I've been looking at the Core of Western teams for a few years now, and thought it was time to see who the core is on each team in the West as we head into the 2025-26 season.

The Core should be players from each roster who are the foundation for their team's roster over the next three to five years.

Ideally, players should be between the ages of 22 and 27 and either approaching their peak or already in it.

Here were the articles leading into 2024-25 for Core Fours. Part One, Two and Three

Let's see what teams have made moves with their core or what players have come off the list or been added on.

Anaheim Ducks (2024-25 Core: Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov and Trevor Zegras)

Leo Carlsson (F) (20.6 years of age)

Carlsson played 76 games in 2024-25 and posted 20 goals and 24 assists while averaging 16:14 per game. He improved slightly in the faceoff circle from his rookie campaign, going from 34.8% to 41.4. He holds his own defensively and could pass Mason McTavish in 2025-26 to become the number one center on the Ducks.

Mason McTavish (F) (22.5)

McTavish remains unsigned as a restricted free agent, but should sign sooner rather than later with the Ducks. In 2024-25 he had career highs of 22 goals and 52 points in 76 games, averaging 16:53 per night and posting a faceoff percentage of 50.7. As long as he is much better than Carlsson in the faceoff circle, it will keep him as the number one center in important situations.

Jackson LaCombe (D) (24.6)

LaCombe passed both Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov in 2024-25 and emerged for the time being as the number one defender on the Ducks. He finished with 14 goals and 29 assists in 74 games while averaging 22:18 per game. He had 69 hits and 129 blocks, so he adds a little value in banger leagues. He wasn't even a consideration as a Core Four leading up to 2024-25 in my mind, but he's there now. He will need to duplicate his play in 2025-26 and hold off Zellweger and Mintyukov for power play and offensive time.

Cutter Gauthier (F) (21.6)

As a rookie in 2024-25, Gauthier had an impressive 20 goals and 23 assists in 82 games while averaging 14:09 per night and playing just 32.1% of the time on the power play. One would think that his ice time and power play role will increase in 2025-26. Gauthier replaces Trevor Zegras, who was on this list last year.

Calgary Flames (2024-25 Core: Dustin Wolf, MacKenzie Weegar, Nazem Kadri, Yegor Sharangovich)

Dustin Wolf (G) (24.3)

I had questioned in 2024-25 that it was never a good idea to have a goalie with just 18 career NHL games as a core piece, but that was where Wolf was at the start of last season. He played 53 games with a record of 29-16-6 and a save percentage of 91.0. He is now not just a Core Four for the Flames, but could be the #1 Core at this time.

MacKenzie Weegar (D) (31.6)

Weegar had another excellent year in 2024-25 with eight goals and 39 assists in 81 games to go along with 221 hits and 192 blocks while averaging 24:10 per game. His power play time went from 38.7% to 58.0%, but we will see what happens to that time if Zayne Parekh makes the team as a regular.

Zayne Parekh (D) (19.5)

Parekh was the 9th overall pick in 2024 and certainly has his issues on the ice defensively, but his offensive ceiling is similar to Makar or Quinn Hughes. Whether he will be a regular in 2025-26, waits to be determined, but when he is in the lineup, the power play should beckon. I just don't see the Flames trotting out Jake Bean over Parekh for 65-75 games in 2025-26. His offense is too much of a temptation not to play him in my mind.

Jonathan Huberdeau (F) (32.2)

I had Nazem Kadri here in 2024-25, but he is a pending UFA after 2025-26, which doesn't scream out a core piece. Huberdeau is signed for six more years at $10.5 million AAV and had perhaps his best showing in Calgary in 2024-25. He had 28 goals and 34 assists in 81 games and averaged 19:33 per game. I just don't see another player ready to take this on at this time on the Flames.

Chicago Blackhawks (2024-25 Core: Connor Bedard, Seth Jones, Kevin Korchinski, Artyom Levshunov)

Connor Bedard (F) (20.1)

I think some people expected Bedard to post at least a point per game in 2024-25, but he put up just a slight improvement over his rookie year with 23 goals and 44 assists (both career-highs) in 82 games. His struggles in the face-off circle continued as he went from 38.9 to 38.2 percent. His ice time increased slightly from 19:47 to 20:17, but he's going to have to improve his defensive play and face-off abilities sooner rather than later. Just a reminder that he has played 150 NHL games and just turned 20 years of age.

