Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Who’s Actually GOOD In The Pacific Division?? | BB Clips

Episode Date: September 11, 2026

Boomer, Pinder and Rhett preview the American side of the Pacific Division heading into the 2026-27 NHL season, going team-by-team through the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Anaheim Ducks. The guys break down the biggest offseason additions and subtractions, projected lines, expectations and the major questions facing each team. Can Vegas remain the class of the division, are the Kings still legitimate contenders, which of Anaheim and San Jose’s young cores is ready to take the biggest step, and what exactly should we expect from Seattle? With the Canadian teams saved for their own discussion, the boys make their picks and predictions for how the rest of the Pacific shakes out this season.Video Link: https://youtu.be/CuZJEoFFwZo#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #edmontonoilers CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we continue our preview of the NHL, division by division. We'll sift through the Pacific Division, the non-Canadian teams today, and we'll dive closer in on all seven Canadian teams starting next week. This reminder how it finished last year. Crazy to say it, and it still is crazy. Two years ago, the Calvary Flames had 96 points and missed the playoffs. Last year, that would have led this division. The Knights got it sorted out under Torts late to win the division.

The Oilers kept knob around, didn't have the playoffs. playoff run they wanted, ended up gunning them. The ducks were an incredible out of nowhere story. They ended up upsetting the Oilers in round one. And the Kings were the Kings. They definitely got in and definitely didn't win around. Sharks, just not quite there yet. Had a busy off season. Cracken are Pablam.

We have no emotions about them. No one wants to play there. And the Flames and Canucks were in the McKenna sweepstakes last year. That was your last year recap. Anaheim, there's been big changes there. The subtraction call-up. is huge. Mason McTavish for picks. John Carlson, the deadline acquisition, gone. He lands in Tampa Bay. Jacob Truba, a leader for that group for a while, gone. Ditto for Radco Gudis, gone.

Young up-and-coming puck moving defenseman, Olin Zellweger, he's off the Buffalo. Tough guy, Jeffer Vial, at a really nice series against Edmonton, he gone. And Ross Johnston, more muscle, he gone. That's a lot of guys that are good at hockey or had big roles on this team that shocked last year. You think? They were disappointed with McTavish. Goudis was Goudis. I like having them on my team, but.

Yeah, it's maybe more the volume than the star power. But yeah, Carlson was great, but he was a rental. That's probably not terribly surprising. They bring in A.J. Greer, Nick Jensen, Laurent Prossois, Jeff Mallat, who played for the Kings. He goes to a different freeway for hockey this year. Troy Terry wasn't on that roster. He's on the team.

He's just injured. Yeah, that's what we'll see on these depth charts. Guys that are dinged up are not showing up in the lines. 92 points last season are projected for 95 and a half. So they still see despite the number of departures, that internal growth of young players helping them get to 95 and a half. The big question around this team, Kata Goce does not have a contract.

He's not eligible for an offer sheet, but he does not have a contract. He just watched his teammate get 18 sheets. He's not holding out. He doesn't have a contract. That's something that needs to get sorted. And Pat Rebeke probably doesn't want to go anywhere near the neighborhood of what the Gocee camp is asking for after a 40 goal-plus season. And very good against soilers in the place.

What a world it is. You sit there if you're Verbeek any other years. We got 155 cap space. We got almost. Love it. We have 16 million in cap space. What do you mean I'm going to have to make a trade to get this guy signed? This is like one player is going to eat that entire cap space.

Chris Crieder also. so I should add to that list. That's the last 24 hours. He's out. And that allows them to get to 15 million. Who has it been stupid camera? Who has it benefited as far as GMs that have played hardball? Like, and I'm in general, I'm generally asking because they're like, the guys that have been proactive, Ottawa, Jeff Sanders, or Sanders, like, right? Like, when it comes out, you're like, what the hell are you doing? But the guys that have had some forward. thinking and signed these kids to long term sure seem to be in a better situation than anyone I can think of off the top of my head. Maybe nobody's played

hardball. And the other thing is in a flat cap universe you can play hardball. That's not the world we live in anymore. Like, they're going to get it. The guys are going to get paid. We'll see, like, what do you pay a 40 goal,

21 year old or whatever goche is? Whatever he wants. Yeah. He doesn't want to sign an Anaheim. Saddle Dome Rizeway place. And he already basically forced a trade on the team that drafted him. Philly, yeah. Cutter's a lot about Cutter and not to say that he shouldn't be. But I think that he's, well, if you can go score 40 and back up, then you can be about cutter.

