The Knights defied all the odds, broke all the rules, and set the standard for expansion teams. The addition of Max Paciorety and Paul Statsny keep their scoring up, and Marc-Andre Fleury is still a god in net. It'll be interesting to see how they do in their second season.
So with all of that said and done, who do I think makes the playoffs? Well here is my top 3 for the pacific.
1. San Jose - They've got too much talent to not win the pacific.
2. Edmonton - McDavid and company will rebound. They did it two seasons ago, I see them doing it again.
3. LA or Vegas: Honestly, the 3rd spot is up for grabs. Vegas was riding an emotional high last season, so they'll come back down to earth slightly, and the Kings are well, the Kings.
Wildcard. Anaheim: While the Ducks will drop off, they'll still be a good team. If a pacific team makes it into the wildcard slot, it'll be Anaheim.
So yeah, that's my pacific preview. Nothing too complicated, but it's not supposed to be lol. Now let's get this hockey season underway already!
