Canucks: How they compare to the rest of the Pacific Division

Vancouver Canucks general managar Jim Benning proclaimed he would be aggressive this offseason and it’s fair to say that he was.

Benning has had a busy offseason which included trading for Jason Dickinson, Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson as well as signing Jaroslav Halak, Tucker Poolman, Luke Schenn and many others.

Looking at the Canucks roster on paper so far, they do look like a better team than last season. The forward core looks better and that top nine looks pretty solid. The goaltending duo of Thatcher Demko and Halak look good. However,the main concern is the defence. While it is too early to tell how the defensive core will play, JFresh’s roster builder ranks the Canucks defence 31st in the entire league.

So  far it looks like the Canucks have improved but with them going back to the Pacific Division for a full 82-game season, how do they stack up against the rest of the Pacific?

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks used to be a contender to win the Pacific but those days are long gone. The Ducks didn’t really do anything major in free agency other than bringing back long time captain Ryan Getzlaf for one more year.

The Ducks forward core has a mix of old and young which includes the likes of Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silverberg, Trevor Zegras and Sam Steel. Other than Zegras, their isn’t much to be excited about and it looks like the Ducks look will have the worst forward group in the Pacific

On defence, 2020 first rounder Jamie Drysdale could be looking to make the team out of camp while it has veteran presence of Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Shattenkirk and Josh Manson and to make a long story short, expect the Ducks to have a hard time in their own end this year with defenceman who aren’t as good as they used to be and it looks like it will be one of the worst in the league.

The Ducks were 27th in expected goals against last season according to NaturalStatTrick. (In case you are wondering, the Canucks were 31st. They’ll hopefully be higher than that next year.)

In goal John Gibson had a down year last year and he will be backed up by Anthony Stolarz.

Are they better than the Canucks?: Nope. Analytics may see their defence is better than Vancouver’s but overall, Vancouver takes the cake over Anaheim.

Calgary Flames

This time,the Flames didn’t decide to build their roster out of former Canucks.  In free agency, they made a big splash in signing Blake Coleman who has come off back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Coleman was signed to a six-year deal worth 4.9 million dollars per season (quite a steep price.)  to likely slot in their second line and provide some scoring for the Flames bottom six if needed.

Last season the Flames were one of the NHL’s biggest disappointments as they failed to make the playoffs for the third time in six years.

The Flames have a good top six consisting of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and now Coleman.  Calgary’s top six could be on the same level with the Canucks but with a healthy Elias Pettersson, the Canucks’ top six is slightly better. The Flames bottom six other than Mikael Backlund and Dillon Dube isn’t much to be intrigued by.

Calgary does have the better defence with Chris Tanev having a solid year last year defensively partnering with Noah Hanifin. Rasmus Andersson continues to impress whileNikita Zadorov was brought in for some stability and Jusso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington provide some depth.

The question for the Flames is can Jacob Markstrom bounce back after injuries and an average year last year?

Are the Flames better than the Canucks? On defence maybe but the Canucks have the better top nine and Thatcher Demko looks like he is the better starter over the man he once backed up.

Edmonton Oilers

Some of you may, “Well the Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, that alone makes them better than the Canucks, they’re the best in the world!” Indeed they are but they can’t do it all on their own. The Oilers being swept by the Jets in the first round of the playoffs showed us why.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was signed to an eight- year deal worth 5.125 million dollars per season. Zach Hyman was signed to a monstrous seven-year deal worth 5.5 million per year and he is expected to make an impact in the Oilers top six. Warren Foegle is also a nice addition.

The bottom six has some talent with Kailer Yamamoto and Derek Ryan is a nice pickup that is a strong defensive forward that looks to have third line minutes again after playing on the fourth line with the Flames. The question for Ryan is can he be trusted in that role the same way he was once before? If not,the 3C role could go to Kyle Turris.  Other than those two, the bottom six has players past their prime (like Zack Kassian and Turris) or players being asked too much for their role (Josh Archibald) or players who are trying to find their footing in the NHL. (Tyler Benson. Though he is more of a 13th forward option.)

In terms of defence, JFresh’s model has them ranked 32nd in the league right behind the Canucks. Oscar Klefbom is unlikely to play next season. Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones were traded.  In comes Duncan Keith who’s best years are behind him. (Still mind boggling how the Oilers fully took on his 5.538 million dollar cap hit for the next two years.)  Cody Ceci comes in on a four- year deal worth 3.25 million per season. Sure he has improved defensively in Pittsburgh but that contract won’t age well and he is still prone to defensive mistakes. Notable Benning target Tyson Barrie is also staying in Edmonton for the next three years at a 4.5 million dollar cap hit per year. Darnell Nurse isn’t a bad player but and it is was reported by Elliotte Friedman on the 31 Thoughts Podcast that the Oilers are looking to extend Nurse to an unfathomable eight year deal worth 9 million per season.

In goal, Edmonton decided to bring back 39-year-old Mike Smith on a two-year deal and Mikko Koskinen will back him up. It’s fair to say that Demko alone is better than both of them.

Are the Oilers better than the Canucks?: With McDavid and Draisaitl driving the bus with their top six, yes on paper. The Canucks have the edge in goal and on defence (slightly.) I do expect Vancouver and Edmonton to be fighting for second and third place in the division with Edmonton coming out on top.