Pre-Season Power Rankings

During the NHL Season, I will be post weekly power rankings (Every Monday). This is the Pre-Season Power ranking.

1. Bruins: The Bruins are my favorite to win the Cup this coming season. They brought the Blackhawks to a Game 6 in last year Stanley Cup finals and with the addition of Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla; the Bruins are a very dangerous team. The defensive core is led by Zdeno Chara, who is one of the best all-around defensemen in the NHL. In goal, Tuukka Rask is the starter and it will be very difficult to score against this team. This team is posed to compete for the cup for many years with the core in piece.

2. Hawks: The Blackhawks will come into this season with a target on their back. The Defending champions have a very good chance of repeating. They have a very good offensive group that includes Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. The defensive core is led by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford. This team is not only top heavy but they are very deep too with role players that can produce. The question is not if they can make the playoffs again, it’s how deep will they go this season.

3. Penguins: The Penguins will be the top team in the toughest division this year. With the best player, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the forward group, they will be able to score almost at will. Kris Letang is the defensive leader of the group and he could win the Norris Trophy. The main question for the Penguins is which Marc-Andre Fluery they will get; the one who led them to the cup in 2009 or the one who lost his starting job this past playoffs.

4. Kings: The L.A Kings are one of the few teams that could compete for the cup this year. With Jonathan Quick as the starter, and Ben Scrivens as the back-up, they could win the William M. Jennings Trophy. The Kings have a very deep group of centers that include Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter. On the defensive end, the team will be led by Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov. The Kings are a playoff team and with the core of the team locked up for long term contracts, they will be competing for the Stanley Cup for many years to come.

5. Blues: The St. Louis Blues are a team that could challenge the Hawks for the top seed of the Central division. The offensive unit is led by Chris Steward, David Backes, and Alexander Steen. The defensive group is led by Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jay Bouwmeester and they have two goalies that could be starters in net. They have youngsters Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz ready to produce even more and play top 6 minutes. With the offensive unit the blues has, they should have no trouble putting the puck in the net and with that; they should be in the playoffs once again.

6. Red Wings: One of the of most successful NHL franchises in the past 30 years, the Red Wings still has a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup. The offensive group will be led by the magician, Pavel Datsyuk, the pair of Swedes Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Alfredsson. The defensive unit is not like it once was but it will be led by Niklas Kronwall who can dish out some major hits. The goaltending will be led by Jimmy Howard who is a top 10 goalie in the NHL. This team somehow is competing for the cup year in and year out and this season will be no different.

7. Canadiens: The Canadiens surprised many this past season by jumping from 14^th to 2^nd in the Eastern Conference. The team was led by Max Pacioretty and Norris Trophy winner PK Subban. Carey Price is the starter for the team and could also start for team Canada in the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This past summer, they added Danny Briere who will join the top 6 that includes Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Desharnais and Plekanec. The defensive unit is built around PK Subban and Andrei Markov. This team should be in the playoffs come April.

8. Ducks: The Ducks are a team built around two of the best offensive players in the world. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry lead the offensive unit for the Ducks that added Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and a 1^st round pick from the Senators (Bobby Ryan Trade) and resigned the ageless wonder, Teemu Selane who at 43 can still produce and play in his final season. The Ducks have Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth in goal and super prospect John Gibson coming up. The main question for the Ducks is how the defensive unit will fare this season as they do not have a true number 1 defenseman.

9. Rangers: The New York Rangers had the best goalie in the world leading them once again. In the 2012-13 season, the rangers allowed the 3^rd fewest goals in the NHL and they were missing one of their top 4 defenseman (Marc Staal). With Staal returning from an eye injury, the Rangers will have one of the best defensive core in the NHL that includes Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto. The Offensive group will be led by Rick Nash and still RFA Derek Stepan. The Rangers are still a playoff team with a good chance of winning it all.

10. Flyers: The Flyers will be an offensive machine this season. Before this summer, they had one of the best offensive groups in the NHL led by Claude Giroux. Paul Holmgren added Vincent Lecavalier, Ray Emery, and Mark Streit this past offseason. With Streit and Timonen, the defensive groups should also score pretty easily. The main question with the Flyers is will Ray Emery and Steve Mason be enough to keep the put out of their own net. The Flyers are bubble team that should make the playoffs but I don’t think they will go deep with a weak goaltending tandem.

11. Capitals: The Washington Capitals will be built around one of the best players in the world, Alexander Ovechkin. After a horrible start to the lockout season, Ovechkin and the Capitals picked their play up and were able to get the third overall seed in the Eastern Conference. Braden Holtby will be the starting goalie for the team and it has been proven that he is capable of leading a team. The Capitals are in a new, tougher division and it will be difficult for them to be the top seed. That said, they should be in the playoffs as a bottom seed team.

