Edmonton Oilers: Predictions for the Pacific Division

Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

6th. Vancouver Canucks

Additions: Prust, Bachman, Bartkowski, Sutter.

Subtractions: Bieksa, Kassian, Clendening, Bonino, Lack, Matthias, Richardson

Uh, Vancouver? What are you guys doing exactly?

I mean they could easily finish 5th or 4th in the division but I am not convinced. Last season, they had a good season. No doubt about that.

But what is going on in Vancouver? The Prust for Kassian trade was weird: You trade for an older more niche player, while Kassian wasn’t being Lucic light, you think he would be worth just a little more. Eddie Lack was their best goalie last year and they traded him for scraps. Is Ryan Miller the answer in net? Despite having 29 wins, he had a middling save percentage. Eddie Lack was plain better. I get that he was a UFA to be and that they want to give Markstrom a chance but man, I’d be upset if I were a Vancouver fan.

The Sutter trade was a bad one. Sutter is a fine 3rd line center but they traded a player who scored more, a defenseman that they traded a draft pick for, and a third round pick to top it off? Then they sign Sutter to almost 4.4 million a season for five years? Yikes. And he’s expectedc to be the second line centre where his career high in points is 40. Back in 2009-10.

Combine that with the Luca Sbisa signing. Sedins, Vrbata and Burrows are all another year older. The Bieska trade was good though. I think he’s declining hard.

It’ll be interesting to see what becomes of the Canucks.

Next: 5th. Edmonton Oilers