PFHL 2024-2025 Season Preview - Pacific Division
Sept 5, 2024 13:55:30 GMT -6
Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, and 1 more like this
Post by San Jose Sharks on Sept 5, 2024 13:55:30 GMT -6
Anaheim Ducks:
General Manager: Travis Felts
Head Coach: Jeff Blashill
Star Player: Shea Theodore
Starting Goalie: Carter Hart
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.8
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 79.3
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 78.8
23-24 Regular Season Record: 47-30-5
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 8th
23-24 Playoffs: 1st Round Exit
23-24 Recap:
The 23-24 Anaheim Ducks just barely scraped into the playoffs last season with the same point percentage as the Calgary Flames on 0.604. Those last two wins and Calgary’s final game loss were the difference maker with the reward being that final wildcard spot in the West. Unfortunately for the Ducks, this meant they’d have to faceoff against the President’s Trophy winning Knights in the first round of the playoffs. They put up an admirable effort to drag the series all the way to game 7, but in the end the Knights were just too much to overcome.
24-25 Predictions:
The Ducks are largely unchanged with a very similar lineup to the end of last season expected to start again this year. Once again, they’ll be calling upon star defenseman Shea Theodore to replicate his impressive form where he ranked 3rd amongst defensemen in scoring (21G – 103PTS) during the regular season. The addition of Karlsson late in the year also gave them a big boost, and if he can put up numbers like he did for them in his limited 15 game showing, we can probably expect a jump in production from everyone on that top line.
A strong top six offense and top four defence, coupled with above average goaltending and solid depth lower down the lines make the Ducks a strong contender for the playoffs again this year. However, the Pacific is probably the most competitive division in the league, and the West is the stronger of the two conferences also. As a result, I would put the Anaheim Ducks down as a wildcard contender again this year.
TL; DR: Wild card contender
Calgary Flames:
General Manager: Sean McAndrews
Head Coach: Jon Cooper
Star Player: Alex Debrincat
Starting Goalie: Dan Vladar
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.8
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 79.5
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 79
23-24 Regular Season Record: 45-28-9
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 9th
23-24 Playoffs: None
23-24 Recap:
In brutal fashion the Calgary Flames missed out on the playoffs on the final day of the season last year. This was despite an impressive 0.604 points percentage that had them 11th overall in the league. If they had been in literally any other division in the league, they would have been a top three qualifier, not even a wildcard, let alone ending their season early. Unfortunately that’s just the way it fell for them last year, so here’s hoping they can avoid a similar upset in the 24-25 season.
24-25 Predictions:
Much like the Ducks, Calgary is largely unchanged this season with the same top six forwards leading the charge. The addition of Mike Reilly on defence should give them a boost on the second powerplay unit, with Nick Leddy and Tomas Tatar also adding a veteran presence. Potentially the biggest addition however, is that of Dan Vladar in goal. He may not be one of the league’s best goaltenders, but the Flames will be hoping he is an improvement on Darcy Kuemper from last season who only managed a 0.888 save percentage.
The hope this year has got to be that Debrincat can replicate his 50-goal season and that Rasmus Dahlin continues to develop and takes forward strides in his production. If indications from previous seasons are anything to go from, Dahlin has the potential to top 100 points this year and who knows the heights he can reach in seasons to come. Debrincat might be the star player in this preview, but it could very easily become Dahlin before the year is out.
Overall the team is very well balanced. With some solid additions in all positions and an improvement in net I’ll be expecting to see the Flames take a step forward this year, albeit a small one. Like the Ducks however, they have to contend with a difficult division, as a result I think they’ll be a wild card contender again this year, but with top 3 potential.
TL; DR: Wild card contender with top 3 potential
Edmonton Oilers:
General Manager: Travis Chorostkowski
Head Coach: Craig Berube
Star Player: Bo Horvat
Starting Goalie: Thatcher Demko
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.1
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 80.5
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 76.8
23-24 Regular Season Record: 51-24-7
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 3rd
23-24 Playoffs: 2nd Round Exit
23-24 Recap:
Despite what looked like a team that were weak defensively, the Oilers finished last season 3rd in the Pacific and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs, where they were beaten by eventual finalists the Vegas Knights. This success was largely down to an offense first strategy that saw them finish second in goals for in the league. Not all that surprising considering they had not only the highest scoring skater in the league in Bo Horvat (58G – 146PTS), but also the second highest scoring skater with Patrik Laine (58G – 141PTS). Their offense was so potent that it didn’t give many teams a chance to test their weaker defence, leading to only 278 goals against, good for 7th in the league. This was likely helped by some solid goaltending from Thatcher Demko though, who finished 7th in both save percentage of goals against average.
