Post by Beans (BOS) on Aug 10, 2016 11:32:13 GMT -5
Current Ranking | Team | Comments |
1 | Ottawa Senators | The defending champs have been lights-out all season and they got even stronger at the deadline. GM Robott addressed the only weakness on the team by adding Freddy Andersen and, for fun, the Sens also added young forward Mark Scheifele. The only thing that can stop the Sens now is the weight of expectation. |
2 | New York Islanders | Likely the only team that can match up with Ottawa (on paper), the Isles pulled off the single biggest blockbuster when they added sniper Jeff Skinner from the 'Canes. Skinner has had a so-so season thus far (36 points in 57 games) but he's never had the opportunity he's going to get now in Brooklyn - he'll likely be playing wing for Tavares or Barzal. |
3 | St. Louis Blues | For a while at the beginning of the season, it looked like the days of domination were over for the iBlues. Led by Tarasenko (25 goals) and Schwartz (52 points), the iBlues have recaptured 1st in the West. Youngster Laurent Dauphin has been a pleasant surprise, finally establishing himself as the offensive threat he was billed as (30 points in 42 games). |
4 | Vancouver Canucks | Kurt's iCanucks continue to climb the iNHL ranks: from bottom feeder to surprise playoff participant to iNHL elite. The key to success is pretty straightforward, too, with centers Evgeni Malkin and Leon Draisaitl performing at better than a PPG combined with one of the league's top-3 D in Vannelli, Subban, and Nurse. To top it off, Corey Crawford is probably going to win the Vezina in a landslide. |
5 | Buffalo Sabres | The rise of the iSabres this season was swift and mirrors the rise of young superstars Jack Eichel, Patrik Laine, Sam Reinhart, and Jonathan Drouin. The offseason additions of Duncan Keith, Matt Dumba and Joonas Jalavanti have been equally critical and, like the iSenators, the iSabres have no obvious weaknesses: Milan Lucic is a bottom-6 winger for them, they have 7 legit NHL D and a great mix of current and future stars, and they have two top goaltenders in Quick and Gilles. A well-managed group, the iSabres will be a threat for a long time. |
6 | Philadelphia Flyers | After flirting with a rebuild at the deadline, the iFlyers more or less stayed pat. They're built for the playoffs in terms of their personnel so if they make it to the dance then watch out. Getting Tuukka Rask and Brock Nelson back from injury will be a big boost too. But what is really shocking about these Flyers? RD David Savard is tied for the team lead in points (52 - same as Claude Giroux and 2 more than Jakub Voracek). |
7 | Pittsburgh Penguins | This is the Crosby, Letang and MA Fleury show. 36 wins for Fleury. Crosby (88 points) has twice as many points as every player on the team not named Letang (60 points). In fact, double third place and add 10 points and you still only equal Crosby. Looking at the entire league, Crosby is 1st in assists and points and 7th in goals scored - he has 15 points more than 2nd place (Tavares - 73 points). |
8 | Boston Bruins | At the deadline the iBruins added depth on the wings (77 combined points for Loui Eriksson and Joel Ward) and defense (Nikita Zadorov - best possession D in Dallas this season) and also moved up in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the 2018 draft while adding 3 new 3rd round picks. But they had to sacrifice Mark Scheifele (to their arch rival) and their first pick (to a division rival) to do it. The big gamble here is on older veterans and whether they can push Boston over the top during the playoffs (if they make it); the bevvy of prospects in the system likely offsets the loss of the 1st round pick. |
9 | Colorado Avalanche | One of the biggest surprises of the 2017-18 season, the iAvalanche have been uncharacteristically quiet of late. No deadline moves to speak of and few changes to their lines. If not carefully managed, this is a team that could squander its strong start to the season. They could just as easily win the West though. |
