Thoughts and Predictions on the Pacific Division
The Canadian Cup drought has been a big talking point within hockey circles. The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't reached a Cup final since 1967, Montreal lost in the Cup final in 2021, Ottawa hasn't been back in the Cup final since 2007, Vancouver hasn't been back since 2011, Calgary hasn't been since 2004, the Jets have never made the final and the Oilers just came up short of a historic comeback in the Cup final last season.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs having their historical playoff struggles I think the best chance of a Canadian Cup winner comes from the Pacific division.
It'll be an interesting year in the Pacific division. Can the Oilers repeat last year's Cup final run? Will Vancouver have another strong year? Is Vegas going to bounce back after crashing out in the first round?
Today I'm going to go over how I think the season is going to play out in the Pacific division.
Thoughts and Predications on the Pacific Division
8. San Jose Sharks
Last season the Sharks had a terrible year, posting 47 points. They finished last in the Pacific and the league (League standings statistics from NHL.com).
I don't think the Sharks are going to be 47 points bad again, but they still won't be good.
This offseason the Sharks made some interesting moves to improve their roster. They added Ty Dellandrea, Barclay Goodrow, Jake Walman, Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Cody Ceci, and Yaroslav Askarov. This is all without mentioning their draft where they took Macklin Celebrini and Sam Dickenson.
Dickenson probably won't play this year but Celebrini will and will probably have a big role on the team. The 2023 fourth overall pick, Will Smith will also play for the Sharks this season which will be interesting to see how he does after a good year with Boston College. Dailyfaceoff.com currently has him listed as the second-line centre.
They lost Devin Cooley, Alexander Barabanov, Ty Emberson and Filip Zadina.
I like the additions Sharks General Manager Mike Grier made. With young prospects like Celebrini and Smith entering the roster, you need guys to play with them. We saw Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson do this last offseason when he added Nick Foligno, Corey Perry and Taylor Hall in the offseason that Bedard was drafted.
Celebrini having guys like Tyler Toffoli on the roster with him will be beneficial for him in his career. Getting arguably the best goaltending prospect in Askarov is also a big get for the Sharks. They're setting themselves up for the future with a lot of talent. Picking up former 13th overall pick Ty Dellandrea for a fourth-round pick is a decent bet. While Dellandrea has struggled early in his career, giving up a fourth isn't expensive for a guy who may still have some upside in him.
While I like a lot of the moves they've made there just isn't enough talent on this roster for them to make serious improvements. They won't be as bad as last year but they will be the worst in the division.