24-25 Predictions:
With Patrik Laine signed up for 4 more years it can probably be considered mission accomplished for the Oilers. They are back again with a one two punch who could very easily see themselves at the top of the scoring charts once again. Horvat gets the nod as the star simply because he is the captain, but it’s anyone’s guess who’ll finish top out of these two who score for fun.
Make no mistake though, it isn’t JUST the Horvat and Laine show. Edmonton has a very strong top six forward unit rounded out by the likes of Tuch, Couture, Kyrou and Tippett. And did I also mention they have the highest scoring defenseman from last year, Torey Krug (28G – 118PTS). Throw in one of the best goalie tandems in the league with Demko and rookie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and this team could prove to be a force once more. Defensive questions still remain and on some nights this will likely be exposed, but with the additions of rookie Ryan Merkley and veteran Derek Forbort some improvements have been made. If Edmonton can get their stars firing on all cylinders once again this season, I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be comfortably inside the top 3 in the Pacific again this year.
TL; DR: Top 3 in the Pacific Division
Los Angeles Kings:
General Manager: Corey Chernuka
Head Coach: Peter Deboer
Star Player: Connor Hellebuyck
Starting Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck
20 Man Roster Average OV: 76.4
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 80.7
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 79
23-24 Regular Season Record: 50-27-5
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 7th
23-24 Playoffs: Conference Final
23-24 Recap:
If I told you one of the wild card teams made it to the conference finals, you’d likely consider it a bit of an underdog success story. That doesn’t really paint the full picture here though, as despite being a wild card team the Kings also had the 5th best record in the league during the regular season. Still, conference finals or not, LA fell at the final hurdle to an overpowering Knights that were the odds-on favourites to win the big one. Now the question is can they go one better?
24-25 Predictions:
The Kings are back again this year with another team not to be reckoned with. Guentzel and captain Couturier are back leading the offense, with powerplay specialists MacKenzie Weeger and Erik Karlsson looking to do some damage from the blueline once more. This season however, there are several notable names missing from the roster. Dougie Hamilton, Sam Reinhart and Jordan Binnington are no more. As a result, coach Pete Deboer will have to lean more heavily on youngsters Anton Lundell and Cody Glass to provide some secondary scoring, whilst on defence Weeger and Karlsson may need to be spread out to keep that powerplay threat alive. Jamie Oleksiak will be a welcome addition to plug the penalty killing hole left by Hamilton whilst adding some size and meanness, and rookie Brock Faber is likely to earn himself a call up after an impressive development camp.
The big story however is in goal. Binnington has been binned and now condemned to a life amongst the mountain folk in Colorado, and in his place steps Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck underperformed last season, but had a solid showing for a lacklustre Devils team at the end of the year. The Kings will be hoping that’s the Hellebuyck they’ll get and not the one Vancouver displayed early on, and if that’s the case the Kings should comfortably be a playoff team this year and perhaps even a conference finalist once more.
TL; DR: Top 3 in the Pacific Division
San Jose Sharks:
General Manager: Stefan Aldrich
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Star Player: Connor McDavid
Starting Goalie: Karel Vejmelka
20 Man Roster Average OV: 76
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 83.3
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 76.3
23-24 Regular Season Record: 56-22-4
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 2nd
23-24 Playoffs: First Round Exit
23-24 Recap:
The San Jose Sharks were a strong team last season and capped the regular season off with a crazy 18 game winning streak. This was good enough to elevate them to a 2nd place finish in not just the Western conference but the league as a whole. It didn’t count for much come playoff time though, with the Sharks falling in the first hurdle to the Edmonton Oilers in six. Many felt let down by star player Connor McDavid’s playoff performance as he failed to capture the same form he showed in the regular season, but the reality is the entire team just couldn’t match the offensive intensity of the Oilers.
