NHL Power Rankings- Week 4

* Note: This post was done before Saturday October 26th. 

San Jose: San Jose is the best team in the early part of this season. Neimi looks like the Vezina candidate of last season and the Shark’s defense is limiting chances against. They have gotten points in 9 of 10 games and are tied for 2^nd most in the NHL. The Goal Differential is also a huge plus for the Sharks at +23, the highest in the NHL.

Penguins: Sidney Crosby is on an insane start of the season having 18 points in 10 games and looks like to be the early favorite for the Art Ross Trophy. Marc-Andre Fluery has returned to his winning ways as he has played well during the early part of this season. With the return of former Norris Trophy Candidate, Kris Letang the Penguins will be a very dangerous team going forward.

Chicago: Before Thursday’s game against Tampa, the Hawks were only able to put up about 3 goals. With that in mind, the Hawks only have 1 regulation loss. This team is too good with players such as Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Sharp to only be average 3 goals a game. They will eventually start scoring more goals.

St. Louis: Since the last rankings, the Blues have had a very difficult schedule playing the Sharks, Hawks, Jets and Canucks. They were able to get points in 3 of the 4 games but only won 1 game. They are still one of the best teams in the West despite losing to a shootout in Winnipeg.

Colorado: With a league best record, Colorado continues to get points against very tough teams. Through 10 games, the combo of Varlamov and J.S. Giguere has the lowest GAA at 1.40. Many questioned the defensive ability of Colorado going into this season and right now, they have played very good defensive hockey. Patrick Roy is a good candidate for Coach of the Year.

Boston: Having won 4 straight games, the Boston Bruins are playing very good hockey. They have a +14 goal differential and the top line of Lucic, Krejci and Iginla is starting to click. The loss of Eriksson to Concussion puts a hole on their 2^nd line but the Bruins should be fine and will continue to win until Eriksson returns.

Phoenix: The Yotes have played really good hockey and have been keeping pace with the difficult Pacific division. Despite the 7-4 loss to the Kings, the Coyotes have won most of their previous games and have scored about 4 goals a game. Also Goalie Mike Smith scored a goal; that helps too when your goalie can score.

Toronto: Comeback player of the year, Mason Raymond has contributed with solid secondary scoring while David Clarkson was serving his 10 game suspension. Now with Clarkson back, the Leafs will be a very dangerous team with a very good top 6 and some depth players that can help with scoring.

Ducks: The Ducks had 7 straight wins before losing to Toronto and Montreal earlier this week. They have won on great 5 on 5 hockey. The problem is that the team’s power play is one of the worst in the NHL. With players such as Getzlaf, Perry, Selanne and other, the power play shouldn’t be at the bottom of the league. If they can’t fix this, the Ducks might fall out of the playoff picture.

Los Angeles: The Kings has struggled as a team to play consistent hockey this year. They have alternated wins and losses for the past 2 weeks. They still have a solid top 6 led by Kopitar and Brown and Jonathan Quick is still one of the best goalies in the NHL. The Kings will find their way and return to their winning ways.

Vancouver: The Canucks have had a weird season. They have gotten wins but they haven’t played that well. The scored on themselves against the Canadiens and since that game, they have won 5 of 7, most of them in OT or S/O. This team has a very good top 6 and should be able to win games once Burrows returns from injury.

Montreal: Montreal has played well enough to still be in playoff position. They beat Winnipeg, Columbus, and the Duck but lost to Nashville, Edmonton, and San Jose. If they continue to play like this, it might be difficult for them to reach the playoffs. Carey Price will need to improve his play if they want to make it to the playoffs.

Nashville: With Pekka Rinne out for a month, it will be difficult for the Predators to make the playoffs. Seth Jones has proven he can play top minutes in the NHL and against high skilled guys. The Predators will need great goaltending from Carter Hutton and Magnus Hellberg if they will to stay afloat while Rinne is recovering from his injury.

Detroit: The Detroit Red Wings have hovered around .500 hockey this season and may continue to do so. They have some question on defense with the absence of Niklas Lindstrom who left 2 seasons ago. They should still make the playoffs by the end of the season but this could be an end of a dynasty.

Minnesota: After losing 3 straight on the road, the Wild were able to win against Nashville, Carolina and Chicago. With the injury to Jonas Brodin, the defensive unit will face more challenges. The Offensive unit led by Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu will have to keep scoring if they wish to continue their winning ways.

