Pacific Division predictions: Vegas and Edmonton still lead, but the middle just got interesting

Vegas and Edmonton are still the class of the Pacific, and after that this division gets more interesting than it's been in years. Here's the order, and the two teams in the middle that are about to stop being prospect stories and start being results.

1. Vegas Golden Knights

Deep at forward, deep on defense, and built the way a front office builds a team that intends to keep winning instead of getting lucky once. Nothing about the Pacific's middle class threatens that.

2. Edmonton Oilers

The best one-two punch in hockey is still the best one-two punch in hockey, and a team that's been to the doorstep knows exactly what the trip back requires. The only question is whether everything else finally holds up for four full rounds.

3. San Jose Sharks

Here's the bold call: San Jose finishes third in the Pacific. This isn't a lottery team anymore — the kids that were supposed to be a three-year project arrived together, and a roster that was an easy two points last season is a real out this one.

4. Anaheim Ducks

Right behind San Jose and telling almost the exact same story a year further along. The pieces have been obvious for a while; what's new is the record finally matching the talent on a given night.

5. Los Angeles Kings

Deep, well-coached, and good enough in net to make every series a problem for somebody. Just not quite enough separation from the pack below to call this anything but a solid, unspectacular playoff team.

6. Calgary Flames

Competitive on most nights and treading water on the ones that matter. There's nothing broken here, there's just nothing that separates this roster from the four teams around it in the standings.

7. Vancouver Canucks

The talent at the top of the lineup is real. What's kept this team from being more than a bubble club is everything underneath it, and a division that got deeper in the middle doesn't leave much room for a team still figuring out its own identity.

8. Seattle Kraken

Still searching for the identity that turns a roster of solid pieces into an actual team. The talent isn't the problem; knowing what this club actually is on a given night still is.

The Ferda read: Vegas and Edmonton at the top are the pieces everyone agrees on. San Jose and Anaheim jumping the pack is the part of this division nobody else is saying out loud yet.