It's time to take a look out west in the final division preview. The Pacific Division is pretty well stratified, with three obvious contenders, a couple of middle-of-the-pack teams and three rebuilding clubs at various stages of the process. It's also a division with some massive standouts on offense, some really good defenders and few elite goalies, leading to some high scores when these teams clash.
NHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Atlantic Division
NHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Central Division
NHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Metropolitan Division
Edmonton Oilers
The top of the division should be the Oilers, and it's possible that rings true for years to come. They made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, falling a goal short in Game 7 after nearly pulling off a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the series. Unlike the defending champions in Florida, the Oilers arguably got stronger this offseason, taking care of business with their own free agents and keeping an eye on the future.
They weren't able to keep everyone from the deep playoff run, parting ways with Warren Foegele, Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner and Vincent Desharnais in free agency. They also lost Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets from the Blues, which puts a dent in Edmonton's already sparse depth. Jack Campbell was bought out to create cap flexibility, and that helped the Oilers to re-sign Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, Connor Brown and Adam Henrique to key bottom-six roles, while Calvin Pickard also returns as the backup goalie. Troy Stecher, who is coming back from an ankle injury, was also inked to a new deal. They didn't stop there, adding Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson and Josh Brown in free agency and prospect forward Matthew Savoie in a deal that sent Ryan McLeod to Buffalo. Roby Jarventie was also acquired from Ottawa for Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson. Later in the summer, Vasily Podkolzin was brought in via trade from the Canucks for a pick, while Cody Ceci was flipped to the Sharks for Ty Emberson. Most importantly, Leon Draisaitl committed to an eight-year, $112 million contract to keep the Oilers' core intact for the rest of the decade. Aside from losing Evander Kane for most of the year due to surgery to address multiple injuries, this busy offseason has the Oilers positioned to be the class of the Pacific and maybe the league as a whole.
On offense, the Oilers have a boatload of riches. Connor McDavid is the obvious star of the show, and Draisaitl would be a No. 1 center on nearly every other team in the league. What's different this year is the potential of the supporting cast. Skinner and Arvidsson join Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as top-six wings, and while the first power-play unit is probably going to be unchanged after the Oilers finished with a 26.3 percent success rate (fourth-best in the NHL), the second unit will be deeper than it has been in previous years. Down the lineup, Henrique makes for an ideal third-line center alongside wingers Janmark and Connor Brown. The fourth line is up for grabs, particularly at center. Perry and Podkolzin are likely to play a lot, while Derek Ryan, Lane Pederson, James Hamblin and Noah Philp are all options to fill out the lineup. Don't be surprised to see that spot be a revolving door this year -- those players are interchangeable, especially when they won't be seeing much more than 8-10 minutes per game.
All of that money committed up front makes the defense a bit of a weak spot. Luckily, Evan Bouchard took his star turn in 2023-24, putting up 82 points (35 on the power play) in 81 contests. His rise can be partially attributed to working well with two-way blueliner Mattias Ekholm, who is the Oilers' top shutdown player. Darnell Nurse (undisclosed) is dealing with a lingering injury from last year but should be a second-pairing option. Emberson is a young defenseman who should grow on a better team, while the third pairing will likely consist of Brett Kulak, Stecher or Josh Brown, though Travis Dermott, who is in camp on a professional tryout, could also make a push for a roster spot. In goal, Stuart Skinner enters the year the unquestioned No. 1 now that Campbell is out of the picture. Skinner is not an elite goalie, but he's good enough to ride the Oilers' offense to a 40-win season if he gets enough playing time. Pickard is a fine backup for deeper fantasy formats that reward wins over everything else, as long as he recovers quickly from an upper-body injury he sustained in preseason action Saturday. Collin Delia is the organizational No. 3 but will likely see minimal NHL time.
The Oilers are not necessarily at the Cup-or-bust part of their competitive cycle, but the fanbase will be hungry to claim Canada's first championship since 1993. McDavid will be eligible for an extension next summer, and there's no doubt he'll come to terms to stay with the Oilers. Bouchard will also be due a new contract for 2025-26. That's all background noise this year, as the Oilers could push the 2021-22 Panthers for the cap-era goals record in a single season, which stands at 337.
Vegas Golden Knights
It was business as usual for Vegas this summer -- shuffle some players out, bring some new ones in, dance with the cap ceiling. A first-round exit last spring will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of those returning, but this iteration of the Golden Knights lacks some of the punch that other versions have enjoyed. Still, a rock-solid defense and a formidable top six will keep them competitive.
