Vancouver Canucks: The Pacific Division will be wide open

Things have been have been tough for the Vancouver Canucks in the Pacific Division, but it should be wide open this season.

The Vancouver Canucks benefited greatly from a weak Northwest Division, winning it five years in a row from 2008-09 to 2012-13, but things got worse once 2013-14 realignment came into play.

Vancouver — along with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers — joined the brutally difficult Pacific Division, featuring the Anahem Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.

The three California teams dominated the division up until last year. The Ducks reached the Western Conference Final in 2015 and 2017. The Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2014. The Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, and they returned to the Conference Final last year.

Oh, and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural 2017-18 season. So yeah, the Pacific Division hasn’t been so kind to the Canucks over these past six years.

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But finally, things are shaping up to be more forgiving in 2018-19. The Golden Knights should be considered the top team in the division, and Vancouver simply isn’t ready to compete with this powerhouse.

The Sharks are off to a brutal 0-2 start, with goalie Martin Jones posting a 4.80 goals against average and .862 save percentage. If he doesn’t turn it around, this ageing Sharks team should regress quite a bit. Losing Joe Pavelski in free agency will hurt them, too.

The Ducks and Kings are both in the early stages of rebuilding mode, and they each carry a handful of fading and expensive veterans. There’s little reason to believe that either team will turn a corner in short time.

The Coyotes barely missed the playoffs last season, but will veteran goalie Darcy Kuemper really repeat a career year, in which he had a 2.33 goals against average and .925 save percentage? The long-term scoring woes in Arizona will likely hold them back, too.

As for the Flames? They should be a playoff team this season, but their goaltending situation is a major question mark. The Canucks have the edge there, and it could lead to them finishing higher than Calgary in the standings.

Even though the Oilers looked a lot better in their season opener against the Canucks, it’s hard to see how this current roster will make the playoffs. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can’t mask the problems in the bottom six, on the blue line and in the crease.

So when you add it all up, Vegas is the only Pacific Division true shoe-in to make the playoffs. The Canucks, along with the other teams in the Pacific, will engage in a seven-way horse race for the second and third seeds. It’s wide open now.