Edmonton Oilers
Yes, we usually discuss the Oilers when it comes to the Stanley Cup, but the reality is they have never won the Pacific Division. However, Edmonton was the runner-up in the last three seasons. The Cup finalists are coming off a fantastic campaign where they took the Florida Panthers the distance in the finals after falling behind 3-0 in the series. The Oilers just locked up Leon Draisaitl to a new deal while Connor McDavid is of course still around. The organization did a nice job of adding some pieces too, including Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman complete the core in Edmonton. While winning the Pacific isn’t the No.1 priority, Edmonton will definitely be in the mix with +120 odds at Sports Interaction.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights were the Pacific champs in 2022-23 and proceeded to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, beating the Florida Panthers. Last season was a different story, however, finishing as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Vegas ultimately lost in the first round to the Dallas Stars despite taking a 2-0 series lead. Vegas has two notable subtractions to their roster – Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson. Both players departed in free agency. The Golden Knights also won the Pacific division in 2019-20 and have the second-best odds at NHL sportsbooks.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks surprised a lot of people last season. No one expected them to be in the playoffs, yet Vancouver proceeded to win the Pacific and made it to the second round, losing in seven games to the Oilers in a very entertaining series. The core of Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, and Brock Boeser remain in town, while the front office brought in another weapon in free agency, Jake DeBrusk. Vancouver will score goals with a high-octane offense. We’ll see if they can hold it down defensively. The Canucks never won the Pacific division before last year. They have a chance to do it again with a strong roster that hasn’t changed much.
LA Kings
The Kings haven’t been great for awhile and continuously lose to the Oilers in the playoffs. They’ve never won the Pacific division but did address an immediate need this offseason – goaltending. LA traded for Darcy Kuemper, who will be their No. 1 netminder. David Rittich will also see time in between the posts. The offense is led by Adrian Kempe, who had 75 points last year. However, the team will be looking to get more production from Quinton Byfield alongside Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar as well.
