<p>Before the regular season began, we examined the Pacific Division and made realistic predictions for each team. The Pacific is a top-heavy division with a couple of weak links at the bottom, which makes it relatively simple to make predictions. Now that the season is close to 40 games old, let&#8217;s take a peak and see how the October results are aging heading into the new year.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Anaheim Ducks</h2>
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>The Anaheim Ducks are joining that bundle of teams you expect to be better but still won’t make the playoffs. The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres have been the presidents of this group for a while, and now they’ve added a new member. The easiest prediction is that Lukas Dostal starts more games than John Gibson, which should come true. However, let’s go in a different direction: Anaheim will have a 40-goal scorer for the first time since Corey Perry in the 2013-14 season. Troy Terry is the best guess as to who could do it, considering he scored 37 in 2021-22. Perhaps Frank Vatrano can build off his 37-goal season last year and become one of the elite scorers in the NHL. The younger players, like Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier, aren’t quite there yet, but they have enough playmaking ability to help out Terry or Vatrano.</em></p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>The Ducks have the fewest goals in the NHL (75), so having a 40-goal scorer is highly unrealistic at this point. Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano do lead them with nine goals each; however, that makes them on pace for only 22 goals. The predictions, which was much more realistic, was Lukas Dostal starting more games than John Gibson. Gibson being out to start the season was helpful putting Dostal out front with a solid head start. Dostal has 20 starts and Gibson has 12 heading into the Christmas break.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Calgary Flames</h2>
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>It’s going to be a tough year for the Calgary Flames. They still have a few quality veterans, like Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson, and MacKenzie Weegar, who could make Team Canada’s roster; however, the rest are younger players looking to establish themselves as everyday NHLers. As the season goes on, things could get bleak in Calgary, so it’s fair to predict they will finish last in the Pacific Division. Once the trade deadline passes, players like Andrei Kuzmenko, Anthony Mantha, and Dan Vladar could all be moved.</em></p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>The Flames are one of the surprise teams so far this year but they been trending the wrong way recently. They&#8217;ve collected nine points in eight games in December because they&#8217;re now struggling to score goals. Additonally, Anthony Mantha is done for the season and Andrei Kuzmenko is contributing like they thought he would. They are 10 points ahead of the San Jose Sharks, who are last in the Pacific Division, but I am not going to lose hope that this prediction won&#8217;t him.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Edmonton Oilers</h2>
<div class="mb-5">
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Connor McDavid will score his 1,000th career point against the Detroit Red Wings on <a class="text-accent" href="https://oilersnation.com/news/october-schedule-oilers-kick-off-2024-25-season-with-plenty-of-home-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">October 27</a>. He’s 18 points away, and the Detroit game is the ninth of the season, so averaging two points a game wouldn’t be unusual for him. Last season, it took McDavid 17 games to score 18 points, but that was during a rough start for Edmonton. In 2022-23, it took him just nine games to reach 18 points. McDavid needs to start strong to hit the 1,000-point mark by the Detroit game, but you can never doubt what he’s capable of.</p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>We should&#8217;ve known that the Oilers would&#8217;ve had a poor start to the season. It&#8217;s just who they are! Heading into that Detroit game, McDavid need 10 more points to his 1000. He did finish with two that night but then got injured the next game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which put an immediate halt to the 1000 point watch. Instead, McDavid hit the milestone on November 14th against the Nashville Predators. The new question is, when will Leon Draisaitl hit 1000 points?</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Los Angeles Kings</h2>
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> The Colorado Avalanche are labelled as the “wildcard” team heading into the season due to uncertainty around Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. However, the LA Kings should be in that conversation, too. They have such a boom-or-bust team that it’s hard to get a strong read on them. Can Darcy Kuemper bounce back? Can Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke take the next step without Drew Doughty? Can Quinton Byfield become a more consistent scorer? If these questions are answered positively, the Kings could sneak into third place in the division and eliminate the Golden Knights in the first round. Otherwise, they’re in trouble.</p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>Luckily for the LA Kings, these predictions of have gone well for them. Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence have combined for 28 points, with Clarke quaterbacking the power play. Darcy Kuemper has missed a few games but still has an solid 0.911 save percentage, 2.40 goals against average and 8 wins in 16 games, which is better than expected. Quinton Byfield is the one prediction that hasn&#8217;t aged well. The former 2nd overall pick only has 6 goals in 34 games while averaging just shy of 18 minutes a night. Fortuntately, for him, Alex Laferriere has stepped up with 13 goals and 25 points in 34 games.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">San Jose Sharks</h2>