In true Vegas fashion, there was little hesitation to let free-agent forwards Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Anthony Mantha and William Carrier walk, alongside defenseman Alec Martinez. All found new homes fairly quickly. Michael Amadio also departed, while Paul Cotter and Logan Thompson were dealt away in trades, returning Alexander Holtz, Akira Schmid and draft picks. There was no big splash in free agency for Vegas, as they added goalie Ilya Samsonov, forwards Victor Olofsson, Zach Aston-Reese and Tanner Laczynski and defenseman Robert Hagg to fill out depth roles. Tanner Pearson is in camp on a tryout.
The lack of big moves leaves chances up front for younger players. Pavel Dorofeyev looks to have a chance on the second line with William Karlsson and Mark Stone, while Jack Eichel will reunite with fellow former Sabre Olofsson and Ivan Barbashev on the top line. Tomas Hertl looks set to center the third line, though he could swap with Nicolas Roy on the wing. Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar are back in depth roles, but the Golden Knights would be wise to give long looks to a prospect like Brendan Brisson. Cap flexibility will remain a problem for the Golden Knights, so expect some turnover on the fourth line this year, though that could be halted by one of the fringe players grabbing a job and running with it.
A defensive core that sports Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin is already in a good spot. Hanifin and Theodore are in their primes and should be power-play options, while Pietrangelo may be better suited to a shutdown role this year. Brayden McNabb adds some thump in the bottom four while Zach Whitecloud, Nicolas Hague, Kaedan Korczak and Ben Hutton round out the depth. Injuries have often opened the door for other blueliners in recent years, so Hagg or Dysin Mayo could also be in the mix later in the season. Adin Hill will have the edge for the No. 1 job in goal, but his injury history and a veteran backup in Samsonov could lead to neither goalie getting a particularly large share of the work. Schmid should be the No. 3 this year after Jiri Patera signed with Vancouver. Both Hill and Samsonov should be strong fantasy options behind such a good defense, though they may need to be sharp if Vegas' offense sits in the middle of the pack again -- they averaged just 3.21 goals per game last year, 14th in the league.
It's always a good idea to expect the unexpected with Vegas. This is a team that shakes things up, tries new things and finds ways to stay competitive. The Golden Knights are used to not having much cap space and relying on a balanced lineup to keep pace. The 2024-25 roster isn't exactly overwhelming on paper, making it less important to prioritize Vegas players for fantasy drafts, but they've still got strong options at every position, especially down the middle and on defense.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks were eliminated in the second round last year, and there are question marks all around the team after a summer of upheaval. Most important is how often can Thatcher Demko play while managing a knee injury. There are also doubts to the Canucks' ability to sustain their puck luck -- they shot 12.0 percent last year, tied with the Lightning for the most efficient shooting in the league. The red flags of regression are waving, but with enough good players in important spots, this still looks like a playoff team with no other squad in the division looking capable of making up the difference.
The departures were significant after the Canucks geared up for a big run last year. Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov both went to Boston, and the Canucks also lost Casey DeSmith, Ian Cole, Matt Irwin and Sam Lafferty to free agency. Ilya Mikheyev and Vasily Podkolzin were traded away. The Canucks brought in Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Derek Forbort via free agency, all previously of Boston, while adding Kiefer Sherwood, Daniel Sprong and Vincent Desharnais. Sammy Blais is in camp on a tryout, and Kevin Lankinen has a good chance to be the No. 2 this year after signing during training camp.
Vancouver's forward depth isn't as strong as last year, but Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser are all back to lead the way. DeBrusk and Heinen will have a chance at top-six minutes, as will one of Nils Hoglander, Conor Garland or prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Teddy Blueger (lower body) and Pius Suter are poised to reprise their roles as bottom-six centers, and Sprong's addition will help the wing depth and the power play. Sherwood, Phil Di Giuseppe and Arshdeep Bains will add some sandpaper options until Dakota Joshua (cancer surgery) is ready to return. Aatu Raty and Nils Aman will also offer a different look with more defense and skill for the bottom six, and Linus Karlsson is still in the organization after re-signing on a two-way deal. There's not a lot of prospect potential outside of Lekkerimaki, so expect the Canucks to lean on their veterans.