Yeah. Total. Let's move to the LA Kings across the freeway. This team is older and this team is now missing some legends. Onzee Kopitar is out, former flame Andre, because Menko moves on. Matthew Joseph. Jeff Milot, and then a couple depth pieces also depart. The additions,

well, it's more of the Ken Holland file, older guys that we definitely liked five years ago more than we do today. Eric Holla, Matt Zuckarillo, Corey Perry. Those are not young men. It's time for Quentin Byfield to be a one-see fellas. He's been insulated by

Kopitar and others for a while. They need him now. And Fiala won't be ready for the start of the season, I think I saw. Yeah, he had with the broken leg at the Olympics with Switzerland. Yeah. Kempi's got a new deal. They do add Panarin for a reasonable price.

It was green tree and two picks. They got old in a hurry, didn't they? Kenny Holland's doing in a way. That's what he does. Yeah. And again, it was like, oh, Jordan Spencer, we don't need you. Come on in, Brian Dumlin, Cody Sisi.

And then Spence is in Ottawa and you're like, ooh, that was the young guy they need because you can skate and move the pot. Like that defense, again, what age are you over the hill anymore? I don't know. Doughty 36, C. 32, Dumlin 35, Edmondson 33, Gustafson 34. And then they have the youngster, Brent Clark.

And Brent Clark is 23. So who there, are you like, yeah, that guy can skate? It's a very short list. That is the sluggish decor. Well, they don't want guys going out and partying on the sunset strip, so they got the veterans. All the married guys. They had 90 points last year. The books actually like him this year, 95 and a half.

They did change their coach. Peter Lavillette is back, boy. he replaces DJ Smith, who I believe surfaced as a Mike Babcock assistant. Mike Babcock in Edmonton. They did a fine job in Toronto, so it should work well. San Jose, this team was

geez, everyone's second favorite team it felt like last year. What an incredibly fun, young, high-scoring, can't-miss TV team. Celebrini broke out with well over 100 points in just his second season. They're swimming in prospects like Will Smith, Michael Mesa. Cherna Shavs come over.

Colin Graff, good free agent signing. On the back end, Sam Dickinson, they added three first rounders this year. They're going to be real good. They did subtract some guys over the off season. Eklund gone in that deal with the senators that got them a first rounder. Longtime Shark Mario Ferraro is gone. Deharnay and Brasua, depth pieces are gone,

but they do bring in some grizzled vets on the back end. Truba and Nurse, and Mason Marchman at the forward, and Michael Kesselring, who had a one-year stop in Buffalo, but was never quite right after injury when he came over from Utah in the Peturka deal. Why is always so horny to take down the while? I know. We're just want to look at it. We're just trying to look at it. Ryan's going to.

That likes that people want to see us, and he's sadly mistaken. Sure is. That decor is older. It is bigger and nastier. It is certainly more experienced. And they're going to supplement it with the arrivals of like Verhof and Lynn over the next few years. We already like the forward group. Is the Scar of the number one yet?

I was going to say, right, you kind of talked about the, the patience they had been showing up until it felt like this year. How do you feel about it now that you see the... I worry that they jumped a gun on those defensemen because they aren't short term. What was Truba's deal? Like, you got a ton of though. A lot of money for eight plus or something.

Truba is 8.25 times four. Darnel nurse is still nine and a quarter for four more. years. I guess if you, I. Celebrina's extension will kick in next year.

What is that 18 even? 188. 188. Excuse me. Up from the 975. Yeah. Which is more than that with bonus.

