My last couple of Ramblings have gone over a training camp question looming over each team in the NHL. We started with the Atlantic Division and then moved to the Metro. Today, we'll be making our way all the way to the left coast and looking at the Pacific Division.

The reigning Cup Finalists are looking to make another deep run, doormats from recent seasons are starting to bring their franchises back around, and then there are middling teams that may be overlooked. Let's get to the Pacific to see what we should be paying attention to when camps open.

Edmonton Oilers: The Jeff Skinner/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Duality

Buffalo bought out Jeff Skinner's contract and the winger went and signed in Edmonton. Skinner has one of the top producers in the league across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before a down year in 2023-24. It is probably worth noting that across the 2019-20 and 2021 COVID seasons, Skinner had 37 points in 112 games, and then in 2021-22 he jumped to 33 goals and 63 points in 80 games. He is now 32 years old, but we have already seen him have multiple down years only to bounce back in a big way. This time, he gets to another chance to do the same thing but only with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl as his even strength centre.

The more interesting idea is how the team will use him on the power play. Edmonton has long had a top PP forward quartet of McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. However, both Skinner and RNH are left-hand shots that can fill a similar role with the man advantage. Is there a chance Skinner takes some time from RNH? My guess is not right away, but maybe eventually, and that's crucial for fantasy value. Maybe training camp will clarify this for us.

San Jose Sharks: Who is Running the Power Play?

It seems as if things are lining up for Henry Thrun to run San Jose's top PP unit, especially with Calen Addison not being brought back and Ty Emberson being traded. However, the Sharks used Thrun for just 19% of the team's PP time last season, trailing both Addison and Jacob MacDonald, according to Frozen Tools. Maybe Thrun just takes Addison's time and he's closer to 60%, but that's not a guarantee yet.

Do the Sharks give Jake Walman some run? Do they try a five-forward power play? We won't go long here because too much seems up in the air, but hopefully we get a solid indication once training camps get underway. 

Utah: Is Logan Cooley Going to Be The Guy or A Guy?

Nick Schmaltz has often been a centre for Arizona and the team re-signed Barrett Hayton. However, Logan Cooley took tremendous strides as a rookie last season and showed promise with Dylan Guenther. No disrespect intended towards Schmaltz and Hayton, but Cooley is the future top-line centre of the team. The question is whether that future is in 2024-25 or later than that.

There is a chance Cooley will be a top line/top power play centre for Utah immediately. There is also the chance he's a third line/second power play centre for Utah immediately. It is the difference between being a 40- to 50-point guy and a 60- to 70-point guy. Where he's being used in training camp might (and probably should) influence is low ADP quite a bit.

At the outset, my guess is that Schmaltz remains on the top line, perhaps with Hayton and Clayton Keller. Utah could then insulate Cooley a little bit, using him as a the second-line centre with the likes of Guenther, Matias Maccelli, and Lawson Crouse. Then again, maybe they just move Cooley right to the top line between Schmaltz and Keller and leave Hayton in a lesser role. This team has options with what they want to do with their top-6 and top power play mixes. That is good news for the team but less good news for fantasy owners.

Vegas Golden Knights: The Fourth Power Play Forward

Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson are with new teams. When the Vegas Golden Knights forwards are healthy, that leaves Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Tomas Hertl for the top power play. Presumably, William Karlsson gets the fourth forward spot, but it's not guaranteed just yet, and they may want to use him on the second unit to try and give themselves some chance of scoring with the top guys off the ice.

There aren't a ton of options in Vegas, but guys like Pavel Dorofeyev, Alex Holtz, and Ivan Barbashev are all potential candidates for the fourth forward spot. Karlsson may have the inside edge, but there might be a surprise that awaits us in training camp.

Very quickly, the battle for the fourth power play forward is mirrored on the blue line. Right now, the assumption is that Noah Hanifin will have that role. I have said before that I think it'll actually be Shea Theodore, and that considering ADPs right now, I would rather take Theodore around the 30^th defenceman off the board than Hanifin as the 20^th. We should get more clarity in training camp but there are two spots on the Vegas power play that aren't spoken for, and they're very fantasy-relevant spots.

