For the past few seasons, the Edmonton Oilers have reigned over the Pacific Division, but this past offseason has seen a few teams take a step or two towards potentially dethroning a team that has only regressed after coming up short in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. The current state of the Pacific Division could feature some surprise contenders as well as some disappointing finishes when it comes time for the postseason.
Stock Up
Vegas Golden Knights
Las Vegas, after winning the cup in 2023, has had some particularly bad luck in the playoffs as of late, no matter how much top talent they continue to acquire and assimilate into their system. But this year might be different, as the Knights started their offseason off with a bang in which they acquired another potential franchise player in Mitch Marner.
The Golden Knights tried acquiring him last year during the 2024 free agency deadline but were rebuked, only to acquire him this year in exchange for Nick Roy and proceed to sign him to an 8-year deal with a $12 million AAV. Marner is projected to start alongside Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev, a rookie who broke out last year with 35 goals and 17 assists for 52 points in his first NHL season.
Another noteworthy transaction was the extension of starting netminder Aidan Hill to a 6-year deal with a $6.25 AAV. Hill more than earned his extension and could prove to be a stabilizing starter for years to come. To maintain stability on their defense, especially considering Alex Pietrangelo's likely retirement from the NHL, Vegas extended defensemen Dylan Coughlan (who will likely serve as the team's seventh defenseman) and Kaedan Korczak to a four-year deal to maintain his role on the third pairing. Lastly, to provide some insurance for the bottom six, the Golden Knights extended right-wing forward Cole Schwindt to serve as the team's thirteenth forward.
Vegas, after winning the cup in 2023, is looking to return to prominence and challenge a seemingly weaker Edmonton Oilers for dominance of the Western Conference. The Golden Knights, alongside a stacked first line, have a very balanced and threatening bottom nine, a likely reliable defense, and a very dependable and competent goalie in Aidan Hill to give this team one of the best editions that the franchise has seen yet. After examining their roster composition after their offseason moves, it can be reasonably assumed that the Golden Knights are likely the best team to challenge the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have had a fun offseason, to say the least, in which they have taken some massive strides forward towards competing. The mission this offseason was to improve the roster composition and to also keep their budding stars, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, simply happy and comfortable in this developing edition of the franchise.
After drafting rookie sensation Michael Misa second overall in his year's NHL draft, the Sharks proceeded to buy out veteran defenseman Marc-Eduard Vlasic from his mammoth-sized contract. San Jose aimed to improve their bottom-nine with the additions of Adam Gaudette, Ryan Reaves (who was acquired from Toronto in exchange for Henry Thrun), and Philip Kurashev, who will likely act as the team's third-line center.
An additional noteworthy move was William Eklund's extension to a very reasonable three-year bridge deal, who will likely reassume his spot next to Macklin Celebrini. The Sharks signed some veteran defensemen in John Klingberg and Dimitri Orlov, as well as claiming Nick Leddy off waivers, to provide their young defense core with some experienced guidance. The final acquisition, and the most savvy one, was signing Jeff Skinner to provide the top six some goalscoring with a storied winger who is itching to revitalize his career.
The Sharks have gained some decent stock due to their savvy transactions this offseason. Their move indicates that they are preparing to take the next steps towards competing, in which they achieved this milestone by providing a foundation to their young core in William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini, and Sam Dickinson. San Jose has given these budding stars skilled veterans, in Jeff Skinner and Tyler Toffoli, as well as a young and experienced middle six with the signings of Philip Kurashev and Adam Gaudette, a player who recently had a 19-goal breakout season with the Ottawa Senators. San Jose might need another year or two before they could stake a claim for a playoff spot, but for now they remain a team that could cause a ruckus in a very lackluster Pacific Division.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken had by far one of the strangest offseasons out of most teams in this series. Seattle seemed fixated on improving their bottom nine while likely relegating their top line's needs for the future. Nevertheless, the Kraken have made some fascinating moves that have granted them the final spot on this sector of the list.
