NHL off-season grades: Pacific Division

School’s still out, but for NHL clubs, it’s report card season. 

As we enter August, the focus starts to shift to the campaign ahead. But before it does, we’re looking back on the summer and the transactions made by each franchise. Although we won’t really know how these moves pan out until players are back on the ice, these off-season dealings give us a glimpse of what to expect. 

With that in mind, we’re examining each division and assigning a grade to every club’s off-season. Having already tackled the Metropolitan, Atlantic and Central, we close out the exercise with a peek at the Pacific.

(Teams are listed alphabetically)

Anaheim Ducks

Key arrivals: A.J. Greer, W; Nick Jensen, D; Jeff Malott, D

Key departures: Mason McTavish, C; John Carlson, D; Jacob Trouba, D; Radko Gudas, D; Olen Zellweger, D

Grade: C-

This has not been a banner off-season for Anaheim. The vibes were high coming off a second-round showing in the team’s first playoff appearance since 2018 — and, on balance, the arrow is still pointing up for the Ducks — but top centre Leo Carlsson inked an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers and second-line centre Mason McTavish was dealt to the St. Louis Blues for two 2026 draft selections who won’t be helping the club any time soon.

Obviously the true disaster would have been Carlsson leaving — Anaheim matched Philly’s offer of $90 million for five years — but the stud centre’s $18-million AAV is surely not what GM Pat Verbeek had in mind for his books, and it feels like this could have all been avoided with some proactive negotiating in 2025.

Instead, the Ducks are looking at new contracts for RFA Cutter Gauthier and, eventually, Beckett Sennecke and wondering how the Carlsson precedent will impact those dealings.

Nothing debilitating walked out the door in free agency, but losing three veteran righties in Trouba, Gudas and Carlson still creates some uncertainty on the blueline. 

Anaheim is still in great shape overall, but this has not been a summer to remember.

Calgary Flames

Key arrivals: Simon Nemec, D; Jacob Middleton, D

Key departures: Blake Coleman, W; Olli Maata, D

Grade: A-

Flames fans know they’re still in for some long seasons, but it’s surely exciting to see the team enter a phase where it is doing more than selling off pieces. The move to acquire Nemec from the New Jersey Devils — and subsequently ink him to a new five-year pact — represents a moment of real excitement, as the Flames welcome in a second-overall pick (from 2022) who, at 22 years old, could be ready to make a meaningful leap forward in his new home.

We knew Coleman, with a single year left on his contract, was headed out the door at some point before the 2027 trade deadline, and now that issue is done and dusted before camp even opens.

Calgary may not be on the upswing yet, but it’s still fun to see some of the future pieces of a good team start to land in place.

Edmonton Oilers

Key arrivals: Frederik Andersen, G; Devon Levi, G; Ryan Shea, D; Shakir Mukhamadullin, D; Mathieu Joseph, W

Key departures: Darnell Nurse, D; Jack Roslovic, W/C

Grade: B-

The most significant development in Edmonton this off-season was likely moving off Nurse’s $9.25-million AAV without having to retain any salary in the trade with San Jose. That move offered the Oilers at least some cap flexibility as they try to bounce back from a first-round loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

As always, goaltending remains a hot topic in Edmonton, and the club is set to enter the year with a three-goalie setup. Usually that’s one too many puckstoppers for all involved, but with Andersen’s age (37 in October) and injury history, and Levi’s lack of NHL experience (39 career games), it makes sense for the Oilers to hedge their bets, buck the standard approach and go with three guys.

The hope is obviously that one of them — likely Andersen — is fresh and sharp come April.

Los Angeles Kings

Key arrivals: Mats Zuccarello, W; Erik Haula, C; Corey Perry, W

Key departures: Anze Kopitar, C; Jeff Malott, D

Grade: B-

In a sense, the Kings’ real off-season move was acquiring Panarin in February and immediately inking him to a two-year extension. Panarin was set to become a UFA this summer, and L.A. was on the very short list of teams he would waive his trade protection to go to. We’ll see how he does in his first full season in California.

