By: Chris Nosek

We’ve looked at the Eastern Conference, so let’s take a look at the West now.

Vegas Golden Knights

Trevor Connelly is the only 1st-round player in their organization that they drafted. Now, they don’t have a pick in the 1st-round until 2028, possibly 2029. They just completed a deal with Calgary to bring in Rasmus Andersson. This was necessary because they lost Alex Petrangelo for the whole season. They’re still going to look to add. Bill Foley, George McPhee, and Kelly McCrimmon will do anything to win another cup.

Direction: Buyer

Edmonton Oilers

Stan Bowman finally addressed the goaltending by swapping Jeff Skinner for Tristan Jarry. Connor Ingram also found his game, and now Bowman can focus on other areas. They’ve won two of three games so far. Leon Draisaitl was not in the lineup. Both of those wins were shutouts. They’ve worked themselves back into contention for the division title and have shown they’re worth investing in. They’ve added some younger players and have most of their draft capital. Their biggest issue will be fitting anyone they bring in under the salary cap. However, Bowman will look to find a way to help push this team over the edge.

Direction: Buyer

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks just went into Colorado and stole a game from the dominant Avalanche. They completed this feat without Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Frank Vatrano, or Troy Terry in the lineup. They have several young players that other teams would be interested in, along with draft capital. They also have plenty of cap space to bring in any player without needing salary retention. They already added Jeffrey Viel from Boston, but Verbeek hasn’t been afraid to be patient. He’s certainly going to be involved in discussions regarding anyone who is available, but I’m sure he’ll be very patient.

Direction: Hesitant buyer

San Jose Sharks

Macklin Celebrini is playing at a Hart Trophy level and has the Sharks back in the playoff mix. Mike Grier has already made two solid moves to bolster the depth of the Sharks’ roster for this season. He brought in Laurent Brossoit to add depth in goal. He just added Kiefer Sherwood, despite his injury, and has plenty of ammunition to add more. Grier has to address the blue line because Orlov and Dickinson are the only players signed for next season. Sharks fans should trust that Grier won’t overpay and will be patient as he explores all his options.

Direction: Hesitant buyer

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have fallen out of their playoff position and continue to look like they’re on a quick decline. They’ve lost six of their last eight games with Anze Kopitar out of the lineup. This stretch has shown a lot of the flaws this roster has. They’ve already traded Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens, which helped open up some cap space. They also have the draft capital and other NHL roster players who could be paired together in a deal. This method could help them make some upgrades to their lineup. These upgrades will be key as they clearly don’t have the talent to follow up Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The wrong move will quickly send the Kings toward a rebuild. That doesn’t mean they won’t try to trade themselves out of it.

Direction: Buyer

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken have found themselves in the race for a wild-card spot. They’re getting really good goaltending, and unlike years past, they’re getting it from both goaltenders. Too many of their top players are pending unrestricted free agents. Many of their youngest players aren’t developing as they should. Ron Francis is the person who built most of this roster, and he is now Botterill’s boss. How much of this roster will get turned over will be interesting to see, but they certainly need change.

Direction: Seller

Calgary Flames

The Flames find themselves only six games out of the playoff picture, but have already started selling. They finally completed a trade for Ramus Andersson. They brought Zach Whitecloud in as part of the return. Whitecloud has two more seasons on his current contract. This fits a pattern of so many others on the Flames. The Flames are in a rebuild, but Craig Conroy doesn’t seem to want to move the players other teams want. Will Nazem Kadri get dealt? Will anyone with trade protection, like MacKenzie Weegar or Yegor Sharangovich, want out?

Direction: Seller

Vancouver Canucks

The reality is that the rebuild started over the summer when he dealt Arturs Siloves and Dakota Joshua. Since then, Allvin has dealt away Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood. It sounds like Evander Kane could also be moved. Teams have called on Conor Garland and Elias Pettersson. So far, he’s not interested in moving on from Garland. However, with a no-movement clause kicking in on July 1st, he may have to change his tune. Allvin is the one who got the Canucks into this mess. He also extended an often-injured Thatcher Demko for $25 million. The question is: how long will Jim Rutherford give him to fix it?

Direction: Seller