Seattle began the offseason by extending Josh Mahura to a two-year deal as well as trading for Mason Marchment. The Dallas Stars, besides acquiring cap space, also acquired a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick, whereas Seattle received an experienced middle-six winger to level up their forward group. The Kraken proceeded to trade Andre Burakovsky for Joe Veleno as well as trading for Freddie Gaudreau from the Minnesota Wild.
To top off their offseason, the Kraken signed former New York Ranger and Colorado Avalanche player Ryan Lindgren to a four-year deal, as well as extending another former New York Ranger, Kappo Kakko, to a three-year deal (who had a splendid year in Seattle after being traded midway through the year), and finally concluding with Ryker Evan's extension, who had a string of promising seasons with the Kraken on the backend.
Besides Ryan Lindgren's signing, who is still a relatively dependable defenseman but is wrecked with injuries and now has significant term on his contract, the Kraken have made some very solid and smart moves, which can't be said for many teams throughout this series. While many fans like to joke that the Kraken have a very perplexing future ahead of them and that they compensate by signing middle-six forwards, it cannot be ignored that Seattle is at least preparing to provide a young forward group with a promising bedrock for the future.
The Kraken already have a dangerous defensive corps with Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour leading the charge, but now they have a decent forward group to provide reinforcements to young stars in Matty Beniers, Kappo Kakko, and now Jake O'Brien (who they drafted 8th overall in this year's draft). A matter of concern would be Jared McCann's future with the squad, but nevertheless, the Kraken stand at a crossroads between potentially making another run for the playoffs or having a great chance at drafting Gavin McKenna.
To be determined
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks, after a turbulent season, began their offseason by trading for power forward and relatively controversial forward Evander Kane. Vancouver was poised to have a decent season after their defeat in the divisional round of the 2024 NHL playoffs. Instead, the Canucks not only missed the playoffs this year but also bid farewell to JT Miller. There were many factors that could be used to diagnose why the Canucks had such a disappointing year, such as Elias Pettersson having a lackluster year and relying on a goalie carousel while awaiting Thatcher Demko to return from injury. But now it's time to take a look at how Vancouver responded to their precarious situation.
Vancouver, after trading their 4th round pick for Evander Kane, proceeded to conduct some maintenance on their forward group beginning with Aatu Raty's three-year extension. Raty, who was acquired in 2023 in the Bo Horvat deal with the New York Islanders, will likely serve as the team's third-line center, which is a very generous promotion considering commutes from Abbotsford and the main roster.
The Canucks maintained three essential pieces of their core when they extended Connor Garland to a 6-year deal, Thatcher Demko to a 3-year deal, and Brock Boeser to a 7-year deal. Every contract that was signed seemed like a team-friendly deal, which comes as a shock considering the rumors surrounding Brock Boeser that he wanted to part ways.
These moves can be seen as a scramble to stabilize the team, amidst the many departures that occurred during the regular season, to keep their franchise defenseman Quinn Hughes happy for the near future. To close out their offseason, Vancouver traded AHL MVP Arthur Silovs (who also served as their starter before Thatcher Demko's return) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a marginal return, signed Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a 1-year deal, and signed their 15th overall pick, Brandon Cootes, to his entry-level contract.
The Canucks were granted leniency this offseason, both in this ranking and in the actual offseason, considering their ability to retain all their free agents considering their perplexing situation. Vancouver is awarded this mercy due to their roster composition seeming very balanced, with an amalgamation of seasoned players alongside younger players with something to prove. The Canucks, while they have Quinn Hughes, do not have the luxury of calling it quits, and these moves clearly reflect this mentality, as they must do whatever they can to build around the perennial engine to not only their team but their franchise overall.
Calgary Flames
The Flames and their retool has been proceeding relatively as planned. With young stars and current veterans paving the way for Calgary's youth movement, Calgary seems to be enjoying what a lot of developing teams are failing to acquire themselves: a stable trajectory. However, what must be considered is that Calgary, despite the lamentations of their fans, is having trouble signing star free agents to amplify their retool. While it can be rebutted that Mackenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau immediately extended after being traded by the Florida Panthers in 2022, the recent stumbles to make the playoffs have highlighted the flaws of Calgary's quest for relevance.