You still love this. Yeah, you do. Sure. Team and how they've put it together. It's whether they, it's whether the Truba nurse get in the way of doing

what they need to do with other guys. Yeah. At the end of those four years that they've got left, you'd expect that's your third pair. And I love that as a third pair. pair. But what are they now and what is Sam Dickinson? I don't love it as a third pair making the money that they're making. No, but what's the cap in four years is probably the only.

You'd rather be three years for sure. I'd agree with that or even two, but they had to do what they had to do to get those guys. There was four years left. No, they didn't, Ryan, that's the point is that you're saying they had. They didn't have to get those guys. I agree. Even one of the two, I'd be much more happy with two of the two of the same thing. Same. I have the same pitch. Orlov's done at the end of this year. He's 35. That's six and a half. And this is the other thing when we talk about you know, getting used to these new numbers, usually getting six and a half million off of your cap.

That's significant. Now it's like less so. It doesn't feel like enough when you're paying one guy 188. Yeah, well, Smith gets 80 points. Yeah, Mesa, Dickinson, Smith, there's going to be big contracts that need to be signed there by a bunch. Well, the plan is if they all project correctly.

The guy we're not talking about that we should is the guy that went to overall and in a lot of draft classes would have been won, and that's I of our Stenberg. Don't be surprised if he has a monster rookie season, and I see him on the third line here. He'll be riding top power pole unit with the other incredibly skilled young forwards they have. Who cares? They're so deep.

No, it's just, like, it's just the embarrassment of riches is all we're commenting on. Like, they have so many good, young forwards. Got Stenberg and who's the big defensive of, oh, my God, brain, come out work. Verhoff. Verhoff. Yeah. Pretty good work there from Mike Griff.

We'll keep moving. The sharks at 86 points last year. They are projected for a huge jump in division up to 94.5. That would put them on that sort of traditional playoff bubble of around 95 points. Obviously, last year is a lot lower in this sad sack division. Seattle last year, blah, this year, blah, changes blah. They get Mackie Samiskevich out of Florida. Good name. It's a good handle.

Jayden Schwartz is out. He goes to the abs. Alexiak, the big tower on the back end, is off to Vancouver. Gilly Tollivan and signed with the Rangers about two weeks ago. Max McCormick, all the best in the next chapter. He's retired. There are guys that are NHLers. There just aren't stars on this team, friends. They're guys.

I mean, Maddie Baneer is a high first rounder. Kako is a high first rounder. Do you feel like, I mean, Shane Wright, as we know, Shane Wright's 22. What, Caco is all, now he's 25. Benares is 23. Do we know what they are as NHLers? Is it like what's for Benares more specifically.

We know what they've been as NHLers and that's whole hum. They've been fine. It's just they're overslaughted. Go try to put these guys on a championship caliber team. Where are you slotting them? Shane writes your 3C. Medi Baneers is a two or three C. Capo Capo Cacca is a third or fourth liner.

Like they aren't stars to build around yet. And maybe they'll never be. Well, that's what I'm asking is I don't know that they will be in Bineers for a while. looked like he might be. He went second overall. Yeah, a guy that's going to pop. And he might look great if you slot him behind a really good number one center. They don't have that here.

But when you draft a guy at second, he's supposed to be. He shouldn't have to. Like you just said with San Jose, Stenberg's going to be awesome. Yeah. That's what the plan for. In back to back years, sorry, retro. They took Benares at two in 2021. They took right at four in 2022.

Neither one of them. Both of them centers. Neither one of them are in a position to be their top line. Hard to predict to predict these, what these kids are going to be, Dean. Yeah. Good scouts. Well, we talked about it with with L.A. Like with Copatar retiring, you need more from your young centerman. That's a guy that went to.

He was never a 1C until the guy ahead of him retired. Then he has 20 goals. He had 24 goals in his first full season. Then 15, last year 20, year before 20. like maybe he's coming 50 points 20 goals last year thing is there and and again i get people see this online it's like these guys are in calgary who are they to this is not a flame but it doesn't feel like there's a lot of talent there not so much to insulate baneers or or but to help those guys yeah as a young center you'd like to have some more capable guys to maybe help out than

frederick goddreau or chandler stevenson yep they have made some big swings and misses too. And the draft picks are what they are fine. But who did they go sign? Was it Stevenson? Chandler Stevenson and Brandon Montour were the same and they're not bad players, but

they did not fit the window for when this team was going to be good because now they're in decline and well past 30. And I guess what difference does it make? Because it's not holding them back from other things. It might stop it from bottoming out. That's about it. Like what they picked, seven or eight last year?

