I've tried to come up with a Core Three for each team in the West in 2020 and 2021 and figured it was time for the 2022 version.

This is never as easy as it seems as there are a few factors that come into play, like long-term contracts, blue-chip prospects and emerging players that play better than most people thought they would. It's become more evident to me that when a team picks in the top six or seven of the entry draft and doesn't get a core player it is somewhat of a missed pick.

A core-three player should be a player that you hope will lead the team for the next three to five seasons at the top of his game and be a player to build a Stanley Cup contender around.

We will see how the 2020 and 2021 core has held up and which clubs have moved on from some players.

Anaheim Ducks

As recently as 2020 the Ducks were a little weak in this department as I had John Gibson, Cam Fowler and an 18-year-old Trevor Zegras as their core. In 2021 I replaced Fowler with Jamie Drysdale.

Trevor Zegras  (will turn 21-years-old in a week) (F) 55-16-28-44

Zegras has cemented his place here this season as he is on pace for 22 goals and 38 assists this season and is in the running for the Calder Trophy.

Jamie Drysdale (19) (D) 61-3-22-25

Drysdale has had flashes in his rookie season and is on pace for four goals and 29 assists.

Troy Terry (24) (F) 57-29-22-51

I've added Terry to the core three this year, as his production hasn't really slowed down from his fast start to the season and he is now a legitimate 30-goal player moving forward. He is on pace for 39 goals and 30 assists this year.

The average age of core: 21.33 years old (22.0 last year)

After two years of being a core piece, I'm removing John Gibson as he's had three sub-par seasons in a row. He is still only 28-years-old and should be able to get back on track to where he was from 2018-19. The Ducks have improved the top-end of their lineup with some very good draft picks and are in much better shape than 2020.

Arizona Coyotes

In 2020, the Coyotes core was Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In 2021, I removed Hayton and added Jakub Chychrun to the mix.  Ekman-Larsson is now in Vancouver and the development of Hayton has been hampered by injuries and consistency.

Clayton Keller (23) (F) 58-25-31-56

Keller has had a great year and is on pace for a career-high of 35 goals and 44 assists. Four seasons after putting up 65 points in his rookie season, Keller has emerged as the player the Coyotes were hoping they had all along.

Nick Schmaltz (26) (F) 39-16-23-39

Schmaltz struggled after six games this season with only one assist and then was injured for 19 games with an upper-body injury. In the 33 games since then, he has put up 16 goals and 22 assists. Even more recently, in his past five games, he has five goals and seven assists including a seven-point night while being a plus 13.

Jakob Chychrun (23) (D) 47-7-14-21

Even with his early-season struggles with only assist in his first 15 games while being a minus 21, he has rebounded amongst quite a few trade rumors and is 32-7-13-20 (plus one) since. He is on pace for 11 goals and 22 assists in 71 games.

I still think Hayton will be back in the core by next season or the year after, as there is no guarantee in Arizona that any or all of the three I've listed here won't be traded elsewhere.

The average age of core: 24.0 (24.67)

Calgary Flames

The core is missing Sean Monahan from 2020 on this list and his fall from the core has been swift. The three below are unchanged from 2021.

Johnny Gaudreau (28) (F) 59-26-52-78

Gaudreau is having the dream season of any player entering into UFA at the age of 28. He's on pace for 36 goals and 72 assists which would shatter his career-high of 99 points from 2018. The tricky part about being a core piece for Calgary is his impending UFA status.

Matthew Tkachuk (24) (F) 59-27-41-68

The resurgence of Gaudreau is having a positive effect on Tkachuk and vice versa as Tkachuk is on pace for 38 goals and 57 assists, both career highs. He has a chance to match or break his dad's career-high of 98 points in 1995-96 while with Winnipeg.

Elias Lindholm (27) (F) 59-30-32-62

The trade from 2018 that brought Noah Hanifin and Lindholm from Carolina for Micheal Ferland, Dougie Hamilton and the signing rights to Adam Fox to Carolina is a ridiculous steal in hindsight as Fox never signed with the Hurricanes. Lindholm is a defensively responsible player who wins faceoffs, kills penalties and is on pace for 42 goals and 44 assists.

One could make an argument for Jacob Markstrom who has another four years remaining on his contract, but at 32-years of age, he's not one of three players to build a team around.

The average age of core: 26.33 (25.33) 

Chicago Blackhawks

In 2020, I had Patrick Kane, a 19-year old Kirby Dach and Jonathan Toews before he had his health issues and missed all of 2020-21. Last year Alex Debrincat replaced Toews.

Patrick Kane (33) (F) 56-19-48-67

Even though Kane only has one more year left under contract in Chicago he is still by and far the main cog on this team. He is on pace for 26 goals and 67 assists and shows few signs of slowing down.