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>Watching the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-33-0-oilers-spoil-sensational-performance-from-sharks-yaroslav-askarov">San Jose Sharks</a> last season was unbearable at times, especially when they beat the Oilers — for different reasons. Things should improve this year, so you won’t mind catching them on TV for the 8:30 puck drop. They’ve added exciting players, including Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Concerns he might miss the start of the season were put to rest yesterday. Celebrini is a special player, and my prediction is that he will score 70 points, similar to Auston Matthews in his rookie year. San Jose has done well putting talent around him, with summer additions like Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg.</em></p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Celebrini has missed time but he&#8217;s still on pace for close to 70 points. Matvei Michkov is still the favourite to win the Calder Trophy but, if Celebrini continues his form, it won&#8217;t be long before the Sharks young star leapfrogs him.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Seattle Kraken</h2>
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>The Seattle Kraken will miss the playoffs for the second straight year. Despite adding big free agents Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour, it doesn’t seem like they have enough to compete in the top-heavy Pacific Division. They have many good players, but nobody to push them over the edge. If Shane Wright takes the next step toward stardom, they might have a chance, but that seems unlikely at this stage. Goaltending is another big question mark. The Kraken are a good, competitive team, but they’re stuck in the middle.</em></p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>Every NHL fan could&#8217;ve predicted this one. The Kraken, after 35 games, sit sixth in the Pacific Division ahead of Anaheim and San Jose and one below the Calgary Flames. They&#8217;re five points out of a wildcard spot despite playing the second most games in the league. Shane Wright has taken a step this year with 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) while centring the Kraken third line between Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burkovsky. It feels like next season is the year for Wright to take over and guide Seattle back to the playoffs. For now, they&#8217;ll continue to be a mid-team.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Vancouver Canucks</h2>
<p><strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>The <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/canucks-in-the-limelight-with-rift-between-stars-leading-to-trade-speculation">Vancouver Canucks</a> took a huge step last season, returning to the playoffs and pushing the Oilers to Game 7. Typically, in the NHL, teams that make such a leap regress slightly the following year. The Oilers did in 2017, and the New Jersey Devils last season. Injuries played a role in the Devils’ struggles in 2024, and Vancouver is already dealing with that, with Thatcher Demko out for the next few weeks. The Canucks’ management added Jake DeBrusk, Daniel Sprong, and Danton Heinen to their forward group, but the blueline still has questionable spots. Vancouver will make the playoffs, but as a wildcard team, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division.</em></p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>Vancouver currently holds the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference heading into the Christmas break. Its been a rollercoaster season with JT Miller spending time away from the team and a riff between their stars. However, even without Demko for a time, they&#8217;ve found a way to deal with their problems and remain in a playoff spot. They&#8217;ll continue to compete for a top three spot in the Pacific Division but, for now, our predictions remains on track.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Vegas Golden Knights</h2>
<p><strong>Predictions:</strong> <em>The <a class="text-accent" href="https://oilersnation.com/news/golden-knights-claim-raphael-lavoie-off-waivers-from-oilers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vegas Golden Knights</a> could pull off a surprising move, like putting Mark Stone on LTIR and acquiring Dylan Larkin from Detroit. While that’s not the official prediction, don’t be shocked if something wild happens. The actual prediction is that Jack Eichel will reach the 90-point mark for the first time in his career. Eichel has been scoring at over a point-per-game rate for the last two seasons, and if he stays healthy for at least 75 games, he’s more than capable of hitting 90 points. Mark Stone’s comments about focusing more on the regular season suggest the Golden Knights’ stars won’t be sidelined as often, which bodes well for Eichel’s scoring chances.</em></p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>It&#8217;s surprising to think that Eichel has only passed the 80 point mark once in his career, which came back in 2019 with the Buffalo Sabres. Unless an injury occurs, the 2024-25 season will be the second time Eichel scores more than 80. The Golden Knights star is well on pace to crush his career having already scored 45 points in 34 games this season. Eichel is projected to score 109 points if he plays all 82 games. Health is always an issue for Eichel, who has never played a full 82 game season; however, even with a slight set back scoring 80+ shouldn&#8217;t be a problem for him.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><b>This article is presented by Deloitte Canada</b></h2>
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Before the regular season began, we examined the Pacific Division and made realistic predictions for each team. The Pacific is a top-heavy division with a couple of weak links at the bottom, which makes it relatively simple to make predictions. Now that the season is close to 40 games old, let's take a peak and see how the October results are aging heading into the new year.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Anaheim Ducks</h2>
<strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>The Anaheim Ducks are joining that bundle of teams you expect to be better but still won’t make the playoffs. The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres have been the presidents of this group for a while, and now they’ve added a new member. The easiest prediction is that Lukas Dostal starts more games than John Gibson, which should come true. However, let’s go in a different direction: Anaheim will have a 40-goal scorer for the first time since Corey Perry in the 2013-14 season. Troy Terry is the best guess as to who could do it, considering he scored 37 in 2021-22. Perhaps Frank Vatrano can build off his 37-goal season last year and become one of the elite scorers in the NHL. The younger players, like Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier, aren’t quite there yet, but they have enough playmaking ability to help out Terry or Vatrano.</em>