Well, when they picked two and four, it really didn't. Yeah, I like Benneers the most out of that group. And Shane writes the biggest question mark because his camp's been a little wingy about playing time and opportunity and stuff. Maybe he's a change of scenery candidate like we've seen some other guys. They took for just this past draft, they took Chase Reed and that D class. Yeah, that was a nice slide to them, yeah. Okay, we'll keep moving.

Next team up. the team that went to the Stanley Cup final and looked at times like the best team in the playoffs. Vegas Golden Knights last year were a team that left us wanting more for almost the whole year and then they gunned their head coach and brought in

DeBoar, or excuse me, they brought in torts with what is hard to remember. He's gone since. It's another new head coach but they went all the way to the Stanley Cup final and a very difficult Carolina club finally got momentum in their favor and won that thing. 95 points last year won the division.

That's miserable. They're projected for one of three and a half this year. They add Victor Olifson, Parker Witherspoon, Vinnie Heinola, depth defensemen. The departures are more significant. Pavel Dorofaev, huge contract. He's off to the Rangers. They get assets back for that. Kegan Kolosar gone.

Korzak, gone. Akira Schmidt, the backup goalie or third stringer, gone. Cole Smith, gone. Colton Sissons, gone. They have negative $8.66 million in cap space. Alex Petrangelo makes 8.8 million. They'll slide him onto LTIR and have no cap space when the season starts. They do have two firsts next year with the trades they made Dorofaev.

I imagine those are in play because this is the Vegas Golden Knights. Rasmus Anderson did resign there. And that's the 2028 draft just so people, when you say next year. Right, sorry, not this summer the following. Two drafts away from two picks. They have none this year. Bowman signed yesterday, by the way. 23 years old. This is what teams are going to start doing. We think this guy might be better than a $3 million player. Let's lock him in for six years while the cap is skyrocketing and find some value.

How do you feel? Could you just go back to the roster there? Retro, I guess I'm just curious your thoughts when we talk about aging players. They signed Rasmus, as we know, eight and a half million. He's 29. Theodore's 31. Hanifan's 29. Brad McNab is 35.

And all of a sudden, Eichols 29, Marner's 29, Stone 34, Hurtle 32, William Carlson, injured 33. The one young stud they had there was Dorofaea, but they had to move him because they couldn't afford him. It just felt like at some point, maybe this, it's Humpty, don't press up all year. No, it was the last two weeks of the year in the playoffs. They were very disappointing all year and all of a sudden it was like, well, okay. Stone's going to fall off a cliff at some point.

Yeah, I'm concerned about Stone and Carlson and Hurdle. Hurdle did not answer. He called Marner Theodore. Yeah. Stone will fall off a cliff and hurdle was not good when they needed him. Like he wasn't impactful as he. you're expecting a guy for what they gave up to get them. I think their D is fine.

They're not. Just quickly on Stone, it's the last year of that deal paying him nine and a half. Ooh. And this is a cutthroat organization and he's been hurt a ton and he's also there. He'll move into management. I'm fully convinced he's going to move into management and they're going to. Yeah.

Does he have a one year deal left in him? Like their head coach, Ryan Craig was with McCrimmon for years. Was one of those guys. Stone is the same thing. Last note. On the Vegas Golden Knights, goaltending is going to be very curious to watch. Aiden Hill, huge contract,

didn't have the stones to go to him in the playoffs when Carter Hart faltered. Carter Hart was miserable against Utah, outstanding in rounds two and three, and back to more Carter Hart-like behavior in the final in the sense that he looked pretty darn average against Carolina, albeit the team that won the cup.

Is there enough there? Can they get someone to take Aden Hill's deal because they don't have money to spend? What is Hills deal? and a quarter and times five. So they're around 10 for their both goalies, which is normal. 8.25.