Alex Debrincat (24) (F) 60-34-21-55

Over the past 112 games, Debrincat has had 66 goals, which is a 48-goal pace per 82 games.

Seth Jones (27) (D) 56-3-36-39

When the Blackhawks spent a boatload of picks and Adam Boqvist for Jones then signed him for eight years at $9.5 million AAV it made Jones a core piece whether deserved or not. He's been relatively good for them this season, but it was a peculiar move for a team that needs to transition from Kane and Toews sooner than later.

The addition of Jones removed the 21-year-old Dach from this list, as he's had a bit of a disappointing season this year with only eight goals and 15 assists in 57 games. He should get back on here in the next few seasons.

The average age of core: 28.0 (25.0)

Colorado Avalanche

This core has remained unchanged from 2020 or 2021.

Nathan MacKinnon (26) (F) 45-21-41-62

MacKinnon has one year remaining on his contract at $6.3 million AAV on a deal many consider one of the best bargains of the past twenty years. He is one of the top three forwards in the NHL and will be for a few more seasons. He's on pace for 32 goals and 62 assists in 68 games.

Cale Makar (23) (D) 56-21-44-65

Makar is on pace for the first 30-goal season by a defenceman since Mike Green had 31 in 2008-2009 to go along with 62 assists.

Mikko Rantanen (25) (F) 57-28-41-69

Rantanen has a chance to play 80 games in a season for the first time since 2017-18. He is currently on pace for 39 goals and 57 assists which would set a career-high for goals and points.

The Avalanche have three core players that would be included on any NHL team. There are only a few teams that can boast that as well as three or four other players that would be on most team's lists.

The average age of core: 24.66 (23.66)

Dallas Stars

In 2020 and 2021, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen were on my list. The Stars have done well to transition from Benn and Seguin as per below.

Jason Robertson (22) (F) 49-30-25-55

Robertson has now played 103 NHL games and has had 47 goals and 54 assists. He has become one of the most important pieces moving forward. He is on pace for 45 goals and 38 assists in 74 games.

Miro Heiskanen (22) (D) 52-4-25-29

Heiskanen hasn't been able to offensively build off his 2019-20 playoffs where he had six goals and 20 assists in 27 games. It's just a matter of time until he is getting 50-60 points and playing well at both ends of the ice.

Jake Oettinger (23) (G) 30GP 19W 91.8 save percentage

The second half of this season has seen Oettinger take over as the 1A goalie in Dallas and I don't think he will lose that mantle for the next four or five seasons if healthy.

Dallas is in good shape as they have Benn, Seguin, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz in the mix as well for next season with Pavelski re-signing.

The average age of core: 22.33 (27.0)

Edmonton Oilers

In 2020 I had Evan Bouchard here but switched to Darnell Nurse in 2021 and of course, I've switched back to Bouchard for this year.

Connor McDavid (25) (F) 58-32-51-83

McDavid is on pace for 45 goals and 71 assists in 81 games which would set a career-high in goals and tie his career-high in points.

Leon Draisaitl (26) (F) 59-39-42-81

Draisaitl is on pace for 54 goals and 58 assists, which would both be his best in his career.

Evan Bouchard (22) (D) 58-9-22-31

Bouchard is in his rookie season and should have some Calder consideration as he is on pace for 13 goals and 31 assists while playing over 20 minutes per game. He has replaced Tyson Barrie on the first unit of the power play at times and the transition is happening now.

One could argue that Nurse should still be here and would be correct. He plays over 26 minutes per night, leads the team in hits, blocked shots and is still on pace for nine goals and 27 assists.

The average age of core: 24.33 (25.0)

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have surprised this season and are still in good shape for the playoffs, which is probably a year or two ahead of where I thought they'd be. Drew Doughty has been a core three in both 2020 and 2021 while Anze Kopitar was in 2020 but I felt the Kings needed to establish a different core in 2021 forward. I had Alex Turcotte in both 2020 and 2021 while Quinton Byfield was in 2021.

Drew Doughty (32) (D) 39-7-24-31

Doughty still has five more years on his contract at $11 million AAV and will be 37-years-old when it expires. He is a core piece by default.

Anze Kopitar (34) (F) 61-15-36-51

I'm putting Kopitar back on the list even at his advanced age. He's still producing at a fairly productive rate and is on pace for 20 goals and 49 assists which would be his best point total since 2017-18 when he had 92 points. I might have jumped the gun by a year or two.

Quinton Byfield (19) (F) 21-2-2-4

Byfield might need another season or two, but his development along with Turcotte and Brandt Clarke is vital to the Kings being in the playoffs for the next three to five years.

