Each Pacific Division team’s top breakthrough candidate for the second half of the 2022–23 season

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
Each Pacific Division team’s top breakthrough candidate for the second half of the 2022–23 season
Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the middle of January. In NHL terms, that means we’re gradually drifting through the vast expanse between the celebrations of the holiday season and the chaos of the trade deadline.

Approximately half the league has reached the 40-game mark of the 2022–23 campaign. For all intents and purposes, the first half of the regular season is behind us.

You might call this segment of the season “the dog days.” For some, this part of the year feels the most like a grind. But, for others, it can represent the start of something new.

Here at Daily Faceoff, we’re taking a look at all four divisions — starting with the Pacific and moving east from there — to identify which players are primed to take steps forward between now and April.

Whether they’re young guys looking to make their mark or established players trying to rediscover their top form, these eight Pacific Division players are their teams’ top breakthrough candidates for the second half of the regular season.

All figures in this article are sourced from Natural Stat Trick, except when otherwise stated.

Anaheim Ducks: Max Jones — It remains to be seen when Jones will return from his current injury, which has kept him on the shelf since December 12. The 24-year-old forward has just two goals and five points in 28 games this season but, when healthy, has actually been one of the Ducks’ most efficient shooters. According to Natural Stat Trick, Jones leads all Ducks regulars with 0.9 individual expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. He takes a lot of penalties but he also draws a ton of them. Jones may never live up to his billing as a first-round pick but it stands to reason that he could start scoring at a significantly better clip once he gets back.

Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane — Why in the world did the Flames ever break up the Mangiapane–Backlund–Coleman line? Reunited at last, Calgary’s most reliable two-way unit is humming along once again. Mangiapane scored 35 goals one season ago but has just seven in 40 games this year despite being one of the Flames’ most consistently dangerous forwards in the offensive zone. He’s had his struggles — pretty much everyone on the Flames has — but things are trending in the right direction now that he’s back with his old linemates. If Calgary has a strong second half, expect the Mangiapane line to play a big part.

Edmonton Oilers: Jesse Puljujarvi — Seemingly a perpetual inclusion on lists like these, Puljujarvi might need to get out of Edmonton before he can turn into a consistently impactful NHL forward. But … even now, good things still tend to happen whenever Puljujarvi is on the ice. He ranks sixth on the Oilers with 5.3 individual expected goals during 5-on-5 play. With Puljujarvi on the ice (even without McDavid out there with him), the Oilers have consistently dominated their opponents. Puljujarvi has just nine points in 41 games, but there’s a very real chance his output could increase significantly by the end of the season.

Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield — The 2020 No. 2 pick still has a lot of runway to figure things out at the NHL level. The Kings are pretty good, too, so he should have plenty of support along the way. Byfield is back in the NHL after a strong AHL stint with the Ontario Reign this year (nine goals and 15 points in 16 games) but he certainly hasn’t acquitted himself at the top level to the same extent as the likes of Tim Stützle, Lucas Raymond, or even Alexis Lafrenière. The good news: Byfield has averaged more than 15 minutes over his last three games and has fared relatively well at both ends of the ice.

San Jose Sharks: Steven Lorentz — The Sharks are a difficult team to get a handle on. They’re bad — very bad, even — but they score a lot of goals and have generally been competitive in games. You could say the entire team is poised to have a slightly better second half. But from an individual standpoint, pretty much every skater is contributing as expected (or better), especially Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl. So we’ll go with Lorentz, one of the main pieces recouped in the Brent Burns trade and the sufferer of a perilously low on-ice shooting percentage to start the season. Lorentz probably isn’t much more than a bottom-six center at best, but he’s been a solid chance generator during his Sharks tenure.

Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz — It feels a little weird to put a guy who has nine goals and 22 points in 37 games on this list, but Schwartz is due to have a much more successful second half with the Kraken. The wily vet has fallen victim to the percentages a little bit this year, with the Kraken being outscored 30–21 during his 5-on-5 shifts despite consistently outshooting and outchancing their opponents. Schwartz remains stuck at just one 5-on-5 goal all season long (he’s amassed more than five individual expected goals). Seattle has been one of the NHL’s best stories this season and could become even better if the luck starts to turn in Schwartz’s favor.

Vancouver Canucks: Conor Garland — After an up-and-down adjustment year with the Canucks in 2021–22, Garland has taken another step back to start this season and is currently on pace for just under 40 points. But the 26-year-old winger remains one of Vancouver’s best volume shooters and just hasn’t been able to get the bounces to go his way this year. Garland undoubtedly hasn’t been the best fit with Bruce Boudreau in Vancouver but he should be able to heat up in the second half and reach 12-15 goals, at the very least. Any more than that would be gravy.

Vegas Golden Knights: William Karlsson — The Golden Knights are all but certain to return to the playoffs this year after a disappointing (and injury-plagued) 2021–22 season. They’re firing on all cylinders right now and are currently on pace to surpass the 100-point threshold for the first time since 2017–18. It’s hard to pick somebody from such a successful team for a list like this. But Karlsson comes somewhat close to fitting the bill, with just seven goals in 42 games this season despite being on pace for the third 50-point campaign of his career. Karlsson ranks third on the Golden Knights with 6.91 individual expected goals at 5-on-5 but his output has been hampered by a middling 7.47 on-ice shooting percentage.

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