Pacific Division Standings Prediction/Write Up

Quick intro. I think this is gonna be the weakest division and although I dont think many of the teams are bad, I feel like I am more critical of the teams after the 3 spot whereas last write up I was giving credit to the team I put in last. I'm sure I'll hear about it in the comments. Anyways here we go.



1) Arizona Coyotes


Assembling a good team is never easy as a new owner coming in with zero/few assets. It's been done before and the Coyotes are one of the teams that have done it this season. It helps when the Owner and GM have the skill level that Hriiz and King Clutch possess, as they combine to be one of the best 1-2 punches down the middle in the league. It doesn't come as any surprise that the main pieces picked up to surround those two were Jodach, Scoot and King Anze. What is surprising is the fact that all three went for 3.75 mil. All 3 have proven to be fantastic in situations where they are playing with a Top C (and on west) and I don't expect it to be any different this season. I would guess the last top 6 fwd will be Mongee or Demon but regardless I'm not sure how good the 3rd line will be. In all honesty it probably wont matter much because of how good the first 2 lines are gonna be.

On defence the two main pieces they picked up are Schroyer and Daris. Im sure both will be split up (one will play with KC, the other with Hriiz) which will give the top 2 lines the confidence and comfort they need on the back end. Going back to the contracts of Jodach, Scoot and Anze, if these guys have higher contacts there's a chance that only one of Schroyer/Daris are on this team. The other 4 dmen seem to be a lot weaker but that is to be expected. Montoni and Jgiroux are your typical 3LD, while on RD, Rehm looks to be transitioning from forward to defence and JohnBon is coming off a good S7 AHL season. Whichever 2/4 are playing with Schroyer or Daris should be fine with the amount of talent around them.

In net Shmucked is back and will likely take a majority of the games. I know he didn't play the last 2 seasons but I feel 1.25 is a very good contract for him. Brickwall will be backing him up.



2) Edmonton Oilers


Prior to the draft and bidding I had EDM ranked 1 and ARI ranked 2. It has switched mostly because I think Arizona did a “great” job and partly because I think Edmonton did a “good” job. Starting off with a 1-2-3 punch of Stamkos/Akon/Wartorian is very solid. Stamkos' LW from last season, three_eleven was also resigned and they had Cressor/Stammerchel as the 1-2 on LD, all before bidding even started.

I think it was obvious that this team was looking to acquire a top winger and a top RD in bidding. The guys they chose in bidding I think were great choices, in fact, I think both will be perfect fits with this team. The prices they got Theos and Rsall at tho? That's something I think is a bit questionable. Theos at 10.25 (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) is 1.25 mil more than the next highest paid strictly winger (Rico at 9), and if he plays like he did on VGK last season, that's not gonna be good. Side note, Theos has one 70 point season since S3 (79), Rico has 4 (106, 92, 71, 81). When it comes to Rsall the guy is a fantastic Dman and there's no denying that. Gwan and Schroyer went for the same 9 mil price tho (9.25 for Schroyer)..... I don't think Rsall is at that level. I think it hurt the depth a little bit as on offence as they got AlansCanucks along with Full melt and Shaun88 at 500k. On defence, after Rsall, Cressor, Stammerchel I'm not a big fan. Looks like they might be calling up a DP/AHL dman but not sure who that would be (If that is the plan). I feel like better depth could have made this team my #1 pick if Theos/Rsall didn't go for as much.

In net they have Jcarlos and WestSideHockey at 500k each. Jcarlos has some good S5 stats but has always had a high GAA and low SV% and WestSide went 22-18-5 on a not so great Isles team that he was a free contract for last season.... Not bad, but I think this is one of the bottom tier G tandems in the league.



