By Peter Valentino
In the history of expansion teams, no team has ended up above .500 in their inaugural season in any of the four professional sports. Some have managed to go far in their second season, and the Florida Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup final in their third year; however, no team has ever been that successful in their inaugural year—until this year. The Vegas Golden Knights have owned the first place spot in the Pacific Division for most of the year and are expected to hold onto it a month from now, when the playoffs begin. What can they do, though, once April comes around?
Vegas: In the first round, the Knights will probably play a tough Central Division opponent, such as the Stars, the Wild or the Avalanche. If they can get past this round, they will play either the Sharks, the Ducks, the Kings or the Flames. All these opponents have postseason experience, which is an advantage over a youthful Knights team. Even if they get past this team, they should end up playing the Jets or the Predators, and that is where I think the road will end. Then again, this team has surpassed expectations all season, so I guess we will see.
San Jose: This year, The Sharks have been overlooked because of Vegas’s success, but since overcoming the choker label two years ago, the team can definitely make it out of the Pacific. The team has retained most of its gold from the past two years, adding a lightning bolt in Evander Kane at the deadline. Their core is still having a solid year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up winning the West.
Anaheim: As the clock moves forward, the Ducks seem to find ways to end up in the playoffs and doing relatively well despite age. Rakell acts as the youthful star player on a roster of experienced vets with Getzlaf and Perry. With how clustered the Wild Card is, they might end up on the outside looking in, due to their inconsistent scoring. However, they could still end up in contention with San Jose.
Los Angeles: The Kings’ hot start has dissipated and now they are in a dogfight in the Wild Card rankings. I pick this team to end up in the third spot. Doughty and Kopitar have led a team with different faces than the ones that won the Cup in 2014. Phaneuf’s change in scenery from Ottawa will aid them. I see them in the playoffs, probably getting downed by the Sharks.
Calgary: The up-and-down Flames team is hitting a wall. Mike Smith has escaped Arizona and rebounded well, and Gaudreau is a different type of center. The rest of this team needs a jumpstart in order to make it over. I think they are out because their lack of action at the deadline.
Edmonton: It appears as if McDavid cannot actually carry a team. Can’t blame him, with how much the rest of the team has underperformed. Milan Lucic and Leon Draisaitl have been horrific in comparison and their defense is a tragedy on ice. Along with Ottawa and the Rangers, this team has also been the biggest disappointment this year. With cap hell coming soon, this team is probably headed back to square one.
Vancouver: Brock Boeser has arrived at the Rogers Arena and has become the star of the Canucks. Too bad the rest of his team is cooked. Their hot start has passed and now they are back to rebuilding. The Sedin twins’ contract is passing this offseason and the team should have a lot of money to rebuild with. Whether they will end up making something of it is yet to be seen.
Arizona: There really isn’t too much to say about this team except they are bad, have been bad for a while and probably will continue to be bad next year. I don’t know where this team is headed and neither do they. Have fun with Rasmus Dahlin next year.
The Pacific, in short, will come down to the Knights and the Sharks. I don’t think any other team in this division can compete with anyone in the Central. The Pacific picture is a bit unclear right now but will probably end up with three teams representing them come April.
