BY MIKE RIFKIN
Puck drop is officially upon us for the 2026-27 NHL season. Most teams have the expectation to win the Stanley Cup, but there can only be one winner. In this article I will talk about how the division played out last season, and with key moves how I expect it to play out this season. Let’s start in the Pacific Division
2025-26 Pacific Division Standings
1) VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
2) EDMONTON OILERS
3) ANAHEIM DUCKS
4) LA KINGS (WC)
5) SAN JOSE SHARKS
6) SEATTLE KRAKEN
7) CALGARY FLAMES
8) VANCOUVER CANUCKS
KEY MOVES
DUCKS : LEO CARLSSON (OFFER SHEET), CUTTER GAUTHIER (EXT), AJ GREER, PAVEL MINTYUKOV
FLAMES : SIMON NEMEC, JAKE MIDDLETON, MAX TSYPLAKOV
OILERS : MIKE BABCOCK (COACH), CONNOR MURPHY/JASON DICKENSON (EXT), FREDDIE ANDERSEN, DEVON LEVI, COLTON DACH, ALEX FORMENTON
KINGS : MATS ZUCCARELLO, ERIK HAULA, COREY PERRY, SCOTT LAUGHTON
SHARKS : MASON MARCHMENT, DARNELL NURSE, JACOB TROUBA, MICHAEL KESSELRING, MACKLIN CELEBRINI (EXT)
KRAKEN : BOBBY MCMANN (EXT), MACKIE SAMOSKEVICH
CANUCKS : MANNY MALHOTRA (COACH), ZEEV BUIUM (EXT)
GOLDEN KNIGHTS : RASMUS ANDERSSON, MARK STONE (EXT), PARKER WORTHERSPOON, RYAN CRAIG (COACH)
ONE BURNING QUESTION FOR EACH TEAM (WITH MY ANSWER)
DUCKS : WILL THEY BE ABLE TO REPLICATE LAST YEAR’S SUCCESS? NO, I think they lost too much on the Blue line, with Trouba and Gudas no gone. There is also now a lot of pressure on Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier based on their new deals, can they live up to it?
FLAMES : WHO IS NEXT TO LEAVE? : It’s a total rebuild for Craig Conroy and company up in Calgary. Over the next three drafts they have six second round picks, and after giving up some capital to acquire Simon Nemec, it’ll be interesting to see what they could get for Ryan Strome, Joel Hanley and Joel Farabee among others.
OILERS : DID THEY DO ENOUGH TO SATISFY MCDAVID? – When Connor McDavid signed a two year extension and left a lot of money on the table, the expectation was that the Oilers would spend wisely. The goaltending tandem in Edmonton is Tristan Jarry and Freddie Andersen, I’m not sure what the over/under on games played is but I don’t trust them to stay healthy. Then there’s the whole Mike Babcock situation, which in of itself is a disgrace, but if the Oilers aren’t hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup and McDavid walks blame Stan Bowman.
KINGS : WHO WILL STEP UP? : With Anze Kopitar retiring, it was the perfect time for the Kings to reset, instead they brought in more vets like Mats Zuccarello and Corey Perry. But the real question is with Kevin Fiala out to start the season, who can help Artemi Panarin and Quinton Byfield pick up the slack offensively.
SHARKS : CAN THEY TAKE THE NEXT STEP? – The Sharks are in a really good place, they have excellent young talent led by Macklin Celebrini, they added some toughness on the Blue Line and we fully expect them to compete for a playoff spot, the question is for a team that hasn’t had expectations can they live up to it? I think they will and then some.
KRAKEN : CAN MATTY BENIERS TAKE THE NEXT STEP : The Kraken have really tried to add some scoring punch, whether it was Jason Robertson or someone else. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to go to Seattle , unless you hate Starbucks. Matty Beniers has hit the 20 goal mark back to back seasons, if he can get up to 25 goals this season that would be so beneficial.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS : CAN CARTER HART AND ADIN HILL CARRY THEM? : When the Golden Knights came into existence, they’ve always taken big risks no matter how it looks. That includes bringing in Carter Hart last season. In 18 regular season games Hart was 11-3-3 for Vegas with a 2.71 GAA and a .891 save percentage, those numbers were better in the playoffs, until the Cup Final. How will he handle the pressure this season for a team that is built to win.
CANUCKS : WILL THEY FINALLY MOVE ON FROM ELIAS PETTERSSON? Like the Flames it’s a rebuild in Vancouver and Elias Pettersson’s name has been out in rumors for a few years now. The prior regime didn’t want to retain money on his contract, which still has five years left on it. The Canucks won’t get what they could have initially, but Pettersson might thrive in a change of scenery.
PREDICTIONS
- GOLDEN KNIGHTS
- SHARKS
- OILERS
- DUCKS
- KRAKEN
- KINGS
- FLAMES
- CANUCKS