3) Las Angeles Kings


I think this might be the pick that gets the most hate/disliked but it's my opinion. The offence on this team I think is gonna be better than a lot of people expect. The 1-2-3 down the middle of DoubleBrah, Goostav and RedFlag (at 500k is a steal imo) is very solid. On LW let's start with Eberle14 (Headshot). I knew he was good, played some club with the guy, realize how good, played against him and he absolutely shits on me. He's good. I expect him to be playing with DB and they should be a dominant 1st line. Next is NinetyEight who should be playing with Goostav and they should be a good fit together on the 2nd line. LA has 4 listed RW's and I think Frank/Bento/Sid are all capable of being very good support players in a top 6 role or a very good 3rd line RW. Evo is the 4th RW listed and should be on the 3rd line. I think this team is gonna get a good chunk of wins from all 3 lines.

When it comes to defence I think this is where the team might hurt a bit, but it seems to be very balanced. They picked up Flowshow at 4 mil who is very solid and someone I thought was gonna go for less because he hasn't played since S5. They also have Turmoilz who's coming off a 20 win/32 point rookie season so expect those 2 LD's to be the main focus of this Dcore. There are 3 other 2 mil dmen on this team, Costa, Silence and Bigfoot. Costa is coming off an 18 win season while the other 2 finished below .500. Calmblueice had solid stats at defence from S3-7 and is only 500k. As long as this Dcore is steady, the offence should be able to carry.

In net they have Leafs and Proxolol. Leafs is coming off a great season with Ottawa and Prox is coming off a sub par season with the ducks. If Leafs can keep up his good play and Prox puts up numbers like he did in S6, this will be a solid G tandem.



4) San Jose Sharks


Up front the Sharks will be led by Rico and Jcoul who I'm guessing will be playing together with Wally as the RW. WillRoltide is signed up at RW and could probably C but I'm sure Goalie Godz will assume the role of the 2C playing between Mesmerize and Will. LittleRagoo I looks like he'll be the 3C again but will have some new line mates. With Goalie Godz likely being called up, 2 of Troy/Sabres/Kane will play 3rd line while the other is sent down. The Sharks 3rd was crucial in them making the playoffs last season and while I don't see them repeating what they did last season, I think the 2nd line is better this season.

On defence, I'm not a big fan of what the Sharks have despite it not being bad. On the Left they have Tanev, Merana and Stamkos/Mikeal. Can Tanev be “the” guy and carry this team's top dpair? I've heard a lot of good things about Merana but have only played against him once so haven't got a good first hand look. When it comes to Mikeal and Stamkos, both are your typical 3rd pair dmen. I've known Stamkos for a while and I honestly thought since his 2 mil draft contract that if he was 500k he could be a quality 3rd pair dman for a team. 750k will have to do, and we'll see if he gets a shot with the Sharks. On the right the Sharks have NH4JP, Rad and Markis. I feel like this teams defence fits the roles of first, second and third pairs but not near the best that they could be. By that I mean I think Tanev/NH4 = 1B dmen, Merana = 2A dman, Rad = 2B dman, Stamkos/Mikeal/Markis = 3B dmen. More of second option guys for those roles imo.

In net the Sharks are rolling with DevinDags who had a solid S7 with Nashville and Penguins2013 who's coming off back to back seasons with sub par teams (Started with the Hawks before being dealt to the leafs last season).



5) Vegas Golden Knights


I'm not a big fan of 2 wingers being an Owner/GM combo but then again G's have been free contracts in the past. When those wingers also happen to be players such as Jay and ClassAct, it isn't bad at all especially considering both are 1st line players. The one problem that they went into bidding with is that they had no C's. This really isn't ideal as you pretty much have to pay a premium for a top C or overpay for a solid C and I think they did just that. I think JT is a solid C but 6.5 is a bit much for him. They then got Bmac at 750k and while he's not bad and his contract is cheap, if he doesn't work out as the 2C that could spell trouble for this team. I would guess he'll be playing with Jay and Dyno/Thoma so he'll have good support on the wings. Tychi is the 3C and it looks as tho his wingers could be Fishy and Crispy. Good Luck. (Metro Boomin is in the AHL and im guessing he'll be on the NHL roster? Only A status fwd is Thoma though and he better not be sent down.

