Trouble is brewing in the Pacific Division as the Golden Knights and Ducks were listed as the two most improved NHL teams, per NHL insider Matt Larkin. Some of the Edmonton Oilers' toughest competitors made strides this offseason. <a href='https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/5-nhl-teams-most-improved-2025-26-ducks-hurricanes-canadiens-mammoth-golden-knights' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin recently listed his top five NHL teams that upgraded</a> the most, and the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights, Pacific Division foes of the Oilers, Flames, and Canucks, made the list. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1958154941920596270'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Vegas was already among the league's elite, having won the Pacific Division crown last season, but after falling to Edmonton in the second round, general manager Kelly McCrimmon wasn't afraid to retool. The Golden Knights made a huge splash inking Mitch Marner to a sign-and-trade with Toronto, signing him to eight years at $12 million per year. They also inked centre Colton Sissons for depth and defenceman Jeremy Lauzon for size. Despite the departures of Nicolas Roy and Alex Pietrangelo, Larkin still believes Vegas will be a contender. Shouldn't the prognosis be rather grim for Vegas, then? No. Not when you've added Marner, who is coming off a 102-point season. He's one of the best playmakers in the NHL, he's a two-time first-team all-star, and in the past five seasons, he's seventh in league-wide scoring and first in takeaways. He also lands in an environment perfectly suited to remedy his problems performing under pressure in the playoffs: a Sun Belt team full of players who won a Stanley Cup in 2022-23. The Golden Knights were already a division champion last season, and now they add a Hall-of-Fame-grade forward to the mix. The entire Western Conference should be afraid. Anaheim, on the other hand, has been knocking on the door of progress for several years and responded by making some bold moves. Bringing in three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville set the tone, and adding Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund brought in experienced winners. General manager Pat Verbeek also parted ways with John Gibson and Trevor Zegras, which was a sign of a new beginning. It feels like they're ready to push for their first playoff berth since 2017-18, Larkin wrote The Zegras era has mercifully ended. Free-agent signing Granlund brings all-situations versatility and the ability to play any forward position. Kreider is just a season removed from scoring 39 goalshe's a decent bet to bounce back even at 34. (Quenneville's) one of the best ever when he's behind the bench. His presence should help the Ducks achieve some semblance of the defensive discipline they need to become a Wild Card team. <h3>The Winnipeg Jets Will Have to Deal With an Improved Utah Mammoth Team</h3> Top 5 most improved teams: - Anaheim Ducks - Carolina Hurricanes - Montreal Canadiens - Utah Mammoth - Vegas Golden Knights <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/MLarkinHockey/status/1957822362432467007'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Even San Jose improved, adding veterans Jeff Skinner and John Klingberg to guide a promising young core featuring Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Yaroslav Askarov. Larkin suggests, however, that those additions might be short-term pieces. For Edmonton and the others in the division, the message is clear: the <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/news/flames-dustin-wolf-puts-oilers-canucks-and-jets-on-notice-with-latest-comments' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Pacific Division is getting tougher</a>, and teams will need to stay sharp if they want to hold their ground against improving rivals.