Screen Shots: The Worst NHL Division, Canucks' Tyler Myers, And Remembering Jim 'Boomer' Gordon

The NHL's trade deadline season and playoff push are already underway, giving us lots to discuss in the hockey world.

In this edition of Screen Shots, in which we tackle three hockey topics in shorter segments, we're focusing on a terrible loss for the hockey community, as well as what the NHL's weakest division is doing to the playoff race and the potential trade of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers.

Let's get to it.

The Pacific Division has been one of the weaker divisions in the NHL for a few years now, and it sticks out like a sore thumb this season.

If they were in any other division, the Pacific-leading Vegas Golden Knights would be a wild-card team.

If the other seven Pacific teams were in the Eastern Conference, they would all be at least four points out of the final wild-card position.

The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers are second and third in the Pacific, respectively, and they have a combined road record of 26-28-6. Anaheim has a minus-9 goal differential, and Edmonton is only plus-3 with more losses in regulation and overtime combined than wins. These are not consistently good teams.

The Los Angeles Kings sit fifth in the Pacific, and they almost certainly will make a strong push to qualify for the post-season even though they have one fewer point than the last-place team in the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers.

A weak division leaves the door open for Los Angeles, as well as for teams that didn't make the playoffs last year – the Ducks and the Seattle Kraken in particular – to somehow squeeze their way into the playoffs. The Kraken sit 19th in the NHL, by the way.

Regardless, the Pacific will be worth monitoring in the next couple of weeks. This group of teams just isn't intimidating at the moment, and Pacific team GMs have to figure out how to improve in a hurry. That's why Pacific teams could mostly be buyers by the March 6 NHL trade deadline.

In other trade speculation, the Vancouver Canucks held out defenseman Tyler Myers from their 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday for what is reported to be trade-related reasons.

Myers is a well-respected veteran in Vancouver's dressing room, and the 36-year-old doesn't have to accept a trade, as he's got a full no-movement clause in his current contract.

But the Canucks are last in the NHL. Any trade would put Myers on a more competitive team.

Myers is signed through next season at a $3-million cap hit, and he can still give a team 20 minutes per game. He's only got eight points in 57 games this season, but he has 91 blocked shots and 65 hits. A 17-season veteran would ideally have more than 61 games of playoff experience, but that's not entirely Myers' fault.

And if Myers gets the Canucks an upper-tier draft pick or a promising prospect, he would leave a pretty respectable legacy in Vancouver. Myers has been a solid veteran through some difficult years on the teams he's played on. And on an above-average squad, he could be well worth the considerable price the Canucks are going to demand for him in any trade.

We want to pay our respects to the family and friends of SiriusXM radio personality Jim 'Boomer' Gordon, who passed away Monday at age 55 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

In addition to his many years on the NHL Network Radio channel, Boomer was a co-host of The Hockey News Radio Show with this writer, and it's not an exaggeration to say he was always a joy to be around.

In a business where some people talk about hockey as if it's some type of burden, Boomer talked about the game as if he were the fortunate one.

And like every pundit worth their weight, he never needed every fan or media member to agree with each and every opinion he had. He'd give you a knowing wink or a sly smile to let you know that he just appreciated being part of the hockey community in his own distinct ways. And you were always smarter for having spent time with him.

Sometimes you don't get to say goodbye to people who've been memorable in your life, and that's certainly true with Boomer. Our thoughts are with those close to him. And hockey won't be quite the same without him giving us his insights.

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