We’re just a few weeks away from the start of the 2024/25 National Hockey League season, with rookie tournaments already starting, preseason action beginning next week, and opening night coming on October 8th. Rosters are starting to take form – or at least are in the “concepts of a plan” stage – and those looking to get ahead of the game on the futures market will no doubt want to make their first move soon. Over the course of the summer, we’ve already started previewing bits and pieces of the league at the team and player levels, but now it’s time to dig a bit deeper.
In the last of our division-by-division breakdowns, we’ll be focusing on the Pacific Division.
This post is part of a series looking at all four NHL divisions. Make sure to check out all of our previews as they come!
Atlantic Division – Metropolitan Division – Central Division – Pacific Division
 | Points | Over | Under | 100+ PTS | Make PO | Miss PO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 108.5 | -110 | -110 | -450 | -1200 | +700 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 99.5 | -105 | -115 | -105 | -290 | +220 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 98.5 | -130 | +100 | +110 | -340 | +250 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 96.5 | -110 | -110 | +180 | -240 | +190 |
| Seattle Kraken | 87.5 | -105 | -115 | +450 | +155 | -190 |
| Calgary Flames | 81.5 | +110 | -143 | +900 | +290 | -390 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 70.5 | -105 | -115 | +4000 | +1100 | -2500 |
| San Jose Sharks | 63.5 | -115 | -105 | +5000 | +1600 | -6600 |
Fresh off a run to the very last game of the season, the Edmonton Oilers have shown no signs of complacency, having themselves a fairly solid summer from a roster perspective. The team extended Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique and then went free-agent hunting, landing Jeff Skinner off of a buyout in Buffalo and pulling Viktor Arvidsson away from the Los Angeles Kings. They were somewhat blindsided by the St. Louis Blues, who sent offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, but navigated the situation well, acquiring Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver and Ty Emberson from San Jose, while also dumping Cody Ceci’s contract in what initially looked like a move to make space to match, but now instead gives them some cap space to work with later in the season. Oh, and to quash all worries, they extended Leon Draisaitl for eight years. This is likely the best rendition of this era of the Oilers on paper, and it’s time for them to show what that means.
Finishing ahead of them in the 2023/24 season were the Vancouver Canucks, and they’re on a mission to prove that last year was no fluke. They’ll be coming in a little lither than they were before, though, losing pre-deadline acquisitions Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to Boston, trading Vasily Podkolzin to Edmonton, trading Ilya Mikheyev to Chicago, and losing Sam Lafferty (Buffalo), Ian Cole (Utah) and Casey DeSmith (Dallas) to free agency. The team did make some positive reinforcements to counter, adding Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen right back from the Bruins and Daniel Sprong from Detroit, among others. Perhaps their biggest x-factor is whether or not Thatcher Demko is good to go in the near future – he’s still dealing with an uncommon muscular injury and his timeline is up in the air. The Vezina finalist would be a huge loss if his absence is long-term.
The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to get back into the dance, and they’re going to have to do so after losing several longer-term pieces, such as original misfit and Conn Smythe Trophy-winner Jonathan Marchessault, along with the likes of Chandler Stephenson, Logan Thompson, and Alec Martinez. They’ve made some interesting bets in response, such as the goaltending pair of Ilya Samsonov and Akira Schmid, along with once-hyped Devils youngster Alexander Holtz and Buffalo sniper Victor Olofsson. Their biggest improvement may come from internal availability though – what does the team look like with a full season of Mark Stone, Noah Hanifin, and Tomas Hertl?
In Los Angeles, the team hopes to break through the barriers that have stood in their way the past few years – and by that, I mostly mean the Oilers in the playoffs. Have they done enough to shut them down? It’s hard to say yes, with their biggest acquisition likely being power forward Tanner Jeannot, who became a cult favourite in Nashville but disappointed mightily in Tampa Bay. Could Darcy Kuemper shake off a bad year in Washington to give the Kings some stability between the pipes?
The Seattle Kraken didn’t mess around this summer, making perhaps their biggest splash since joining the league in signing Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson – two of the highest-calibre free agents available and importantly in the latter case, stealing talent from within the division. Other than that, though, much of their movement was on the peripheral, so they’ll be hoping that talents like Matty Beniers and Shane Wright make big steps, and that they can control a little more of the play on a given night.
The rebuild is the word in Calgary, and the Flames continued their teardown by moving Andrew Mangiapane to Washington and Jacob Markstrom to Calgary. Their draft got a lot of praise and it’ll be interesting to see if Zayne Parekh makes a case for staying with the team into the fall, but this year is more about building towards something than it is about contention.
Lastly, in sunny California, we see two more rebuilding teams in the Sharks and Ducks. San Jose has a lot to be excited about after a dead-last season was rewarded with the first overall pick – Macklin Celebrini is going to be with the team, Will Smith (no, not that one) will be joining him, the team acquired Yaroslav Askarov as their goalie of the future between the pipes, and veterans like Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Jake Walman, Barclay Goodrow, Carl Grundstrom and Cody Ceci will lift the floor from what seemed like rock bottom last year.