24-25 Predictions:
After a turbulent off-season that saw three different GMs in charge, the Sharks are a different team to last year, and it’s not for the better. The depth that was once there has now been replaced by a shallow team dominated by its top six forwards. The hope will be that generational talent Connor McDavid can find his scoring skates once again and the veterans from last year will help him on his way. Hintz, Seguin, Toffoli and Pietrangelo all return to lead the team, with Brad Marchand an expensive addition during free agency. Beyond this there has been massive turnover with only five of the top twenty skaters returning. Even star goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and backup Ville Husso have been replaced by Karel Vejmelka and Ilya Samsonov.
Free agency took a heavy toll on the Sharks and the previous GMs did their best to limit the impact. There is no denying however that this team isn’t what it once was and there will be concern amongst management and the fans that they might find themselves on the outside looking in come the end of the year. Hopefully McDavid and the rest of the top six will be enough to carry them through, but I think the very best this team can expect is a wild card spot.
TL; DR: Wild Card Contender
Seattle Kraken:
General Manager: Josh Rose
Head Coach: Jared Bednar
Star Player: Kirill Kaprizov
Starting Goalie: Joel Hofer
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.6
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 80.7
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 79
23-24 Regular Season Record: 38-34-10
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 10th
23-24 Playoffs: None
23-24 Recap:
The Kraken had a solid if unspectacular 23-24 season. They managed a winning record of 0.524, good for 10th in the West, but missed out on the playoffs following their wild card appearance in 22-23. Like Calgary, had they of been in the Central Division the Kraken would have been a top three team, squeaking in over the Colorado Avalanche and their 0.512 record. Still, there were positives to take from the season despite missing the playoffs. These include the outstanding performance by star forward Kirill Kaprizov who finished 7th in scoring with 49 goals and 124 points, as well as the continued development of a young core that should carry them forward in seasons to come.
24-25 Predictions:
Seattle returns this season hoping that their young team will be battle hardened and improved from last year. The majority of the core remains intact with Kaprizov, Ekblad, Chychrun, Keller and Aho all still in place, with the latter now locked up to a 4 year $7.8million contract. GM Rose isn’t just relying on talent development to take his team back to the playoffs though. This time around, some much needed depth has been added, improving the teams 20-man average OV from 73.6 to 75.6, a pretty sizeable jump. Jason Robertson, Matty Beniers and veteran David Perron have all been added in the off-season to provide some much-needed secondary scoring beyond the star forwards. Whilst in goal, rookie Joel Hofer is expected to get a shot as the number one goaltender after replacing the now ousted Devon Levi.
It’s hard to pinpoint a weakness in this well-balanced team, but their reliance on a rookie goalie with no obvious backup in place could be their undoing down the stretch. As a result, I think they are far from a sure thing for the playoffs, but I’d definitely put them in wild card contention.
TL; DR: Wild Card Contender
Vancouver Canucks:
General Manager: Aaron Sanderson
Head Coach: Dean Evason
Star Player: Patrick Kane
Starting Goalie: Calvin Petersen
20 Man Roster Average OV: 72.8
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 76.2
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 73.3
23-24 Regular Season Record: 37-36-9
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 11th
23-24 Playoffs: None
23-24 Recap:
The Canucks have made no secret about the fact they are in the midst of a rebuild, even if they did manage a positive win percentage last season. Despite their best attempts to lose, the offensive combination of Patrick Kane, Matt Duchene and Eetu Luostarinen propelled them forward and was further helped by the late season addition of Josh Norris. Beyond that, their major success really came in the draft room after the season had ended, landing coveted number one overall selection Macklin Celebrini.
24-25 Predictions:
Norris showed a sneak peek last year of what to expect of him in the upcoming season and it could have spelled the start of an upward trend for the Canucks. That is at least until the departure of captain Matt Duchene who now finds himself over in Winterpeg. It looks like it will be at least one more season before this team gets ready to burst onto the scene with the likes of Celebrini and Nemec in the lineup, and with a stockpile of seven 1st round draft picks in the next couple of years, Vancouver fans can be excited for the future. For now though, it looks like they’ll have to settle for a maximum of 82 games again this year.