10 | Calgary Flames | GM Joe must be commended for incrementally improving the iFlames each season while keeping them in contention. Last season he swooped in and picked up Elias Lindholm (3rd in team scoring with 44 points, behind only Gaudreau (67 points and Monahan (54 points)) and this season he bolstered his D by adding veteran Alex Edler, who will fit into a nice 6-man unit with Brent Seabrook (upon his return), Tyson Barrie, Calvin de Haan, Michael Stone, and Erik Johnson. The iFlames also have Michael Stone and Colin Miller as excellent depth options. |
11 | New York Rangers | Like the division rival Flyers, the iRangers' leading scorer is a D-man. In this case, Nick Leddy and his 45 points are tied with Chris Kreider for tops on the team. GM Mike definitely deserves some GM of the year consideration for having the iRangers emerge as a playoff threat in the Metro but their post-ASG curse looks like it could continue. Additionally, only 4 Rangers (including the recently acquired Tomas Hertl) have a PDO below 1000, so there could be some regression in store for the NYR. |
12 | Detroit Red Wings | How does a defense of Kronwall, Sproul, DeKeyser, Beaulieu, Abelthauser,and Koivisto produce a +36 goal differential and likely playoff spot? Seriously asking. |
13 | Nashville Predators | The iPreds looked like they were taking a step back this season after winning the West but they're hanging in there and doing their thing. Filip Forsberg (54 points in 60 games) has a sub-1000 PDO and could be poised for a breakout any moment, while the combo of Josi and Weber has provided a total of 88 points from the back end. Needing a little more offensive pop, they added Jason Pominville on the cheap at the deadline and - like the Flyers - should be even better in the playoffs. |
14 | San Jose Sharks | They lost a wizard but the iSharks have been on a roll of late (4 game winning streak). Expect some changes and tinkering as new management takes over, but the iSharks could be back in a playoff spot sooner than later. |
15 | Hartford Whalers | Falling out of playoff contention, GM Steve wisely shipped star winger (and cap anchor) Corey Perry to Dallas. Despite the tribulations, the future still looks bright with Nick Bjugstad (58 points), Gabe Landeskog (51 points), Aaron Ekblad (50 points), and Alexsander Barkov (41 points). Marko Dano - who has made his way across the iNHL - looks to have found a home and has been quietly productive as well (36 points). The Semyon Varlamov experiment has not worked at all (2.96 GAA and .911 SV%). |
16 | Washington Capitals | Probably the biggest disappointment of the 2017-18 season, the iCaps are at risk of failing to qualify for the playoffs. The biggest issue? Lack of depth: only 5 iCaps have a positive +/- rating: Ovechkin, Wheeler, Backstrom, Gardiner and Carlson. |
17 | New Jersey Devils | The third team from the Metro to be led in scoring by a d-man (Torey Krug - 48 points in 60 games). The iDevils have a lot of established pieces that could have been useful to contenders so it was surprising to see them so quiet at the deadline. That likely means that we can expect big moves at the draft or during the offseason. Zemgus Girgensons stayed put despite talk of a possible change of scenery. |
18 | Carolina Hurricanes | After a strong start to the season, the iCanes have come back to earth. Taylor Cammarata has been a revelation at C (46 points in 62 games) and likely made Jeff Skinner expendable. It will be interesting to see what the quiet and thoughtful GM does with all the cap space at his disposal and youngsters on the verge of cracking the big leagues. Next season, we expect a sudden rise up the ranks similar to iBuffalo. |
19 | Tampa Bay Lightning | After a quiet season, new management has brought renewed focus in Tampa. The iLightning brought in multiple first round picks while shedding big cap hits and keeping the core in tact. All-in-all the deadline was a huge success for the Bolts and set them up nicely for a quick return to Cup contention (perhaps as early as next season). |
20 | Minnesota Wild | The iWild were long rumored to be a seller, with contenders taking long looks at the assets seemingly dwindling away in Minnesota. But new management has boldly decided that a rebuild is not necessary and kept the team together for a run at the playoffs. Even if things don't work out this season, the iWild have the assets to be competitive (especially in the West) with a few smart moves. |