The Kings have added some pretty important pieces like Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson and have seen Adrian Kempe score 25 goals this season and be on pace for 35 goals.

The average age of core: 28.33 (23.0)

Minnesota Wild

Kirill Kaprizov wasn't on my radar in 2020 as I had Kevin Fiala, Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon on my list. Suter was replaced by Kaprizov in 2021.

Kirill Kaprizov (24) (F) 57-30-43-73

To the relief of Wild fans, Kaprizov re-signed with Minnesota for five years at $9 million AAV. He is on pace for 43 goals and 61 assists, so there is no regret.

Kevin Fiala (25) (F) 58-20-34-54

Fiala's position on this list might be at risk as there his name always seems to be attached to players coming the other way in trade talks. In the meantime, he is on pace for 28 goals and 48 assists and has already matched his career-high in points at 54.

Matt Boldy (20) (F) 27-12-12-24

I didn't envision that Boldy would have this success this early in his young career. Admittedly it's only been 27 games but I think he's done enough to warrant his spot here.

The Wild have a great group of players just below this tier in Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba, Marcus Foligno and Marco Rossi. Their future is pretty bright.

The average age of core: 23.0 (26.33)

Nashville Predators

In 2020 Roman Josi and Matt Duchene were joined by Ryan Ellis (traded to Philadelphia) and in 2021 Josi was joined by Saros and Forsberg.

Roman Josi (31) (D) 57-17-49-66

I didn't think Josi could put another season together that would match or exceed his 2019-20 season when he had 65 points in 69 games. This year he is on pace for 24 goals and 69 assists at the age of 31. Outstanding.

Juuse Saros (26) (G)

Saros has 49 games which are the most he has played in one year. He has 28 wins and a 92.3 save percentage along with a GSAA of 18.26 which is 2nd in the NHL. Yaroslav Askarov is only 19-years of age and won't be ready for another three to five years. The Predators have their guy in Saros for the foreseeable future.

Matt Duchene (31) 55-31-28-59

Duchene has had some good seasons in the NHL before but has already matched his high in goals and should get more than 70 points this season if healthy. Currently, he is on pace for 44 goals and 40 assists. 

I'm choosing Duchene over Filip Forsberg as I don't know if the Predators will bring Forsberg back next season or not. I don't think they will trade him before the deadline as this team as it is built needs to make the playoffs.

The average age of core: 29.33 (27.33)

San Jose Sharks

2020 saw Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier and Logan Couture as my choices, while mistakenly I had Evander Kane replace Meier in 2021.

Timo Meier (25) (F) 53-25-32-57

Meier has emerged this season as the leader on this team and is on pace for 36 goals and 46 assists.

Erik Karlsson (31) (D) 35-8-20-28

Karlsson has five years remaining at $11.5 million AAV and the Sharks will desperately need him to produce at the rate he has this season but play 65-70 games. He is an automatic core piece still.

William Eklund (19) (F) 9-0-4-4

Eklund had a look at the start of the year and showed some flashes in his nine games, but the team felt it was better to send him back to the SHL. He struggled a little back in Sweden with only one goal and 12 assists in 26 games. The Sharks will need him to be a core piece in the next one to three years.

It is never a good sign that I have to scrape together three players rather than whittle down from five or six.

The average age of core: 25.0 (30.33)

Seattle Kraken

This will be the first season for the Kraken for my core three and the pickings are predictably pretty slim.

Jared McCann (25) (F) 53-23-12-35

McCann is on pace for 32 goals and 17 assists in 74 games this year. He would be a secondary scorer on most other clubs.

Philipp Grubauer (30) (G) 44 GP 13 Wins 88.8 save percentage GSAA minus 27.23

The Kraken signed Grubauer to a six-year contract at $5.9 million and made him their core piece right then and there. He has struggled along with the rest of the Kraken team in their first season.

Matthew Beniers (19) (F)

The 2nd overall pick has a lot of pressure as the first pick of a new franchise. He has 19 goals and 21 assists in 33 games at the University of Michigan this year.

Comparatively the Golden Knights had Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, David Perron, Reilly Smith, Alex Tuch, Shea Theodore and Marc-Andre Fleury in their first season.

The average age of core: 24.66

St. Louis Blues

In 2020 I had Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly and Alex Pietrangelo as their core and in 2021 had Torey Krug, O'Reilly and Jordan Binnington. Tarasenko was out with a shoulder injury in 2021 and there were reports that he requested a trade.

Jordan Kyrou (23) (F) 55-22-37-59

Kyrou has unexpectedly emerged and put himself in a position that I would say is core three in St. Louis. He is on pace for 32 goals and 53 assists.

Brayden Schenn (30) (F) 43-17-20-37

Schenn is signed until 2027-28 at $6.5 million. He is not your typical core three player as he tops out at 65-70 points but his long-term contract puts him here.

