Shots on Goal: Early Look - Top 9 Pacific

Early Look Top-9: Pacific Division
Peter Maingot, RotoWire Writer

With summer in its final days, it's time to take a glance at the NHL landscape and assess what the top three lines of each team might resemble after a summer of drafting, trading and free-agent signing. We will stress the even-strength lines, with occasional forays into possible power play (PP) deployments.

Anaheim:

Patrick Maroon - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Carl Hagelin - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg
Andrew Cogliano - Rickard Rakell/Mike Santorelli - Chris Stewart

Since the Hawks won the Cup in June they've gotten weaker while the Ducks have gotten stronger, adding Kevin Bieksa, Chris Stewart, Carl Hagelin and Mike Santorelli. Anaheim is the team beat this year and it all starts with the first line. Each player is bigger than 6'1", 210 lbs. Getzlaf and Perry are bona fide stars, each with a Stanley Cup ring and two Olympic Gold medals. Maroon is the brooding bruiser who played five full seasons of AHL hockey before becoming an NHL regular two seasons ago at age 25. Maroon's hold on the first line left wing position isn't locked in and it's a situation that bears monitoring throughout the season.

Ryan Kesler's reputation exceeded his output in his first season with Anaheim. Kesler's 20 goals and 47 points were underwhelming but the expected continued emergence of Jakob Silfverberg bodes well. Newcomers Hagelin (17 goals/35 points) and Stewart (14 goals/36 points) will likely compete for the third spot in the trio. Another summer addition, Santorelli (12 goals/33 points), will challenge for a top-nine role. While the Ducks are pleased with the development of 22-year-old Swedish center Rickard Rakell (9 goals/31 points), they covered their bet with the cap-friendly Santorelli deal. Andrew Cogliano, whose averaged 18 goals over the last two seasons, can move up or down between the second and third line and he'll push Hagelin for the second-line left wing gig, assuming they don't flip Silfverberg to left wing in order to put Stewart on the second line.

Arizona:

Mikkel Boedker - Martin Hanzal - Shane Doan
Tobias Rieder - Antoine Vermette - Steve Downie
Max Domi - Brad Richardson - Anthony Duclair

Arizona ranks with Florida as having the least amount of fantasy forward talent. In a standard 12-team league only Vermette, Boedker, Doan or Hanzal have even 45-50 point potential. Any of the four forwards would have to play a full schedule to hit 50 points (Hanzal only played 35 games last year while Boedker played in 45 contests).

At least there's some forward talent coming out of their pipeline, namely two 20-year-old rookies named Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. The two were electric at the World Juniors last January in comprising two-thirds of Team Canada's first line alongside Buffalo Sabre prospect Sam Reinhart. Domi, drafted 12th overall in 2013, had five goals and 10 points in 7 games while Duclair had four goals and 8 points as Team Canada took gold. Both were prolific scorers in junior - Domi ended up with 106 goals and 331 points in 244 games in the Ontario junior league while Duclair finished his Quebec junior career with 116 goals and 249 points in 203 games. They may split up the duo eventually but it would make sense to at least start the camp and exhibition season together, perhaps with 10-year vet Brad Richardson. There'd be less pressure on the pair if they started on the third line. The first line will be centered by Hanzal or Vermette and will feature Shane Doan at right wing. Steve Downie was added in free agency and could prove roto useful if he can get some top-six minutes and perhaps some second-unit power play deployment. Downie had 14 goals, 28 points and 238 PIMs in 72 games for Pittsburgh last year. Mikkel Boedker had the same numbers as Downie last season but Boedker played in 27 less games. Boedker had 19 goals and 51 points in 2013-14.

Calgary:

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Jiri Hudler
Lance Bouma - Sam Bennett - Michael Frolik
Micheal Ferland/Mason Raymond - Mikael Backlund - Joe Colborne/David Jones

Calgary enters the season with heightened expectations. While their defense boasts a top-five as good as any team in the league (hello St. Louis and Manhattan), their forward group remains a work in progress. The good news is the talent is there and it's still evolving - Sean Monahan is a two-year vet at 20 years old, Sam Bennett turned 19 in June and Johnny Gaudreau reached the tender age of 22 in August. Jiri Hudler (31 goals/76 points) leads the forwards and the good habits he learned in the Detroit system he's sharing with the kids.

Michael Frolik was signed in July and he has a leg up on 25-year-old Joe Colborne for the second line right wing position. Frolik has had an up and down career but he's still just 27 years old with 500 NHL games played. Moreover he's still fast and he's coming off two consecutive 42-point season for Winnipeg where he averaged 17 goals a season. Frolik can also make an impact on the penalty kill, where he scored three goals last year.

