NHL: Power Rankings

by Eric Berkenpas

 

Back around October when the NHL was supposed to start, I composed some NHL Power Rankings for who I thought were the best and worst teams in the NHL. Now, almost 2 weeks into the season, my original rankings have changed. This is going to be a list that I will be adjusting as the season progresses. Below are my original rankings from way before the season started:

1. New York Rangers - The addition of Rick Nash to a team who was in line to win the Presidents' trophy last year before a late season struggle, propels the Rangers to my top spot. Let's face it, Nash for Dubinsky is a major upgrade to all the strengths of this team, namely, a disciplined, shot-blocking defense and King Henrik.
2. Los Angeles Kings - Their roster is hardly changed from last year and we all know what they did last year. They will pick up where they left off. There is just too much talent on that team to think otherwise.
3. St. Louis Blues - They would compete with the Devils for one of the least exciting teams in the league but there is no denying the defensive powerhouse that Ken Hitchcock created in St. Louis. Blues fans have a lot to look forward to this season.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - Overall downgrade in the offseason is offset by a 100% healthy Sidney Crosby. Tomas Vokoun will bring solid relief for Marc Andre Fleury so come playoffs, Fleury will be primed and ready, not out of gas. Look for the Penguins to challenge the Rangers for tops in the East.
5. Boston Bruins - No Thomas? No worries. Tuukka Rask has been one of the best backup goalies and will fill in just fine in net. Boston could very well reclaim their dominance in the Eastern Conference.
6. Nashville Predators - Ryan Suter is a big loss, but as long as Shea Weber is still there and Pekka Rinne is in net, this is a very tough team.
7. Vancouver Canucks - Too much drama surrounding Roberto Luongo. This team just seems cursed. They win the Presidents' Trophy two years in a row only to fall short of the Stanley cup in 2011 and get ousted by the 8 seed (granted the eventual Stanley Cup Champs) in 2012. Still, no denying their potency.
8. Detroit Red Wings - Tears for the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom will quickly be wiped away come the start of the season. It is a big perk to have one of the best farm systems in the NHL and bring up guys like Valtteri Filppula. Red Wings will be just fine without the presence of their captain.
9. Chicago Blackhawks - Corey Crawford is the deciding factor this year. The Blackhawks have one of the scariest lineups in the league but lack a strong goaltender. Crawford is going to have to step his game up if the Blackhawks want to challenge for a cup. Still a very good team though.
10. New Jersey Devils - How long can Brodeur dominate the NHL? He proves year in and year out that he is STILL not too old. However, the loss of Zach Parise will not go unnoticed for this New Jersey squad who finished in the middle of the pack in goals scored last year. Kovalchuk and Henrique are going to have to step up.
11. San Jose Sharks - The Sharks had an off season last year. They will come into this season with basically the same team as last year. Expect them to be better than a 7 seed.
12. Philadelphia Flyers - The losses of James Van Riemsdyk, Matt Carle and Jaromir Jagr will show in this transforming Flyers team. Their success this year will hinge on the leadership of their rising superstar Claude Giroux, the play of their emerging young talent in Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Read and the consistency of their $51 million goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov.
13. Minnesota Wild - The biggest story of the offseason found a resting place in Minnesota. Will Zach Parise and Ryan Suter be the answer for the offensively inept Wild? I think it will take a couple years before we see Minnesota challenge the Canucks for the Northwest Division.
14. Buffalo Sabres - Look for Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford to propel the Sabres into the playoffs this year after the loss of Derek Roy. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville are not going to be the only ones scoring goals this year.
15. Phoenix Coyotes - Mike Smith had an outstanding year last year, no doubt. But I do have my doubts that he can save 44 of 45 shots every game again this year. They will be a tough team every game but they lack the talent to compete against the powerhouses in the West.
16. Tampa Bay Lightning - Biggest addition (pun very much intended) was the 6-6 Anders Lindback. The Lightning had no problems scoring goals last year, it was the 278 goals against to lead the league that hurt the Lightning. Lindback will do well to solve that issue. Look for a playoff berth for the Lightning this year.
17. Carolina Hurricanes - One of the most well rounded players in the league, Jordan Staal, will be a great help to this struggling Hurricanes team. They will now have two potent scoring lines and an improved penalty kill in front of an already proven goaltender in Cam Ward.
18. Washington Capitals - They have coaching issues, goalie issues and leadership issues. Alex Ovechkin's attitude holds back his skill and effectiveness. All three of those issues need to be resolved before the Capitals assert themselves once again as a dominant team in the East. The chances of those all being fixed in one year, unlikely.
19. Dallas Stars - The Stars made a pretty good splash in the FA pool in the offseason, acquiring the likes of Derek Roy, Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr. With already young talent in Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson, look for Dallas to make some noise in the West this year.
20. Ottawa Senators - I'm sorry, but I am not a believer in Craig Anderson. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Ben Bishop in goal come the end of the season. Alfredsson can only do it for so much longer and while Karlsson and Spezza are two very skilled players, they don't make up for the lack of completeness and skill on the rest of the team.
21. Edmonton Oilers - I have been waiting for the Oilers to breakout one of these years and it still has not happened. They have some of the best young talent in the league and if they can get consistent goaltending out of Dubnyk, they could really make a strong run at the playoffs this year.
22. Anaheim Ducks - This is a team that has been riding the resilience of Teemu Selanne for too long now. They come in this year with basically the same roster and there is no reason to believe they will be any better than last year.
23. Colorado Avalanche - The emergence of Gabriel Landeskog last year was a huge boost to a team that has not impressed in the last several years. They will be getting a healthy Matt Duchene back which will be a help. But with the loss of Liles on Defense, Colorado is still missing several pieces to become a playoff quality team.
24. Florida Panthers - How did they make the playoffs last year? I am still scratching my head over that. Oh now I remember, they play in the weakest division in the NHL. Jonathan Huberdeau could create some excitement in Florida this year, but this team is not going anywhere.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs - The addition on John-Michael Liles and JVR to this team can only make them better. However, James Reimer is likely not the answer in the net. Kessel and company are not going to be scoring enough goals to counter the amount of pucks they find in the back of their own net.
26. New York Islanders - The other team I have been waiting to see breakout. Amazing young talent is strewn all throughout this lineup. They are a defenseman and a goalie away from becoming competitive in arguably the best division in hockey.
27. Calgary Flames - This is one of those team that no one ever thinks about. At least I don't. And this is for very good reason. They simply are not a good team from top to bottom. That is all I have to say.
28. Winnepeg Jets - There is hope in this lineup. Pavelec has shown signs that he can be a shutdown goalie and with talent like Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, Olli Jokinen, Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien, they could stun some teams this year.
29. Montreal Canadiens - The only positive thing that happened to the Canadiens in the offseason, is they got Markov back from the IR. They are gonna dwell in the cellar again this year.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets - Well, they finished last in the West last year. The Islanders are the only team who can sympathize with them as the Jackets are the other team with the Islanders who get beat up by the rest of their division all year. The loss of Nash is not going to help their case.

Look for updates throughout the year as the season progresses!