Some are saying the Pacific division is one of the worst divisions in hockey. Given the sloppiness at the beginning of the season, it’s not difficult to see why. For a team to make playoffs in this division, they need to grab one of the three spots. The Wildcard will surely be taken by a Central Division team.
While it is only early August, and there are plenty of moves that can still happen, I have decided to look at each team in the Pacific Division and grade the team based on their off-season moves.
Anaheim Ducks
In: Randy Carlyle (Coach), Korbanian Holzer, Nate Guenin, Jared Boll, Mason Raymond, Jeff Schultz and Jonathan Bernier
Out: David Perron, Shawn Horcoff, Chris Stewart, Frederik Andersen, Bruce Boudereau (Coach), Brandon Pirri
Fun fact: The Anaheim Ducks were my off-season pick last year to win the Stanley Cup. I cannot say they will be my cup pick going forward this upcoming season.
The Ducks were bounced in the first round and have had a quiet off-season so far. This is a team I am somewhat worried about going forward. Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler are all in their 30s now and the Ducks have some really ugly contracts (like Kesler and Bieska). The off-season did not do much for the team moving forward: David Perron, who I thought fit in nicely, was not retained. Also gone is Frederik Andersen as the Ducks will be leaning on John Gibson as the starter.
Their depth moves are so “meh”. Not one player listed will knock anyone’s socks off. Bernier will most likely be a back up to Gibson. I think Caryle is a step backwards from Boudreau.
Also puzzling: Why hasn’t Hampus Lindholm been re-signed? He’s the Ducks best defenceman by a fair margin .
Grade: C-. It’s not a great off-season for the Ducks. The time is ticking for their window.
Arizona Coyotes
In: Ryan White, Luke Schenn, Justin Peters, Jamie McBain, Alex Goligoski, Anthony DeAngelo.
Out: Kyle Chipchura, Steve Downie, Alex Tanguay, Sergei Plotnikov, Viktor Tikhanov, Antoine Vermette, Jiri Sekac
Fun Fact: I was a Coyotes fan when I was a kid. I stopped cheering for them when they switched their jerseys back in the early 2000s.
I get that the Coyotes will be going with a youth movement, especially as Antoine Vermette was bought out. The Coyotes had a strong draft too, probably best in the NHL.
However, the Coyotes did address their blue line depth. Alex Goligoski was a good acquisition. Anthony DeAngelo is a former first rounder who they picked up for cheap. Yet, up front, the Coyotes are extremely thin. I’m guessing Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak will come in as rookies, but it’s going to be difficult to expect too much.
Grade: C. Goligoski was a great pick up, but did little for their offence. The Coyotes are a young group and I’d expect growing pains.
Calgary Flames
In: Glen Gulutzan (Coach), Brian Elliot, Troy Brouwer, Chad Johnson, Alex Chiasson, Linden Vey,
Out: Jonas Hiller, Joni Ortio, Josh Jooris, Jakub Nakadal, Drew Shore, Patrick Sieloff, Mason Raymond, Joe Colborne, Bob Hartley (Coach)
*Ducks behind desk*
I think the Flames had the best off-season so far of anyone in the Pacific Division. The Flames had a massive goaltending hole they needed to fill and they did it at a low cost. A tandem of Brian Elliot and Chad Johnson is better than that three headed monster from last season, where not one Flames goaltender posted a save percentage above 0.909.
I do have questions about Elliot being boosted as being part of a system, but it’s not like the Flames are awful defensively. They still have a nice blue line.
I did not like the Brouwer signing: I thought it was too much for a 2nd line tweener, especially when compared to say, Benoit Pouliot.
Regardless, the Flames got better this season. I think they are playoff bound. Having a new coach in Gulutzan will be refreshing.
Grade: A. Filled a hole in goaltending while getting Brouwer (albeit a bit too much) is a nice touch.
Los Angeles Kings
In: Jack Campbell, Jeff Zatkoff, Michael Latta, Tom Gilbert, Teddy Purcell, Zach Trotman
Out: Milan Lucic, Vincent Lecalvalier, Luke Schenn, Kris Versteeg, Jhonas Enroth
The Kings sadly (as I like them as a team) are starting to become like the Ducks, with the window slowly starting to close, but I feel they are slightly younger. That said, like Anaheim, it was a “meh” off-season.