Calgary, during the twilight of the regular season, locked up their second-line right-winger, Matt Coronato. The displeasure behind this deal has already been stated, but it is worth reminding that this is likely a symptom of Calgary's struggle to retain and attract top-of-the-line talent, which forces them to immediately lock up their potential stars to expensive long-term deals. As a result, the Flames will either receive a cost-effective scoring winger in Matt Coronato or an overpriced middle-six forward that has failed to develop to his potential.
Next up on the docket was the extension of two members of their defensive corps, in Adam Klapka's two-year extension and Kevin Bahl's 6-year extension. The Flames also extended bottom-six left-winger Justin Kirkland to a one-year deal as well as made another depth move in defenseman John Hanley's two-year extension. Calgary followed up their depth extensions by signing Martin Pospíšil to a three-year extension and centerman Morgan Frost to a two-year extension (who was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers) and then wrapped up their offseason in their most recent extension with Dustin Wolf.
DUSTIN WOLF ARE YOU KIDDING ME 🐺 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AvWjEZDSlj
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 12, 2025
Dustin Wolf is an excellent netminder who is poised to retain the starting role for the near future, but his contract and worth is entirely dependent on him maintaining a consistent style of play. These cost-effective contracts will hopefully demonstrate Calgary's short-term investment in its younger and more developmental projects, especially illustrated in their retention of Morgan Frost, who will likely serve as their third-line center behind Michael Backlund.
The Flames have claimed the second spot on this sector of the list because, while they didn't do all too much during this year's offseason, they made some relatively prudent moves. A particular deal that should be given praise is Connor Zary's extension to a very reasonable bridge deal, where he will continue to serve as the Flames' first-line right winger for the near future. Calgary has used their cap space to extend their young stars and to prepare themselves for the next stage of their rebuild, where they will hopefully make some additional moves to stimulate their offense.
On the defensive end, Calgary has a very stable foundation of veterans such as Rasmus Andersson and Mackenzie Weegar to tutor promising rookie Zayne Parekh. All in all, Calgary remains in uncertainty, but a stable one, as they have the tools to potentially make a run for a playoff spot and maybe even upgrade their team at the trade deadline if their campaign goes as planned.
Stock Down
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings, under the regime of newly hired general manager Ken Holland, have gone from a young and competitive team with a bright future to one of potential mediocrity. Holland, who was in the running as this year's top free agent general manager, made some very controversial moves during this year's offseason. Before we discuss the main course, let's start with the pilot of his most eyebrow-raising moves this offseason, where he traded Jordan Spence, a promising two-way defenseman, to the Ottawa Senators for a very small bounty.
To replace Jordan Spence, Holland used a substantial portion of his cap space to sign a parade of veteran defensemen in Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin. Both defensemen have been noted for their experience and veteran presence, as well as their persistency for acquiring hefty contracts despite their resumes. Holland basically added two aging veterans to a team that could have been poised for limitless potential, especially on the backend, while also dispensing lucrative contracts with high terms. These moves came after he struggled to extend high-valued free agent Vladislav Gavrikov, who signed a 7x7 with the New York Rangers, a price that the Kings could've afforded.
The Kings proceeded to extend Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year deal, who had a superb season with the Kings (after being traded from the Philadelphia Flyers), signed noted RFA Alex Lafferiere to a three-year deal, and signed depth goaltender Pheonix Copley. Los Angeles rounded out their offseason by signing free agents Joel Armia, Anton Forsberg, and finally Corey Perry.
The Kings, after another disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, have not only failed to improve their lineup but have also taken a decent step back towards even having a chance to make a decent playoff run. While Los Angeles remains in contention for a playoff spot, with players such as Anze Kopitar (who will likely be playing his final season), Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, and Quinton Byfield leading the charge. It isn't to say that the Kings are doomed, but they have certainly lost stock after a very disappointing offseason by newly hired general manager, Ken Holland.
