NHL December Outlook: Pacific Division

The National Hockey League is closing in on the halfway mark of the regular season, with clubs having a handle on what they are and what they lack. With just over two months to go before the trade deadline, league GMs are looking at what they can do to make their teams stronger for the stretch drive, but some clubs are riding the wave of their early season success and hope to continue their progress in the second half.

Here is a look at where things stand in the Pacific Division.

Biggest Success Or Surprise

Vancouver Canucks (8-1-2 in December – 1st Place in the Pacific)

As was the case in November, the Canucks continue to be the most surprising story in the NHL this season. Vancouver caught up to the Cup Champion Golden Knights with only one regulation loss in December and currently leads Vegas by two points for the top spot in the Pacific. They also lead the NHL with 135 goals (10 more than Colorado) and amazingly 22 of their 23 wins have come in regulation.

The Dennis Green “They Are Who We Thought They Were” Award

 Los Angeles Kings (6-3-1 in December – 3rd Place in the Pacific)

The Kings continue to be a consistent force in the Pacific. They trail Vancouver by seven points and Vegas by five, in spite of a very respectable 6-3-1 record, but the distance between them and the next closest team in the division is a cavernous nine points. Los Angeles is in the middle of the pack offensively but leads the NHL in goals allowed with 73 and is second only to the Canucks in goal differential (+34).

Biggest Disappointment

Calgary Flames (4-5-2 in December – 4^th Place in the Pacific)

 After crawling back within range of a playoff spot with an 8-4-2 record in November, the Flames have fallen back with an under .500 record in December and are currently tied with Seattle and two points ahead of Edmonton but are just three points behind Arizona for the second wildcard spot in the West. Calgary GM Craig Conroy is likely going to be fielding the most calls from his counterparts between now and the first week of March, as it is expected that he is going to shop pending unrestricted free agents Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev.

Unless Conroy can make hockey trades to bring back players similar to what Winnipeg did when they dealt Pierre-Luc Dubois to Los Angeles for three NHL players, the Flames will likely tumble out of the playoff race.

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December MVP 

Connor McDavid (EDM) (15 points – 4 goals, 11 assists in 9 games)

 Edmonton hoped to dig themselves out of a cavernous hole they created in October that cost Jay Woodcroft his job. After stabilizing up Kris Knoblauch and going .500 in November, the Oilers are 6-3-0 this month, and that is mostly due (and not surprisingly) to McDavid, who had 15 points in just nine games. The most impressive fact is that his counterpart, Leon Draisaitl, has only six points over that span.