A Pacific Division Trade Deadline Preview
The Pacific Division is in an interesting spot with 30 games to go in the regular season.
The top two spots are occupied by the two teams that everyone expected to be there at the start of the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights, but after that, it’s been fairly chaotic.
The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks appear to have taken a step forward, while teams like the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings sit just outside of the playoff picture. With those surprises comes some uncertainty around these teams as we head into the peak of the NHL’s trade season.
The Oilers will be active on the trade market over the next few months, but what will the rest of the division do? Let’s take a look.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The Golden Knights already made a big splash, acquiring Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames earlier this month. They now sit with limited cap space and very few assets remaining in their system, but that’s never stopped them before.
The expectation is that the Golden Knights will be looking to add a forward to their top-nine as they continue to beef up their roster.
I think Brayden Schenn would be a great fit there, considering his connection to GM Kelly McCrimmon, but it’s hard to envision them fitting in their cap hit. I think they might have to check down, but I still expect them to find a way to make another addition.
ANAHEIM DUCKS
The Ducks were expected to take a step forward........