Edmonton Oilers
After being defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second season in a row, the Oilers took a substantial step back in their quest for the cup. It isn't to say that the Oilers aren't contenders; in fact, they will always be Stanley Cup contenders in the eyes of many analysts if they still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their payroll. However, this year's defeat against a vastly superior Florida Panthers team felt more like a gut-wrenching punch rather than a sting after coming so close in 2023-2024.
The Oilers began by extending trade deadline acquisition Trent Frederic to an 8-year deal, which caused significant jaw drops league-wide. The deal can be compared to another similar deal in the Pierre Engvall extension in 2023, where the Islanders signed their own third-line forward to a 7-year extension. This costly deal, for a depth forward, is very interesting, as it doesn't exactly move the needle for Connor McDavid's quest for the Stanley Cup.
Next up on the list was Evan Bouchard's lucrative extension in which he received a 4-year deal at $10.5 million AAV. While the extension guarantees more "Bouch Bombs" for the next four years, the Oilers should still be concerned due to Bouchard's defensive capabilities coming into question over the past few years. The Oilers concluded their offseason by signing Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar to provide some depth scoring. The main issue behind these moves is that they don't nearly move the needle compared to what last year's moves had analysts raving about, where the Oilers added Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson to assemble a potentially stacked top six.
That "stacked top-six" ultimately fell short this year, where Jeff Skinner was reduced to healthy scratches and Victor Arvidsson was demoted to the middle six. After a decisive defeat by the Florida Panthers, the Oilers responded by acquiring depth players to fill out scoring roles alongside players like Leon Draisaitl, despite their relatively young age. The Oilers have also failed to address a significant concern in between their goalposts, where they missed out on opportunities such as John Gibson and Arthur Silovs, who were all dealt this offseason. Edmonton, as a result, finds themselves on this list due to their status as a supposed Stanley Cup contender and instead taking steps away from their championship dreams. Meanwhile, while the Oilers struggle, a returning superpower in the Vegas Golden Knights attempts to return to prominence while the Oilers stumble.
Anaheim Ducks
The Duck's offseason can be summarized with two simple words: "But why?" Anaheim has conducted some very perplexing offseason moves that will likely continue to contribute to their franchise spinning their tires in the mud. With their moves this offseason, after a closer examination, they will likely not be enough to land them a chance at a playoff spot or Gavin McKenna.
The Ducks began the offseason by bailing out Chris Drury and the New York Rangers by trading for Chris Kreider. The Ducks got an aging but still competent power forward for their forward corps, while the Rangers made out like bandits by acquiring much-needed cap space, as well as a prospect and a third-round pick. Next up on the docket was trading former 2019 9th overall pick, Trevor Zegras, to the Philadelphia Flyers, where they acquired Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. While it was confirmed that the Ducks and their coaching staff and management had mutual feelings of disgruntlement, the Ducks trading a player who has had repeated injuries and a very lackluster opportunity to perform at the highest level is a cause for concern for their development program, as well as the return they received for him. Even with Leo Carlsson likely becoming that first-line center for the franchise, losing a top-six player for what can be seen as "scraps" is impossible to ignore.
On free-agency day, the Ducks made a noteworthy signing in Mikael Granlund, who received a lucrative three-year deal with a $7 million AAV. Granlund will likely serve as the team's second-line center and provide some decent experience to their still very young forward group. After trading former starter John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings on day 2 of the NHL draft, the Ducks proceeded to extend their franchise goaltender, Lucas Dostal, to a hefty payday and a 5-year contract.
The Ducks, this offseason, have clearly lost stock, which will shock some fans and won't surprise many, especially since they are struggling to extend another franchise favorite in Mason McTavish. Anaheim inhabits a division that is ripe for the taking and has continuously failed to construct a roster capable of taking that much-needed next step towards competing.