Quinn Hughes runs the show on the blue line, and as the reigning Norris Trophy winner, his value has never been higher. He took a full step forward to stardom last year and will eat minutes for years to come. He pairs well with a more two-way type of defenseman in Filip Hronek. Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers both did well last year as a second pairing, though the Canucks' expected regression could take a bite out of their offense. Forbort and Desharnais could be a new-look third pairing, though Mark Friedman, Noah Juulsen and Cole McWard (lower body) are all in contention as well to get looks throughout the season. The Canucks' goaltending will be one of the biggest storylines of the year. Demko is the No. 1 when healthy, but there's no guarantee he'll be 100 percent at any point in 2024-25. Lankinen is a fine No. 2 and should do well behind the Canucks' defense, while playoff hero Arturs Silovs is also in the mix to see substantial NHL time. Jiri Patera is another experienced goalie in the system after seeing eight games of NHL action with Vegas over the last two years. He's more of an emergency option, but such a situation could arise if the injury bug focuses on Vancouver's crease.
The Canucks probably won't win the division this year. They could do it if everything goes right, but there are too many variables at play to count on that. DeBrusk is a popular sleeper pick for fantasy, while Miller and Hughes are among the most reliable all-around options in the early rounds. The depth isn't intriguing unless one of the middle-six wingers has a career year. The Canucks are a safe playoff team, but it may not come with the electric offense they had in 2023-24.
Los Angeles Kings
Third time wasn't the charm for the Kings, who again got stonewalled by the Oilers in the first round for the third year in a row. They admitted a mistake and corrected it with a trade, but they'll be counting on a lot of unproven players to fill larger roles this year. It won't be any easier with a preseason injury already taking out a key player for noticeable chunk of the campaign.
The Kings were able to limit the damage in free-agent losses, losing Viktor Arvidsson to Edmonton, Matt Roy to Washington, Blake Lizotte to Pittsburgh and Cam Talbot to Detroit. The loss of Talbot was offset by an earlier trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to Washington just one year after he signed an eight-year contract, which yielded Darcy Kuemper in return to take over the No. 1 job in goal. Before the draft, Carl Grundstrom was shipped to San Jose for defenseman Kyle Burroughs, and the Kings swung a deal at the draft table to get Tanner Jeannot from the Lightning for two picks (not five, like the Lightning paid to acquire him in 2023). The Kings re-signed Pheonix Copley for goaltending depth and Trevor Lewis to fill a fourth-line job, then added Warren Foegele and Joel Edmundson in free agency. With few moves to bolster the roster, it'll be up to prospects to make up the difference.
The Kings are deep down the middle even without Dubois, as Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault and Quinton Byfield are all expected to spend time at center this year. Byfield was a winger for much of 2023-24, but he's a natural center and looks poised to at least replicate his 55-point breakout campaign. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala return to top-six roles on the wing, where Foegele, Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore will compete for depth spots. Jeannot is a wild card here -- he has a 24-goal campaign under his belt, and he could be a league-winner in banger fantasy formats if he gets back to that level since he is a lock for 300 hits when healthy. Lewis should play regularly on the fourth line, joined by some combination of Alex Turcotte, Akil Thomas and Samuel Fagemo. Arthur Kaliyev (broken collarbone) won't be in the mix for much of the first half of the season, and after holding out until mid-September to sign as a restricted free agent, his time with the Kings may be nearing an end.
Defensively, the Kings have long been able to pencil in Drew Doughty for 25 minutes a night or more, but they'll have to figure out how to get by without him after he was felled by a fractured ankle in a preseason game. He likely won't be back until December at the earliest. For power-play minutes, it's a chance for Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke to make a name for themselves, especially since one of them could lose their roster spot once Doughty is healthy. The rest of the Kings' defense is a collection of shutdown options -- Edmundson joins Vladislav Gavrikov, Mikey Anderson, Burroughs, Andreas Englund and Jacob Moverare as blueliners with limited scoring upside on this roster. Gavrikov could be a veteran power-play option, having previous filled that role with the Blue Jackets at times in 2022-23. Obviously, there's no replacing Doughty, but the defense should be sturdy enough to make life easier for Kuemper and David Rittich. Kuemper should handle a starter's workload as he looks for a bounce-back year. He's a safe No. 3 option in fantasy, though Rittich could have appeal in deeper formats if he can push for 30 games this year after going 13-6-3 with a 2.15 GAA and a .921 save percentage over 24 contests last year.
