NHL Pacific Division: 2022-23 Promise of Grand Season & Tough Competition

NHL Pacific Division Preview: The defending Pacific Division champion Calgary Flames are co-favorites with the Edmonton Oilers. The Golden Knights hope to stay healthy in 2022-23.

As the NHL regular season nears, there are plenty of question marks in the Pacific Division. How will the Flames rebound after losing prized free agent Johnny Gaudreau? The Oilers finally made a deal to bolster their goaltending, while the Golden Knights are looking for their number-one netminder with the injuries continuing into the offseason. There’s a new regime in San Jose, while the Canucks hope to get off to a much better start  than last season.

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Team by Team Betting Breakdown

Edmonton Oilers (49-27-6, 104 points)

• Divisional Odds: +225
• Conference Odds: +700
• Stanley Cup Odds: +1800
• Projected Point Total: 103.5 (-115)

There is always tremendous pressure in Edmonton, but after advancing to the Western Conference Finals last season, expectations are Stanley Cup or bust. For years, the public wondered why the team didn’t go out and get a big-time goaltender to complement their dynamic offense.

General Manager, Ken Holland finally scratched that itch when they acquired Jack Campbell who was in the Vezina Trophy discussion with the Toronto Maple Leafs for most of last season. A 22-goal scorer, Evander Kane signed a team-friendly deal that will take him through the 2025-26 season. They are led by Connor McDavid (123 points) and Leon Draisaitl (110 points), making their top six as dangerous as any forward combination in the league.

Then you sprinkle in Dylan Holloway on the second line who is being talked about as a Calder Trophy favorite. Last season, the Oilers finished 57-41, playoffs included, but that wasn’t enough to turn a profit (-50 units). The team was friendly to bettors as a favorite (+452 units) but couldn’t produce a plus money season as an underdog (-502 units). For the Oilers to be a must-bet every night, they need to win unexpectedly.

Vegas Golden Knights (43-31-8, 94 points)

• Divisional Odds: +375
• Conference Odds: +700
• Stanley Cup Odds: +2000
• Projected Point Total: 96.5 (under -130)

Continuing our NHL Pacific Division Preview: Where do you start with Vegas who are quickly becoming the Dallas Cowboys of the National Hockey League? That’s just fine with the Vegas fan base who have embraced the outlaw theme of their city for 100 years. The Golden Knights failed to make the postseason for the first time in the history of the young franchise after dealing with key injuries for most of the season.

Pete DeBoer was dismissed as head coach, and replaced by former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. If everyone was being honest, it wasn’t the losses that got DeBoer fired, it was the culture created under his watch. Injuries are still very much a part of the Vegas culture after it was revealed that goaltender Robin Lehner would miss the entire season after having hip surgery. His absence puts even more pressure on Jack Eichel to produce a 90-100 point season, as he enters his first full NHL season in Vegas.

There have to be questions about Mark Stone after having off-season back surgery but expected to play significant 2-line minutes. Vegas hopes that newly acquired Phil Kessel can regain his past form to give them some top-line production. It will once again be an interesting watch with the Knights and their fans who are more than willing to wear the league’s black hat.

Calgary Flames (50-21-11, 111 points)

• Divisional Odds: +225
• Conference Odds: +700
• Stanley Cup Odds: +1800
• Projected Point Total: 103.5 (over -135)

The Calgary Flames lost in five games against the Edmonton Oilers last season, that was with 40-goal scorer Johnny Gaudreau who has since taken his talents to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was a suspicious move, one that would make you think the Flames might be just as strong without the former Boston College Eagle. Matthew Tkachuk was another subtraction for Darryl Sutter’s team, who will play his first season outside Alberta for the Florida Panthers.

So why do the point projections indicate that Calgary will still be in the mix to defend their division title? In the Tkachuk deal, GM Brad Treliving received 30-goal scorer Jonathan Huberdeau and defensemen MacKenzie Weegar who will be teamed with Chris Tanev as the team’s top defensive pairing.

That’s music to Sutter’s ears who wants to the Flames to be a strong defensive hockey team through all three zones. Back is all-star goaltender, Jacob Markstrom who finished second in Vezina Trophy voting. This team will be better and more difficult to play against.

Los Angeles Kings (44-27-11, 99 points)

• Divisional Odds: +400
• Conference Odds: +1400
• Stanley Cup Odds: +3300
• Projected Point Total: 95.5 (under -130)

The Los Angeles Kings had to overcome more injuries than the Vegas Golden Knights, but still found a way to make it into the postseason. After being lost for 43 games plus the postseason in 2022, the Kings will once again be anchored defensively by the return of 4-time all-star Drew Doughty who will be paired with Mikey Anderson on their top unit.

That’s good news to goaltender Jonathan Quick who will return as the number one starter after the Kings attempted to usher the 36-year-old on to the next phase of his career, but Quick posted 23 wins for the first time since 2017-18. Health will always play a part in his success after playing just 22 games two seasons ago.