Lance Bouma, 25, quietly had 16 goals and 34 points in 76 games last season while David Jones faces an uphill battle to crack the top-9. Jones is in the last year of a huge contract that he never delivered on. He's making $4 million and he's 31 and the Flames aren't going to re-sign him barring a massive home-town discount. So does Calgary play him or the younger (and still signed after this year) Colborne at third-line right wing?

Mikael Backlund, a former 1st rd pick of Calgary in '07, has missed a lot of hockey. Case in point Frolik has played 202 more NHL games and he was drafted just a year earlier in 2006. Backlund has scored at about a half-point per game pace (27 in 52 last year, 39 in 76 the season before) for two years. That's his career arc at its top end (thus far). The Flames foresee much more production from 19-year-old Sam Bennett. Bennett missed most of last season - all but one game - but the 4th pick of the 2014 NHL draft made an immediate impact in his first NHL playoffs scoring three goals and four points in 11 games.

Micheal Ferland's strong playoff games last spring, with three goals and five points in 11 games, puts him ahead of Mason Raymond as they prepare to start training camp. Raymond was a healthy scratch for three of the Flames' 11 playoff games and he'll need a good camp and productive exhibition season to have a chance to edge out the bigger, more physical Ferland.

Edmonton:

Benoit Pouliot - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle
Taylor Hall - Connor McDavid - Nail Yakupov
Lauri Korpikoski - Anton Lander* - Teddy Purcell

*Mark Letestu

In center Connor McDavid the Oilers have the most talked about rookie since Sidney Crosby entered the league in 2005. McDavid will likely start the season on the second line with Taylor Hall as his left winger. Hall is a budding star power forward who needs to stay healthy for a full season for a change. Hall has already missed 77 games in his short NHL career, including 29 games last year. He's already had an 80-point season and his career high in goals of 27 has been accomplished on two occasions. Hall will serve a dual role with McDavid, as the finisher and as the protector. The second line right wing slot will probably be given initially to Nail Yakupov, but he will have a limited amount of rope to work with, meaning that his development has been a disappointment up to now and they will not let McDavid suffer at the hands of Yakupov. If Yakupov is not producing after the first 10-15 games look for Edmonton to replace him with Teddy Purcell. McDavid is being drafted in the 30's in standard 12-team re-draft leagues and that seems a little high. A realistic expectation for hockey's next star would be 22-25 goals and 55-60 points. Draft wisely.

For the benefit of McDavid's development, the Oilers have taken Hall off of the first line. This presents an excellent opportunity for Benoit Pouliot as the line's new left winger. Jordan Eberle, along with Hall, got a taste of winning last spring when they played on Crosby's wing for Team Canada at the World Championships in Prague. Eberle had five goals and 13 points in 10 games with a plus-8 defensive rating. Eberle has averaged 29 goals and 68 points over his last three full (82-game) NHL seasons. Like Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has had some durability concerns of his own. Hall's injury risk comes from his rugged style of play while Nugent-Hopkins' injury worries arise from his slight build. He's generously listed at 190 lbs but was closer to 170-175 lbs when he started his NHL career four seasons ago. The young center has scored 56 points in each of the last two seasons and should still be able to reach that mark despite not having Hall on his left wing. The reality of the situation is that opposing teams will probably use their best defensive line against Hall and McDavid.

Anton Lander has nothing left to prove in the AHL after scoring 83 points in his last 75 games. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old Swede will be pushed by Mark Letestu for the No. 3 center job. While Lander showed promise last season scoring 20 points in 38 games after his call up from Oklahoma City of the AHL,  Letestu has top-six skills and could become relevant should the team be besieged by injuries in the top six. Lauri Korpikoski is a big bodied left wing who hasn't been fantasy relevant since maybe 2011-12 when he scored 17 goals and 37 points.

Los Angeles:

Milan Lucic - Anze Kopitar - Marian Gaborik
Tanner Pearson - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King - Nick Shore/Andy Andreoff - Dustin Brown

Milan Lucic is highly motivated as he embarks upon his first season as a King. Lucic is playing out his contract and is expected to play on the first line with uber-talents Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik. Lucic's 18 goals and 44 points in 81 games last season were pitiful for him and you can expect a return to 25-30 goals and 55-60 points as he essentially auditions for future employment, either in Los Angeles or elsewhere in the league. Looch had averaged 27 goals and 61 points in the three previous full NHL seasons prior to last year.

