Pacific Division Standings (predictions)

cobra427

Registered User
May 6, 2012
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3,347
I've been looking at this thread and I just have such a hard time deciding how it will shake out! I went ahead and did an average of everyone who posted before me just to see...
Also did some deviation to see how that shook out since some lists had teams finishing way different than others. (Sorry if any mistakes! Just a quick fun idea ha)

1.) San Jose (second smallest deviation too)
2.) Vegas (3rd smallest deviation of the bunch)
3.)LA (BOOO) (tied for most deviation)
4.) Calgary (Just under LA in deviation in chosen positions)
5.) Arizona (We should be number 1 always, I wish... 4th least deviation)
6.) Edmonton (Less deviation than Calgary but more than AZ)
7.) Anaheim (Tied most deviation)
8.) Vancouver (No deviation whatsoever. Unequivocally picked number 8 haha)

So Vancouver is one people have absolute confidence in finishing last, with San Jose finishing first most of the time. Very interesting!

It's so hard for me to decide because I feel that San Jose is indeed the favorite but we know how things happen. After that it's really a crap shoot.

So my own list I will go with is... it's a crap shoot with potential to make me look foolish... aka it's perfect:

1. San Jose - Just have to pick them here at this point
2. Calgary - Depends on goaltending/health
3. Arizona - If we can stay healthy, I can see a higher than expected finish. Big if though.
4. Vegas - Could easily switch them and Calgary. Lost a couple of pieces but brought in some good ones too. Don't know that they capture the same emotional magic. Slight drop off.
5. Edmonton- Didn't do much to address their problems over offseason. But that's difficult considering the season before they did well so... could easily shoot up or down the list.
6. LA - I just don't see them being as big of a threat as they have been. Part of the reason I put them down here is cause they are LA ;) Could probably do better but meh
7. Vancouver - Someone had to give them a break. Maybe the young guys do well and teams take them for granted? Probably should be 8 but...
8. Anaheim - Every season there is a surprise, I think maybe they will be that surprise awful team this year. There is potential for let downs with this team. Wouldn't count them out though.

Edit: Yotes should be number 1. Forgive my momentary madness. After that the order is the same though.
Just knowing the public is wrong, I would now bet sharks/Knights are not top 2 or Vancouver is not last, even though these are obvious choices. Vegas was predicted to be last place and the Hawks were central challengers, at the beginning of last year. So:

There will be one big upside surprise in the Pacific, I'm hoping its the Coyotes, and one major disappointment, I'm thinking Vegas this year. Both are due for the other side of the luck spectrum.
 

Lilhoody

Registered User
Nov 25, 2016
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Peoria, AZ
Vegas didn't get to the SCF on luck. They should excel again this year, the same as last. Last year their story was fueled by the cast away/misfit label. This year will likley be the similar, but fueled by people thinking they can't do it again and/or that it last year was a fluke.
 

YotesFan47

Registered User
Jun 16, 2012
4,145
2,031
Phoenix, Arizona USA
Calgary - Will be a better team than I think many expect. Smith is the big question mark.
Las Vegas - I think they have a better team at the start of this year than they did last year.
San Jose - Should be a great squad, I just don't see them winning the division.
Anaheim - They will be on the bubble, they still have a ton of talent.
Arizona - We'll be better, probably 10th-12th in the conference. Still a year or 2 away from making it.
Los Angeles - I see them falling off pretty hard.
Edmonton - There are 5 guys that keep that team from embarrassment.
Vancouver - They just have no talent right now.
 

Murf

Registered User
Apr 10, 2007
1,193
896
WESTSIDE(of Gilbert)
After 41 games:

Vegas
San Jose
LA
Calgary
Edmonton
Vancouver
Anaheim
Arizona

After 82 games:

Vegas
San Jose
LA
Anaheim
Calgary
Arizona
Edmonton (lottery winner)
Vancouver
 

Name Nameless

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Apr 12, 2017
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1. Vegas. They will rule the west, but lose in the SCF again.
2. San Jose. Another second round exit for Vegas? They will hate Vegas.
3. Arizona. +Vezina for Raanta. A little bit of optimism? :naughty:. Sharks will be a mean adversary in round 1, but it's not an impossible task. Vegas will be easier if the Yotes are lucky in round 1. Yeah, somebody has to be the optimist here. :laugh:
4. Edmonton Oilers. Let's give them a playoff-spot. Someone needs to be crushed in round 1. Last year, the number 4 team made it.
5. Anaheim. It's a crash and burn.
6. LA Kings. And more crash and burn.
7. Calgary. What is wrong with Calgary? It's kind of the same things as Edmonton: just why not better? But they are not better.
8. Vancouver Canucks. Best lottery odds, as they will be even worse than Buffalo. And Buffalo will still be bad.
 

cobra427

Registered User
May 6, 2012
9,327
3,347
Vegas didn't get to the SCF on luck. They should excel again this year, the same as last. Last year their story was fueled by the cast away/misfit label. This year will likley be the similar, but fueled by people thinking they can't do it again and/or that it last year was a fluke.
MAF was great, they came together as a team, got momentum and were taking lightly by many. I think they had a lot go right to have that miracle season. Nobody predicted it and it was unprecedented. It is likely they don't do as well this year and with a little bad luck might miss the playoffs. Every team will be up when they play Vegas now.
 