Columbus: After losing 4 straight against “playoff teams,” the Columbus Blue Jackets have beaten Vancouver, New Jersey, and Toronto averaging 4 goals a game and only letting in at most 2. Sergei Bobrovsky will have to continue is outstanding play if they wish to continue winning.

Carolina: Losing Cam Ward to injury will hurt the Hurricanes chances of winning games. With Ward out, Skinner, Pitkanen, and Khudobin are all injured. With so many key pieces out with injuries, it will be difficult for them to win games.

Ottawa: The Senators has struggled a bit losing 3 of their last 4. Craig Anderson will have to improve his play if the Senators want to make the playoffs. Robin Lehner might see more starts with the struggles Anderson is having.

New York Islanders: The Islanders have been playing .500 hockey these past few weeks and lost 3 of their last 4. They will continue to struggle with Nabokov letting more than 4 goals a game in those last 4 games.

Calgary: The Flames have returned back to normal as they have lost 4 of six these past 2 weeks. Karri Ramo and Joey MacDonald have both struggled and have GAA over 3 and SV% under .900. With both goalies struggling, the Flames will continue to see their way to the bottom of the standings.

Dallas: The Stars are playing .500 hockey and they have lost most of their last games played. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have led the offense both with 12 points. Kari Lehtonen has played well this season but only has 4 wins in 7 games but is injured. Dan Ellis and Jack Campbell have struggled leading to the multiple losses for the Stars.

Winnipeg: Ondrej Pavalec has struggled this season with a GAA over 2.5 and a SV% under .910. With only 4 wins in 12 games played, the Jets will only go as far as he carries them. The offense has been decent and the team has had goaltending and defensive issues.

Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin is on an scoring goals left and right. He has scored 10 goals in 11 games. The problem with the Capitals is that Braden Holtby has struggled and is unable to make easy stops. The Capitals should be one of the top teams in the Metropolitan division but due to Holtby’s struggles, they are not.

Florida: The Panthers have not played well and they have also had injury problems. Starting goalie, Tim Thomas is injured and it looks like Jacob Markstrom looks like he isn’t ready for full time NHL duties. Until Thomas returns, it looks like the Panthers will be an easy team to beat.

Tampa: Stamkos (18 points) and St. Louis(14) are leading this team offensively. Defensively, they have struggled and Ben Bishop has played alright but has enough offensive support to win games as he has let in more than 2 goals in the past 3 games.

Edmonton: Devin Dubnyk has struggled and is like swiss cheese. He has let in a lot of goals and the Oilers are not playing good defensive hockey. With Taylor Hall out for a few more weeks, the offense might struggle but they should be fine with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, David Perron, Jordan Eberle, and Nail Yakapov.

New Jersey: They finally got their 1^st win of the season when the beat the Rangers 4-0 last Saturday. They play Boston tonight and other than that 1^st win, they have struggled. Cory Schneider is out so Brodeur will have to play great to make sure they win some games.

New York Rangers: The Rangers have played pretty bad during this 9 game road trip. They have lsot against teams they could of beaten and they end their trip against a good Detroit Team. With Lundqvist injured, they will have to rely on rookie Cam Talbot with Martin Biron retiring.

Buffalo: The Young Sabres team has struggled and have lost most of their previous games. If they continue to lose, it looks like they will make a move to acquire more draft picks to improve their future.

Philadelphia: The Flyers have struggled this season but were able to beat the Rangers on Thursday. They play the Islanders tonight and they will need Claude Giroux to step his game up and start scoring some points if they wish to remove themselves from the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. 

Power Rankings Week 2

With the season well underway, its time to do power rankings for each team. I will be doing them every 2 weeks and will have a description of the teams play for the past 2 weeks.

1.   San Jose: This is the best team in the NHL right now. The sharks are three teams that are still undefeated and they have played great hockey in their 5 games. The sharks have not allowed more than 2 goals in any of their games and in their last 4 games; they have scored 4 or more and scored 9 against the Rangers on October 8^th.

2.   Penguins: With Sidney Crosby leading the Penguins and Marc-Andre Fluery back in form, the Penguins are a team that could play great defense and put the puck in the net. They have scored more than 3 goals in all 5 games and lost only 1 game. This has happened without one of their best goal scorers, James Neal. Once Neal returns, this team will be very dangerous. 

