Continuing on from my last weeks article covering the Central Division. We are now moving on to the Pacific Division.

Let's get right into it!

Anaheim Ducks – Troy Terry

The concern with Terry heading into this season is more about his health than his ability to produce. Terry will out of the lineup for nearly 30 games of the season which gives ice time to other top-six NHLer's on the Ducks but once he returns, I can see him regaining top line deployment. if you're willing to take on the risk of missing some games, you're potentially getting a player who has consistently produced at a 60-plus-point pace over the last five years. Terry ended the NHL playoffs with 11 points in 12 playoff games, so he can still produce when healthy enough to play. With the type of surgeries Terry had this off season he start the season off slow. However, provided he comes back without any issues and continues to see top-line and power-play responsibility we're still looking at a valuable option, especially in a top-six role.

Calgary Flames – Simon Nemec

Simon Nemec is one of those players where the situation may be more important than what he has already accomplished. Nemec put up 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games last season with New Jersey while averaging 19:40 per game. He also recorded 101 shots and 104 blocked shots, giving him some additional fantasy value beyond his point totals. Now he moves to Calgary after signing a five-year contract, and I think the Flames are giving him an opportunity to finally take on the type of responsibility expected from a player drafted that high. The organization has been reshaping its defence, which should give Nemec a chance to establish himself as one of its more important blueliners. The offensive numbers still need to improve, but he is already playing close to 20 minutes a night and coming off an 11-goal season. If his role expands and the power-play opportunities increase, I think there is room for him to move well beyond the 26 points he had last season.

Edmonton Oilers – Matt Savoie

Savoie has quickly made himself an important piece of the Oilers because of how much he can bring to the lineup. He has the speed and hands to be a dangerous scorer, but his ability to contribute on the penalty kill gives him a sneaky-high TOI ceiling. He averaged 14:47 as a rookie, but there's room for that number to climb. After the Olympic break, Savoie scored nine goals and 19 points in 24 games, showing what he can do with more opportunity. The biggest concern is whether new coach Mike Babcock leans heavily on veterans, but Edmonton doesn't have enough forward depth to completely block Savoie's path. His injury is expected to keep him out of most, if not all, of training camp, with a return targeted for late October. That could actually work in your favour, as his missed camp may create a chance to grab him off waivers rather than spending a draft pick.

LA Kings – Mats Zuccarello

Mats Zuccarello is probably one of the easier value picks to overlook simply because of his age. He turns 39 this season, although that didn't stop him from putting up 15 goals and 54 points in 59 games with Minnesota last season. He also had 21 power-play points, so there is still plenty of offensive production left when he's in the lineup. He's also coming off a stretch where he averaged 0.91 points per game over the previous six seasons, so last year wasn't exactly a one-off. Obviously, the concern is durability. Zuccarello has played fewer than 70 games in three straight seasons, and at 39 that risk isn't going away. Regardless of that, there is still value here but the key to remember is that if he isn't tied to Artemi Panarin like he was with Kirill Kaprizov and does not have top powerplay duties, then his production may look very different.

San Jose Sharks – Igor Chernyshov

Chernyshov doesn't have a long NHL track record to lean on yet, and while San Jose doesn't have the same depth as some of the other teams on this list, the Sharks are clearly building around Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. That should give players like Chernyshov a chance to establish themselves as another important piece of the young forward group. He has already seen time on the top line and first power-play unit, while also getting an opportunity alongside Michael Misa. I wouldn't draft him expecting a massive breakout right away because there is still plenty of development left, but his 19 points in 28 games works out to a 56-point pace over 82 games. If he can earn more ice time and establish himself as a regular on the power play, Chernyshov could outperform his draft position pretty quickly. For what it's worth, I think he has a legitimate shot at reaching that 56-point mark this season.

Seattle Kraken – Bobby McMann

Well, were looking at finding the best player on a mediocre team, that's not easy to do but it looks like we found one in Bobby McMann. McMann finished his time in Toronto with 32 points in 60 games before being traded, then scored 10 goals and 14 points in only 18 games with Seattle while averaging nearly 18 minutes per game. That is a pretty significant jump in both opportunity and production. That small Seattle sample obviously needs to be taken with some caution, but I think it's enough to take notice. If the Kraken give him a legitimate top-six role and allow him to maintain the type of ice time he saw after the trade, I think another 25-goal season is possible. For me, this is more about buying into the role than expecting another massive jump.

Vancouver Canucks – Maro Rossi

It's hard to expect much from Vancouver this season with the Canucks clearly in the middle of a rebuild and while Elias Pettersson is actually an interesting value at a Yahoo! ADP around 135, but I'm more interested in Marco Rossi. I wrote about Rossi during my Bubble Keeper week, and I believe there's a good chance his production comes surprisingly close to Pettersson's this season. Rossi should step into a significant top-six role and has a strong chance to see plenty of time on the top power-play unit. After giving up Quinn Hughes to acquire him, Vancouver has every reason to give Rossi a legitimate opportunity to establish himself as a core piece moving forward. That should mean quality linemates, increased responsibility and prime power-play deployment right from the start. If the situation clicks, I think 65 points is a realistic ceiling for him and that makes Rossi much more appealing to me than players like Brock Boeser or Jake DeBrusk. We've already seen Rossi produce at this level, and now he's heading into a situation where he should have a much bigger role.

Vegas Golden Knights – Victor Olofsson

This is definitely a swing-for-the-fences type of pick, and there's a very real chance it doesn't work out. I'm going with Victor Olofsson in Vegas, where most of the obvious fantasy options will already be off the board. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl are the obvious choices. Brett Howden spent a lot of time alongside Marner and Stone last season, but I could see Olofsson working his way into the top six at times and taking some of those minutes. He put up 31 points in 78 games between Calgary and Colorado last season before returning to Vegas, but we've also seen Olofsson produce at a much higher level when given the right opportunity. Olofsson has always been at his best when he can find open ice and let his shot go, and he can still add some scoring punch. Even a spot on the second power-play unit would give him a path to some value at what should be a very cheap draft cost.

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!