TL; DR: Draft Lottery
Vegas Golden Knights:
General Manager: Tom Jervis
Head Coach: Rod Brind’Amour
Star Player: Leon Draisaitl
Starting Goalie: Igor Shesterkin
20 Man Roster Average OV: 76
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 83.2
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 81.6
23-24 Regular Season Record: 60-15-7
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 1st
23-24 Playoffs: Runners-up
23-24 Recap:
The Knights were an absolute wrecking ball of a team last season. They broke the all-time league record for wins, they had the highest goal differential in history with +103, and took home the Presidents Trophy to cap off a regular season that saw three players break the 100-point mark and two more break the PPG barrier. Captain Auston Matthews walked away with 63 goals to lead the league, and their goaltender Igor Shesterkin had the best GAA (2.86) and save percentage (.907). It all seemed to be going right with the Knights destined for glory as they breezed through to the Stanley Cup Finals (after a small scare from the Ducks in round 1) to face off against the Florida Panthers, and that’s where it all fell apart. It was tipped to be an electric seven game series but ended abruptly in only five as the Panthers proved too much for Vegas. What went wrong? I don’t know as I wasn’t here, but you just know it stung after such a successful regular season and will make Jervis even more hungry for the coveted last win of the season.
24-25 Predictions:
Las Vegas is famous for one thing, gambling. And that is exactly what Jervis has done this off-season. It’s safe to say that this GM is ALL IN in 24-25 with the addition of Leon Draisaitl resulting in their 9 best players all being potential unrestricted free agents come the end of the year. It really is now or never for what has to be the most electric and exciting team for the upcoming season. Depth is definitely going to a problem for Vegas this year with cap constraints leaving them exposed in the bottom six and with no true backup goalie, but if the team can stay healthy, and it’s a big IF given the amount of minutes that’ll be piled on to those star players, there is no reason not to expect them to find themselves back in the finals once more.
TL; DR: Stanley Cup Champions
2024-2025 Standings Prediction:
1. Vegas Golden Knights
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Edmonton Oilers
4. Calgary Flames
5. Anaheim Ducks
6. Seattle Kraken
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Vancouver Canucks
General Manager: Travis Felts
Head Coach: Jeff Blashill
Star Player: Shea Theodore
Starting Goalie: Carter Hart
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.8
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 79.3
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 78.8
23-24 Regular Season Record: 47-30-5
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 8th
23-24 Playoffs: 1st Round Exit
23-24 Recap:
The 23-24 Anaheim Ducks just barely scraped into the playoffs last season with the same point percentage as the Calgary Flames on 0.604. Those last two wins and Calgary’s final game loss were the difference maker with the reward being that final wildcard spot in the West. Unfortunately for the Ducks, this meant they’d have to faceoff against the President’s Trophy winning Knights in the first round of the playoffs. They put up an admirable effort to drag the series all the way to game 7, but in the end the Knights were just too much to overcome.
24-25 Predictions:
The Ducks are largely unchanged with a very similar lineup to the end of last season expected to start again this year. Once again, they’ll be calling upon star defenseman Shea Theodore to replicate his impressive form where he ranked 3rd amongst defensemen in scoring (21G – 103PTS) during the regular season. The addition of Karlsson late in the year also gave them a big boost, and if he can put up numbers like he did for them in his limited 15 game showing, we can probably expect a jump in production from everyone on that top line.
A strong top six offense and top four defence, coupled with above average goaltending and solid depth lower down the lines make the Ducks a strong contender for the playoffs again this year. However, the Pacific is probably the most competitive division in the league, and the West is the stronger of the two conferences also. As a result, I would put the Anaheim Ducks down as a wildcard contender again this year.
TL; DR: Wild card contender
Calgary Flames:
General Manager: Sean McAndrews
Head Coach: Jon Cooper
Star Player: Alex Debrincat
Starting Goalie: Dan Vladar
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.8
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 79.5
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 79
23-24 Regular Season Record: 45-28-9
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 9th
23-24 Playoffs: None
23-24 Recap:
In brutal fashion the Calgary Flames missed out on the playoffs on the final day of the season last year. This was despite an impressive 0.604 points percentage that had them 11th overall in the league. If they had been in literally any other division in the league, they would have been a top three qualifier, not even a wildcard, let alone ending their season early. Unfortunately that’s just the way it fell for them last year, so here’s hoping they can avoid a similar upset in the 24-25 season.