Robert Thomas (22) (F) 51-12-36-48

Much like his teammate Kyrou, Thomas has emerged this season and increased his role on the Blues. He might never score a ton of goals but Thomas can be a 20-25 goal player with 50-60 assists down the road. This year he is on pace for 17 goals and 52 assists in 74 games.

Vladimir Tarasenko has one more year left under contract and I can't say for sure whether he will be back with the Blues next season or the year after, which is hardly a core piece.

Torey Krug is signed to the end of the 2026-27 season at $6.5 million AAV. His production isn't what it was in Boston but the Blues have Krug, Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko all signed till 2026-27.

The Blues are a deep roster with Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron and Pavel Buchnevich in consideration here as well.

Jordan Binnington has struggled this season and is fighting for his 1A role in the net with Ville Husso. 

The average age of core: 25.0 (29.0)

Vancouver Canucks

In 2020, the Canucks had one of the youngest most coveted core threes with Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. In 2021 I removed J. T. Miller and added Thatcher Demko as Miller had a bit of an off-year and Demko was excellent.

Quinn Hughes (22) (D) 56-5-43-48

Hughes has been better this season in his end and has 23 powerplay assists so far this year. He is on pace for seven goals and 60 assists. He is also signed until the end of 2026-27 at $7.85 million AAV.

Elias Pettersson (23) (F) 59-18-24-42

Pettersson has seen his point-per-game pace after his first two seasons go down a little as he has battled a wrist injury that cost him 30 games last season and inhibited him early on this year. He is on pace for 25 goals and 33 assists but will need to be more productive moving forward. He did miss Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. 

Thatcher Demko (26) (G) 48GP, 26 Wins, 91.6 save percentage, GSAA 7.56

Demko has been as consistent this season as a goalie can be. He is signed until the end of 2025-26 at $5 million AAV.

I didn't include Miller as I don't think they will be able to keep him after his contract expires at the end of next season. Miller has been the best skater on the Canucks this season by far and in a perfect world, they would keep him.

Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and Conor Garland are very good support players, but not at this tier.

The average age of core: 23.66 (22.66)

Vegas Golden Knights

In 2020 I had Mark Stone, Shea Theodore and Cody Glass (?) and in 2021 replaced Glass with Alex Pietrangelo.

Jack Eichel (25) (F) 13-5-4-9

Eichel appears healthy which is the most important thing, but Vegas has been out of sorts in the 13 games he has played. If the Golden Knights don't make the playoffs the acquisition of Eichel might come back to bite them.

Mark Stone (29) (F) 28-8-20-28

Stone is currently on LTIR, which allows Eichel to be in the lineup. Stone is signed until the end of 2026-27 at $9.5 million AAV. It will be interesting to see Eichel and Stone both in the lineup at the same time.

Shea Theodore (26) (D) 57-8-28-36

Theodore might not be the defender that Pietrangelo is but he is six years younger and has a higher ceiling of production. He is on pace for 11 goals and 39 assists.

The team also has Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault in the mix.

Pietrangelo wasn't included as he is 32-years-old and even though he has five years remaining at $8.8 million AAV, I'm not sure his production will be maintainable. Having said that he is 3B on this list and Vegas has gone out two years in a row and acquired a core three player to their lineup.

The average age of core: 26.66 (28.33)

Winnipeg Jets

In 2020 I had Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Patrick Laine as the core three. With Laine being traded to Columbus I replaced him with Nikolaj Ehlers last season.

Kyle Connor (25) (F) 60-37-32-69

Connor is on pace for 51 goals and 44 assists this year. He is only one goal behind his NHL high of 38 goals and will surely pass his high of 73 points.

Mark Scheifele (28) (F) 54-22-29-51

Scheifele had a very slow start to the season and has slowly brought his production up to a standard he has set for a few years. He is now on pace for 31 goals and 41 assists in 76 games. He is only signed for two more years after this one at a bargain of $6.125 million AAV.

Nikolaj Ehlers (26) (F) 40-15-16-31

Ehlers had a fairly significant injury and missed 20 games this season. He is signed until the end of the 2024-25 season at $6 million AAV.

I was tempted to add Pierre-Luc Dubois who is only 23-years-old and will be an RFA at the end of the season. He has 24 goals and 23 assists in 59 games this season and has had a very good rebound year.

Other significant players on the Jets are Blake Wheeler, Andrew Copp and Connor Hellebuyck.

The average age of core: 26.33 (25.66)

The youngest core three is in Anaheim at 21.33 years of age and the oldest is in Nashville at 29.33.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you want me to focus on any players or topics by messaging me below or following me on Twitter @gampbler15.