I don't think it's terrible, but I'm not a fan of the Vegas D core. The top 2 on this team are Cmike and LazyP (4/9 now?). Both are capable of playing 1st pair but would be better suited as 2nd pair guys imo. They have Jladen at 2 mil who won 18 games last season and the rest of the D core is rounded out by Sterry, LouieDeuce, and lampanen. I have a gut feeling that this defence is gonna struggle to break the puck out. I don't see dmen here who are great with the puck, and no offence but can JT/Bmac/Tychi provide the kind of support in the middle of the ice that these guys are gonna need? Might be a lot of saucers up the boards or maybe free pizza deliveries up the middle.

In net they have Bealski who will be the starter. Played with him on Florida a few seasons back and he's a solid tendy. Fat Dinosaurz is the backup. He's played since S4 and has played 14 or less games in every season except 1. Maybe start looking now for another backup?



6) Anahiem Ducks


I honestly don't see the Ducks being as successful this season. Lets start off with the biggest shocker. Ksteiding 3s 2.25 mil. Ok, moving on. Last season Chicken played with Carm/Streetsmurf and I think that was a very good 1B type line to compliment the Sublime/Steiding/Ray line. Carm and Smurf look like they've been replaced by SedinPower and Marner93. Definitely not a fan of that. Makes it seem more like a 2B type line to me now. Third line looks like it might be Max20 between Mxster and perfectskillz. Don't know how Mxster is on forward and have no idea who perfect skillz is, but Max could IP boot his line's way to some wins I guess. Either way I don't think the 2nd line is gonna be good enough and don't think the 3rd is gonna make up for it either.

If there is a bright spot on this team it's on defence. Fuman/Potsie/PittPens is a solid 1-2-3 on LD. GoHawks is the top RD on this team, Jmorris is making the jump after a few good AHL seasons and Bure after a solid CHL season. I think this is a solid Defence but not one that's gonna make up for the lack of offence I think this team is gonna have.

In net the ducks have Jason and UnshippedOwlcat. Jason had a good season with Vegas but as for Owlcat, he hasn't played G since S6 and I have no idea how good he is in net.

I'm not gonna go into detail as to why I think it happened or care but quick question, why is Potsie GM when you could have re signed him cheap and maybe got a good C for Chicken? Literally anyone worth over the 2-3 mil Potsie could have re signed for would have been worth it. It's something I think could have significantly helped this team. Would basically be the same as me taking GM for FLA, it makes no sense.



7) Calgary Flames


With Vegas I talked about how having no C's prior to bidding is not ideal and CGY was kind of in the same spot. I think this is the contract, the team, and the season where reality sets in for NickyP. But hey if he can go out and get 15+ wins and 55+ points he's done his job. I just don't see a repeat of anything close to what he did last season. Bstieboy at 2.75 I don't understand at all. He is the 3C and you could easily get someone to fill the same role at sub 1mil. The first line C on this team looks like it will be Go Marc who will move to the middle from LW.They acquired Marc in a trade for RvClutch and talking about the trade with a few people when it happened, I personally thought this was a lopsided trade until I brought up Marc's stats. Since S2 Marc has three 60 point seasons, two 70 point seasons, one 80 point season and he had 41 in S6 (Still went 14-6-2). Very consistent player but can he C, and will he fit well with a winger like StreetSmurf who plays very high most of the time, and has control of the puck most of the time in the Offensive zone. Polska will likely play with Nicky and Keeps (who I think is west too?). They also have B4Dn3ws, JayJay and a DP/AHL player coming up im guessing? One will likely play 1st line, the others on the 3rd. I think the 1st line could be good but I question it, I don't think the west line will be great and I don't think the 3rd will be good enough.

