When the NHL announced that the 2019–2020 season would be finished with a twenty-four-team playoff all the California teams were on the outside looking in. At the time, Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose occupied three of the bottom positions in the Western Conference. Despite this, each franchise has had their fair share of recent success.
Anaheim made the playoffs every year from 2012 to 2018 and had two conference final runs during that time. Los Angeles went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, but have not made it out of the first round since their cup victory over the New York Rangers. They’ve missed the playoffs in the four of the last six seasons. The Sharks have been a staple in the postseason essentially since the inception of the franchise in 1991. San Jose has only missed the playoffs three times since 2000. In that time, they’ve went deep in the playoffs numerous times, most notably against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final just a few years ago.
Although the California teams have struggled the past couple of seasons, there are numerous reasons to be optimistic. Each time still has key veterans, talented young players on their current rosters, and top-notch prospects in their respective systems.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks currently have one of the top goaltenders in the NHL in John Gibson. He’s in his eighth season with the team and is one of the most heavily used goalies in the league. Since solidifying the starting role, he generally plays anywhere between 50–60 games per season. The 2019–2020 season was Gibson’s worst statistical year since becoming a member of the Ducks as he recorded a GAA of 3.0, a save percentage of .904, and 20 wins. Despite the struggles last season, Gibson is widely regarded as one of the best goalies in the league and gives the Ducks a chance to win night in and night out. Anaheim has arguably the most stable goaltending situation of the California teams as Gibson is under contract through the 2026–2027 season.
Anaheim also has a talented group of core players signed for the next few years. Forwards Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg are both under contract for the next four seasons. Henrique led the team in scoring last season and Silfverberg recorded 21 goals which was second on the team. On the blue line, key pieces such as Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson are locked in for at least the next two seasons as well. The Ducks roster is dotted with young talent, six of which will be restricted free agents following this shortened season. Sam Steel, Max Jones, and Maxime Comtois are some of those in line for new contracts. It’ll be interesting to see how the Ducks roster situation will play out as they are right up against the upper cap limit and will need to resign those young players along with team captain, Ryan Getzlaf, after the season.
In addition to having talented young players such as Troy Terry, Danton Heinen, and Josh Mahura, the Anaheim Ducks have a handful of top-rated prospects in their system. Six Ducks prospects took part in the 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton. Four of which were on the gold medal winning Team USA. Anaheim’s top picks from the last two drafts, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, each played prominent roles for their teams. Trevor Zegras was selected ninth overall out of Boston University in 2019 and won the MVP of the 2021 WJC. He finished the tournament with 18 points in seven games along with a gold medal. Jamie Drysdale of Team Canada was taken sixth overall in last year’s draft and was considered one of the top defensemen in the entire tournament. Both these players will be playing with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL alongside a number of other highly-touted prospects.
Other notable Ducks Prospects:
Brayden Tracey (LW/C) — Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Jacob Perreault (RW/C) — Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Jackson LaCombe (D) — University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Blake McLaughlin (LW/C) — University of Minnesota (NCAA)
The Ducks have a proven number one goaltender, along with a talented roster comprised of key veterans and young players. Pair this with a high-end prospect pool and it seems as if the Ducks have a bright future. They will however likely be faced with tough personnel decisions to be compliant with the salary cap.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings managed to keep their core group of players in tact after winning two cups in three years, the last of which came in 2014 over the New York Rangers. Jonathan Quick is still between the pipes and playing at a high level after well over a decade with the King’s organization. The leadership group for the Kings is also comprised of members of both Stanley Cup winning teams. Captain, Anze Kopitar is still one of the best two-way players in the NHL and has led the team in scoring the last three seasons. Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown are also still valuable in multiple areas. They can score, play special teams, and provide guidance and leadership to the third youngest roster in the league. Lastly, Drew Doughty still leads the backend for Los Angeles. Doughty has won everywhere he’s been including two Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold Medals, a Norris Trophy, and more. He consistently provides stellar offensive numbers and can play in all situations while being able to mentor a young defensive group.
