1. Edmonton Oilers (104.5):
Last season’s Western Conference runner-up promoted interim coach Jay Woodcroft, re-signed right wing Evander Kane and added a new starting goaltender in Jack Campbell. Their sights are set on another deep run.
2. Calgary Flames (102.5):
The reigning Pacific champions had the NHL’s wildest offseason. They’re still in fine shape after adding Nazem Kadri, left wing Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to replace Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.
3. Golden Knights (96.5):
Scoring and goaltending are the team’s biggest question marks. The blue line is strong, but can the Knights get enough goals and saves to contend for the Cup?
4. Los Angeles Kings (95.5):
Kevin Fiala joins a young team with plenty of room to improve. A little extra offense could go a long way in getting Los Angeles to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
5. Vancouver Canucks (92.5):
A poor start doomed this team last season, but it played at a 106-point pace in 57 games under coach Bruce Beaudreau. Vancouver’s blue line might hold it back from maintaining that run.
6. Anaheim Ducks (81.5):
New general manager Pat Verbeek gave his young club some veteran help this offseason, but Anaheim is still a ways off from contention. Center Trevor Zegras at least makes them entertaining.
7. Seattle Kraken (79.5):
Seattle disappointed in its inaugural season with the NHL’s third-worst record, in part because of the league’s worst team save percentage. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer, a 2021 Vezina Trophy finalist, needs to improve.
8. San Jose Sharks (71.5):
This team still has plenty of lean years ahead because of a rough salary-cap situation and shallow prospect pool. New general manager Mike Grier tried to address the former by trading defenseman Brent Burns in the offseason.
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