<strong>Update: </strong>The Ducks have the fewest goals in the NHL (75), so having a 40-goal scorer is highly unrealistic at this point. Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano do lead them with nine goals each; however, that makes them on pace for only 22 goals. The predictions, which was much more realistic, was Lukas Dostal starting more games than John Gibson. Gibson being out to start the season was helpful putting Dostal out front with a solid head start. Dostal has 20 starts and Gibson has 12 heading into the Christmas break.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Calgary Flames</h2>
<strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>It’s going to be a tough year for the Calgary Flames. They still have a few quality veterans, like Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson, and MacKenzie Weegar, who could make Team Canada’s roster; however, the rest are younger players looking to establish themselves as everyday NHLers. As the season goes on, things could get bleak in Calgary, so it’s fair to predict they will finish last in the Pacific Division. Once the trade deadline passes, players like Andrei Kuzmenko, Anthony Mantha, and Dan Vladar could all be moved.</em>

<strong>Update: </strong>The Flames are one of the surprise teams so far this year but they been trending the wrong way recently. They've collected nine points in eight games in December because they're now struggling to score goals. Additonally, Anthony Mantha is done for the season and Andrei Kuzmenko is contributing like they thought he would. They are 10 points ahead of the San Jose Sharks, who are last in the Pacific Division, but I am not going to lose hope that this prediction won't him.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Edmonton Oilers</h2>
<div class="mb-5">

<strong>Prediction:</strong> Connor McDavid will score his 1,000th career point against the Detroit Red Wings on <a class="text-accent" href="https://oilersnation.com/news/october-schedule-oilers-kick-off-2024-25-season-with-plenty-of-home-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">October 27</a>. He’s 18 points away, and the Detroit game is the ninth of the season, so averaging two points a game wouldn’t be unusual for him. Last season, it took McDavid 17 games to score 18 points, but that was during a rough start for Edmonton. In 2022-23, it took him just nine games to reach 18 points. McDavid needs to start strong to hit the 1,000-point mark by the Detroit game, but you can never doubt what he’s capable of.

<strong>Update: </strong>We should've known that the Oilers would've had a poor start to the season. It's just who they are! Heading into that Detroit game, McDavid need 10 more points to his 1000. He did finish with two that night but then got injured the next game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which put an immediate halt to the 1000 point watch. Instead, McDavid hit the milestone on November 14th against the Nashville Predators. The new question is, when will Leon Draisaitl hit 1000 points?
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Los Angeles Kings</h2>
<strong>Prediction:</strong> The Colorado Avalanche are labelled as the “wildcard” team heading into the season due to uncertainty around Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. However, the LA Kings should be in that conversation, too. They have such a boom-or-bust team that it’s hard to get a strong read on them. Can Darcy Kuemper bounce back? Can Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke take the next step without Drew Doughty? Can Quinton Byfield become a more consistent scorer? If these questions are answered positively, the Kings could sneak into third place in the division and eliminate the Golden Knights in the first round. Otherwise, they’re in trouble.

<strong>Update: </strong>Luckily for the LA Kings, these predictions of have gone well for them. Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence have combined for 28 points, with Clarke quaterbacking the power play. Darcy Kuemper has missed a few games but still has an solid 0.911 save percentage, 2.40 goals against average and 8 wins in 16 games, which is better than expected. Quinton Byfield is the one prediction that hasn't aged well. The former 2nd overall pick only has 6 goals in 34 games while averaging just shy of 18 minutes a night. Fortuntately, for him, Alex Laferriere has stepped up with 13 goals and 25 points in 34 games.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">San Jose Sharks</h2>
<strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>Watching the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-33-0-oilers-spoil-sensational-performance-from-sharks-yaroslav-askarov">San Jose Sharks</a> last season was unbearable at times, especially when they beat the Oilers — for different reasons. Things should improve this year, so you won’t mind catching them on TV for the 8:30 puck drop. They’ve added exciting players, including Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Concerns he might miss the start of the season were put to rest yesterday. Celebrini is a special player, and my prediction is that he will score 70 points, similar to Auston Matthews in his rookie year. San Jose has done well putting talent around him, with summer additions like Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg.</em>