3.   Colorado: Who would of thought that the Colorado Avalanche being 1 of the 3 teams still undefeated. The team with the 1^st overall pick in the 2013 Entry Level draft, and new youth, this team has played extremely well. They have beaten the Ducks 6-1, shutout my Stanley Cup champions, Boston 2-0 and beat the Capitals 5-1.

4.   St. Louis: The Blues are the 3^rd team that is still undefeated (Sharks and Aves). The difference is that the Blues have only played 4 games compared to 5. That still doesn’t change the fact that the Blues are one of the top teams in the league so far. They have defeated the Blackhawks in a very close playoff type game and then beat the Rangers a few days later. They have yet to play on the road but with the defensive depth they have, that shouldn’t be a problem.

5.  Calgary: Another surprising team in the early part of the season, the Flames have yet to have a regulation lost. All their games have been 1 goal decisions and they have scored more goals than thought. Sean Monahan, the flames 1^st round pick in the 2013 draft has played well and proved that he belongs in the NHL.

6.   Boston: The Bruins has played well in the past few weeks. They have defeated Tampa, Detroit and Columbus. Most of the top 6 has produced but the line of Bergeron, Marchand and Eriksson still has to produce and started to do so against the Blue Jackets. One that line gets going, the Bruins will be a very difficult team to contain and play against.

7.   Toronto: Toronto is tied for the most points in the NHL and the addition of Jonathan Bernier has been huge for the team. He has solidified his position as the starting goalie and has Joffrey Lupul and James Van Riemsdyk leading the team in goals scored (5). The addition of Mason Raymond, who was on a PTO, has added some depth scoring and the defensive unit has played well to start the season.

8.   Ducks: Since losing to the Avalanche in the 1^st game of the season, the Ducks have won 4 straight games. The play of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry has been good and the team’s depth has helped in the scoring. They shutout the Rangers in a 6-0 rout and the also beat one of the better eastern conference teams, the Senators yesterday 4-1.

9.   Chicago: The defending champs haven’t had a “Stanley Cup Hangover” as they have won 3 of their first 5 games and have gotten points in 4 of 5 games. The Hawks lost to the Blues in regulation and to Tampa in a shootout but has been able to score more than 3 in almost all their games. The Hawks will continue to win games and should be one of the favorites by season end.

10. Los Angeles: The Kings are 4-2 in their 6 games but they haven’t really played any good teams yet. They lost to Winnipeg and to the Rangers in their home opener due to a fluke goal allowed. After their loss to the Rangers, the Kings have won 3 straight and their play will improve and so should the wins.

11. Phoenix: The Coyotes have started the season on a very strong note. They lost 2 of their first 3 but have won 3 straight and against some good teams. Radim Vrbata has started well and recorded a hat trick in the Coyotes first game of the season and Mike Smith has played very well. If this play continues, the Coyotes might surprise teams and make the playoffs.

12. Winnipeg: After six games, the Jets are a .500 team and they will probably stay around this number for the rest of the season. They will be a bubble team for most of the season and will have trouble making the playoffs. They started the season well beating the struggling Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings but since then, they have lost 3 of 4.

13. Vancouver: With John Tortorella as the new head coach for the Canucks, the start of their season has been a mixture of ups and downs. They started well, winning 4 of their 1^st 5 games but since then, they have lost 4-1 to both San Jose and Montreal. The loss to Montreal was even worse as they scored on themselves on the power play.

14. Detroit: The Red Wings are in the same situation as the Canucks as the start of their season has had some mix results. They started well, winning their 1^st two games but lost against the Bruins and Phoenix. They beat the flyers on Saturday and their play has to improve if they wish to make the playoffs for another season. 

15. Montreal: Some shaky goaltending at the start of the season but after going 1-2, the Montreal Canadiens have played better and have won 2 in a row. The play of Carey Price has improved and he has allowed only 1 in the last 40 shots. Price is the back-bone for this team and if he can continue this strong play, they will be in the playoffs once again.

16. Minnesota: Minnesota has started slowly losing their first 2 games but have won 3 straight with the strong play of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. The Wild’s goaltending has been shaky and with the injury to Nicklas Backstrom, Josh Harding will be the starter for the time being. This team should be in the playoffs as they have a very good top 6 forwards and a young but good defensive group.

