Staying in the Western Conference as I continue my standings predictions series for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season, next up is the Pacific Division. Once considered one of the strongest divisions in the league, especially during the late 2000s and early 2010s when all three Californian teams were playing at elite levels, it’s been on the decline ever since. That being said, certain teams are taking those next steps, and the Pacific could be more competitive than it has been in recent history.
Vancouver Canucks
After winning the Pacific Division during the 2023-24 season, the Vancouver Canucks completely fell apart last season. Most of their downfall really had nothing to do with their on-ice product, but more so their internal struggles, and by that I mean locker room issues. It’s common knowledge that the rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller was enough to have Miller traded. Coming into this season, the Canucks are hoping there’s not going to be all that noise and off-ice issues that made it hard to focus on playing hockey. That’s the biggest thing for the Canucks this season: focus on playing hockey, because they have a roster that can compete for a playoff spot.
There’s one major hole in the Canucks’ roster, and it’s the lack of a true 2C. Down the middle, the Canucks are light, but their forward group outside of that looks very strong. Furthermore, the Canucks’ defensive group is a lot better than it has looked in the last few years now, with Marcus Pettersson and Elias Pettersson (D-Petey) here from Game 1. The Canucks’ success this season primarily relies on two things: 1. Can Pettersson have a bounce-back year and perform like a player who is making $11.5 million? 2. Can Thatcher Demko remain healthy? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, there’s no reason to believe this team won’t be a top-four team in the Pacific.
Anaheim Ducks
When you think of the Anaheim Ducks right now, Mason McTavish immediately pops into your mind. With the season less than two weeks away, both McTavish and the Ducks have yet to agree on a contract extension, and not having him ready to go for game one will be a significant loss to a team that is hoping to improve.
The Ducks had a busy offseason, which ultimately saw them move on from Trevor Zegras, the 24-year-old center who had a knack for making highlight reel plays. They also brought in Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund, who should positively impact the team’s offensive output. After years of speculation and rumors, John Gibson is no longer a Duck, but even with his departure, goaltending is the last place the Ducks have to worry about. Lukas Dostal is one of the NHL’s best up-and-coming goaltenders and has the ability to propel this team higher than expected, now with the opportunity to be the number one guy, and Petr Mrazek should do just fine in a backup role.
The Ducks have a lot to look forward to with a talented young core and a new bench boss in Joel Quenneville to guide them. Making the playoffs isn’t likely this season, but the Ducks are headed in a direction where that could all change very soon.
Calgary Flames
Overachieved is the best way to describe what the Calgary Flames did last season, and it was all thanks to rookie sensation Dustin Wolf, who put that team on his back and dragged them into a competitive race that saw them just barely miss the postseason. What Wolf did last season was truly remarkable, but who knows if he’s going to be able to be as dominant as he was? Without Wolf playing at an insanely high level, no one expects the Flames to have a great shot at making the playoffs.
The Flames basically did nothing this offseason aside from swapping backup goaltender Dan Vladar with Ivan Prosvetov, which means they didn’t really improve or get worse on paper. That being said, players like Matt Coronato and Connor Zary should take steps forward, Flames’ prized prospect Zayne Parekh could make the roster, and they still have a bunch of players who can make a difference on the scoresheet. Regression is expected for the Flames, but if Wolf decides to continue to terrorize the league, the Flames might just surprise everyone again.
Los Angeles Kings
At this point, it’s just been bad luck for the Los Angeles Kings, who continue to have their season ended by the same team; the same team that just so happens to have made it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row. The Kings were hoping to make a big splash this offseason, which was noticeable with the number of elite players they were connected to. Unfortunately, the big acquisition wasn’t in the cards for the Kings, yet they still had a busy offseason. One thing is for certain, and it’s that on paper, the Kings took a hit on the blue line. Jordan Spence was traded to the Ottawa Senators, and losing Vladislav Gavrikov, who was a force on the back-end last season, was a pretty big loss, and the effects of that will show to some extent. Revamping the fourth line gave the Kings their biggest improvement now with Joel Armia and Corey Perry.
Related: Raz’s 2025-26 NHL Standings Predictions: Central Division
The Kings added size, experience, and toughness, but they also got older and slower. Only time will tell if the weaker defensive group will make that much of a difference, but with a team that makes a collective effort to be so defensively sound, I don’t think it’s going to be that detrimental. The Kings have loads of talent throughout their forward group; their young guns like Quinton Byfield, Brandt Clarke, and Alex Laferriere are continuing to rise, and you know this group is going to give it 110% for Anze Kopitar’s last dance. The Kings are easily a top-three team in the Pacific and should have no trouble booking their ticket to the postseason for the fifth straight season.
