The western conference is in a championship drought. Vegas won the championship in 2023. Three years have passed and no team in the west has come close after Edmonton forced a game seven against Florida in 2024. All 16 teams in this conference have massive amounts of pressure to not just win the Stanley Cup, but to at least make it to the finals and force the eastern opponent to play scared.
Despite the desperation, the conference had the most entertaining playoffs. Many viewers were stunned at Anaheim’s progression last season. Minnesota finally won a first round series for the first time in a decade. Utah held their own and looks like a breakout team this season. This could also be a last dance for Dallas and Los Angeles’ star-studded rosters. Finally, no matter the success teams have out west, Colorado and Vegas remain the big names every team must get past. Eight incredibly deep and talented teams will make the 2027 Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s time to break down which teams in each division have the best chances to make the 2026-27 postseason.
Central: Colorado Avalanche
It would take the annihilation of the state of Colorado for the Avalanche not to make the playoffs. Even if 75% of the roster is on injured reserve, coach Jared Bednar would find a way to get this team into the postseason. Easiest pick in the conference.
Minnesota Wild
The biggest hurdle Minnesota had to clear last season was winning a playoff series. Now they can play like a championship favorite many predicted they would be in the past. The stacked roster will go blow for blow with the Avalanche all year.
Utah Mammoth
Utah put on a show in the playoffs against the western conference champion Golden Knights. The Mammoth’s young core isn’t in their prime yet, but they do show improvement every year. From coach Andre Tourigny to the fourth line, Utah should be the team to watch in the central division this season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they wind up as the third best team and go further in the 2027 playoffs than they did in 2026.
Dallas Stars
There’s no doubt Dallas has top tier talent to make the postseason. One thing the Stars lack are players who enjoy playing physical and making goaltenders uncomfortable for more than one period. General manager Jim Nill traded most of those players away and it cost Dallas in the 2026 playoffs. Nill has to get some of the depth back and the Stars have to continue playing better defense. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are another season closer to retirement and Dallas has to find a way to get them back into the championship round.
Pacific: Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is the favorite in the pacific to make it back to the playoffs. While the defense has to continue last seasons improvement, the offense and special teams should be more than enough to get the Golden Knights a top three spot in the division.
Los Angeles Kings
Anze Kopitar may have retired but Los Angeles still has an incredible roster. While new captain Drew Doughty is also close to retirement, the offense should be in the NHL’s top half in scoring while the defense continues to snuff out scoring chances. As long as the Kings don’t run into Colorado or Edmonton in the first round again, they should be fine.
San Jose Sharks
Move over Connor McDavid and Edmonton. There is a younger, more gifted and standout league darling who is the next big thing. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini made all-time great parallels with his stats, play and comparisons last season while the Sharks barely missed out on a playoff spot. The pacific division is clearly the worst of the four, but that could change if San Jose takes the next step or two this season.
The Sharks also did what the Oilers failed to do with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the past: they added more skill on defense while growing their minor league systems. Buffalo traded them third year defenseman Phil Kesselring and San Jose signed former captain Jacob Trouba. Trouba’s physical play and veteran experience are more valuable than his speed (of which the Sharks have plenty on offense and defense). That will help Darnell Nurse play a more limited role in this defense and make San Jose a more formidable opponent for every team this season.
Anaheim Ducks
At this moment there is little to no confidence that Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle and Vancouver will make the playoffs. Two teams are in long-term re-builds, one is just terrible for fun and the other is about to have a firesale by next season. That leaves Anaheim as the lone option standing.
It’s possible the Ducks are just as good, if not better than last season. Anaheim’s problem is they lost some good defensive players in John Carlson and Jacob Trouba to extend younger stars like Leo Carlsson. The defensive losses in free agency weren’t patched up and coach Joel Quenneville is not the type to favor defense first. The Ducks will have an interesting season since there weren’t high hopes for them last year. This year, Anaheim will be taken more seriously almost every night by their rivals and out of conference opponents.
Regular season western conference playoffs prediction record: 6-2
