Post by Beans (BOS) on Apr 6, 2016 10:48:22 GMT -5
TSN Staff - April 6, 2016
Current Ranking (Previous Ranking) | Team | Comments |
1 (1) | St. Louis Blues | The defending champions haven't missed a beat so far in 2016-17 and may even look better than last season. Advanced stats suggest this team is going to continue to dominate throughout the year (barring injuries). |
2 (3) | Washington Capitals | The defending runners-up also haven't missed a beat, posting strong goal differentials on their way to top spot in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan division. Blake Wheeler leads the way with 9 goals but keep an eye on whether Philipp Grubauer pushes Braden Holtby out of the DC crease. |
3 (17) | Philadelphia Flyers | Last year's surprise playoff run is proving that it was no fluke. Their early season addition of Dmitry Kulikov looks to be paying dividends (11 points in 16 games) but what has really been a boon is the emergence of David Savard (12 points in 16 games) and John Klingberg (13 points in 16 games). The iFlyers suddenly have a solid d-core beyond Chara. |
4 (16) | Calgary Flames | Unless you were Paul, you probably didn't see this one coming, especially with Monahan dealing with injuries. Nonetheless, the iFlames are off to an incredible 11-3-2 start. Credit GM Joe for some shrewd pickups - Oscar Klefbom leads the team in assists (11) and Andrew Ladd is the leading goal scorer (7). No surprise that Gaudreau is the leading point man (15). |
5 (4) | New Jersey Devils | The iDevils showed last season that a slow start doesn't necessarily mean much. This year, the team started hot before losing Krejci, Krug, and Seabrook - even still the team managed to weather the storm and go 4-4. Expect the iDevils to return to dominance once they leave the infirmary. |
6 (5) | San Jose Sharks | No surprises from the league's resident wizard - even without Pavelski, the iSharks are division leaders, building off of last year's Cinderella story. What's fascinating is that Colby Cave is the number 1 C, ahead of Marleau and Thornton! Truly magical stuff out of iSan Jose. |
7 (14) | Hartford Whalers | Welcome back to Hartford! After getting smoked in their first game, the iWhalers have been virtually unstoppable. Offseason pickup Corey Perry leads the way with 19 points in 16 games but last year's big pickup Dustin Byfuglien has really stepped up his game, notching 15 points in 16 games. Advanced stats suggest the iWhalers are likely to remain a very strong club this season. |
8 (12) | Nashville Predators | As usual, the iPreds are quietly sneaking by in the deep Central Division. Filip Forsberg - not surprisingly - leads the team with 15 points in 16 games and he hasn't even kicked into gear yet. Advanced stats suggest the iPredators are going to perform even better than they have so far. |
9 (2) | Tampa Bay Lightning | After a brutal start to the season, the iLightning have rattled off quite a few wins in a row. They're also bound to get stronger once Hampus Lindholm joins the lineup and it doesn't hurt that Ben Bishop (who was almost chased out of town in the offseason) is having a Vezina-caliber start to the season. |
10 (19) | New York Rangers | Evander Kane has never been one to shy away from the spot light. Rather, he craves it so its probably not a surprise that Mr. Kane has taken broadway by storm - leading the iNHL in goals so far with 11. |
11 (23) | Boston Bruins | Lots of goals for, lots of goals against. There's no doubt the iBruins are better than last season (not saying much), but is this team for real? |
12 (26) | Dallas Stars | Who would have thought that so far the iStars would be the winners of the Sedins for Seguin/Benn swap? So far the Sedins are possession monsters while the iSens....keep reading. |
13 (7) | Chicago Blackhawks | GM Ranek looked to have performed extremely successful offseason surgery until a 4 game losing streak derailed the iHawks' excellent start. Nonetheless, the team is 8-7-2 and PDO suggests the iHawks have been the victim of some bad luck. We expect a return to the postseason for Ranek et al. |
14 (18) | New York Islanders | The iIslanders have fallen back to earth a little bit after a 4-0 start. What is really promising for the Isles is the performance of youngers Ryan Strome (leading the team with 18 points in 16 games) and Josh Ho-Sang (13 points in 16 games). Brock Nelson (12 points), Marian Hossa (12 points), and John Tavares (15 points) have also been excellent. |
15 (9) | Pittsburgh Penguins | We don't know why the iPens aren't doing better. Their best players are putting up points (led by Crosby's 19 points in 16 games) so we have to believe that the Kris Letang injury and low PDO numbers are a hint as to why the iPens are merely a .500 team so far (7-7-2). The iPens, iRangers, and iIsles are probably going to be in an extremely tight race for the last playoff spot. |
16 (29) | Arizona Coyotes | On the one hand, the iCoyotes look like they're ahead of the developmental curve, sitting 3rd in the Pacific division. On the other hand, the team has struggled to score and boasts some ugly possession numbers. We'd be surprised if they can maintain their playoff position going forward, but rookie Dylan Strome (10 points in 18 games) looks like an impact player for years to come. |