Panarin turns 35 in October, so it’s really saying something that two of L.A.’s notable summer signings are older than him. Zuccarello hits 39 in September, while 41-year-old Corey Perry — who spent most of last season with the Kings before being dealt to Tampa ahead of the trade deadline — will be the oldest forward to play in the NHL since Joe Thornton in 2021-22. 

While both players still have something to offer, new coach Peter Laviolette will have his work cut out for him coaxing enough offence out of this forward group. 

San Jose Sharks

Key Arrivals: Michael Kesselring, D; Jacob Trouba, D; Darnell Nurse, D

Key departures: William Eklund, W; Mario Ferraro, D 

Grade: A-

If the off-season ended after the draft, the Sharks would have received an A+. Sending Eklund to Ottawa for the ninth-overall pick landed the Sharks big, right-shot defenceman Keaton Verhoeff in addition to stud Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg at No. 2. Verhoeff may not play in San Jose for some time yet, but adding those two pieces to the organization was a coup. Even before the draft began, GM Mike Grier acquired Kesselring from Buffalo — basically for the cost of moving down seven spots from No. 20 to No. 27 in the draft — and the six-foot-five, right-shot defenceman is a great bounce-back candidate after a lost year with the Sabres.

It’s not that what happened after the draft was bad, but San Jose forked over more money to Trouba ($8.25 million AAV for four years) than anyone anticipated and taking on Nurse’s full hit also puts a squeeze on the books.

Still, both Trouba and Nurse bring some nasty San Jose needed, and it’s all high-fives when you sign a franchise cornerstone like Macklin Celebrini to a record-setting new contract extension. 

Seattle Kraken

Key arrivals: Mackie Samoskevich, W

Key departures: Jamie Oleksiak, D; Eeli Tolvanen, W; Jaden Schwartz, W

Grade: C-

Credit Seattle, it took its crack (sorry) by getting the Dallas Stars to sign off on sending Jason Robertson to the Pacific Northwest for the seventh-overall pick. The problem was, Robertson — an RFA at the time — wouldn’t put pen to paper on the hefty offer (reportedly around $15 million per season for eight years) the Kraken put forth.

As such, this squad is still in search of difference-making talent and — unless something changes — this will go down as another summer in which it couldn’t land it.

Vancouver Canucks

Key arrivals: Jamie Oleksiak, D; Brendan Gallagher, W; Luke Schenn, D; Paul Cotter, W

Key departures: Marcus Pettersson, D; Teddy Blueger, C; Nils Hoglander, W

Grade: B

The mandate is clear in Vancouver, where the rebuilding Canucks emphasized acquiring veterans with strong work ethic and, ideally, some size. Gallagher may not bring the latter quality, but the hometown boy will be counted on to show the next generation what relentlessness looks like. On the back end, Oleksiak and Schenn will, at the very least, make Vancouver less fun to beat.

It’s going to be a while before we get a go-time summer in B.C., but the Canucks — given where they are — played this off-season just fine. 

Vegas Golden Knights

Key arrivals: Parker Wotherspoon, D; Victor Olofson, W

Key departures: Pavel Dorofeyev, W; Keegan Kolesar, W; Kaeden Korczak, D; Akira Schmid, G

Grade: C

We knew it would be tough for Vegas to fit a new deal for Dorofeyev under the salary cap and, sure enough, the Golden Knights — as they often do — took bold action and moved him to the Rangers at the draft. 

Hard as it is to watch Dorofeyev’s 37 goals leave, don’t forget the Knights basically added Mitch Marner for nothing in the summer of 2025. One year later, it was a big ask to make a move of similar magnitude.

As such, the Western Conference champs — under new coach Ryan Craig — will move forward with their veteran core and hope good health is all that’s required for another deep run.