The Kings are near the cap and it cost them casualties such as Milan Lucic, who was acquired at a high price only to jet after one season. I felt they would have been better off keeping Enroth over Zatkoff and Campbell, but oh well.
Tom Gilbert is better than Luke Schenn, and Purcell is a swap for Versteeg. Still have a strong core in place, but they need to be better then they have been the past two seasons.
That Brown contract is a brutal boat anchor that will haunt the Kings for a long time.
Grade: C. It’s a neutral grade for a team that had some chairs shuffled.
San Jose Sharks
In: Mikkel Boedker, David Schlemko
Out: James Reimer, Roman Polak, Nick Spalling, Daninus Zubrus
Last year’s Western Conference Champions, the Sharks beat their hated rivals in Los Angeles and avoided the Pacific division winning Ducks en route to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
There weren’t many tweaks needed for this team. James Reimer might have been the biggest loss, but he was the back up goalie for the Sharks. Boedker, with his poor possession stats, should not be counted on as a top winger in San Jose, being more of a top nine option. David Schlemko is a possession darling who is getting a good chance in San Jose.
I like the Sharks off-season: if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Adding Boedker makes their already top nine deeper and Schlemko is just a shrewd move all around. Their departures were spare parts at best.
Grade: B+. Sharks get deeper and look more like a Pacific Division contender.
Vancouver Canucks
In: Loui Erikkson, Richard Backman, Philip Larsen, Erik Gudbranson
Out: Dan Hamhuis, Radim Vrbata, Linden Vey, Matt Bartkowski, Brandon Prust, Yannick Weber, Jared McCann.
I….don’t have a clue what The Vancouver Canucks plan is.
They are refusing to rebuild as the Sedins grow older. Jim Benning did not trade Dan Hamhuis to the Dallas Stars at the deadline. No matter, Hamhuis signed anyways. Vrbata left without any assets retained. Alex did a piece recently on Bartkowski, who is an interesting option.
Just when you think the Canucks could make it murkier, they did. They traded Jared McCann, a former first round pick who just completed his rookie year and got Erik Gudbranson who is tough, but posts poor possession metrics and is often injured. Also, the Canucks added picks into that deal.
Then July 1st hits and they sign Loui Eriksson to a long term deal. The same Loui Eriksson who will be 37 when his deal is up.
Grade: D. I think the Gudbranson trade was bad, Eriksson just prolongs the avoidance of rebuilding. I think Vancouver finishes last in the Pacific this season.
Edmonton Oilers
In: Milan Lucic, Adam Larsson, Jonas Gustavsson, Drake Cagguila
Out: Taylor Hall, Nikita Nikitin, Luke Gazdic, Brad Hunt, Adam Clendening, Adam Pardy, Adam Cracknell, Rob Klinkhammer, Lauri Korpikoski
Oh boy. Saving the best for last right?
Out of everyone in the Pacific Division, the Edmonton Oilers lost the most significant piece in Taylor Hall. Forget the rest of the players lost for the Oilers, they quite frankly do not matter in the grand scheme. Hall? Oh goodness. My favorite Oiler for the past six years, gone.
That trade went as well as expected, especially when the return was only Adam Larsson.
The Oilers did fill that hole immediately afterwards by signing Milan Lucic long term. While Lucic will not match Hall’s production, he represents something new and different to the organization: a toughness and nastiness that has been gone for a very long time. Larsson is the defenceman that fans did not want, but the one they deserve: A steady defensive type who faced brutal competition most of the time in his own zone with little Power Play time. It’s not a stretch to say he’s the team’s best defenceman.
The move I’m not thrilled about is the Jonas Gustavsson signing: there were better options on the market, like Enroth or Johnson. He’s a very mediocre goalie.
The team is certainly different. Is different a good thing? For some fans, change was needed. For others, they are still livid that the second best player was traded. As I’ve said before: The Oilers filled a need and lost a trade in the same move.
Grade: B-/B, your take will vary. Losing Hall hurts a lot, but Larsson addresses a need and Lucic slides into that first spot. Gustavsson brings the grade lower: there were better options!
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