Vegas Golden Knights
When will the Vegas Golden Knights go through any major hardship and experience anything other than success? In the eight seasons that the Golden Knights have existed, they have only missed the playoffs once and have already won a Stanley Cup. Time and time again, this team finds a way to do the unthinkable and remain one of the most competitive franchises in the league. Success has been way too common a theme for the Golden Knights, who once again should have no problems remaining competitive and have the best odds of finishing atop the Pacific.
The Vegas Golden Knights were the clear winners of the offseason after landing ex-Maple Leaf All-Star Mitch Marner and signing him to an eight-year deal. Adding Marner to an equation that already has the likes of Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Mark Stone, Ivan Barbashev, and Pavel Dorofeyev gives them the strongest forward group in the Pacific by a mile. There’s no clear area throughout the Golden Knights’ roster that shows any significant signs of weakness. Even without Alex Pietrangelo this season, the Golden Knights have a solid defensive group as well as a clear number one starter in Adin Hill. They continue to chase after the next big thing, and while the decisions they have made over the past few seasons will eventually catch up to them, it won’t be this season.
Seattle Kraken
It’s been a short-lived history for the Seattle Kraken, who in four seasons have had both highs and lows. Aside from one playoff berth in 2023, the Kraken’s path has been more traditional when it comes to expansion teams, unlike the Golden Knights. The Kraken are in a weird stage where they don’t have a whole lot going for them in terms of being competitive enough to be a playoff team, but they also have enough pieces where they aren’t exactly going to be able to “tank for McKenna”. They weren’t super busy this offseason and didn’t make any earth-shattering moves, but signing Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau should slightly improve their offensive production at least.
Making the playoffs feels like a long shot for the Kraken, and even though that’s where every team wants to be come April, the Kraken should weigh their success on whether players like Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, and Joey Daccord all continue to take steps forward.
Edmonton Oilers
There are a couple of big storylines surrounding the Edmonton Oilers this season, but none bigger than the future of Connor McDavid and whether or not he will return to Oil Country after this season. The Oilers have been “right there” the past two seasons, making their way past everyone and everything other than the Florida Panthers. After two seasons of failing to actually make it past the finish line, the question is, will the Oilers even be able to get to the Final again? Any team that has both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is a scary one, and everyone knows the impact the two of them can have on a game. Countless times, they have put that franchise on their backs and have carried it to heights not many thought were achievable.
The Oilers are a playoff team, there’s no doubt about it, but they aren’t rolling with a roster that is as strong as the ones that made it to the Final for two straight seasons. The Oilers lost a lot of depth this offseason and didn’t do much to replace it. Andrew Mangiapane and former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Issac Howard were brought in, but Connor Brown, Evander Kane, Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, and Viktor Arvidsson are no longer Oilers. There’s no doubt the Oilers, who rely on offensive production more than anything, are going to feel the effects of a much lighter offensive group. Zach Hyman is also expected to be out until late November.
Let’s not forget about the Oilers’ age-old dilemma that is goaltending. Still deciding to run the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, not expecting any improvements in that department. The Oilers will make the playoffs, but I’m not so sure they are a lock to finish first or second, and it would be pretty remarkable if this team makes it to the Final for the third year straight.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are the definition of fun and are playing with no pressure. The 2025-26 season will once again be another year for growth and development as they continue to build a roster that’s going to become a dangerous one very quickly. The amount of young talent the Sharks have is endless, and the hope is that these players continue to gel together and develop into a team that can start taking steps forward in the standings in a couple of years. The Sharks will most likely finish another season at the bottom of the Pacific, which is expected, but they should also take a step forward from their 52-point season with the additions they made this offseason, as well as the expected growth of players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund.
The focus was clearly to add veteran presence (especially on the blue line) to go along with their young guns as they brought in Jeff Skinner, Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, Nick Leddy, and Adam Gaudette. Yaroslav Askarov should be their guy in between the pipes, but even Alex Nedeljkovic will be an upgrade from Alexandar Georgiev. Once again, nothing is expected of the Sharks this season, other than to allow their young stars the opportunity to play and grow, and if the Sharks didn’t already have enough young talent, there’s a possibility that both Micheal Misa and Sam Dickinson make the team.
Final Rank
- Vegas Golden Knights – X
- Los Angeles Kings – X
- Edmonton Oilers – X
- Vancouver Canucks – X
- Calgary Flames
- Anaheim Ducks
- Seattle Kraken
- San Jose Sharks
X = clinched playoff spot
The Pacific is extremely top-heavy with the Golden Knights, Kings, and Oilers essentially locks to make the playoffs. The Canucks and the Flames could very well make things interesting when it comes to the playoff race, although it would be pretty surprising if any of them were able to lock up a top-three spot. If anything, one of the Canucks or Flames secures a wild card spot, but even then, that’s a task that becomes a lot more difficult when thinking of how many competitive teams there are in the Central Division. All three of the Ducks, Kraken, and Sharks should see some internal growth and improvement, but not anything to the point where it starts to drastically alter the standings.
