Connor McDavid said it: the NHL’s Pacific Division was a pillow fight last year.

This hasn’t been a collection of world-beaters in recent times. On paper, the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights should battle it out for top spot, and both are potential Cup contenders. The San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks will likely battle for third place, and the rest will look ahead to the draft lottery.

Let’s take a look at the team identities of the eight teams in the division:

Oil Change. The Oilers have been a skilled, fast-skating team over the last few years. However, last year didn’t go well, and their poor team defence overshadowed their scoring prowess. Several changes have been made to create a more defensive team identity.

First, Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy were brought in at the last trade deadline. Each player is a no-nonsense defensive specialist. Then Edmonton signed two new goalies in Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi. The team also moved out Darnell Nurse and brought in Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin to change up the back end. In addition, they signed speedy winger Matthieu Joseph for forward depth. Likely the biggest change is bringing in Mike Babcock as head coach. He is an old-school coach who will demand players pay attention to defensive details.

The Wolf Pack. This version of the Calgary Flames is rebuilding around goaltender Dustin Wolf. However, their star player had a down year in 2025-26 (3.01 GAA and .899 save percentage in 57 games), and the team might have to be satisfied with another high draft pick. Two new defencemen will help; Simon Nemec will boost the offence, and Jacob Middleton should shore up the defence. The Flames will miss the two-way game of Blake Coleman.

One positive for Calgary could be their team identity. They’ve always had a team with a “truculent” attitude. These Flames aren’t a huge team, but they have several players who will attempt to intimidate. Although that approach doesn’t always win hockey games. Historically, skilled teams like Edmonton, Detroit, and Montreal have many more Cups than teams like the Flames, Panthers, and Flyers.

The Blue-Collar Boys. They finally did it; they admitted they’re in a rebuild. The Vancouver Canucks finished dead last and have a lot of work ahead of them. To add insult to injury, they lost out on the first-overall pick. Even worse for Vancouver fans, they lost it to Toronto.

Feisty Brendan Gallagher, underrated Paul Cotter, hulking Jamie Oleksiak, and steady Luke Schenn have been added. These vets have been brought in to help bring a more blue-collar identity to the team. Their new coach was known as a responsible, hard-working player. Will Manny Malhotra help change the culture? Considering how far the club is from contending, how long do Elias Pettersson (EP40 version), Brock Boeser, and Jake DeBrusk stick around?

Drama in the Desert. The Golden Knights have taken a confrontational approach from Day One of their franchise. Whether it’s controversy about discarding a veteran player, removing coaches mid-season, refusing to let other teams talk with their staff, complaining about other teams, or being fined for skipping press conferences. With all the drama surrounding the Knights, we’ll see if their new coach moulds a different sort of culture.

They have a solid line-up and should be very competitive once again. However, some of their key players are aging, and the presence of Pietrangelo is still missed. The Knights will also have a hard time replacing Pavel Dorofeyev’s 37 goals now that he has been traded to the Rangers.

Talent Rising to the Surface. One of the teams on the rise in the NHL is the youthful, skilled Sharks club. They have superstar Macklin Celebrini and several budding talents. Adding Nurse, Jacob Trouba, and Mason Marchment adds bite, scoring, and experience. On paper, the Sharks look like a playoff team.

At the same time, the team is banking on young players to lead. That strategy could backfire, and the Sharks might have to mature a bit more. They have to improve their goals-against and penalty kill. Those team stats ranked 30th and 26th, respectively, last year. It will be fascinating to see how the Sharks perform this year.

Lost in Transition. The Kings’ identity is hard to define. Are they rebuilding with young players like Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke? Are they a contender with high-end talent like Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe, and Kevin Fiala? Anze Kopitar has retired, and the team is still stacked with veterans. Drew Doughty, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, Corey Perry, Erik Haula, Joel Armia, and Mats Zuccarello aren’t getting any younger.

The Kings had trouble scoring last year (29th), and their special teams were brutal. A full year of Panarin should help boost their scoring. Their new coach, Peter Laviolette, will have a chance to forge a new identity with his experienced lineup.

The Almighty Dollar Ducks. This has been a tumultuous summer for the Ducks franchise and their GM Pat Verbeek. An offer sheet from the Flyers for their star centre has thrown a wrench into the works. They signed Leo Carlsson to an $18-million-a-year contract, signed Pavel Mintyukov to a substantial contract, and still have to find money for Cutter Gauthier. This comes on the heels of the departures of young talent in Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Mason McTavish.

Last year they were a big, skilled team in the mould of the old Ducks and Kings championship teams. Several key veterans have left, and Anaheim could take a step back. The loss of Carlson, Trouba, and even Radko Gudas will leave a void. They were a wagon offensively last year. Although it’s easy to forget that the Ducks were only 29th in the league in goals against. Their power play percentage wasn’t much better at 27th. This team has flaws on top of their challenges with the cap.

Winless in Seattle. The Seattle Kraken swung and missed with attempts to reel in a big star with Panarin and Jason Robertson. This organization has been stuck in neutral for most of its existence. They had one decent playoff run but haven’t been able to win consistently.

However, they have built a team-first identity. They could be described as a team of second and third liners, and when that’s the case, it’s best to defend. If they get solid goaltending, they might just surprise the experts. A full year of Bobby McMann will help, and maybe a star performer will emerge from their farm team in Coachella.

With all that being said, the team that really needs to find an identity is the Oilers. They are much improved and have a chance to win this pillow fight.

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