Anaheim Ducks: Line Combinations

There are a lot of changes/improvements to this Anaheim Ducks roster. Trevor Zegras is healthy, Cutter Gauthier is one of the top offensive prospects in the world, and there are a handful of returning players that will all vie for top-6 minutes and top power play time. It seems somewhat secure saying that Leo Carlsson will be the team's top centre and Troy Terry will remain on the wing of one of the top two lines. Beyond that a lot is up in the air.

The Ducks are a team on the rise and that means improved scoring and improved fantasy relevance. However, players still need to be in a position to prove it, so the guys being used in top roles in training camp should see more prominence in fantasy drafts.

Los Angeles Kings: How Are They Using Quinton Byfield?

There should be some answers given into how the Los Angeles Kings view Byfield right now, but the fact that they traded Pierre-Luc Dubois indicates to us that Byfield will be used at centre. The question then becomes whether they use him ahead of Anze Kopitar or not. I don't expect them to move Byfield to centre and then cut his ice time like they did Dubois, but it's not an impossible scenario.

Is this the year they turn the keys to the kingdom over to Byfield, or do they let a 37-year-old Kopitar keep his top role? The concern is that they run a trio of Byfield-Kopitar-Danault, and the trio each earns between 15-18 minutes, with no one really being put into a prime position to succeed from a fantasy perspective.

Los Angeles has options but the hope is that they realize they really need to push their younger players more than their aging veterans. This applies specifically to Byfield and Kopitar, and maybe it's just me being a selfish fantasy manager, but I genuinely do think Byfield is the team's best centre now. We will see what the team thinks soon enough.  

Calgary Flames: Are Any Winger Combinations Reliable?

Jonathan Huberdeau has taken massive steps back since arriving from Florida, Martin Pospisil is garnering a reputation (in a bad way), Yegor Sharangovich and Blake Coleman are coming off 30-goal seasons, Andrei Kuzmenko has a full offseason with Calgary under his belt, Anthony Mantha was brought in, and the team still has Matt Coronato and Connor Zary developing. That makes eight wingers, or the team's entire complement of wingers in a full lineup.

Here is the question: where does everyone fit in?

I think one combination we can rely on is Coleman skating with Mikael Backlund. Other than that, does anyone feel comfortable saying any winger will skate even half their 5-on-5 time with any single centre? It feels like there are a lot of ways this could go, and could result in a lot of line changes over the course of the season. Hopefully, training camp will tell us whether there is reason to believe this will be a constant change or if they look for solid duos/trios they can keep together.

Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko

The biggest question heading into training camp is that of Demko's health. There was a report a couple of weeks ago that Demko has not recovered from his knee injury suffered in the 2024 playoffs. Since then, there have been rumblings that he won't be ready for the preseason, but a new report from beat writer Rick Dhaliwal says that Demko has been back skating recently as he returns from rehab. There may not be a change in his availability for the preseason, but that he's back skating is a good step forward regardless.

We don't have to go long here. Getting injury updates in the offseason is difficult at the best of times, which is why I'm surprised we've gotten as much about Demko as we have. Training camp should help illuminate this further, and that is very important for fantasy drafts where Demko was often a top-5 goalie off the board.

Seattle Kraken: Is the Roster Going to be Run Any Differently?

There is still a question of how much, if any, top-end talent the Kraken have. With that said, one thing that can help paper over modest fantasy value is a boost in ice time. Dan Bylsma was brought in as the team's new coach and that could mean a new approach to how the team uses its skaters. Does Brandon Montour earn 24-25 minutes a game, or is he going to top out at 23-24 minutes a game like Vince Dunn has? How does that impact Adam Larsson's usage? Will Matty Beniers be closer to 20 minutes or 18 minutes a game? Is the top PP unit going to earn 60-65% of the time or is nearly everyone going to be under 60% again?

Bylsma has a variety of ways to boost the fantasy values of their fantasy-relevant players, but boosting fantasy relevance is not part of his mandate. It may not be in the team's best interest to do so, even if it's in our best interest as selfish fantasy managers. We may not get a lot of clarity in preseason games, but it's still something to keep an eye on.