That young group of defensemen is one of the most exciting aspects of Los Angeles’ roster this year. Matt Roy and Sean Walker have both made a name for themselves the past few seasons after playing NCAA hockey with Michigan Tech and Bowling Green. The two right shot defensemen also spent time with the Ontario Reign of the AHL prior to both playing 70 games with the Kings during the 2019–2020 season. Another defenseman that came from the college hockey ranks is Mikey Anderson. Anderson played two seasons at Minnesota Duluth where he was a member of consecutive National Championship winning teams and medaled twice at the WJC. He is currently the youngest defenseman on the team and possesses a unique blend of size and skill. It doesn’t end there as another exciting addition to this year’s club is Kale Clague who was drafted in the second round of the 2016 draft. Clague is a smooth skating defenseman with high-end playmaking abilities and is looking to become a fixture in the Kings lineup. Just to add to the winning pedigree of the Kings blueline it’s hard not to mention Olli Maatta who is only 26 and has already won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s now with his third NHL team and has been to the playoffs almost every year since entering the league.
Los Angeles may also have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league. Currently rostered players Blake Lizotte and Gabriel Vilardi are young forwards that have already been making an impact at the NHL Level. Also, the Kings had ten players in this year’s World Junior Championship which was the most of any team. That group of players was highlighted by Quinton Byfield (2nd Overall in 2020), Alex Turcotte (5th overall in 2019), Tobias Bjornfot (22nd Overall in 2019), and Arthur Kaliyev (33rd Overall in 2019). The Kings organization has put themselves in a position where they don’t have to rush these prospects and can allow them to develop in the AHL and other leagues around the globe. You can already see this strategy paying off in some of the currently rostered players mentioned earlier. It also seems as if the Kings have found their successor to Jonathan Quick in Cal Petersen. The 26-year-old goaltender played three seasons at Notre Dame in the NCAA where he was selected as team captain his junior season. He’s seen limited time thus far with the Kings, but he is expected to see his role with the team steadily increase.
Other notable Kings Prospects:
Akil Thomas (C)— Ontario Reign (AHL)
Rasmus Kupari (C)— Ontario Reign (AHL)
Tyler Madden (C) — Ontario Reign (AHL)
Brock Faber (D) — University of Minnesota (NCAA)
The Kings also currently have a luxury that none of the California teams and most of the other teams in the league don’t have: cap space. Los Angeles currently has just under $12 million in cap space which is the most of any team. Having that much cap space along with almost an overwhelming number of prospects puts LA into prime position to either go after a big-time free agent or trade target should the opportunity present itself. Not to mention there current roster and prospect pool is filled with players who have a winning pedigree. This organization is surely heading in the right direction and will be a team to look out for in the coming years.
San Jose Sharks
It was not long ago that the San Jose Sharks were a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. As mentioned earlier, they’ve been a fixture in the playoffs since entering the league thirty years ago. The Sharks went to the Conference Final just two seasons ago before failing to make the playoffs last year. Following the 2018–2019 season, the Sharks began to lose a number of key pieces. Joe Pavelski, who is third all time in points and second in games played for the Shark’s franchise, signed in free agency with the Dallas Stars. Patrick Marleau who has over 1100 points in 1559 games as a San Jose Shark also left for stints with Toronto and Pittsburgh. These departures along with Joe Thornton’s this past offseason signified a changing tide. All of these players are still productive and important pieces of a team, but it seems as if they recognized that in order to improve their odds of winning a cup they were going to have to go elsewhere. Even with these departures, the Sharks still have key pieces all over their lineup.
Similar to the LA Kings, numerous Sharks from their 2015–2016 Stanley Cup run are still currently on the roster. On the backend, Brent Burns and Marc Edouard Vlasic are helping to lead a young defensive group. Also, Erik Karlsson is now in his third season with the Sharks after being brought over in a massive trade with the Ottawa Senators. The forward group is led by Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl. Couture was the assistant captain during the Stanley Cup run and is now the team captain, taking over after the departure of Joe Pavelski. Couture has proven himself as a top two-way center in the league who also brings his game to the next level when the playoffs roll around. Tomas Hertl is also a highly talented offensive player and is now an assistant captain. Some other players that have become a key part of the Shark’s organization are Kevin Labanc and Evander Kane. Labanc was a sixth rounder in 2014 who is a right shot in a forward group of primarily left shots. Evander Kane was brought over from Buffalo during the 2017–2018 season and provides high end speed, skill, and toughness.
