triblive
The Pacific Division endured a grueling 2025-26 campaign, a fact not lost on those who competed within it. Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel summed up the experience: 'At times last year, it was a bit like every night that a Pacific team lost, every Pacific team lost. Just one of those years.'
Despite finishing atop the division with a point total lower than the top three teams in every other NHL division, Eichel and the Golden Knights surged to the Stanley Cup Final. The division may house three of the league's foremost rebuilding projects, but it is top-heavy with at least two championship-caliber clubs in Vegas and Edmonton, while San Jose and Anaheim are on the rise, brimming with young talent.
Eichel refused to dismiss any divisional foe. 'I don't discredit any of the teams in our division,' he said. 'Anaheim had a really good team last year, and they're on the way up. San Jose made some moves in the offseason. You have to presume they're going to be better this year. Edmonton is Edmonton. LA is competitive.'
Los Angeles has turned to Peter Laviolette, a coach who has guided three different teams to the Stanley Cup Final, in hopes of ending a string of first-round exits. Meanwhile, Mike Babcock takes over behind the bench for the Oilers, tasked with finally delivering a championship to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after more than a decade of falling short.
On the Rise
The Sharks appear poised to be a force for years, with Macklin Celebrini joining McDavid, Draisaitl, and Eichel among the world's elite players. 'Is this the year they break through like the Ducks did last season? I think we can do a similar kind of jump,' Celebrini said. 'Everyone's just going to take a step. I think that everyone's had that goal in mind all summer. That's something that we were talking about last year. If we made the playoffs last year, that would have been a huge accomplishment — but now it's kind of more of an expectation.'
San Jose bolstered its defense by acquiring Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring and signing Jacob Trouba, while also adding a rookie of the year candidate in winger Ivar Stenberg, selected second overall in the draft. Anaheim could also continue its upward trajectory after securing Leo Carlsson long term by matching the five-year, $90 million offer sheet he signed with Philadelphia. Cutter Gauthier also inked a new deal, and the Ducks' young core should benefit from the playoff experience of winning a series before falling to Vegas in the second round.
On the Decline
Laviolette is the Kings' fourth coach in five seasons, a span that includes five first-round exits. Anze Kopitar has departed, Drew Doughty remains as captain and his successor, and questions abound about the team's identity. Seattle made a bold attempt to acquire scoring winger Jason Robertson from Dallas, but he declined to go and sign long term. That rejection might serve as motivation for the Kraken, who have made the playoffs just once in their first five seasons. 'If you don't want to be here, we don't want you anyway,' top center Matty Beniers said. 'Every team, you want guys that want to be there. You don't want to bring someone in that doesn't want to be there. It just won't work out.'
Vancouver is rebuilding from the league's basement with new coach Manny Malhotra. Calgary has been mired in mediocrity, but young forward Matt Coronato believes the Flames can build off their 8-5-2 finish last spring. 'The more time that goes by, the better we're going to continue to get,' Coronato said. 'We have a lot of young guys that are going to take a step and keep developing, so I think it's an exciting time for us.'
On the Hot Seat
Lane Lambert enters his second season with Seattle, a franchise that has already hired and fired two other coaches due to a lack of success. At some point, winning must begin in the Pacific Northwest.
Predicted order of finish: Edmonton, Vegas, San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Calgary, Seattle, Vancouver.
Originally reported by triblive.