24-25 Predictions:
Much like the Ducks, Calgary is largely unchanged this season with the same top six forwards leading the charge. The addition of Mike Reilly on defence should give them a boost on the second powerplay unit, with Nick Leddy and Tomas Tatar also adding a veteran presence. Potentially the biggest addition however, is that of Dan Vladar in goal. He may not be one of the league’s best goaltenders, but the Flames will be hoping he is an improvement on Darcy Kuemper from last season who only managed a 0.888 save percentage.
The hope this year has got to be that Debrincat can replicate his 50-goal season and that Rasmus Dahlin continues to develop and takes forward strides in his production. If indications from previous seasons are anything to go from, Dahlin has the potential to top 100 points this year and who knows the heights he can reach in seasons to come. Debrincat might be the star player in this preview, but it could very easily become Dahlin before the year is out.
Overall the team is very well balanced. With some solid additions in all positions and an improvement in net I’ll be expecting to see the Flames take a step forward this year, albeit a small one. Like the Ducks however, they have to contend with a difficult division, as a result I think they’ll be a wild card contender again this year, but with top 3 potential.
TL; DR: Wild card contender with top 3 potential
Edmonton Oilers:
General Manager: Travis Chorostkowski
Head Coach: Craig Berube
Star Player: Bo Horvat
Starting Goalie: Thatcher Demko
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.1
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 80.5
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 76.8
23-24 Regular Season Record: 51-24-7
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 3rd
23-24 Playoffs: 2nd Round Exit
23-24 Recap:
Despite what looked like a team that were weak defensively, the Oilers finished last season 3rd in the Pacific and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs, where they were beaten by eventual finalists the Vegas Knights. This success was largely down to an offense first strategy that saw them finish second in goals for in the league. Not all that surprising considering they had not only the highest scoring skater in the league in Bo Horvat (58G – 146PTS), but also the second highest scoring skater with Patrik Laine (58G – 141PTS). Their offense was so potent that it didn’t give many teams a chance to test their weaker defence, leading to only 278 goals against, good for 7th in the league. This was likely helped by some solid goaltending from Thatcher Demko though, who finished 7th in both save percentage of goals against average.
24-25 Predictions:
With Patrik Laine signed up for 4 more years it can probably be considered mission accomplished for the Oilers. They are back again with a one two punch who could very easily see themselves at the top of the scoring charts once again. Horvat gets the nod as the star simply because he is the captain, but it’s anyone’s guess who’ll finish top out of these two who score for fun.
Make no mistake though, it isn’t JUST the Horvat and Laine show. Edmonton has a very strong top six forward unit rounded out by the likes of Tuch, Couture, Kyrou and Tippett. And did I also mention they have the highest scoring defenseman from last year, Torey Krug (28G – 118PTS). Throw in one of the best goalie tandems in the league with Demko and rookie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and this team could prove to be a force once more. Defensive questions still remain and on some nights this will likely be exposed, but with the additions of rookie Ryan Merkley and veteran Derek Forbort some improvements have been made. If Edmonton can get their stars firing on all cylinders once again this season, I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be comfortably inside the top 3 in the Pacific again this year.
TL; DR: Top 3 in the Pacific Division
Los Angeles Kings:
General Manager: Corey Chernuka
Head Coach: Peter Deboer
Star Player: Connor Hellebuyck
Starting Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck
20 Man Roster Average OV: 76.4
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 80.7
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 79
23-24 Regular Season Record: 50-27-5
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 7th
23-24 Playoffs: Conference Final
23-24 Recap:
If I told you one of the wild card teams made it to the conference finals, you’d likely consider it a bit of an underdog success story. That doesn’t really paint the full picture here though, as despite being a wild card team the Kings also had the 5th best record in the league during the regular season. Still, conference finals or not, LA fell at the final hurdle to an overpowering Knights that were the odds-on favourites to win the big one. Now the question is can they go one better?