The Kings' success hinges on the next generation, namely Byfield, Clarke, Laferriere, Turcotte and Thomas. There's enough obstacles in the way -- injuries, unproven depth -- to cast doubt on if the Kings will make the playoffs this year. The Central Division is more than capable of sending five teams, and the Kings don't look to be a top-3 option in the Pacific on paper. They'll have to play tight hockey most of the time, which limits the fantasy interest to the top six and the goalies until Doughty is back.
Seattle Kraken
For the first time since their expansion year, the Kraken made big splashes for free agents. Those moves could be labeled as overreactions, or it could be the next step this young franchise needs to try to compete in a division that's got room for another team to step up. Speaking of youth, this is a year where some of the team's homegrown prospects will make a bigger impact, setting the stage for a wave of depth talent to replace the veterans that have populated the roster early in the franchise's history.
The Kraken let Tomas Tatar, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Justin Schultz walk in free agency and left Kailer Yamamoto unqualified. Brian Dumoulin was also traded to the Ducks for a pick. Two of those players should be replaced from within, and the Kraken made sure to address other departures by signing Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour to long-term deals July 1. Ben Meyers and Josh Mahura were also added for depth. The Kraken were able to sign Adam Larsson, Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen to new contracts over the summer as well.
The Kraken will try the method of promoting the AHL coach to the NHL, as Dan Bylsma is back behind the bench in the NHL after leading AHL Coachella Valley to the Calder Cup Finals twice in two years. He won't be alone in making the trip north, as Shane Wright is likely to be in the NHL this year, while Ryan Winterton is another prospect competing to be in Seattle. The Kraken's lines were fluid last year, but it's a virtual lock Beniers, Jared McCann and Stephenson will see top-six minutes in some capacity. Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burakovsky should also begin in those roles if they can stay healthy. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tolvanen, Brandon Tanev, Jordan Eberle and Tye Kartye round out the wing depth, while Wright and Yanni Gourde are set to begin as centers. Depending on usage, Wright may function as a top-six player, while the Gourde and Stephenson lines draw tougher assignments. John Hayden could also provide a tougher option in the bottom six. With at least six players who can play center on the roster, there's plenty of versatility up front.
The blue line remains relatively unchanged, with Montour joining in place of Schultz. Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn will be the first pair, and Dunn will compete with Montour for power-play duties. Jamie Oleksiak and Will Borgen played well together on the second pairing last year, though they may be split up to give Montour a healthy share of minutes. Ryker Evans will also be in the mix for power-play time, but he first has to make the roster. Mahura and Cale Fleury are the depth defensemen, with Mahura more than capable of entering the lineup in a pinch after serving as a seventh blueliner with the Panthers last year. Defense has been a trademark of what the Kraken have done right in their existence -- over their three years as a franchise, they've averaged just 28.3 shots against per game, third-best in the NHL behind only the Hurricanes and the Kings. Despite that shot suppression, Philipp Grubauer continues to be no better than league average, as he posted a 2.85 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 36 games last year. That finally cost him some time, as Joey Daccord stepped up with a 2.46 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 50 appearances. Grubauer's contract makes him the presumptive No. 1 to begin the year, but this is likely to be a timeshare where the hot hand keeps the crease.
The Kraken's biggest signings all had something in common -- Montour, Stephenson and Mahura have all been on the roster for one of the last two Stanley Cup Champions. Add that with established leaders like Schwartz, Gourde and Dunn, and it's clear the team is trying to instill a championship mentality into a franchise that has just 14 playoff games to its name. It's easy to see the upside here, but there are no fantasy stars to be had, and another year of offense-by-committee will likely leave most Kraken skaters as fringe options in fantasy.
Anaheim Ducks
The youth movement in California is fully on, and the Ducks have reasons to be excited about that. They've got young players ready to contribute across the roster, especially in the top six. There's some risk in that, but this year is about progress, not necessarily contending.
The Ducks lost Ben Meyers and William Lagesson to free agency, and they let Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Max Jones walk without qualifying offers. Urho Vaakanainen and Brett Leason were re-signed, while Gustav Lindstrom, Boris Katchouk and Mark Pysyk are in camp on tryouts after getting no interest on the open market. Sam Colangelo was signed out of college last spring and will compete for a spot this year. Brian Dumoulin was brought in via trade from the Kraken, as was Robby Fabbri from the Red Wings, and Jansen Harkins signed as a free agent. A quiet offseason leaves the door open for the Ducks to lean on youth once again, and after finishing with 59 points in the standings last year, there's plenty of room to grow.
