NHL Pacific Division Odds, Picks, Predictions 2022-23: Oilers, Flames Compete for Top Spot

The Battle of Alberta could have implications at the top of the Pacific Division, as both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are expected to have strong seasons. They are the two teams with the shortest odds as we look at the picks to win the Pacific Division.

The Flames finished with 111 points and won the Pacific Division last season after not making the playoffs the year before. The Flames ranked third in the NHL in terms of five-on-five score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals percentage.

In other divisions, there appears to be a bigger differential between the bottom teams and the rest of the contenders. For example, the San Jose Sharks ranked 23rd in five-on-five expected goals percentage, which was still ahead of a New York Rangers team that made the playoffs. Most bottom-feeding teams have weaker underlying numbers.

Here are our top picks, and predictions for Pacific Division futures odds (odds via Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM, PointsBet, and Barstool Sportsbook).    

Top Pacific Division Odds and Picks

Oilers

Once Jay Woodcroft took over behind the Oilers’ bench last season, Edmonton played to a .724 points percentage and ended up reaching the Western Conference Final. However, the Oilers were ultimately swept by the Colorado Avalanche. Nevertheless, that relative success has elevated expectations for the Oilers heading into this season.

They re-signed winger Evander Kane and brought in free agent goaltender Jack Campbell. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their prime years, the Oilers have a lot of support to win the Pacific Division.

Flames

It is hard to imagine a team losing two 100-point players in an offseason and still getting better. It looks like that is the case with the Flames, who saw Johnny Gaudreau leave for the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent and then traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. Getting star winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from Florida helped ease the pain of those departures. Then, signing free agent center Nazem Kadri put the Flames right back into contender status.

Calgary accumulated 111 points last season and its .677 points percentage was a franchise best since 1988-1989. If the Oilers and Flames are battling for first place in the Pacific, the Flames offer more favorable pricing, notably +300 via Caesars Sportsbook.

Golden Knights

Having missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, amidst a terrible run of injuries, the Vegas Golden Knights are prime candidates for a bounce-back season. However, they will enter the 2022-23 campaign with some question marks in net since starter Robin Lehner will miss the entire season following hip surgery. That leaves Logan Thompson and Adin Hill to man the crease.

If they are merely adequate, then Vegas should be in good shape, because its defense remains strong and having a full season of Jack Eichel ought to improve production up front. The Golden Knights’ track record is such that they should be considered contenders, but the uncertainty over the goaltending is the main reason that they get longer odds than the Oilers and Flames.

Kings

Perhaps the Los Angeles Kings were a bit of a surprise on the way to a 99-point season in 2021-2022, their first playoff berth since 2017-2018. The Kings accelerated their rebuilding plan by trading for winger Kevin Fiala, who put up 85 points with the Minnesota Wild last season, and go into this season with a solid roster. Los Angeles will hope the goaltending tandem of Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick can hold up and, ideally, a young player like Quinton Byfield could break out and raise this team’s collective ceiling. The Kings look like a reliable playoff pick, but winning the division is a taller hill to climb.

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Canucks

After Bruce Boudreau took over as head coach last season, the Vancouver Canucks played to a 106-point pace, which is not that unusual for Boudreau. He has coached a team to at least 106 points six times in his career — but the Canucks also ranked 17th in five-on-five possession stats (both shot attempt percentage and expected goals percentage) under Boudreau, so they probably leaned on goaltender Thatcher Demko too much.

However, the Canucks also have some exciting high-end talent and if J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Demko have big seasons, then the Canucks not only have a shot at the postseason, but they could be a worthwhile value play to take the Pacific Division.

Kraken

As disastrous as the Seattle Kraken’s first season was, there really is hope for improvement in 2022-2023. The Kraken were not nearly as terrible as their 60-point season suggests. The reason to have some optimism around the Kraken is that their goaltending was the worst in the league last year and there was no real reason to expect that to be the case.

If goaltender Philipp Grubauer bounces back, the Kraken’s improved forward group – which includes free agent signing Andre Burakovsky, trade acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand, and 2021 No. 2 pick Matty Beniers – should be more competitive.

Ducks

It looks like the Anaheim Ducks are in the relatively early stages of a rebuild. Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, and Jamie Drysdale are the core pieces, but it is going to take some time for Anaheim to become a playoff contender, or a team that can reliably challenge to win the division.

The Ducks' odds to win the Pacific are already the second-longest on the board, but a potential injury to Zegras in the preseason could make those odds even longer (and could be why FanDuel Sportsbook has taken Pacific Division odds off the board).

Sharks

While the San Jose Sharks have more established talent than the Ducks, with a core that includes Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, and Erik Karlsson, the supporting cast is a long way from where it needs to be for San Jose to have a shot at the postseason. In relative terms, though, San Jose might offer slightly more appeal than the Ducks at the longest odds in the Pacific.

Where to Bet on NHL Pacific Division Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook
PointsBet
BetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Pacific Division Picks made 9/29/2022 at 2:11 p.m. ET.