NHL 2021-2022 Midseason Report Cards: Pacific Division

As the middle of January transitions into the end of January, the NHL is at the midpoint of its 2021-2022 campaign.

With the holiday break and the Winter Classic in the books and the All-Star break and trade deadline lurking, this is the natural point in the NHL season where teams begin to determine how to proceed for the remainder of the year.

Some teams have Stanley Cup championship aspirations, while some just want to get into the playoffs, and others are simply seeking improvement over what they accomplished a season ago. Whatever the case may be, each team can be assessed based on expectations, and what better way to do that than with report card grades?

Where do things stand in the NHL’s Pacific Division?

I’ll go division by division to gauge how teams have faired this season, and the first group on the list will be the Pacific Division. Let’s start with the standings as they appear entering action on Tuesday, January 25:

1. Vegas Golden Knights (25-15-2, 52 points)
2. Anaheim Ducks (21-16-7, 49 points)
3. Los Angeles Kings (21-16-6, 48 points)
4. Calgary Flames (19-12-6, 44 points)
5. San Jose Sharks (21-19-2, 44 points)
6. Edmonton Oilers (19-16-2, 40 points)
7. Vancouver Canucks (18-19-4, 40 points)
8. Seattle Kraken (13-24-4, 30 points)

Anaheim Ducks: A

I thought the Anaheim Ducks would be at the bottom of this division, and possibly the NHL. I was not at all prepared for their young stars to take over in the way that they have this season, and because they’ve been so effective, I believe that the Ducks will be in playoff contention all season.

It’s possible that they could still miss out, but I feel that with the young core that has been assembled, taking this step forward in the 2021-2022 season is a major win. The Ducks were abysmal last year, finishing last in the West Division and sporting one of the worst goal differentials in the league.

Yet, here they are. Anaheim doesn’t have to make the playoffs for this season to be a success. As long as the Ducks don’t have some type of meltdown late in the season, there will be nothing but positives to take from this year.

Calgary Flames: B

Another team that has exceeded my expectations, though not nearly by as much, is the Flames. Calgary has been a bit puzzling in the way that they have failed to find success in recent years, but this year seems more appropriate for this roster.

The defense has been very strong all season for the Flames, and I trust that that will continue with Jacob Markstrom in goal. The reason, then, that I only gave this club a B, is that I knew all along that it should be this good. It’s the fact that it has underachieved lately that made me feel low on Calgary coming into this season.

There should be some pressure in Alberta to keep the winning ways going in the second half of the season. The Flames have not been quite as good since the calendar flipped to 2022, but the games in hand that they have over some division rivals could bode well for their playoff hopes.

Calgary can’t afford to miss the playoffs again, but I’m not going to give the Flames too much praise for performing the way that they should. Still, they’ve rebounded nicely so far, so the grade is a B.

Edmonton Oilers: F

Does an F seem a little too harsh? Maybe, but I think it’s time to be brutally honest when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers. The talent at the top of this lineup cannot be overstated, but the depth behind those stars is wildly insufficient.

Let me give the Oilers at least some credit. The team made some quality moves in the offseason to bring in more talent, and for the first quarter of this season, it worked. However, the lack of depth in Edmonton is a large problem that needs to be continuously addressed, and the Oilers have done nothing lately to make the team better.

Instead, this team is struggling through a terrible stretch of hockey that has it well outside the playoff picture. The Pacific Division looks a little stronger than I expected, but I still don’t believe that it’s one of the better divisions in the NHL. As a result, the top-heavy Oilers should struggle in the playoffs, rather than struggle to even get there.

Los Angeles Kings: B

I picked the Kings to get to playoffs and win a couple of rounds, so I’ve been pleased by what I’ve seen so far. Some inconsistencies in their performance make it difficult to fully know what Los Angeles brings to the table, but the potential has been visible at times, and its place in the standings is positive.

For the Kings, I do think there is work to be done at the trade deadline. Scoring has typically come secondary to defense in LA, so adding another player that can produce offense would be nice to see. I also worry about special teams in Los Angeles, as the penalty kill in particular ranks near the bottom of the NHL.

This grade is based more on standing than on statistics, which could be dangerous. While the Kings have some things to clean up, the mix of experience and youth makes me as excited about this team now as I was at the beginning of the season.

San Jose Sharks: B-

I still cannot figure out whether the Sharks should be taken seriously. The team offense isn’t lethal, and the team defense isn’t stout. The power play unit is average at best, but the penalty kill has had some success this season.

On an individual level, there are very few players in the league this season that have been a bigger surprise than Timo Meier. He has never recorded a point-per-game season in his NHL career, but so far this season, he’s got 46 points in 37 games.

In addition, defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson have bounced back in a big way this season, as both are already at or approaching their point totals from last season. I thought last year’s output would be the new normal for veterans like these two, but they just won’t go away.

I’m not sure if it will last, but the Sharks have definitely exceeded my expectations in the first half of the season.

Seattle Kraken: C-

The expectations placed on the Seattle Kraken after the immediate success of the Golden Knights were unreasonable. Vegas struck gold in its inaugural season, and the odds of Seattle replicating a feat that no expansion team before the Golden Knights had accomplished was extremely slim.

However, I felt at the time of the expansion draft that there was talent available that the Kraken passed on, and even with the players that were selected/signed, I thought this team would be in a wild card position by the end of the year. Instead, the Kraken have one of the lowest point percentages in the league.

The biggest disappointment has been Philipp Grubauer in goal. Seattle was expected to play a defense-first style, and Grubauer was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, but those two things have not gelled in a productive way in the state of Washington.

I won’t be too harsh on the Kraken, as they are indeed an expansion team, but with that said, this season has been a bit of a letdown for the NHL’s 32nd franchise.