Frank Nazar (F) (21.6)

I think that Nazar showed enough in 2024-25 with 12 goals and 14 assists in 53 games as a rookie to warrant inclusion here. He could see more power play time over the 39.7% he saw in 2024-25, as well as more ice time than his 15:52 per night. He was a little better than Bedard in the faceoff circle at 44.6%.

Artyom Levshunov (D) (19.8)

I think the Blackhawks saw enough out of Levshunov in 2024-25 to move Seth Jones and hope that he fills that role in the next few years. He played just 18 NHL games with Chicago and posted six assists, 19 hits and 29 blocks while averaging 20:19 per game. I had Kevin Korchinski here in 2024-25, but he only played 16 NHL games with Chicago and has fallen on the Blackhawks depth chart behind Levshunov and perhaps Sam Rinzel.

Spencer Knight (G) (24.4)

Chicago extended Knight for three more years at $5.833 million AAV till the end of 2028-29.

Knight was acquired from Florida and played 38 games in 2024-25 with a record of 17-16-3 and a save percentage of 90.2. He's not going to have the defensive structure in Chicago for the next two or three years, but he's the man in goal for the next three or four years.

Colorado Avalanche (2024-25 Core: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Devon Toews)

Nathan MacKinnon (F) (30.0)

MacKinnon turned 30, believe it or not, and now we have to consider the reality that he might be on the downward part of his career.

He had 32 goals and 84 assists in 79 games in 2024-25 and has missed just three games over the past two seasons. He showed no signs of slowing down, other than his shots on goal decreasing from around 5.0 per game to 4.0. That was his lowest since he had 3.8/g in 2017-18.

Cale Makar (D) (26.8)

Makar had career-highs with 30 goals and 92 points in 80 games in 2024-25. He is the best defenseman in the NHL right now and would be a core piece on any NHL team.

Martin Necas (F) (26.6)

The Avalanche turned Mikko Rantanen (one of their core pieces in 2024-25) into Necas, who is a few years younger but a little less productive. Necas had a career-high 84 points on 27 goals and 57 assists in 79 games split between Carolina and Colorado. He doesn't have the ceiling of Rantanen, but he's a cheaper, younger variation who could put up 90 points with MacKinnon and Makar over a full 82 games.

Devon Toews (D) (31.5)

Toews took a little bit of a downturn in terms of production in 2024-25 with 10 goals and 34 assists in 76 games after posting between 50 and 57 points in all three seasons prior. His value to the Avalanche is more than his fantasy value, but it still puts him as a core piece on this roster in 2025-26.

Dallas Stars (2024-25 Core: Jake Oettinger, Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson)

Jake Oettinger (G) (26.7)

Oettinger is a veteran of 251 NHL games with a record of 149-66-27 and a career save percentage of 91.2. He had a record of 36-18-4 and a save percentage of 90.9 in 58 games in 2024-25. His playoff benching surely was a factor in the Stars letting Peter DeBoer go in the off-season.

Miro Heiskanen (D) (26.1)

Heiskanen played just 50 games in 2024-25 and had five goals and 20 assists in what was a disappointing campaign for him. He has played more than 71 games in a season just twice in his seven NHL seasons. The Stars will be looking for a better contribution from Heiskanen in 2025-26.

Wyatt Johnston (F) (22.3)

Johnston has improved in each of his three seasons in the NHL, going from 41 to 65 to 71 points and seeing his ice time go from 15:29 to 17:00 to 18:56. His faceoff percentage has gone from 43.3 to 50.2 to 51.2. In my mind, this puts him ahead of Jason Robertson, Thomas Harley or Roope Hintz, who are all quite worthy of being in the Core Four.

Mikko Rantanen (F) (28.8)

Not many teams can acquire a core player from another team without giving up a core piece in return or a player who is a sure shot to become one. The Stars did just that. Logan Stankoven could become one in the future, but there is nothing assured of his doing that in Carolina.

Rantanen struggled a little in 2024-25 after being moved from Colorado, but still managed 88 points in 82 games split between Colorado, Carolina and Dallas. The Stars extended Rantanen for eight years at $12 million AAV.

Next week, we will look at Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville and San Jose.

Thanks very much for reading, and if you have any comments or suggestions, please reach out on Twitter @gampbler15