Happy NHL opening week to those who celebrate!

With the regular season kicking off tonight, I'll be concluding my season preview with a look at the Pacific Division. While it might not be as close as the Central, I think many of the playoff spots and positions could be close races.

Let's get into it.

1. Vegas Golden Knights

While the pressure of winning a Cup may be placed firmly on the shoulders of Carolina, Dallas, and Edmonton, Vegas is arguably fourth in terms of being expected to win the Cup.

The addition of Mitch Marner, which came mainly as a result of a breakdown in contract negotiations between the winger and the Leafs organization, sees one of the best forwards in the league arrive at the Sin City, while also allowing for the creation of what could be one of the deadliest forward lines in hockey (Barbashev-Eichel-Marner).

With the forward group as talented as ever, and with the acquisition of additional depth over the offseason, Vegas finds itself in a position to be not just the best team in the West, but also the best team in hockey.

If Marner can produce at a rate similar to what he provided in Toronto, and if the goaltending tandem of Adin Hill and Akira Schmid can continue to backstop Vegas to wins, there is no doubt that the Golden Knights should win the Pacific Division for the third time in four years. While the Presidents' Trophy may likely end up with the Hurricanes, Vegas should be the favourite for home ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

2. Vancouver Canucks

2025-26 will be a key year for this Canucks roster.

Not only did 2024-25 see the Canucks fail to live up to the performance seen throughout their 2023-24 season, which saw them win the Pacific Division and fall one game short of the Western Conference Final, but it also re-ignited the Quinn Hughes trade speculation.

Despite the off-ice drama looming for Vancouver, the on-ice product should provide a little more optimism. One big reason for this is that the Canucks will be entering their first season with Adam Foote, an assistant under Rick Tocchet, taking the reins as head coach. Not only does Foote know the system and the tactics used by Tocchet, one that has been implemented to great effectiveness in recent seasons, but first year head coaches do have a recent track record of success.

Last year saw ten new head coaches begin contracts with their respective teams. Of those ten, seven helped improve their respective teams, with two of them overseeing respective returns to the playoffs.

With Foote being one of nine new coaching appointments across the league, the onus will be on him to help lead a turnaround akin to those seen last year.

And he'll have some help. Despite losing the likes of Dakota Joshua over the offseason, Adam Foote will look to incorporate hometown hero Evander Kane, among others, into what could be a sneaky-good offence.

Should the defence improve from last year, and should the injury bug have less of an impact on the team's performance, the Canucks should be able to put together a return to the playoffs. And when considering that many of the pieces from that 2023-24 team are still intact, it isn't unreasonable to think that this Canucks team could find themselves fighting for a top-three finish.

3. Edmonton Oilers

Before I drafted this article, I had Edmonton and LA (more on them below) swapped in terms of my projections for the Pacific.

But with Connor McDavid only recently signing a contract extension, in addition to the Oilers starting to find a solution to their goalie problems, I am only now starting to gain a little more confidence in this Edmonton team.

Granted, the Oilers lost a lot of offensive depth over the offseason. Not only did Connor Brown depart for New Jersey, but others like Corey Perry (now with the Kings) and Evander Kane (traded to Vancouver), also left to embark on new challenges.

However, they did an OK job filling the holes. Signing Andrew Mangiapane will do wonders for Edmonton's depth scoring and offensive physicality, while Curtis Lazar is a depth option worthy of consideration.

Alongside the extensions already given out to Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid among others, the Oilers appear poised to remain contenders over the next few seasons.

The big question for the Oilers this year is twofold. Firstly, can the goaltending be good? While the addition of Connor Ingram from Utah should provide the Oilers with a decent depth option (though he will begin the regular season with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, who also serve as the Oilers' AHL affiliate), all eyes will be on Stuart Skinner and whether he can overcome his recent struggles. Failure to do so could see the Oilers' front office finally strike up the courage to deal him at the deadline; while unlikely as of now, the Ingram trade does set this scenario in motion.

Secondly, can the Oilers start strong? While they have shown their ability to overcome early-season struggles, poor starts to the season haven't exactly put them in the best position. A 5-12-1 start to 2023-24 (which resulted in the firing of then-coach Jay Woodcroft) was followed up by a better-but-still-not-great 9-7-2 start to 2024-25; both years saw the Oilers condemned to matchups with the Los Angeles Kings despite having the roster to contend for a division title.

This year could potentially be no different. Not only do the Oilers start the year against two Western Canada opponents (they open with the first of four editions of the Battle of Alberta, before travelling to Vancouver to take on the Canucks), but they also play playoff contenders or 2024-25 playoff teams in eight of their first ten games.

Unless the Oilers find a way to get through that stretch with a strong record, there is a strong chance the Oilers are once again condemned to second or third place in the division. That said, I think they will put themselves in a good position down the stretch to go on yet another deep playoff run.

4. Los Angeles Kings (wild card)

At least the Kings won't have to play Edmonton in Round 1.

Yay?

The bad news? I'm projecting them as the first wild card.

I don't mean this as disrespect to the Kings. While they boasted one of the NHL's best defences last season, one that is potentially set to repeat that performance this year, the pressure is on the Kings to make something happen, as veteran Anze Kopitar is set to retire at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Whether the Kings have the team to provide the Slovenian with the best chance to secure his third Stanley Cup is another question. Despite adding Cody Ceci to one of the league's best defensive units, the Kings lost a key contributor to the blue line in the form of Vladislav Gavrikov, who joined the New York Rangers. The Kings did also add Brian Dumoulin from New Jersey, who recorded 91 blocked shots and 60 hits as part of his 2024-25 campaign.