Name Nameless

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Apr 12, 2017
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MAF was great, they came together as a team, got momentum and were taking lightly by many. I think they had a lot go right to have that miracle season. Nobody predicted it and it was unprecedented. It is likely they don't do as well this year and with a little bad luck might miss the playoffs. Every team will be up when they play Vegas now.

I really don't think they were taken lightly for long last season. I hear this all the time, and it is given as an explanation for why they should have a much rougher ride this year. I don't buy it. If there is anything to it, it should just imply they will be taken lightly this season instead...

(edit for annoying typo. Could have made my predictions better while I was at it, but I'm not that smart. :laugh: )
 
Last edited:

Name Nameless

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1. Vegas. They will rule the west, but lose in the SCF again.
2. San Jose. Another second round exit for Vegas? They will hate Vegas.
3. Arizona. +Vezina for Raanta. A little bit of optimism? :naughty:. Sharks will be a mean adversary in round 1, but it's not an impossible task. Vegas will be easier if the Yotes are lucky in round 1. Yeah, somebody has to be the optimist here. :laugh:
4. Edmonton Oilers. Let's give them a playoff-spot. Someone needs to be crushed in round 1. Last year, the number 4 team made it.
5. Anaheim. It's a crash and burn.
6. LA Kings. And more crash and burn.
7. Calgary. What is wrong with Calgary? It's kind of the same things as Edmonton: just why not better? But they are not better.
8. Vancouver Canucks. Best lottery odds, as they will be even worse than Buffalo. And Buffalo will still be bad.

Revisiting my own predictions. Wow. Calgary and Vancouver are in the wrong end here. Are they this good? And Vegas is also in the wrong end. Will they continue to be bad? Was the loss of their 1D so dooming for them? But he will come back. Soon.
 

Bonsai Tree

Turning a new leaf
Feb 2, 2014
9,180
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Sharks
Vegas
Coyotes
Calgary.
Has anyone mentioned that the Central teams are so evenly matched that they will be pounding each other to death during the season?
 

Name Nameless

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Apr 12, 2017
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Sharks
Vegas
Coyotes
Calgary.
Has anyone mentioned that the Central teams are so evenly matched that they will be pounding each other to death during the season?

I think our only hope is they do a good job with that... :help:
 

Matias Maccete

Chopping up defenses
Sep 21, 2014
9,645
3,524
San Jose
Los Angeles
Vegas
Anaheim
Calgary (barely ahead of us)
Arizona
Edmonton
Vancouver

I think despite Anaheim having a lot of old players will still be pretty good.

I'd love to be wrong and see us finish higher, but we have so many question marks, and sadly so many injuries already. If Galchenyuk and Dvorak miss a decent chunk of time our center depth is right back to meh. I hope Raanta stays healthy, because I think Kuemper is a well below average backup. Our blue line should be solid, so there's that. I just worry that our injuries cause us to start slow, and we play catch up all season.

I feel like people are underestimating LA, and probably Anaheim. Of course I thought we'd be decent last year, and the Knights would finish between bottom 5-10.

These posts have aged well, especially the bolded text.
 
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azcanuck

Registered User
Jan 14, 2014
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chandler az
Calgary - Will be a better team than I think many expect. Smith is the big question mark.
Las Vegas - I think they have a better team at the start of this year than they did last year.
San Jose - Should be a great squad, I just don't see them winning the division.
Anaheim - They will be on the bubble, they still have a ton of talent.
Arizona - We'll be better, probably 10th-12th in the conference. Still a year or 2 away from making it.
Los Angeles - I see them falling off pretty hard.
Edmonton - There are 5 guys that keep that team from embarrassment.
Vancouver - They just have no talent right now.
Vancouver no talent? Clearly you haven't seen this team.
 

Name Nameless

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Apr 12, 2017
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Vancouver no talent? Clearly you haven't seen this team.

It wasn't my post you replied to, but it could have been. :laugh:.

In my defence I'll blame it on the Hockey Guy. He is clearly not reliable when it comes to evaluating "his own teams" in general, and his hometown-team in particular. He was like "Vancouver is the worst team in the league AINEC".

So, not listening to him when he talks down his own teams in the future. ;)
 

AZviaNJ

Setbacks, no Defeats
Mar 31, 2011
6,620
4,199
AZ
Nobody could have predicted that Petterson was this good but outside of him, Boeser and Horvat they don't have much.
Many predicted Pettersson for the Calder, on Twitter I said he'll be the 2nd best forward in the division in 3 years (and was laughed at). Canucks will still likely finish 8th....but future is bright in Vancouver.
 

OriginalJetsCoyotes

Registered User
Mar 7, 2016
728
198
Hanmer, Ontario
Many predicted Pettersson for the Calder, on Twitter I said he'll be the 2nd best forward in the division in 3 years (and was laughed at). Canucks will still likely finish 8th....but future is bright in Vancouver.

Sure, Calder is one thing but he has a 1.67PPG pace right now.

15 points in 9 games.

It's not sustainable, obviously, and that will be when Vancouver starts losing.
 

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