Finally! The pre-season is here and the start of the regular season is now in sight. Hockey fans, it’s time to rejoice. The intensity you’ve been missing is about to re-enter your lives in a hurry. So, just as we have for the past three weeks, it’s now time for our final divisional preview. Three weeks ago, Blittner’s Blue Line answered one question about each team in The Metropolitan Division. Two weeks ago we did the same for The Atlantic Division. And last week we covered The Central Division. Now it’s time to move on to the last one – The Pacific Division.  

So, without further ado, here are your Pacific Division questions and answers…

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Is Radko Gudas really the best choice to be Captain?

Look, this isn’t a knock against the veteran defenseman, but really? I understand the Ducks wanting to name a Captain, but these things shouldn’t be forced. Team management clearly feels he has the respect of his teammates, which is obviously the most important thing. However, giving the captaincy to a noted “goon” isn’t necessarily the best move. It’s kind of difficult to be a leader on the ice when you spend so much time in the penalty box. 

Again, the Ducks wanting to name a new Captain is fine. And choosing a veteran to help lead all the youngsters on the team is a smart move. But they have other respected veterans they could have chosen. If Gudas has that much support in the room, then I guess it’s good for him. But it’s still an eyebrow-raising move.

CALGARY FLAMES

Who will be the next veteran player to be traded away?

Flames fans, you might want to look away. Over the past few seasons, Calgary has traded away multiple veteran players. They are not quite in a full-on tear-down, but they are certainly not in win-now mode. 

There aren’t too many veterans left on the roster who would make for obvious trade candidates. You’d have to think that Captain Mikael Backlund is not going anywhere. Maybe Blake Coleman makes some sense? The problem is, he wouldn’t bring back much. Jonathan Huberdeau is as immovable as it gets. Nazem Kadri probably isn’t going anywhere because of the size of his contract. And Tyson Barrie is in camp on a PTO, so who’s to say if he’s even on the roster when it comes time to talk trade?

All in all, GM Craig Conroy is going to need to get creative with his next move.

EDMONTON OILERS

Do they have enough to finish the job?

Any team that employs Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on offense and went to Game Seven of The Stanley Cup Final back in June clearly has a lot going for it. Defenseman Evan Bouchard came into his own last season and really shined bright in the playoffs. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are steady, reliable players. Stuart Skinner needs to show more consistency in his game before he can be fully trusted but he’s young, so that should come with time.

If there was ever a year for Edmonton to go all the way, it’s this one. Once Draisaitl’s new contract kicks in, the Oilers’ limited cap space is going to become even more limited. Then, assuming McDavid signs an extension once his current deal is up in two years, their cap crunch is going to be even worse. While the band is still together, this is their time. 

LOS ANGELES KINGS

How much more do Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty have left in their tanks? 

Kopitar is 37 and Doughty is turning 35 in December; both have a lot of mileage on their bodies and yet, they still manage to play lots of minutes and perform at very high levels. But can they continue to keep that up? Defensemen age in dog years and Doughty has averaged more than 25-minutes of ice time in every single season since 2012-13. In fact, there have only been three seasons in his entire career during which he finished with an average ice time below 25-minutes. And those were all over a decade ago. Meanwhile, Kopitar always averages between 19 to 22 minutes played per game and hasn’t recorded a season where he scored at a rate of less than .74 points per game since 2016-17. 

Both are “forever” Kings, but they can’t possibly be expected to maintain this level of play for much longer. Father Time is undefeated for a reason and they won’t be the exception. Perhaps Los Angeles can get one last run out of them before Father Time catches up? We’ll soon see. 

SAN JOSÉ SHARKS

What are reasonable expectations for Macklin Celebrini in his rookie year?

Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Connor Bedard have unfairly skewed our thoughts on what reasonable rookie years are for number one overall draft picks. In most cases, we forget that the player chosen at the top of the draft is just 18- or 19-years-old and they’re about to jump into a league filled with men in their 20s and 30s. From a purely physical aspect, that’s a huge disadvantage for the young guns. 

The hockey world as a whole needs to temper expectations for Celebrini and all future number one overall selections. In 2017, the Devils made Nico Hischier the first overall pick and he came into The League with far less fanfare than Celebrini is currently experiencing. That first season, Hischier tallied 20-goals, 32-assists, and 52-points while playing in all 82-games. There is nobody who would look at that and think Hischier had a bad rookie year. It was quite successful actually. And perhaps a similar stat line should be what we can expect out of the Sharks’ new rookie. 

If he exceeds those numbers, great! If he falls just a tad short, that’s fine. Celebrini will be an excellent player in The NHL for years to come. His first season should be about getting adjusted to the best league in the world rather than worrying about trying to put up otherworldly numbers. 

SEATTLE KRAKEN

Will Shane Wright emerge as a legitimate NHLer?

Shane Wright was supposed to go number one overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He did not. He ended up “falling” to number four, where the Kraken took him. He was supposed to make an immediate impact in Year One. Instead, he was sent down to the minors and only played eight games at The NHL level; tallying just one goal and one assist. In his second season – 2023-24 – he was supposed to stick at The NHL level and begin to show what he’s capable of. Instead, he once again spent most of the year in the minors and only played eight games in The NHL. However, he did record four goals and one assist in those contests, which was an improvement over his first year.

This is Year Three. If this were The NFL, this would be a make-or-break year for Wright. Somewhat lucky for him, this is The NHL and while a lot is expected of him, he won’t be immediately discarded if he doesn’t break out this season. However, he does still need to start showing the reason he was such a high draft pick. He has the talent, now it’s a matter of putting it all together.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

What’s the deal with Thatcher Demko’s knee injury?

The long mystery regarding what exactly was ailing Thatcher Demko began back in The Spring. Now, according to multiple reports, the mystery has been solved. It is an injury to the popliteus muscle in his knee. If you’ve never heard of that muscle don’t worry, neither have most people. According to multiple medical sites, the popliteus muscle helps stabilize the knee. Now that we know that, we can understand why Demko has been out of action for so long. 

Normal people need their knees to be stable just so they can complete normal life functions, like walking. For an NHL goaltender, the knees are one of the most important parts of the body. If his knee is unstable, how is he supposed to move around and make saves? Heck, forget making saves. How is he supposed to skate, let alone do anything an NHL player is expected to do?

Here’s to hoping he gets the appropriate treatments and can eventually make his way back to the Canucks – only once he is 100% healthy.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

How will the loss of Jonathan Marchessault affect them?

Ever since the Golden Knights entered The NHL there was always one player who could be counted on to be their heart, soul, and identity. That player was Jonathan Marchessault. He is the franchise leader in most of the important offensive categories and even though he wasn’t The Captain, he was still the heartbeat of the team. 

Now? Now he’s playing for the Nashville Predators after contract negotiations broke down in the lead-up to free agency. Sure, Vegas still has plenty of star power on its roster. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, and Noah Hanifin are still Golden Knights. William Karlsson, Alex Pietrangelo, and Shea Theodore are still there too. If the Golden Knights remain healthy, they should still be a playoff team. But without Marchessault’s steady presence, they just won’t look or feel the same for quite some time.