<strong>Update:</strong> Celebrini has missed time but he's still on pace for close to 70 points. Matvei Michkov is still the favourite to win the Calder Trophy but, if Celebrini continues his form, it won't be long before the Sharks young star leapfrogs him.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Seattle Kraken</h2>
<strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>The Seattle Kraken will miss the playoffs for the second straight year. Despite adding big free agents Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour, it doesn’t seem like they have enough to compete in the top-heavy Pacific Division. They have many good players, but nobody to push them over the edge. If Shane Wright takes the next step toward stardom, they might have a chance, but that seems unlikely at this stage. Goaltending is another big question mark. The Kraken are a good, competitive team, but they’re stuck in the middle.</em>

<strong>Update: </strong>Every NHL fan could've predicted this one. The Kraken, after 35 games, sit sixth in the Pacific Division ahead of Anaheim and San Jose and one below the Calgary Flames. They're five points out of a wildcard spot despite playing the second most games in the league. Shane Wright has taken a step this year with 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) while centring the Kraken third line between Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burkovsky. It feels like next season is the year for Wright to take over and guide Seattle back to the playoffs. For now, they'll continue to be a mid-team.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Vancouver Canucks</h2>
<strong>Prediction:</strong> <em>The <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/canucks-in-the-limelight-with-rift-between-stars-leading-to-trade-speculation">Vancouver Canucks</a> took a huge step last season, returning to the playoffs and pushing the Oilers to Game 7. Typically, in the NHL, teams that make such a leap regress slightly the following year. The Oilers did in 2017, and the New Jersey Devils last season. Injuries played a role in the Devils’ struggles in 2024, and Vancouver is already dealing with that, with Thatcher Demko out for the next few weeks. The Canucks’ management added Jake DeBrusk, Daniel Sprong, and Danton Heinen to their forward group, but the blueline still has questionable spots. Vancouver will make the playoffs, but as a wildcard team, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division.</em>

<strong>Update: </strong>Vancouver currently holds the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference heading into the Christmas break. Its been a rollercoaster season with JT Miller spending time away from the team and a riff between their stars. However, even without Demko for a time, they've found a way to deal with their problems and remain in a playoff spot. They'll continue to compete for a top three spot in the Pacific Division but, for now, our predictions remains on track.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-xl font-bold">Vegas Golden Knights</h2>
<strong>Predictions:</strong> <em>The <a class="text-accent" href="https://oilersnation.com/news/golden-knights-claim-raphael-lavoie-off-waivers-from-oilers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vegas Golden Knights</a> could pull off a surprising move, like putting Mark Stone on LTIR and acquiring Dylan Larkin from Detroit. While that’s not the official prediction, don’t be shocked if something wild happens. The actual prediction is that Jack Eichel will reach the 90-point mark for the first time in his career. Eichel has been scoring at over a point-per-game rate for the last two seasons, and if he stays healthy for at least 75 games, he’s more than capable of hitting 90 points. Mark Stone’s comments about focusing more on the regular season suggest the Golden Knights’ stars won’t be sidelined as often, which bodes well for Eichel’s scoring chances.</em>

<strong>Update: </strong>It's surprising to think that Eichel has only passed the 80 point mark once in his career, which came back in 2019 with the Buffalo Sabres. Unless an injury occurs, the 2024-25 season will be the second time Eichel scores more than 80. The Golden Knights star is well on pace to crush his career having already scored 45 points in 34 games this season. Eichel is projected to score 109 points if he plays all 82 games. Health is always an issue for Eichel, who has never played a full 82 game season; however, even with a slight set back scoring 80+ shouldn't be a problem for him.
<h2 dir="ltr"><b>This article is presented by Deloitte Canada</b></h2>
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Being competitive today means working differently. Deloitte’s managed services offer a new way to embed continuous advantage by energizing and driving your critical business functions. Unlock talent on demand, advance innovation, and gain insight to maintain a competitive advantage. Build stronger, transform faster, and turn your cost centres into value generators. Operate with Deloitte.

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Realistic predictions for all eight Pacific Division teams: Christmas Break Check-in

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