The biggest contributors on the Ducks are all 27 or younger, and just four projected regulars among the forwards are 30 or older. The top six is highlighted by Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry and Cutter Gauthier. Alex Killorn could also get a chance in a top-six role as a veteran leader. A veteran checking line of Frank Vatrano, Fabbri and Ryan Strome has potential, though injury risks and Vatrano's likely regression from a 37-goal, 60-point season could limit that trio's effectiveness. Isac Lundestrom could end up as the fourth-line center, though Leason is also in the mix. Brock McGinn, Colangelo, Harkins and Pavol Regenda round out the competitors for roster spots under contract, while Katchouk could add some grit if he gets a contract. There's plenty of excitement for the young players, and enough experience deep in the roster for the Ducks to surprise a few unsuspecting defenses.
Unfortunately, the Ducks' blue line isn't particularly strong yet. Cam Fowler is still around, but trade rumors are circling that he'll be dealt away to make room for a younger player. Pavel Mintyukov (lower body) was a revelation last year, but he is limited in training camp. New captain Radko Gudas and Dumoulin add plenty of heavy play, while Olen Zellweger, Jackson LaCombe and Tristan Luneau are younger options who have significant upside. Vaakanainen may again be a part-time player. It's a good balance of youngsters and veterans, but the Ducks have been incredibly leaky on defense in recent years and may still need another season or two of learning on the job to tighten things up. No one knows that better than John Gibson, who trimmed his GAA from 3.99 to 3.54 last year but also saw his save percentage drop to .888 in another injury-plagued campaign. His numerous absences allowed Lukas Dostal to get into 44 games, posting a 3.33 GAA and a .902 save percentage. Neither goalie is particularly interesting for fantasy, but Dostal has more upside at just 24 years old, especially if the defense is better. Gibson will miss the start of 2024-25 after undergoing an appendectomy, creating a chance for Oscar Dansk or Calle Clang to pick up playing time early in the season.
Rebuilding is a process, and it's one the Ducks appear to be pretty close to done with. That doesn't look to make them a playoff team just yet, but they have one of the wider ranges of plausible outcomes this year -- it wouldn't be surprising if they went on a percentage-based run and stayed competitive into the spring. Unlike most non-playoff teams, there's enough talent here to invest fantasy picks, at least as long as you don't have to worry about growing pains or poor plus-minus ratings.
San Jose Sharks
Unlike the Ducks, the Sharks are still in the thick of the rebuild. The light at the end of the tunnel is visible -- two lights, even, to correspond to two potential franchise-changing prospects ready to make their first splash this year. The Sharks were the only team to win fewer than 20 games last year, and while that was by design, it's unlikely to be repeated as they begin their upswing.
Those two prospects are No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini and fourth-overall pick from 2023 Will Smith. Both are set to play in the NHL this year after forgoing an extra year of NCAA hockey. Those weren't the only big additions to the lineup, which also features free-agent signings Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg, who could play big roles. The Sharks were also busy on the trade market, bringing in Ty Dellandrea, Carl Grundstrom, Jake Walman, Cody Ceci and goalie-of-the-future Yaroslav Askarov. Those trades cost Kyle Burroughs, Ty Emberson, David Edstrom and Magnus Chrona. The Sharks also brought back Barclay Goodrow as a waivers claim from the Rangers. That's a lot of new faces, and to make room for all of them, Calen Addison, Mike Hoffman Alexander Barabanov, Ryan Carpenter, Jack Studnicka, Filip Zadina, Kevin Labanc, Devin Cooley and Jacob MacDonald are all gone from last season's roster.
Up front, this year is all about youth. Celebrini, Smith and William Eklund are the foundation for the future of the franchise, which looks to have finally found its direction after the 2023-24 nosedive. Fabian Zetterlund, Toffoli and Mikael Granlund should all feature in top-six roles. Smith may begin in a more sheltered role, while Klim Kostin could be a versatile player to fill multiple spots this season. Dellandrea, Wennberg, Luke Kunin and Goodrow are all safe bets to see bottom-six minutes, giving the Sharks a bit more defensive responsibility than they had last year. Nico Sturm and Grundstrom provide some grit and could be fill-ins while the Sharks wait for Logan Couture (groin) and Thomas Bordeleau (lower body) to get healthy.