In Anaheim, Pat Verbeek will hope that talent like Trevor Zegras, Pavel Mintyukov, Mason McTavish, and Lucas Carlsson will take strides, and that Cutter Gauthier was worth the cost of admission paid in their deal with the Flyers to acquire him. The team didn’t add a ton else in terms of immediate talent, trading for Robby Fabbri and Brian Dumoulin as their veteran help.
| Line | 23/24 | YoY | xGF% | PDO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 108.5 | 104 | 4.5 | 57.09 | 100.2 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 99.5 | 109 | -9.5 | 52.27 | 102.8 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 98.5 | 98 | 0.5 | 50.94 | 100.5 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 96.5 | 99 | -2.5 | 54.56 | 99.6 |
| Seattle Kraken | 87.5 | 81 | 6.5 | 50.63 | 99.9 |
| Calgary Flames | 81.5 | 81 | 0.5 | 50.44 | 98.8 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 70.5 | 59 | 11.5 | 45.98 | 98.6 |
| San Jose Sharks | 63.5 | 47 | 16.5 | 41.81 | 97 |
PDO: A combination of Shooting and Save % at 5v5. Large deviations from 100.0 can be signs of fortune/misfortune.
The Oilers have by far the highest points line of any team in the NHL going into preseason, sitting at a whopping 108.5. Now, a 109-point season doesn’t typically win you the Presidents’ Trophy in a given year, but given that sportsbooks prepare for the likeliest scenario rather than the best-case one, it’s a tall, tall task. Tall enough that as good as I think they’ll be, and as fair as I think it is to project them as the league’s best regular-season team, I’d actually be weary about putting money on it. There are more pathways to disruption than there are ones to exceeding expectations. I would be in no way shocked if they cleared, but I don’t think it’s a wise placement of your units.
The Canucks are another team I’d be cautious with, even with a projected 9.5-point dip. So much went right for them last year, and a big part of that was spectacular goaltending. As long as Demko remains a question mark, it’s hard to be confident in them clearing the century mark, though I can’t see them dipping back into the bottom third of the standings like in previous years. They’re here to stay in some respect – it’s just a matter of whether or not that means remaining in the conversation or hanging at the top.
Rounding out last year’s playoff teams, Vegas being placed at about the same spot makes a lot of sense, given that a healthy (or healthier) Stone, and full seasons from Hertl and Hanifin should offset some of their losses. Los Angeles got worse from a talent perspective, though if this is the year that Quinton Byfield turns into an all-out star and if they can get a bounceback out of Kuemper, they could hang around the conversation still.
Seattle hopes for a big jump following the Montour and Stephenson signings, and I’m inclined to agree, but there are only so many wins to pluck off of other teams. They likely finish with more points than last year, but whether it’s enough to clear the line is tight. Over in Calgary, I’m not sure I see them maintaining their record unless Dustin Wolf has an incredible season between the pipes, and as Jacob Markstrom showed last year, that might not even be enough to lead to consistent wins. I’d be looking to the under there.
At the bottom, both the Ducks and Sharks are projected for improvement, for the same reason that teams like the Oilers aren’t placed sky high – the books aren’t accounting for extreme lows. I’m going in two different directions here – I think the youth invasion and steady injection of support signings will be really good for the Sharks and they’ll make the big jump necessary to hit the over, while I’m not convinced the Ducks have done enough to turn their fortunes around. You have to hope that several of their younger players have breakthrough years, and I’m not sure there’s enough of them firmly in that position yet.
Confidently Over:
Confidently Under:
Feeling Over: Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks
Feeling Under: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames
Use Your Judgement: Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, Los Angeles Kings
Let It Play Out: Edmonton Oilers
| Win Division | Pres Trophy | Stanley Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | +160 | +600 | +800 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +240 | +1800 | +1400 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +275 | +2000 | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +550 | +3000 | +2500 |
| Seattle Kraken | +1600 | +10000 | +5000 |
| Calgary Flames | +1800 | +12500 | +6600 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +12500 | +30000 | +15000 |
| San Jose Sharks | +20000 | +50000 | +35000 |
On paper, the Pacific Division might be a one-horse race this year. With Vancouver’s uncertainty and Vegas taking a bit of a step back, they remain the two biggest threats to the division favourite, but it’s difficult to lean into a steadfast belief in either.
Realistically, it’s the Oilers vs. the field until proven otherwise. Granted, that was a feeling somewhat felt going into last season as well, and the Oilers finished five points back from first, almost as close to fourth as they were from the top. Another losing slump like they had to start the year could quash the high expectations in a hurry, especially if it doesn’t come with a record-chasing win streak.
But the upside is just so high. Having the best player of our generation, another one of the best players on the planet, and several other marquee talents up and down the lineup is an undeniable combination, and the extended winning runs they went on throughout last season show their capability for dizzying highs. As it stands, I wouldn’t consider putting my money on anyone else to win the division. Others could, but they wouldn’t be logic-based bets. They’re also the best bet to take a run at the Presidents’ Trophy as a result, both in the division and, in the eyes of bet365, in the league. I’m not sure I’ll be diving into the Presidents’ Trophy waters myself, but if I were, they’d be getting strong consideration for my action.
The playoffs are a bit of a different beast, though. Not in a way that dismisses the Oilers – how do you dismiss a team that went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and arguably got better, after all – but more that others in the division become a bit more viable in the shorter-term, bounce-driven sprint that is the postseason. The Golden Knights are only a season removed from winning it all, and much of their core knows what it takes to get across the finish line, so it’s hard to count them out. Assuming Demko is healthy by the playoffs, the Canucks could be an option for a run – though I might wait a few weeks to place that bet, as it’s more likely that their odds will lengthen than shorten with the questions surrounding them.
Thanks for following along with our Division Preview series! Keep your eyes peeled on Canada Sports Betting as we continue to bring you the latest insights across the hockey and sporting worlds.