As for the offence, which ranked 14th in goals per game (3.04), the focus will be on whether it can maintain or improve upon its 2024-25 performance. Despite adding Corey Perry and Joel Armia, who both bring a significant veteran presence, the Kings also lost the likes of Tanner Jeannot during the offseason.

That also brings up a significant issue for this Kings team: age. Heading into 2025-26, the Kings were ranked as the second-oldest roster in terms of average age; only the Winnipeg Jets ranked higher. That could present an issue when it comes to the playoff race, as the Kings should undoubtedly be the favourites to claim one of the final few Western Conference playoff spots. While the team is experienced enough to get in, they could face significant issues in doing so, especially if Anaheim or even Calgary exceeds expectations.

It will be a tougher fight than the last few seasons, but I see the Kings claiming the first wild card spot and setting themselves up as best as possible to give their aging veterans one last chance at a championship.

5. Anaheim Ducks

Alongside Columbus and San Jose (more on them later), Anaheim is one of the three up-and-coming teams I'm keeping a close eye on this season.

Like the Blue Jackets, the Ducks are in a strong position to make the jump from rebuilding to playoffs this season. Not only were they able to acquire experienced veterans like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, but they were also able to lock young stars like Mason McTavish and Jackson LaCombe into long-term contract extensions. That should not only prop Anaheim's window open, but it should also keep it open for at least the next handful of season.

And their start to the season should give fans a little bit of optimism. For simplicity's sake, I've taken the liberty of listing their opening ten games below:

At Seattle

At San Jose

Vs Pittsburgh

Vs Carolina

At Chicago

At Nashville

At Boston

At Tampa Bay

At Florida

Vs Detroit

While I understand that Florida, Tampa Bay, and Carolina aren't exactly cakewalks, the other seven teams Anaheim plays are either entering roster retools/rebuilds or are projected to be outside the playoff battle. With the Ducks' early-November stretch posing a significant challenge for the team momentum-wise, I'm going to set a benchmark for this team. If Anaheim can exit October with at least 12 points, I think they'll be set up well to challenge for the playoffs.

While I think they will fall a couple points short of the Mammoth for the final playoff berth, they will be on par with Utah for much of the regular season.

6. Calgary Flames

The Flames' 2025-26 season could go one of two ways. Either they embrace their retooling phase and work to invest in the young core that is being built, or they perform well to start the season and end up finishing at most 10 points outside the playoffs.

There's reason to favour the latter. Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson, despite being trade targets by teams like Montreal and Los Angeles, are still on the roster, which should provide Calgary with adequate output to keep the team competitive.

In terms of their start to the season, it isn't great but there is reason to believe that the Flames can pick up some wins to open 2025-26. Not only do the Flames open the season with the first of four editions of the "Battle of Alberta", which in itself should be motivation, but seven of their first twelve games come against Canadian opposition, which could also be motivation in the case of Winnipeg and the Flames' cross-Rockies rival in Vancouver. It won't be easy, but I could see the Flames winning at least four of the seven total games.

If the Flames get off to the aforementioned decent start and hover around .500 heading into mid-February, there is reason to believe that Calgary could be a surprise playoff contender. That could not only give management reason to believe in the roster they've assembled, but it could also give young stars like Zayne Parekh some much-needed big-game experience, which should be valuable down the stretch.

7. Seattle Kraken

The Kraken are an interesting case in the Pacific.

They have the talent to make a run at a playoff berth, and they've done well to acquire depth scoring throughout the offseason. And with Lane Lambert getting a second shot at an NHL head coaching gig (his first stint with the Islanders saw him guide the team to a playoff berth in 2022-23 and an overall 61-46-20 record), we could see the Kraken take a step forward this season.

The big question: how well do they stack up against the rest of the Pacific? Surely, they're more experienced than the likes of Anaheim and San Jose, but I can't see a strong comparison against anyone else.

While I could see the Kraken being competitive throughout the season, I don't think they will find themselves near a playoff spot come the trade deadline.

8. San Jose Sharks

When I was waiting for the LRT to head to campus today after getting my daily Tim's hockey card fix (yes, I take part in the annual hockey card craze), I saw EA Sports' 2025-26 season simulation pop up on my Instagram feed?

Want to know who they had in the second Wild Card spot? San Jose.

I almost spit my coffee out. And laughed.

Ok, the former was a little bit of an exaggeration. The second part was not.

Jokes aside, I could see a way in which San Jose somewhat matches EA's quasi-ridiculous simulation (Vegas beating the Rangers in the Cup Final but not Toronto? Really?)

And it runs through Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, the Sharks' two young superstars. With both players entering their second year in the league, the pressure isn't exactly on for San Jose. Combine that with the arrival of experienced veterans like Jeff Skinner and John Klingberg, in addition to the retention of others like Tyler Toffoli, and you have the recipe for what could be an exciting Sharks team.

San Jose will likely find themselves way off of EA Sports' simulation, however I wouldn't be surprised if the two aforementioned factors play a role in the team potentially exceeding expectations; I personally think they could push for an escape from the Pacific's basement if everything goes right for them.