CaliSports News Pacific Division Predictions

Bob Murray remained busy in the off-season having missed the Stanley Cup Final by one game. The Ducks added Shawn Horcoff, Kevin Bieksa, Chris Stewart, Mike Santorelli, Carl Hagelin, and Anton Khudobin. Murray felt the issue was not enough veteran leadership in the lineup and he addressed it by acquiring these players. He also gave Ryan Kesler a huge six-year extension. What’s Murray’s message to his team? The time is now.

The Flames had a good run last year, which was ended by the Anaheim Ducks. They added Doug Hamilton and Michael Frolik improve the roster in the offseason. John Gaudreau had 24 goals and 40 assists last season and should repeat a similar performance. If Mark Giordano can stay healthy down the stretch, then the Flames defense should be better especially with Hamilton in the lineup.

The Kings missed the playoffs last year and should be well rested heading into the 2015-16 season. They added Milan Lucic to replace Justin Williams. There should be plenty of motivation for the team to make the playoffs once again. The key for the Kings is going to be to avoid off ice issues, which could be distractions to the on ice play.

They finished second last season behind the Ducks, but the team is not the same as last year. Kevin Bieksa was traded to Anaheim for a draft pick. Eddie Lack was traded to Carolina for a few draft picks. There was also a big shake up in the front office. They are going to have to rely heavily on the Sedin’s to try to outscore their opponents.

The Sharks have a new coach in Peter DeBoer. They are also going to turn to Martin Jones having traded Antti Niemi to Dallas. The Sharks also added Paul Martin to improve the defense and Joel Ward for more offense. This team is probably one of the biggest question marks because of the changes in coaching staff and players. After probably the first 20 games of the season we will have a better idea how they will do.

There is plenty of hype in Oil Country with the drafting of Connor McDavid. They also added Cam Talbot in-goal from the New York Rangers. The Oilers can definitely make a push this year to be ahead of the Sharks and Canucks, but they are still going to have a difficult time making the playoffs. Oilers need to improve their defensive play if they seriously want to get in the playoffs.

It’s likely to be another long season in Arizona. The Coyotes have been rebuilding and Mike Smith is going to have to play out of his mind if they really want to push for the final playoff spot. The good news for the Coyotes is they will still be playing in Arizona. The bad news is the team is still a long way off from being a playoff bound team.