They will be hurt by the loss of Dustin Brown (retired) and Olli Määttä (Chicago). The Kings broke a seven-year stretch where they failed to turn a profit for bettors in 2022 (+662 units). As a favorite, Los Angeles was 27-10-0 (+794 units).

Vancouver Canucks (40-30-12, 92 points)

• Divisional Odds: +1000
• Conference Odds: +2800
• Stanley Cup Odds: +6000
• Projected Point Total: 92.5 (-115)

The 2021 season looked lost before Head Coach Bruce Boudreau took over for Travis Green who lost the locker room and the fan base. Vancouver started out 7-14-2, causing the fans to throw their $250 jerseys onto the ice in protest. Boudreau led the team to a 32-15-10 record, finishing five points out of a playoff spot.

Vancouver is just 62-75 for bettors over the last two seasons (-559 units). To break that run, they’ll need to figure out how to beat the big boys in their division after dropping 20 of their last 27 against the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers (-990 units).

General Manager Jim Benning didn’t bite on moving star JT Miller at the deadline because he believed that this team could be in the NHL postseason mix, nothing has changed heading into this season. Miller signed a new long-term deal and the team added some depth with the addition of Ilya Mikheyev and Andrey Kuzmenko.

They will have to weather a small storm coming out of the gate while waiting for Brock Boeser and Mikheyev to return from injuries. Vancouver is just 62-75 for bettors over the last two seasons (-559 units). To break that run, they’ll need to figure out how to beat the big boys in their division after dropping 20 of their last 27 against the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers (-990 units).

Seattle Kraken (27-49-6, 60 points)

• Divisional Odds: +3300
• Conference Odds: +6000
• Stanley Cup Odds: +12500
• Projected Point Total: 82.5 (-115)

So you wanted to be part of the National Hockey League? Bettors enjoyed betting against the Kraken all season long, winning 1013 units with that strategy. With the hope that Matty Beniers and Shane Wright will someday be named the league’s best duo, the Kraken fans are likely to see an improvement over last season’s inaugural effort.

GM Ron Francis is more interested in building long-term success but he did bring in 28-goal scorer Oliver Bjorkstrand from Columbus to prop up scoring depth along with 2-time Stanley Cup champion Andre Burakovsky (61 points in 2021).

A look at their top six forwards will tell you that this group is much better than it was a season ago. The key to the Kraken’s success will lean heavily on the success of their goaltending tandem of Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones and the ability to play well in from of them.

San Jose Sharks (32-37-13, 77 points)

• Divisional Odds: +6600
• Conference Odds: +5500
• Stanley Cup Odds: +10000
• Projected Point Total: 75.5 (-115)

It took the Sharks some time to make a decision but once they did, former Head Coach Bob Boughner was relieved of his duties and replaced by David Quinn in July. The moves may have taken longer than most because the team was also trying to figure out who their new GM was going to be.

After announcing the hiring of Mike Grier, the team quickly named Quinn as their head coach. Both Grier and Quinn have ties to Boston University. There’s no secret that the Sharks need to produce more offense to find themselves closer to the top of the division than the bottom.

Their 5-on-5 production was horrific (22nd) with a power play that was successful just 19% of the time. San Jose sat on their hands, for the most part, this offseason, sending a clear message that this is going to be another rebuilding year. The Sharks have not produced a winning season for bettors since 2017. The teal and black are 138-170 (-3389 units) over the last four years, only the Devils (-4843) and Ducks (-4392 units) are worse over that span.

Anaheim Ducks (31-37-14, 76 points)

• Divisional Odds: +6600
• Conference Odds: +5000
• Stanley Cup Odds: +10000
• Projected Point Total: 80.5 (-115)

Concluding our NHL Pacific Division Preview: The start of the 2021-22 season was promising but we don’t think anyone thought it would continue and it didn’t. After a 10-4-3 start, the Ducks finished 21-33-11, well out of the postseason picture. GM Pat Verbeek, who took over for Bob Murray in February knew there was no reason to chase a playoff berth, so he promptly started the rebuild at the deadline, trading away Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm, and Rickard Rakell.

Ryan Getzlaf retired leaving just three hockey players from their last playoff team in 2017. Verbeek started the rebuild by signing Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano along with veteran John Klingberg. It’s been five seasons since the Ducks produced a winning season for bettors. As an underdog, the Ducks are 95-174 (-4231 units) since 2017, only the Red Wings (-4416 units) have been worse. Count on the Sharks to battle for last in the division, unless John Gibson, who may also find himself in a different sweater by season’s end, has a Vezina quality season.

Stay with us all season long for the best NHL matchups and the very best week-to-week action. This year promises to be fun, competitive, and one of the best ever for bettors.

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