21 | Los Angeles Kings | The iKings are all in after adding the Sedins to the mix. The West is wide open so their is potential for a deep run but we still don't think there is enough to knock off the likes of St. Louis or Vancouver. Time will tell whether the Sedins end their storybook careers in Hollywood. |
22 | Anaheim Ducks | Despite trouble scoring all season (their leading scorer has 33 points), the iDucks are tied with the iKings for a potential playoff spot. They were definitely hurt by their rival adding the Sedins, but long-term this is clearly a team on the rise. Offensive talents like Pastrnak, Nylander, Milano, Roy, Somppi and Abramov should team up with defenders like Olli Juolevi and Simon Despres (not to mention TJ Brodie and Mike Green) to return the iDucks to contention within 2 or 3 seasons. |
23 | Montreal Canadiens | 6th in the Atlantic, GM Matt triggered the blockbuster of the season when he shopped and traded PK Subban (to LA for Anze Kopitar). The iHabs have serious talent in the form of Jordan Eberle (26 goals, 58 points), Max Pacioretty (29 goals, 55 points), Kopitar, Alex Galchenyuk, OEL, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Carter, Adam Larsson, Mitch Marner, Tyler Myers, Tomas Plekanec, and Karl Alzner, so its not clear why they haven't been able to put it together this season. Another team that will be interesting to watch in the offseason - the iHabs have the assets to send major shockwaves (and talent) across the iNHL should the frustrations in Montreal continue. |
24 | Arizona Coyotes | GM Travis continues to display the patience of a saint. Surprised they held onto Mike Cammalleri and Tobias Enstrom, but with the crop of cost-controlled youngers they've got with elite potential, the iCoyotes have one of the most flexible paths to contention amongst non-playoff teams. Simply put, they are loaded with top prospects at every position (although Auston Matthews has been a tad disappointing (24 points in 47 games)). If they swap out their big contracts for more productive assets, this is another team that will rise quickly. |
25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Until recently, they kept winning at the wrong time as GM Alex would prefer a better draft position to points in the standings, but the iLeafs were always a team that was bound to improve over the course of the season. RNH has bounced back nicely after a slow start and is now the PPG+ player he was drafted as, while Morgan Rielly has emerged as a Norris-caliber talent. The next phase of the iLeafs development will be interesting to watch as they need to manage a developing talents (RNH, Rielly, Fleury, their bevvy of 2017 draft picks) with aging assets (Staal, Foligno, Phaneuf). |
26 | Columbus Blue Jackets | This team simply cannot score. Their leading scorer has 31 points this season so the addition of Kevin Fiala (albeit at the cost of a 1st round pick) looks like a good one for the future. In all likelihood, the game plan in Columbus is patience and drafting, but their are also a number of big contracts on the books that will need to be addressed sooner than later. |
27 | Edmonton Oilers | This is a surprise to us. We thought their young guys would take a bigger step and have the iOilers on the path to contention.... It didn't help that Taylor Hall was hurt for so much of the year but, even then, this group just fell flat. Hopefully they can move out some of the older guys during the offseason and replace them with productive players. Maybe next year is the year iEdmonton breaks from reality? |
28 | Chicago Blackhawks | Really love the addition of Jusso Valimakki - he'll be a stud for the iHawks for a decade. But the question on every GM's mind: what is going to happen to Drew Doughty? |
29 | Dallas Stars | Max Gildon is coming!!! He'll look good on a blueline with Seth Jones and Oscar Klefbom should also help. If the iStars can continue adding blue-chip prospects to their pool (which currently includes top C talents Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod), they will be well positioned to compete in the West in a season or two. |
30 | Winnipeg Jets | In last place by a considerable amount, the silver lining is that the iJets still have one of, if not, THE best prospect pools in the league. With a plan to bring in veterans to complement the young talent, the iJets could be a top team in short order. |