24-25 Predictions:
The Kings are back again this year with another team not to be reckoned with. Guentzel and captain Couturier are back leading the offense, with powerplay specialists MacKenzie Weeger and Erik Karlsson looking to do some damage from the blueline once more. This season however, there are several notable names missing from the roster. Dougie Hamilton, Sam Reinhart and Jordan Binnington are no more. As a result, coach Pete Deboer will have to lean more heavily on youngsters Anton Lundell and Cody Glass to provide some secondary scoring, whilst on defence Weeger and Karlsson may need to be spread out to keep that powerplay threat alive. Jamie Oleksiak will be a welcome addition to plug the penalty killing hole left by Hamilton whilst adding some size and meanness, and rookie Brock Faber is likely to earn himself a call up after an impressive development camp.
The big story however is in goal. Binnington has been binned and now condemned to a life amongst the mountain folk in Colorado, and in his place steps Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck underperformed last season, but had a solid showing for a lacklustre Devils team at the end of the year. The Kings will be hoping that’s the Hellebuyck they’ll get and not the one Vancouver displayed early on, and if that’s the case the Kings should comfortably be a playoff team this year and perhaps even a conference finalist once more.
TL; DR: Top 3 in the Pacific Division
San Jose Sharks:
General Manager: Stefan Aldrich
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Star Player: Connor McDavid
Starting Goalie: Karel Vejmelka
20 Man Roster Average OV: 76
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 83.3
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 76.3
23-24 Regular Season Record: 56-22-4
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 2nd
23-24 Playoffs: First Round Exit
23-24 Recap:
The San Jose Sharks were a strong team last season and capped the regular season off with a crazy 18 game winning streak. This was good enough to elevate them to a 2nd place finish in not just the Western conference but the league as a whole. It didn’t count for much come playoff time though, with the Sharks falling in the first hurdle to the Edmonton Oilers in six. Many felt let down by star player Connor McDavid’s playoff performance as he failed to capture the same form he showed in the regular season, but the reality is the entire team just couldn’t match the offensive intensity of the Oilers.
24-25 Predictions:
After a turbulent off-season that saw three different GMs in charge, the Sharks are a different team to last year, and it’s not for the better. The depth that was once there has now been replaced by a shallow team dominated by its top six forwards. The hope will be that generational talent Connor McDavid can find his scoring skates once again and the veterans from last year will help him on his way. Hintz, Seguin, Toffoli and Pietrangelo all return to lead the team, with Brad Marchand an expensive addition during free agency. Beyond this there has been massive turnover with only five of the top twenty skaters returning. Even star goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and backup Ville Husso have been replaced by Karel Vejmelka and Ilya Samsonov.
Free agency took a heavy toll on the Sharks and the previous GMs did their best to limit the impact. There is no denying however that this team isn’t what it once was and there will be concern amongst management and the fans that they might find themselves on the outside looking in come the end of the year. Hopefully McDavid and the rest of the top six will be enough to carry them through, but I think the very best this team can expect is a wild card spot.
TL; DR: Wild Card Contender
Seattle Kraken:
General Manager: Josh Rose
Head Coach: Jared Bednar
Star Player: Kirill Kaprizov
Starting Goalie: Joel Hofer
20 Man Roster Average OV: 75.6
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 80.7
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 79
23-24 Regular Season Record: 38-34-10
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 10th
23-24 Playoffs: None
23-24 Recap:
The Kraken had a solid if unspectacular 23-24 season. They managed a winning record of 0.524, good for 10th in the West, but missed out on the playoffs following their wild card appearance in 22-23. Like Calgary, had they of been in the Central Division the Kraken would have been a top three team, squeaking in over the Colorado Avalanche and their 0.512 record. Still, there were positives to take from the season despite missing the playoffs. These include the outstanding performance by star forward Kirill Kaprizov who finished 7th in scoring with 49 goals and 124 points, as well as the continued development of a young core that should carry them forward in seasons to come.
