One Oilers rival freefalls, one skyrockets up in the Pacific Division Power Ranking

With the NHL regular season now right around the corner, it’s time for a power ranking of the Pacific Division. Where do the Oilers stand heading into the 2024-25 season, and which division rival has already freefallen not necessarily in these rankings, but has freefallen from where you would otherwise expect them to be ranked?

And who is skyrocketing up even if they were one of the NHL’s least relevant teams in 2023-24? Some of the answers to these questions might surprise you, especially that last one. 

8 - Calgary Flames

You expected the San Jose Sharks here, didn’t you? Well, here’s my reasoning for ranking the Flames lower: San Jose has a franchise player to build around, and they managed to sign a few viable seasoned veterans. Meanwhile, the Flames are, well, nobody knows exactly what they’re doing. 

7 - Anaheim Ducks

Hey, at least the “other” LA team has new and improved uniforms, right? Other than that, it’s a rebuilding year that should see a young core start to materialize. 

6 - San Jose Sharks

Yeah, the Sharks are that team that “skyrocketed” up these rankings from eighth to sixth. I’ll let everyone else place them as the bottom team in the Pacific Division, but San Jose has a new outlook and optimism, even if it will be another long season. 

5 - Seattle Kraken

If there’s one team in the Pacific Division that can surprise critics in 2024-25, it’s the Kraken. We tend to forget that this was a playoff team just two seasons ago, one that snuck up on everyone then, and the same thing could be the case now. 

4 - Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks still aren’t telling us much about when goaltender Thatcher Demko could be ready to return. But when they see their star netminder line up in the crease, will he be the same player he was last season? Right now, the Canucks may have to score a lot of goals just to keep pace with some of the league’s toughest teams. 

3 - Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have also been hit hard with injuries, so ranking them against the Canucks was a real toss-up, as they are also dealing with an ailment to a star player. But a patchwork unit on the blue line and a pair of solid albeit unspectacular goaltenders make me slightly more optimistic at the moment for LA. 

2 - Vegas Golden Knights

This is a team that, if they stay healthy, should finish somewhere in the Pacific Division’s top three and make a respectable playoff run. Getting off to a hot start is all but a foregone conclusion for a Golden Knights team looking to find a way to get back into Stanley Cup contention. 

1 - Edmonton Oilers

I might take some heat since this is an Oilers site, but right now, nobody is better equipped in the West to make another run at the Stanley Cup. If the Oilers play like they have during the Kris Knoblauch Era all season and stay healthy, they will win the Pacific and make another deep playoff run.