Like many teams in the NHL right now, the San Jose Sharks are rolling with a goalie tandem. This tandem is made up of Martin Jones and Devan Dubnyk. Jones had his breakout year during 2015–2016 where he helped lead the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final. He consistently posted 30+ wins from then until last season. The 2019–2020 season was Jones’ worst year statistically posting a GAA of 3.0, 17 wins in 41 starts, and a .896 save percentage. This coincided with the Sharks winning only 29 games which was the lowest since the 2002–2003 season. San Jose brought in Devan Dubnyk last offseason in exchange for a 5th round pick. The team is hoping that Dubnyk can provide some security in the final year of his contract. Each goalie has played 5 games so far this year.
A main issue with the Sharks right now has to do with the salary cap. The team has a number of massive contracts that don’t leave much room for anything other than league minimum or entry-level contracts throughout the lineup. Nine players take up the majority of the salary cap as shown in the graphic below. On defense in particular, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Marc Edouard Vlasic alone take up $26.5 million in cap space this season. These three players account for over 34% of all available cap space and all are long-term deals, the first to expire is for Brent Burns in 2025–2026. The forward contracts account for almost 50% of cap space and are primarily for the contracts of Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl, Kevin Labanc, and Timo Meier. All are key pieces nonetheless, but in turn the bottom six forwards primarily are making less than $1 million per season.
Compared to the Ducks and Kings, the Sharks are not as deep when it comes to prospects. In order to acquire players like Erik Karlsson and Evander Kane, San Jose had to sacrifice first rounders and top prospects. For example, the trade to Ottawa for Karlsson included Josh Norris, a first rounder by the Sharks in 2017 and the pick what would eventually become the third overall choice in last year’s draft. The Senators used that selection on German forward Tim Stutzle. The Sharks also didn’t have a first rounder in 2019 as it was sent to Buffalo in the Evander Kane deal. Yet, San Jose still has a number of high-end prospects in their system.
The highlight of which is Ryan Merkley, who was taken in the first round of 2018 NHL Draft. Merkley is projected to be a top-pairing defenseman with incredible offensive upside. He is slated to play for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL this season. John Leonard already played 7 games with the Sharks this season and is one of their top prospects on forward. He was a sixth round pick in 2018 and played his college hockey at the University of Massachusetts. While at UMass, Leonard appeared in the NCAA National Championship game and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. One of his former teammates, Mario Ferraro, is currently in his second season with the Sharks and is a promising young defenseman. Ferraro was voted as the team’s top rookie last year. They may not have the high-end talent like a Trevor Zegras or Quinton Byfield, but the Sharks prospects are talented and they’re quickly replenishing their prospect pool.
Other notable Shark’s Prospects:
Ozzy Wiesblatt (RW) — Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Thomas Bordeleau (C ) — University of Michigan (NCAA)
Sasha Chmelevski (C/RW) — Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Alexei Melnichuk (G) — Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
Early Impressions
The Ducks have struggled offensively so far this season as they’ve yet to score more than three goals in a game. They’re currently sitting in sixth place just behind the LA Kings. Los Angeles has registered big wins already against teams like Minnesota and Colorado. The Kings have also seen great play from veterans, young players, and new arrivals such as Andreas Athanasiou. San Jose has yet to play a home game this year and is currently last place in the division despite being competitive in the majority of games.
Each California team will be vying for one of the four playoff spots, but it’s shaping up to be a difficult task considering the talent throughout the Honda West division. Vegas, Colorado, and St. Louis all seem to be cup contenders, while Minnesota has also had a strong opening to the season. Competition should be plentiful in the west throughout this condensed season. It’ll likely also grow even tighter as the California teams try and return to winning form in the near future.