Not a big fan of the defence either. It is led by Foote who is solid and has great party presence along with Gary who seems to not lose in the playoffs especially when playing with 3rd lines. Gotta get there first though. I think both would be better suited as 2nd pair guys and I feel when you have guys like this leading your defence it's best to have good depth behind them. Maybe I just don't know them well enough but I don't have confidence that MattyA/Tylee, Kickass/Mikeyare the guys you want behind a top pair like the one the Flames have. Maybe it doesn't help either that I don't have much faith in their offence, who knows.

After a few seasons on defence, Domi is back between the pipes and at 1.5 is a great pickup for the Flames as a starting G. S3th98 is making the jump from the AHL after having a great season 8 performance and will be the backup.



8) Vancouver Canucks


Oh mamm is this team interesting..... Lets just start off with the main 3 guys who I really hope play together. The5thLine/HJHF14/GhostMK are by far the best players on this team at each position. HJ is back and enters bidding for the first time, going for 8.5 mil which was expected. On the bright side The5thLine and Ghost go for 3 and 2 mil less than they did last season. Not sure you want these 2 guys as your best players at their positions especially The5thLine (Sorry Owen) but they are both solid wingers. After these three players there are 6 depth players and some are going to have to over achieve if this team has any chance of succeeding. Jdurst and Smitter are on LW. Smitter was high on FLA's radar but we wanted him to LD and he wanted to play forward on PS4. At C Jaf is coming off a 12 win, 55 point season with Boston but I'm not sure who else will move to the middle. On RW they have Bonwl, an old gen GM Connected player I used to play with who is making his way through the ranks of LG, along with veterans ToSlick and XiloAtomik.

The only guy on the Canucks defence that might be a 1B (Definitely a 2A) would be RyOfTheBeholder. John Sheldon, Counter and Mamm could be 2nd pair support guys, preferably 3rd pair though. The problem is they might be supporting each other on the 2nd pair. BuffaloMick is coming off a good AHL season and Blamex67 is an xbox guy but nothing about either one stands out. It looks like Ry has to carry a defence that consists of 5 guys who are basically lower tier 2nd line or 3rd line and that's just not gonna happen. Then again, I don't know if anyone can carry this defence. Seems awfully similar to what I think of the Canucks defence IRL right now.

In net, strap on your backpacks DrNasty and CapsFan you're gonna need them. 2 worthy starting goalies isn't going to be enough to help this team though and I could definitely see 1, if not both move to better teams that need goaltending help mid season.

I would think some DP's might make the team but Bonwl is the only A status player and I doubt he's going down. I think this is an appropriate pic to end with for the Canucks.



That will do it for the Pacific division. Again feel free to comment and share your opinion on what you agree/disagree with. Since JPH did an Atlantic write up, i'll do the Central next and the Atlantic last.

 

I love it nice job

 

Thanks for the kind words @MrPurpleCrush

 

Ik you'll probably be on the team. Might be a couple DP's that play on the Canucks this season. Was Just going based off of the current roster especially considering all the V status players. Didn't wanna go super in depth with roster moves and Dp's called up. "I would think some DP's might make the team but Bonwl is the only A status player and I doubt he's going down." Some V status guys could definitely get moved tho.

 

Good write up

 

I believe.











That this is a nice writeup.

 

Awesome write-up! ​

 

Great job!

 

Excellent write up ! I rly think eberle is going to turn a lot of heads. This guy generates offense like crazy. Hockey iq is elite and he always seems to pull something new we didn’t expect.

 

Oh wow we're fighting

 

Love it bro.

 

Great Piece, even better Artist.

 

1st line winger here

 

Great write up Purple. Look forward to reading more!

 

Good write up again

 

#1 Las Angeles fan here

 

You’re the goat

 

Anaheim is my sleeper pick. I honestly believe they'll be a top team in the league as long as everyone performs well.

 

I prefer to be called mundian

 

you're a beaut Purp