Hart, they kind of gave him a show me deal. It's one more year at two million. Yeah. And so less than they don't, they're spent too much of goalies. If you wanted to go say, well, Vegas is the big game hunters and hellibucks out there, there has to be a universe where someone is taking

the money from Aden Hill, right? Like, and I'm not that Helbeck's destined to go there. Or Hill. We always think Vegas is out on a star and they're always in on a star. If they find a way to get Hella Buck in there, they have to move Aden Hills, Mike. Oh. If you're going after Hella Buck, yeah.

Yeah. Anyway, I don't, not seeing that's necessarily front burner or anything. But again, any times the star is out there. Of course, it's Vegas. Right. That's it for the non-Canadian Pacific Division teams. Vegas 95 points last year projected for 103 and a half. We'll get to Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary.

next week here, your odds for the division. Mike Babcock and Mike Babcock's wife decided that Edmonton was the place for Mike Babcock. He's a favor to win the division. Why not with two superstars in their prom? Maybe three, depending on you like Evan Bouchard. Knights defending, they come into plus 190

to win the division and then a cliff. Beyond that, the Kings Ducks, Sharks, Cracking Flames, and Canucks. I might be more bullish on the sharks on that list than anyone out of those bottom six. Retro, I know you were what was your take on the Oilers here?

Because you and I were talking a few weeks ago. Did they, do they scare you? Do you feel like? I think they're going to be good. I don't. I'll say almost, I think exactly what I said was I'm not sure if Babcock's a guy for the job.

Like he's the guy that's going to serve the drink. But regardless, if he stays out of the way, them being refreshed. Yeah. And a better goaltender? Do they have a better gold center? Well, yeah, Freddie Anderson has to be healthy, I guess.

Yeah, if Anderson's healthy, for sure they have a better goal to tender. Anderson was awesome in the playoffs. He's been awesome on every team he's played for, except he's hurt. Yes, yeah. So the injury is the concern. Anderson's ability is wrong to question his health. Health is correct. So they have a better goaltender.

Is he healthy? He's missing camp right now. So when will he be healthy? It doesn't matter. They don't, they're going to make the playoffs. He can come in in December if need be. Now, I'll ask you this. Dean, you're worried about the age of the Vegas Golden Knights? You're worried about the age of the Oilers? Because, like, Eichol and Marner, I'm not worried about with their age. I'm not worried about the ages of Connor and Leon. But all of a sudden, it's like at home late 30s. I don't think Jake Wallman has looked that good. Ryan Eugene Hopkins, another year old, Hyman, another year older. Like, it's not a young team. It's very similar to Vegas in my mind.

I guess why I answer to that, it's maybe kind of backing. I don't. I don't. know. I feel like if they fail at the end of the year, I don't know that we'll look and say, well, they were just too old. I think it'll be so it will be the goal tending or the defensive play. And maybe it'll be because at home is, is 36. You're a purest and your hatred of the Oilers. Thank you, Red. I tried to slide that in. I absolutely understand your passion for your approach. They're a good hockey team. They have a 90 point defenseman. They have 150.2 of them forwards. Like they are, if you could look at it rationally, I would say if I'm the rest of the league, I'm going, oh shit, look out. Like if their power play alone is good.

Hyman? Their favor to win the division for a reason. Yes. But they were that last year too. Well, I was going to say, can you show those odds one more time, Jack? Sorry, I keep, and this time I'm not even going to give you, give you a hard time to take it down because we moved on. But it's been a long time since the Oilers have won a division. if not the Oilers

then who with what we've just said about the Knights, Kings, ducks, and sharks? I only see the sharks in Knights or another huge step forward for the sharks or Vegas is still Vegas and last year was a coaching issue. It's tough to watch Vegas in the playoffs and not think it's a good team.

But to Rets point, a lot of mileage. They play a lot of games in the spring. It can happen as far as injuries. That's the only thing holding the lawyers back from from winning this division. Yeah. Maybe we're sleeping on the docks a little bit. They were very good last year.

They're just so many guys. Yeah.