Pacific Division Rankings During the All-Star Break: Where the Golden Knights Stand

Vegas Golden Knights fans, it's time to take a breather. The All-Star Break is upon us and we can finally relax. It was a chaotic start to the season, with plenty of news stories floating around. But we made it.

With that, where do the Golden Knights stand in the Pacific Division? How can they fend off the red-hot Edmonton Oilers? How will the returning players change the Vegas Golden Knights for the better?

Of course, these are things we'll need to explore. However, we're doing this a little bit differently from the last list. We're not counting the bottom three teams (sayonara, San Jose!), so let's look at the best teams in the Pacific right now!

1. Vancouver Canucks

Newly acquired Elias Lindholm is expected to boost Vancouver on both ends of the ice. The former Flames center can be inserted on the first line, bringing his 200-foot game to British Columbia. On top of that, he's great on special teams, specifically in the penalty kill (Vancouver is tied for 16th in penalties killed with 120, and tied for 15th in penalty kill percentage at 80%).

As for the Canucks themselves, they'll be tested coming out of the All-Star Break. We're talking about facing five teams currently in playoff positioning out of the first seven games back. Lindholm, along with the first-place 'Nucks, will have to put together complete games coming back. Otherwise, they have to deal with Vegas and Edmonton on their young tails.

3. Vegas Golden Knights

*Grabs microphone*

Finally! The Vegas GOLDEN KNIGHTS are getting key players back!

First, it was Adin Hill against the New York Islanders. Now, it's the aforementioned Karlsson that's expected to return against Edmonton on February 6. You also have Shea Theodore eyeing a return in mid-February and Jack Eichel not far behind.

Last season, the Golden Knights went on a terrific run, en route to their first Stanley Cup. It was sparked by returning players, namely Mark Stone. If Vegas can get that same spark heading down the stretch, there's no reason why they can't repeat as the champs.

4. Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have fallen off a cliff. They've won three of their last 17, pushing them to the brink of being out of the playoff picture altogether. In fact, things have gotten so bad that they've fired their head coach, Todd McClellan.

A major part of their slump was their offensive dry spell. Averaging 2.35 goals in their last 17 games, Los Angeles hasn't gotten anything going. The Kings could've used the likes of Elias Lindholm, where they could add more offensive depth to provide a spark. They'll need to make a big move at the trade deadline to get more scoring.

5. Seattle Kraken

After going on a nine-game winning streak, the Seattle Kraken are 2-5-1 after the fact. They came off a hard stretch out east, where they lost to the likes of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Kraken head back east for a "part deux" of their New York adventures, facing off against the Islanders and going south to New Jersey. In fact, four of their first six games out of the break are against teams currently in the playoff standings. If Seattle's serious about another playoff run, they'll need to step up against the competition.