17. Columbus: The Blue Jackets have only played 4 games and they start the season at .500. Bobrovsky has played well enough to keep his team in the games so far but there has been no offensive support by the Blue Jackets. They have scored 11 goals and allowed 10. If the Blue Jackets want to make the playoffs, they will need more from players such as Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov.

18. Carolina: The Hurricanes might have the most difficult start of the season as they have played against the Red Wings, Penguins, Capitals and Kings in 4 of their first 6 games. They have won 2 games against the struggling Flyers and Capitals but have lost against teams that will be in the playoffs. This trend might continue due to other teams just being better than them.

19. Ottawa: The Senators started the season with a 1-0 win over Buffalo but since then, they have lost 4 straight. Goaltending has been the issue for the Senators as Craig Anderson has started the season a bit shaky after his amazing season last year. The Senators have too many options at forward to be unable to score and this bad start will end soon.

20. New York Islanders: The Islanders have started well this season going 2-2-1 but they have lost 2 straight. This team will go as far as Jonny Tavares will take them and right now he hasn’t really produced. If he can regain is MVP nominated form, the Islanders can be a playoff team come April.

21. Dallas: With only four games played, the Stars have been a .500 team. The addition of Seguin paid off during the Winnipeg game as he had 2 goals and 2 assist that game. The others on that team need to step up if they wish to return to the playoffs in April.

22. Florida: Still in a rebuilding phase, the Panthers will have to live with the “growing pains” of a young team. The Panthers were able to start off well with a win against Dallas but lost 3 straight. They were able to defeat the Penguins 6-3 but were then shutout by the kings two days later. The young team will probably be in the same position as last year with a high draft pick.

23. Tampa: With Steven Stamkos leading the offense, the Lightning will be able to score plenty of goals. This was the case last Thursday when the Lightning defeated the Panthers 7-2 and Stamkos had a hat trick. The Lightning will need Stamkos and St. Louis to continue their offensive surge if they wish to return to the playoffs. The defense and goaltending of the Lightning will struggle and because of that, they will be at the bottom of the pack.

24. Nashville: Nashville has played well during the first 5 games but has little to show for it. They won 2 games but most of the games have been close (both 3-2 wins). This is another team that will have trouble scoring as they don’t have a pure offensive player. Forsberg is still young and has the potential to be that type of player. The Predators will need to rely on Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber to keep them in games.

25. Edmonton: The Oilers have struggled to start the season and it’s because of their goaltending. Devin Dubnyk has been a different player from last year. Through four games played, Dubnyk has a .829 SV% and a 5.43 GAA. The office talent is there with RNH, Hall, Eberle and others but the defensive unit is weak and the bad start by Dubnyk had the Oilers struggling.

26. New Jersey: The only team in the NHL without a regulation wins; the Devils still have more points than most teams in the NHL. With the loss of Kovalchuk and Parise, the Devils will have a hard time scoring goals. Cory Schneider and Martin Broduer will have to play outstanding to keep the Devils in games.

27. Capitals: The Capitals have struggled and it has to do with goaltending and defense. Braden Holtby has struggled and the Capitals defense hasn’t played their best. Alexander Ovechkin will continue to score but the Capitals will only go as far as their goalies. That said, they had been able to get some points but only has 1 point in 5 games played. In the tough Metropolitan division, points will be hard to come by.

28. New York Rangers: The Rangers were a team who could contend for the Stanley Cup but their start of the season is one to forget. With new coach, Alian Vigneault, the Rangers have to learn a new system and that could be a reason for the slow start. The Rangers have been horrible the first 5 games with a 9-2 loss to the Sharks and a 6-0 loss to the Ducks. The loss of Rick Nash to a concussion doesn’t help but the defensive unit has been horrible and needs to improve.

29. Buffalo: The Sabres are a team that is in a rebuild phase. The start of the season has been bad for the team and they have yet to win a game in regulation. This team is still young and will make mistakes but the goaltending has also been shaky to start the season.

30. Philadelphia: The Flyers started the season without a win until their 4^th game. After the firing of Peter Laviolette, the Flyers beat the Panthers but have lost 2 games since then. They have not played well this season and with the talent they have, they should have more points. 

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.