17 (25) | Vancouver Canucks | Out to prove the world wrong, Kurt's iCanucks have had an excellent start to the season, tied with the iCoyotes for third in the Pacific (with two games in hand). The offseason acquisition of Rick Nash raised some eyebrows for a team that wasn't expected to compete, but Nash is showing that Kurt may have outsmarted the rest of the league, posting 8-12-20 totals in 16 games so far. |
18 (10) | Ottawa Senators | The iSens sit fourth in the Atlantic and only 1 point out of a playoff spot (a familiar position for the iSens) but so much more was expected of this team. GM Robott has suggested that major changes to personnel and tactics could follow but - with all the changes made this offseason - the best move right now may be no move at all. The iSens are way to dangerous to continue to struggle. |
19 (30) | Toronto Maple Leafs | Lots to like about what the iLeafs are doing so far this season. Offseason free agent pickup Jan Kovar is leading the team in points (16), Nazem Kadri looks rejuvenated (9 goals in 17 games), and youngers Nylander, Reilly, and Gardiner are having excellent seasons. PDO and possession stats suggest this team could struggle down the road, but after last season, let's worry about that later. |
20 (28) | Buffalo Sabres | Led by super sophomore Jack Eichel (10-2-12 in 15 games), the iSabres have proven to be a pesky foe for some of the best teams in the iNHL, defeating the iBlues, iDevils, and iWings (twice). They also lost 1 goal games to the iHawks, iDevils, and iFlames along the way, so this team could be a lot closer to developing into a contender than a lot of people thought before the season. |
21 (6) | Los Angeles Kings | Once again, the lack of leadership in the front office is having a negative strain on the iKings. This season - with all the teams around them improving - we're not so sure they'll make the playoffs without leadership. |
22 (15) | Minnesota Wild | The iWild were one of the quietest teams last season and were rewarded with strong performances from core players. This season looks much the same with some new talent brought on board: Joel Eriksson Ek, Jeremy Lauzon, Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo. Currently hovering around .500, advanced stats suggest the iWild will continue to be a strong contender in the West. |
23 (8) | Detroit Red Wings | Sitting last in the Atlantic, things look worse than they really are for the iWings. The team has lost a number of one goal games and secondary scoring has been an issue. Nonetheless, Ryan Getzlaf has been sensation since joining the iWings (20 points in 18 games) and PDO suggests the iWings are going to improve down the road. |
24 (13) | Montreal Canadiens | A slow start made Michel Therrien the first coach to be shown the door this iNHL season. With little cap flexibility, it will be interesting to see how GM Matt motivates his squad to turn things around. On the bright side, Noah Juulsen has been a pleasant surprise on the blueline, posting 9 points in just 16 games. |
25 (21) | Colorado Avalanche | The Avs high octane offense leads to a lot of goals but also a lot of time spent chasing the puck. After the top line, and Auston Matthews on the second line, the talent up front could use an upgrade. Speaking of Mr. Matthews, the most recent #1 overall pick boasts 13 points in 15 games playing on the Avs' 2nd line. |
26 (11) | Edmonton Oilers | Maybe the players are just listening to their GM? After consistently underselling his team, GM Paul has witnessed a mediocre start to the 2016-17 season. What should be encouraging is that 8 of the 9 top iOiler point scorers actually have a PDO below 1000. The big question will be whether the iOilers can weather the storm until McJesus returns. |
27 (20) | Winnipeg Jets | The defense has been pretty good and the goaltending has been solid, but the iJets have simply been unable to score so far this season (25 goals in 16 games). Alexander Radulov is putting up points after returning from the KHL, but future franchise player Nikolaj Ehlers has struggled so far with just 2 goals in 7 games. |
28 (24) | Anaheim Ducks | The iDucks have struggled so far but with all the contracts that were moved out, this is not particularly surprising. The real test for the iDucks will be putting that new cap space to work in future seasons...and also getting rid of Kesler. |
29 (27) | Carolina Hurricanes | The iCanes could have a tough season this year but they still boast one of the best prospect pools in the league. Adding a top 5 selection to that group will only make them more dangerous down the road. If they can add some scoring up front, they could be a real threat as early as next season. |
30 (22) | Columbus Blue Jackets | Nothing has gone right for the iJackets so far this season. Losing GM Josh was a big blow and RNH has only been okay so far in his iJackets career. Fortunately, they have a new GM so hope is in the air in Ohio! |