On defense, there's still work to be done. There's no clear No. 1 blueliner here, though shutdown man Mario Ferraro could see the most minutes. Walman and Henry Thrun appear poised for power-play time. Ceci and Jan Rutta are veterans who can take heavy defensive minutes, and longtime Shark Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body) is still around to fill a third-pairing role. Matt Benning is another heavy hitter on the blue line, and Shakir Mukhamadullin (lower body) is an option for a similar role later in the year, as he's missing time in training camp and could need to get up to speed with AHL San Jose. Goaltending is an open three-way battle between Askarov, Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek. In the long run, Askarov will be the man, but he may still need some AHL time. Blackwood and Vanecek are fine placeholders, but their numbers will suffer behind a team that is still finding its footing.
While the Sharks are behind the Ducks in the rebuilding process, the goal remains the same. Expect significant progress for young players in San Jose this year, especially with so many important minutes still up for grabs. This roster has more risk and less upside for fantasy purposes, but this will be an important year for development, which could lead to many of these players becoming fantasy stars in just a couple of years.
Calgary Flames
If the previous two teams highlighted what rebuilding looks like, the Flames are a snapshot at what it looks like when a franchise tries to hold onto a competitive window that was never open. This is a ragtag group of overpaid veterans and youngsters looking to force management's hands in getting an NHL shot. With some key pieces dealt away over the last two seasons, there's now room for growth, but there will be plenty of pain before playoff hockey returns to southern Alberta.
In many ways, the tearing down started at last year's trade deadline, taking what was once a highly formidable defense and turning it into an open audition. Further trades have addressed other areas, with the Flames shipping out Andrew Mangiapane to Washington and Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey, with defenseman Kevin Bahl and a pair of picks coming back in return. Defensemen Dennis Gilbert (Buffalo) and Oliver Kylington (Colorado) also left as free agents this summer. That left the Flames with some money to spend, bringing in Devin Cooley, Anthony Mantha, Ryan Lomberg and Jake Bean. Martin Frk is making an attempt at an NHL comeback, while Jarred Tinordi was signed and Tyson Barrie is trying out to compete for a third-pairing job.
This is not a team devoid of talent -- Yegor Sharangovich, Nazem Kadri and Andrei Kuzmenko all return from last season and should see top-six minutes. Jonathan Huberdeau and Mantha will also get plenty of ice time, while Connor Zary could get a look as the second-line center. The all-situations duo of Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman return to anchor the third line, which could be a spot for Matthew Coronato if he makes the team. Kevin Rooney, Dryden Hunt, Lomberg, Frk and Walker Duehr all remain in competition for the fourth line, while Jakob Pelletier and Samuel Honzek could be wild-card options for a middle-six role. Martin Pospisil is also a third-line contender, though he had his most success on the wing alongside Kadri last year. There's not a standout forward for fantasy purposes, with Kadri offering the most well-rounded production and Zary and Coronato providing long-term upside.
On defense, MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are the top blueliners and contenders to see power-play time. Daniil Miromanov also looks ready to challenge for top-four minutes and a power-play spot this year. Bahl and Bean should be regulars, but both are dealing with injuries in training camp, leaving the door open for Tinordi, Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal to see larger roles if those injuries linger into the regular season. Ilya Solovyov could also get another look in the NHL this season. Of the blueliners, Weegar has well-rounded production, but his 20-goal, 52-point 2023-24 season is unlikely to be replicated with a weaker supporting cast -- he saw a lot of time with Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin last year. Dustin Wolf will get a chance to run with the starting job in goal, but Dan Vladar, who is coming off hip surgery, is likely to turn it into a timeshare. Devin Cooley is also in the mix but should be the AHL goalie to begin the year. Wolf has had success in the WHL and AHL, but expectations should be tempered behind this roster -- it may take a couple of years for him to get in a groove in the NHL.
There's a chance the Flames defy expectations and hover just under the playoff bubble all year. There's just not enough depth to support making a run, and general manager Craig Conroy appears to be looking toward the future more than the present. The Flames drafted well this year, but it will be a while before Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin are ready to help propel the team back to contention. With a deep prospect pool after last year's trades, this rebuild could be shorter than others we've seen from Pacific Division rivals.
That's all for the division preview series. Follow along with myself and the rest of RotoWire's hockey experts for all your season-long, DFS and sports betting needs throughout the 2024-25 campaign!