24-25 Predictions:
Seattle returns this season hoping that their young team will be battle hardened and improved from last year. The majority of the core remains intact with Kaprizov, Ekblad, Chychrun, Keller and Aho all still in place, with the latter now locked up to a 4 year $7.8million contract. GM Rose isn’t just relying on talent development to take his team back to the playoffs though. This time around, some much needed depth has been added, improving the teams 20-man average OV from 73.6 to 75.6, a pretty sizeable jump. Jason Robertson, Matty Beniers and veteran David Perron have all been added in the off-season to provide some much-needed secondary scoring beyond the star forwards. Whilst in goal, rookie Joel Hofer is expected to get a shot as the number one goaltender after replacing the now ousted Devon Levi.
It’s hard to pinpoint a weakness in this well-balanced team, but their reliance on a rookie goalie with no obvious backup in place could be their undoing down the stretch. As a result, I think they are far from a sure thing for the playoffs, but I’d definitely put them in wild card contention.
TL; DR: Wild Card Contender
Vancouver Canucks:
General Manager: Aaron Sanderson
Head Coach: Dean Evason
Star Player: Patrick Kane
Starting Goalie: Calvin Petersen
20 Man Roster Average OV: 72.8
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 76.2
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 73.3
23-24 Regular Season Record: 37-36-9
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 11th
23-24 Playoffs: None
23-24 Recap:
The Canucks have made no secret about the fact they are in the midst of a rebuild, even if they did manage a positive win percentage last season. Despite their best attempts to lose, the offensive combination of Patrick Kane, Matt Duchene and Eetu Luostarinen propelled them forward and was further helped by the late season addition of Josh Norris. Beyond that, their major success really came in the draft room after the season had ended, landing coveted number one overall selection Macklin Celebrini.
24-25 Predictions:
Norris showed a sneak peek last year of what to expect of him in the upcoming season and it could have spelled the start of an upward trend for the Canucks. That is at least until the departure of captain Matt Duchene who now finds himself over in Winterpeg. It looks like it will be at least one more season before this team gets ready to burst onto the scene with the likes of Celebrini and Nemec in the lineup, and with a stockpile of seven 1st round draft picks in the next couple of years, Vancouver fans can be excited for the future. For now though, it looks like they’ll have to settle for a maximum of 82 games again this year.
TL; DR: Draft Lottery
Vegas Golden Knights:
General Manager: Tom Jervis
Head Coach: Rod Brind’Amour
Star Player: Leon Draisaitl
Starting Goalie: Igor Shesterkin
20 Man Roster Average OV: 76
Top 6 Offense Average OV: 83.2
Top 4 Defence Average OV: 81.6
23-24 Regular Season Record: 60-15-7
23-24 Regular Season Finish: 1st
23-24 Playoffs: Runners-up
23-24 Recap:
The Knights were an absolute wrecking ball of a team last season. They broke the all-time league record for wins, they had the highest goal differential in history with +103, and took home the Presidents Trophy to cap off a regular season that saw three players break the 100-point mark and two more break the PPG barrier. Captain Auston Matthews walked away with 63 goals to lead the league, and their goaltender Igor Shesterkin had the best GAA (2.86) and save percentage (.907). It all seemed to be going right with the Knights destined for glory as they breezed through to the Stanley Cup Finals (after a small scare from the Ducks in round 1) to face off against the Florida Panthers, and that’s where it all fell apart. It was tipped to be an electric seven game series but ended abruptly in only five as the Panthers proved too much for Vegas. What went wrong? I don’t know as I wasn’t here, but you just know it stung after such a successful regular season and will make Jervis even more hungry for the coveted last win of the season.
24-25 Predictions:
Las Vegas is famous for one thing, gambling. And that is exactly what Jervis has done this off-season. It’s safe to say that this GM is ALL IN in 24-25 with the addition of Leon Draisaitl resulting in their 9 best players all being potential unrestricted free agents come the end of the year. It really is now or never for what has to be the most electric and exciting team for the upcoming season. Depth is definitely going to a problem for Vegas this year with cap constraints leaving them exposed in the bottom six and with no true backup goalie, but if the team can stay healthy, and it’s a big IF given the amount of minutes that’ll be piled on to those star players, there is no reason not to expect them to find themselves back in the finals once more.
TL; DR: Stanley Cup Champions
2024-2025 Standings Prediction:
1. Vegas Golden Knights
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Edmonton Oilers
4. Calgary Flames
5. Anaheim Ducks
6. Seattle Kraken
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Vancouver Canucks
