As we approach a month into the NHL season, we’re starting to get a better picture of what teams are going to be good this season, and what teams aren’t. Prior to the season, the Pacific Division was expected to be the leagues weakest, and certainly appeared to be wide open. Edmonton has performed as expected, leading the division, though we’ve seen some pleasant surprises from teams hoping to push them for a playoff spot.
Currently second to Edmonton are the Calgary Flames. Watching Calgary play, they’ve certainly been deserving of their record, and I’d expect them to finish near the top of the Pacific. This is a very balanced team, with four solid lines. The first line features Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, centered by Elias Lindholm. All three have been proven fantasy assets: Gaudreau and Lindholm both are averaging over a point per game so far this season, while Tkachuk can put up similar offensive numbers, while adding physicality (over 104 hits a season since 2018). Meanwhile, Andrew Mangiapane has shown he’s capable of providing the secondary scoring that Calgary’s lacked in years past. With seven goals already, he’s proving to be a steal for those who drafted him in later rounds.
On the back end, Rasmus Andersson has seen a similar boost in production. He’s quarterbacking the first power play unit for the Flames, so I’d expect Andersson to at least maintain his level of production. In deeper leagues, veterans like Sean Monahan, Mikael Backlund, and even Milan Lucic can provide some marginal value. However, perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Calgary’s early success (for fantasy purposes) is goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom has been a solid starting option going back to his time in Vancouver, but he’s started this season with an unreal .947 save percentage and should see more than his fair share of win opportunities.
While Calgary’s start has been impressive, I’m more surprised by the play of the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. Both teams were expected to be bottom-dwellers, and I don’t believe either have the depth or strength defensively to ultimately contend for a playoff position. However, there could still be some fantasy value here. For the Sharks, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Logan Couture have made up much of their offense (which seems like has been the case forever). Hertl will likely be one of the more coveted names come the trade deadline if San Jose falls out of contention, making him an intriguing buy-low candidate. It’s also nice to see Erik Karlsson contributing offensively again. While it seems like a safe bet that he won’t put up another 82 point season, he could still be a solid fantasy contributor.
The Ducks, meanwhile, have had the most unexpected offense in hockey. Troy Terry has led the way, making him one of the most popular early-season free agent additions in fantasy hockey. Now, I’m admittedly biased when it comes to Terry – I was a junior at the University of Denver when he led us to a national championship. Still, he has all the makings of an elite NHL goal scorer, and it’s hard to call 12 points in his first 10 games a fluke. Playing on a line with a veteran playmaker like Ryan Getzlaf certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Defensively, Kevin Shattenkirk has surprisingly ramped up his scoring. I certainly wouldn’t expect him to continue to score at this pace, but if he continues to see decent minutes and power-play time (and that’s a big “if”), Shattenkirk, and fellow D-Man Cam Fowler, could chip in modest point production. However, if I had to buy into any Anaheim defender, it would be the 19-year-old Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale is one of the top defensive prospects in hockey, who’s been given a chance to play significant minutes on a rebuilding team. He’s already shown that he belongs in the NHL, and he has the potential to eventually become one of the league’s better offensive defenseman.
Anaheim is still likely a few years away from competing in the Pacific, but this could still be a very fun team to watch, particularly if you play in keeper/dynasty leagues. Players like Terry and Drysdale, along with another top prospect in center Travis Zegras, all have the potential to become top-tier fantasy hockey players. Grab them while you can.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks have both gotten off to slow starts. Vegas was seen by many as a favorite to win the Pacific, but have been decimated by injuries with forwards Max Pacioretty, William Karlson, and Mark Stone all missing time. I’m certainly not worried about this team yet, especially as they remain strong defensively. As they get healthy, and if newly acquired superstar Jack Eichel can return later in the season, this could still be one of the best teams in the league.
Vancouver was one of my “sleeper” teams this season, believing they would bounce back from a disappointing 2020 campaign. While they’ve been inconsistent so far, I do believe that the Canucks have the talent to contend for a playoff spot. JT Miller has proven to be a consistent, all-around hockey player. Connor Garland, acquired in an off-season trade from Arizona, may be one of the most underrated forwards in hockey. He always seems to be in the right place on the ice, boosting the production of his linemates in the process. Ultimately, if players like Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, and Elias Pettersson can return to the form that they’ve shown in the past, or if rookies Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podkolzin reach their potential, Vancouver will have no problem scoring goals. Defensive depth will remain the biggest question mark here, even with Thatcher Demko emerging as one of the better young goalies in the league.
Bringing up the rear in the Pacific are the Seattle Kraken. As an expansion team, maybe this shouldn’t be surprising, but the immediate and unprecedented success that Vegas found ruined any concept of “reasonable” expectation. Seattle did seem to model their expansion draft strategy on Vegas’, prioritizing defense and depth in their lineup. Veterans like Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, and Yanni Gourde should produce enough to be fantasy relevant. And if you’re looking for a deep sleeper, or dynasty league target, Morgan Geekie is a name to watch. Seattle GM Ron Francis clearly thinks highly of Geekie as well, as he also drafted him in 2017, when he was the GM in Carolina. At 6-feet-3, Geekie looks like a classic two-way power forward, but he’s shown some clear scoring ability throughout his time in the minors. I may be higher on him than most, but Geekie is the type of player that an expansion team can view as a centerpiece. It would definitely be a stretch to say this is a team poised for a freshman-year cup run, but there’s enough talent on this team to keep them out of the cellar.
