We took our last look at the Pacific Division on July 20, two days before the biggest trade of the salary cap era rocked the NHL. Training camps are underway and, while teams still have some final roster decisions to make, we have a pretty good idea of what each team will look like this season. Let’s take a look at how the landscape has changed since mid July as we get set for puck drop on the regular season.
Pacific Division Projected Standings
The projected standings have seen little change since our last snapshot. The big mover is the Seattle Kraken, who closed the gap on the playoff teams and appear to have an outside shot at a wild card berth.
Let’s take a look at the teams in order of the projected standings, along with their most notable roster transactions since the last snapshot.
1 – Vegas Golden Knights
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The biggest news out of Vegas since our last snapshot was the loss of Robin Lehner for the 22/23 season as he undergoes hip surgery. The loss puts the Golden Knights goaltending in the spotlight, as Laurent Brossoit is also expected to start the season on IR. The Knights acquired Adin Hill in the aftermath, and Logan Thompson will likely get an opportunity after his strong play down the stretch last season. The Golden Knights also re-signed RFAs Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar and added UFA Phil Kessel. They also have one RFA, Nicolas Hague, unsigned.
2 – Edmonton Oilers
Change in Projected Standings Points: -1
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Oilers focus since our last snapshot was on signing their RFAs to new contracts. Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod all inked new deals and the Oilers had enough cap space left to add veteran defenseman Ryan Murray. Murray heads to Edmonton fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Avalanche and brings a strong projected impact for a third pair defenseman.
3 – Calgary Flames
Change in Projected Standings Points: -1
Change in Division Rank: +0
Things looked rather bleak in Calgary at the time of our previous snapshot. After watching Johnny Gaudreau leave in free agency in favor of Columbus, news surfaced that Matthew Tkachuk had informed the team he would not sign a long term extension. As it turned out, that news precipitated the biggest trade of the salary cap era as the Flames acquired a package headlined by Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar from Florida for Tkachuk. The Flames made out well in the deal, with their projected point percentage remaining even through that transaction. They weren’t done with the fireworks there, though. The Flames also signed Nazem Kadri to a 7 year deal, trading Sean Monahan to the Canadiens to find the required cap space.
4 – Vancouver Canucks
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Canucks made only one roster signing since our last snapshot. It was a big one, but not one that affects this season’s roster projection. J.T. Miller inked an 8 year extension after months of trade speculation. With a second line projected impact this season that is likely to see age related decline in the back half of the deal, the $8M cap hit was a hefty price to pay. It does give more clarity to this season’s squad though, as the Canucks appear to have their sights set on returning to the postseason next spring.
5 – Seattle Kraken
Change in Projected Standings Points: +8
Change in Division Rank: +3
The Kraken took advantage of their favorable cap situation just after our last snapshot, acquiring Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Blue Jackets. Bjorkstrand’s projected impact is a second line forward this season, with high end goal scoring. Seattle sorely needed some additional offensive punch and Bjorkstrand’s addition will help. The Kraken also signed a few depth players to extensions and new contracts, including Morgan Geekie, Ryan Donato, and Michal Kempny.
6 – Los Angeles Kings
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Kings made noise early in the offseason with the acquisition of Kevin Fiala and the second half of the summer was fairly quiet. They signed some key RFAs to extensions, including Mikey Anderson, Sean Durzi and Gabe Vilardi.
7 – Anaheim Ducks
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Ducks signed John Klingberg to a one year deal late in the summer, helping them get over the salary cap floor. Klingberg’s projected impact is poor in the model, but in a lesser role, it’s reasonable to think he may have a stronger impact. The one year deal sets the Ducks up for a trade deadline deal, when teams always seem willing to pay a premium for defensemen.
8 – San Jose Sharks
Change in Projected Standings Points: -3
Change in Division Rank: -3
The Sharks didn’t make any big moves during the late summer, but signed a few depth players such as Evgeny Svechnikov. The resulting roster shuffling didn’t work out in their favor and they drop back slightly in the projections.
More
Want to peruse the player projections behind the team profiles or browse player cards for more of the new free agent signings? Sign up for an annual membership to get access to all 22/23 team and player projection cards. Plots will be updated to track progress through the season so you can follow along with the changing landscape.
Input data for models from Natural Stat Trick. Contract data from CapFriendly.