12. Sharks: This might be the last year for the Sharks to make a playoff run. Joe Thorton, Boyle, and most of the core are on their last year of contracts and are on the bad side of 30. The Sharks are still a playoff team that has a solid top 6 that include Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture defenseman turn forward Brent Burns, and always injured Martin Havlat. The Defensive unit is the weakest part of this team but Antti Niemi is a very good goalie who was a Vezina trophy finalist this past season. The Sharks will be in the playoffs this year the major question is how far with they go.

13. Senators: The Senators made the headlines multiple times during this past summer with the departure of long time captain, Daniel Alfredsson and the major trade for Bobby Ryan. The addition of Ryan, the 2^nd overall pick in 2005, will make the Senators a younger team with a good amount of depth. The Senators have made the playoffs the past 2 seasons with the great play of goaltender and American Olympiad hopeful, Craig Anderson and Erik Karlsson. With the addition of Ryan and Macarthur, the Senators are a deep offensive team with a combination of youth and veteran experience and they will be in the playoffs at the end of the season.

14. Oilers: The Oilers are one of the youngest teams in the NHL and their top 6 is one of the best. It is led by three 1^st overall picks; Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakapov as well as 1 round picks Jordan Eberle and Sam Ganger. The addition of David Perron will solidify the top 6 forwards group and move Ales Hemsky down to the 3^rd line. The defense added Andrew Ferance this past summer and it will be led by him and Justin Schultz. Devin Dubynk will be the starter and he will see most of the action. This past season, the Oilers improved and did not finish last in the Western Conference and didn’t get the 1^st overall pick. I feel that this team will improve again and will be in the playoffs this year and they might surprise some teams once playoff hockey is around.

15. Canucks: The Canucks finally ended their goaltending issue by trading Cory Schnieder to the New Jersey Devils at the 2013 Draft for the 9^th overall selection. With Roberto Loungo now the starting goalie for the Canucks, they can finally work on reaching the playoffs. The team will be led by the Sedin Twins, Ryan Kesler and Adam Burrows on offense and Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler on defense. The major question for this team is how new coach John Tortorella’s system work with this skilled team will. They are still a playoff team but I don’t think the team matches the system.

16. Wild: The Minnesota Wild is a team that has a chance to surprise many in that they could win it all this season. With Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Jason Pominville on the first line, they will be able to put the puck into the net. The Wild’s defensive unit is very deep with the emergence of Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon, which includes Norris Trophy Finalist Ryan Suter. The Wild has one of the best prospects system in the league and many of their prospects could be big time contributors this season. The Wild were a bubble team last season and got the 8^th seed but this year they will be in the playoffs.

17. Maple Leafs: Toronto is a team on the rise. They made the playoffs this past season with the great play of Nazim Kadri, Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupal. On defense, they have Dion Phanuef, Cody Franson, and Jake Gardiner. During the summer, they added Jonathan Bernier, who is capable of being a starter in the NHL and David Clarkson, the gritty forward played for New Jersey the year before. They still have to sign Restricted Free Agents Nazim Kadri and Cody Franson who both deserve raises. Once Kadri and Franson are resigned, this team is a very dangerous one and could be in the playoffs once again.

18. Predators: Nashville is a team that is built from the defensive end first. They are led by Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne. Unfortunately for the Predators, they do not have an offensive “go-to” guy and because of this, they have to score by committee. Rookie Filip Forsberg has the potential to become an all-star and an offensive force but that is years away. The defensive unit will improve with the addition of Seth Jones, who has a chance to play top line minutes with Shea Weber. With Rinne in goal, they should be able to keep the goals against to a minimum but the main question is who will lead the offensive unit. Because of this, they will be a bubble team and just miss the playoffs this season.

19. Hurricanes: On paper, the Canes are a one of the better teams in the NHL. They have Eric and Jordan Staal, Alexander Semin, and Jeff Skinner on the offense. With Cam Ward in goal, and the players in the offensive end, they will be a difficult team to play against. The main question for the Hurricane is how the defensive group will fare. This team will have a very difficult time reaching the playoffs but they will be a team that will fight for one of the last playoff spots on the Eastern Conference.

20. Jets: The Jets were a bubble team when in the Southeast division the past few years but with the realignment, it will be harder for them to get close to the playoffs. Moving into the Central division, the Jets will have to face the Blackhawks, Blues and other top western teams. The offensive unit for the Jets will be led by Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler, Evander Kane, and Bryan Little. With a strong, fast offensive unit, the Jets will be able to score a lot of goals but the defensive unit isn’t that deep. It is led by Dustin Byfuglien, Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom. With Ondrej Pavalec in goal, the Jets will have a solid goalie but coming into a new division, they will be just short of making the playoffs this season.

21. Coyotes: The ownership issue is finally over in the desert and the Coyotes can now focus on hockey. The Yotes will be led offensively by Shane Doan, Mike Ribeiro, Mikkel Boedker and Antoine Vermette. On the defensive end, the Coyotes have All-star Keith Yandle and rising star Oliver Ekman-Larsson. With Mike Smith as the starter, they Coyotes will have a solid team that could compete. The major question for the Coyotes is which Mike Smith they will get this year, last years or the 2011/2012 season. Either way, I feel that the Yotes will be just short as the other teams in their division are better and the rise of the Oilers.

22. Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets are a team on the rise. With Ryan Murray joining the defensive core that includes Jack Johnson and reigning Vezina trophy winner, Sergei Bobrovsky, it will difficult to score against this team. The team added Nathan Horton this past summer. During the last season, they added Marian Gaborik and with Horton, they should be able to score a decent number of goals. That said, they will be just short of the playoffs with better teams in the division.

23. Lighting: The Lightning is a very offensive gifted team with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis leading the group. The addition of Jonathan Drouin and Valteri Filppula, the Lightning will be able to put the puck into the net. Even though Tampa will be putting a lot of puts in, the defensive core of the Lightning is not the greatest. The goaltending is questionable and with Victor Hedman as the best defenseman, the lighting will have trouble holding onto leads in games. Because of this weakness, they will not be in the playoffs this season.

24. Stars: The Dallas Stars made headline this past summer by trading for Tyler Seguin. The addition of him with Jamie Benn, the Stars have decided to go into a rebuild. The Stars lost a lot of offensive players this past year with the trades of Jagr, Roy, Morrow, and Ryder at the deadline and the summer trade of Loui Eriksson. With all those top producers for the Stars, it will be difficult for the additions to produce those numbers. The defensive unit is led by Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski. They added Sergei Gonchar this past summer but with no real help coming, the Stars are set to compete for one of the top picks in this year’s prospect draft in June.

25. Islanders: The Islanders finally made the playoffs this past season and they gave the Penguins a scare going six games in the first round. The New York Islanders will be a team led by Jonathan Tavares on the offensive end. They have former All-star Evgeni Nabokov in goal as the starter. During this past offseason, they have not added much except Cal Clutterbuck. The main question for the Islanders is how the defense will fare with the loss of Mark Streit. They will not be in the playoffs this season due to the addition of Washington and Carolina to the division.

26. Devils: The Devils lost its main offensive players, Ilya Kovalchuk due to “retirement,” and David Clarkson to Free Agency. As a team that scored one of the fewest goals this past season, losing both players will hurt the chances of making the playoffs. They added Michael Ryder, Ryane Clowe and Jaromir Jagr through free agency and Cory Schneider through a major draft day trade. Ryder, Clowe and Jagr are nowhere close to the star power that Kovalchuk has and the loss of Clarkson, goals will be very few for the Devils. Because of this, I feel that the Devils will have a hard time reaching the playoffs.

27. Panthers: The Florida Panthers will be on the bottom of the Atlantic Division by the end of the season. With future goalie, Jacob Markstrom still learning the “ropes” in the NHL, the Panthers will struggle to keep the puck out of the net. Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov (2^nd Overall- 2013) will lead the young offensive core. The Defensive core will be led my Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov but with Markstrom in net the panthers will have a lot of goals against. That said, they will be one of the bottom teams in the Atlantic Division and will be fighting for one of the top picks in the 2014 draft.

28. Sabres: The Sabres are in a “rebuilding” phase and because of this, Ryan Miller and Tomas Vanek could be off the roster by the trade deadline. The Sabres will be led by Cody Hodgson, Tyler Ennis, and Drew Stafford on offense. This group has gotten even younger with the possibility of many prospects joining the team this season. On defense, the Sabres have former Calder trophy winner Tyler Myers and top defenseman Christian Erhoff. With the possibility of Vanek, Miller and Stafford being off the roster by the trade deadline, the Sabres will not make the playoffs this season.

29. Avalanche: The Aves won the lottery for the top pick and selected franchise player, Nathan Mackinnon. This team has the offensive tools to be a threat with Matt Duchene, P.A. Parenteau, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly leading the group. The addition of Mackinnon only makes their offensive group even better. The only problem is the defensive unit on the Aves. The only defenseman that had any “star” status is former 1^st overall pick, Erik Johnson who has fallen off the map ever since being traded by the Blues. Because of a weak defensive unit, the Avalanche will be fighting with a few teams to pick in the top 5 once again.

30. Flames: This team is my pick to have the 1^st overall selection in the 2014 draft. They decided to trade most of their veterans and rebuild. They added multiple 1^st round picks in the 2013 draft and selected Sean Monahan, Emile Poirier, and Morgan Klimchuk. Sean Monahan is the only draft pick that has a real shot of making the roster this year. Even with the addition of Monahan, the Flames still have a lot of holes on their teams. Sven Baertschi will be the face of the franchise for years to come and will be relied to produce offensively. The team doesn’t really have a real number goalie and Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman are the only two main names on a weak defensive unit. This team will be on the bottom of Pacific division for a few years and be competing for the 1^st overall selection in the 2014 draft.