That 70's Line becomes the new second line, led by Jeff Carter and the emerging Tyler Toffoli (23 goals/49 points in 78 games). The one caveat is that Tanner Pearson is still not fully established as a top-six NHL forward (15 goals/23 points in 67 games). If Pearson struggles mightily, Kings Captain Dustin Brown (only 13 goals/27 points a year in his past two seasons) or Dwight King (14-goal average the last two years) could get a chance, but Pearson will get a lot of rope.

With the departure of third-line center Jarret Stoll, the job is Nick Shore's to lose, barring an unexpected last-minute training camp invite. Shore, 22, has 80 points in 106 career AHL games but collected just seven points in 34 games for LA last season. The Kings' best top-9 prospect is probably left wing Valentin Zykov - a 20-year-old Russian who has played in the Quebec junior league for the last three seasons amassing 84 goals and 184 points in 162 games.

San Jose:

Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski
Melker Karlsson - Logan Couture - Joel Ward
Tomas Hertl - Chris Tierney - Tommy Wingels/Matt Nieto

The Sharks never traded a veteran forward over the summer, as had been expected by many pundits. Instead they added rugged power forward Joel Ward. Ward, at 6-2 and 226 lbs, provides a physical presence in the top six that has been lacking ever since Ryane Clowe left the organization. Ward had 19 goals and 34 points in 82 games for Washington last season but then put up nine points in just 14 playoff games. What's interesting is Ward's propensity to produce in the playoffs - he has 14 goals and 35 points in 53 playoff games.

Joe Pavelski led the team in scoring last season with 37 goals 70 points in 82 games, while Logan Couture had 27 goals and 67 points. Joe Thornton again scored less than 20 goals (16) but collected 65 points. Thornton hasn't potted 20 goals in a season since 2010-11 but did manage 22 power-play points. Patrick Marleau was the biggest disappointment last year, as he went from 33 goals to 19 goals and saw his point total drop from 70 points two seasons ago to just 57 points. What's impressive is that despite both Thornton and Marleau playing last season as 35-year olds, they only combined to miss four out of a combined 164 games.

Ward's arrival is likely bad news for Tommy Wingels, who scored 15 goals and 36 points last season, often as the second line right wing. Tomas Hertl suffered a major sophomore drop-off last season with just 13 goals and 31 points in 82 games after bagging 15 goals and 25 points in just 37 games in his first season. Hertl's stumble could prove costly - he may have been usurped at No. 2 left wing by Melker Karlsson. Karlsson is a natural center who shoots right. His 39% faceoff rate doesn't cut it so they put him at left wing where he scored 13 goals and 24 points in 53 games last season. Chris Tierney played last year as a 20-year-old and scored 21 points in 43 games.

Vancouver:

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows
Chris Higgins - Brandon Sutter - Radim Vrbata
Ronalds Kenins/Brandon Prust - Bo Horvat - Jannik Hansen

The Canucks will be once again led by the ageless wonders - the Sedin twins (who turn 35 next month). Henrik and Daniel both quietly had solid seasons, as did 34-year-old Radim Vrbata (32 goals/63 points). But they're all a year older so that can never be completely discounted. Henrik is like Joe Thornton, a 70-point playmaking center who will likely score less than 20 goals. Daniel used to be a 30-goal type of scorer (29 goals or more for six consecutive seasons ending in 2011-12) but he had just 20 goals last season in 82 games. Still, his owners will take the 76 points.

Secondary scoring has been the issue since Ryan Kesler left (even longer actually!). The Canucks hope Brandon Sutter will be an upgrade over Nick Bonino, who seems better suited for a third-line role like the one he will undertake in Pittsburgh this season. Sutter plays a strong two-way game and if he can click with Vrbata, then they'll have a respectable second line. Chris Higgins (12 goals/36 points in 77 games) isn't really a top-six forward anymore so it wouldn't be a shock to see him get bumped from the second left wing spot. Unfortunately for the Canucks, their top forward prospects are still at least a year away so if it isn't Higgins it will be someone like Jannik Hansen, a natural right wing who had 16 goals and 33 points in 81 games last year.

Bo Horvat, 20, is Vancouver's return for trading Cory Schneider to New Jersey and he is steadily improving to the point where he should be a top-six player within the next two seasons. Horvat will center the third line with one of Higgins or Hannik and one of Brandon Prust or Derek Dorsett. In Prust and Dorsett, Vancouver has a dynamic duo of physicality and potential pugilism (not that we're promoting it).