One player who has to deliver for each team in NHL’s Pacific Division

When training camps open next week, the time for talk will be over. Players will officially return, new arrivals will be looking to fit in, and new forward lines and defence combinations will take shape.

Depending on which team you’re talking about, each has its own set of expectations. But whether the Stanley Cup is the goal, or a chance at the first-overall pick is in the cards, there is always an individual who needs to step up and deliver.

With that, we begin our three-part divisional preview of the Pacific, with a player who needs to have a good season on each team. Listed in order of finish last season …

Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson

With 34 goals and 89 points in 82 games last season, it’s hard to say it was a bad one for Pettersson. It was full of distraction, however, what with a contract that didn’t get extended until early March and the very brief trade rumours that followed. However, he cooled off down the stretch after signing that deal and produced just one goal in 13 playoff games. This year marks the beginning of Pettersson playing with an $11.6 million AAV, which comes with heightened responsibilities and expectations.

Pettersson will have to play under that weight with new linemates, and UFA signing Jake DeBrusk expects to be one of them out of the gate. The burly former Bruin scored 19 goals in 80 games last season, but scored 27 and 25 the two seasons before that in fewer games. Pettersson will be integral in unlocking DeBrusk’s full potential.

As a whole, the Canucks are looking to build on a breakout season and are a good bet to get back to the playoffs, even if they don’t win the division again. But getting past the upper echelon contenders in the Western playoffs will require Pettersson to be one of the best centres in the game.

Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse

Had the Oilers not given Nurse two bridge contracts, walking him to the edge of unrestricted free agency, perhaps the perception of him today would be entirely different. An early long-term extension would be nearing its end now, and on a much lower AAV that might better fit his impact on the team today. Instead, Nurse is entering Year 3 of a long-term contract paying $9.25 million against the cap, when he’s no longer the No. 1 blueliner on the team.

The Oilers need him to step up this season for a few reasons. First and foremost is the money. Especially after Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million extension begins next season (and then Connor McDavid’s new number two years from now), the Oilers will be spending a huge percentage of their cap on three players. On top of that Evan Bouchard, who did step up last season, is eligible to sign an extension himself and that won’t be a small number. There is no space to waste.

Secondly, as it currently stands, trade acquisition Ty Emberson is a decent bet to start the season next to Nurse on the second pair. While our scout, Jason Bukala, wrote that Emberson is an intriguing and capable addition to this group, the fact remains the 24-year-old blueliner only has 30 games of NHL experience and would be taking the spot of veteran Cody Ceci. Nurse, turning 30 in February, has to be the reliable vet on that second pair, at least until the trade deadline when the team could be in position to seek upgrades.

Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield

Last season was really a breakout performance from 2020’s second-overall pick, who paced pretty similarly on offence to the one player picked ahead of him that year (Alexis Lafrenière). This is less of a “he’s gotta step up or else” pick for the individual, and more one to point out that the Kings need Byfield to form into an elite No. 1 pivot to keep pushing ahead in the Pacific Division.

Anze Kopitar is entering his 37-year-old season and No. 3 centre Phillip Danault is a defensive specialist. After the Canucks took a step forward as a unit last season — and along with the fact Edmonton and Vegas aren’t going anywhere as Cup contenders — the Kings’ path to contention is not going to be easy, but becomes a little more realistic if Byfield explodes.

And, hey, if he does, perhaps a spot on Team Canada’s 4 Nations entry could be attained as well.

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Vegas Golden Knights: Tomas Hertl

As has become tradition, Vegas’ front office had to do cartwheels at the trade deadline to fit in an injured Hertl, the biggest and most surprising move of the day. The ripple effect of that addition (and Noah Hanifin’s extension, we might add) into this season was to lose Conn Smythe Trophy winner and original Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault to free agency, as well as forward Chandler Stephenson.

As usual, we have to wonder how much the team chemistry will be affected. On paper, a 1-2-3 down the middle of Jack Eichel-Hertl-William Karlsson is deadly, but Hertl is coming back from a knee injury that kept him out for two months last season. He returned as a Golden Knight just before the playoffs, but scored only a single goal and was a minus-6 in a seven-game Round 1 series loss to Dallas.

Calgary Flames: Jonathan Huberdeau

In the early stages of a re-tooling process, the Flames could use any new additions or young players to “step up,” from Kevin Bahl (acquired in the Jacob Markstrom trade), to Martin Pospisil (a 24-year-old who showed some pop last season), or Daniil Miromanov (a 27-year-old brought in from Vegas in the Hanifin trade). But, c’mon, after a 55-point season followed by a 52-point season to begin his time as a Flame, Huberdeau needs to bring something more to the team he’s signed with for another seven years.

At $10.5 million, his contract is virtually unmovable and so, for better or worse, he’s going to be part of both ends of the long-term plan. On the one hand, another bad season would help the Flames at the draft table. On the other, if he can get back to being a 100-point player, or even something close to it, perhaps the Flames will get out of the mush more quickly.

Seattle Kraken: Matty Beniers

After a 15-goal, 37-point third NHL season, was Beniers’ $7.142 million AAV extension a bit rich? Perhaps, but had he not been given that contract and bridged instead, there’s a decent chance he’d be worth much more than that in a few short years. What the Kraken did was lock in a 21-year-old top line pivot with good defensive instincts, who had scored 24 goals and 57 points two years ago, just as the cap is expected to shoot up. The second-overall pick in 2021, Beniers’ contract is a long-term play the team hopes will allow it to be flexible elsewhere in the lineup as he blossoms.

There is time for him to round into form and for this vision to come together, but the fact is another sub-20 goal, sub-40 point season will begin some concern and likely indicate the Kraken are out of the playoff picture again. The team added Chandler Stephenson behind Beniers on the depth chart, but have had trouble scoring in two of their three years in existence. A step forward for Beniers would likely be a step forward for the entire franchise.

Anaheim Ducks: Troy Terry

Heading into Year 2 of a long-term deal, Terry — who is Anaheim’s highest-paid player — saw his goal and point totals decline for a second year in a row, from a high of 37 goals and 67 points in 2021-22, down to 20 goals and 54 points in 2023-24.

The payoff for this still-young team is still probably a few years away, but top prospects are filtering into the lineup and being supplemented with veteran know-how. If Anaheim does make a forward stride, Terry will be an integral leading piece in that as other, younger, players, such as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and even third-year centre Mason McTavish, develop.

Also on Terry’s radar is a place on Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Entering the season, Terry would have to be one of the bubble players in consideration.

San Jose Sharks: Yaroslav Askarov

San Jose will likely be a bottom-feeder once again, but Yaroslav Askarov arrives after a big trade from Nashville that was brought on by him insisting he’s ready for the NHL. The 11th-overall pick of the 2020 draft has been considered one of the top netminders not in the NHL for a few years now and will be thrown to the, er, Sharks, for his first sustained opportunity.

San Jose’s minus-150 goal differential last season was far and away the league’s worst — and the worst of any NHL team dating back 30 years. They allowed a league-worst 35.1 shots against per game and more high danger looks at 5-on-5 than anyone else. So Askarov will be busy.

We wouldn’t expect him to immediately become a Vezina contender, or lift the Sharks to some unforeseen heights, but the team made a sizeable investment in him to be their No. 1 going forward. Now all eyes are on Askarov to see what he’s got.

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