My Pre-Season Power Rankings
Posted 12:18 PM ET | Comments 0
Power Rankings
1) Anaheim - Stanley Cup champs deserve this position. Also, I am convinced that the young core of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan up front will grow tremendously this year.
2) Detroit - I am big fan of Mike Babcock. One of the more creative coaches in the league.
3) Ottawa - This a pick I am not 100% sure about, but too much offense to argue with.
4) San Jose - If they had picked up another scoring winger in the offseason I would have placed them second to Anaheim. I also have some reservations on the back end, but with Thornton and Marleau up the middle, they will be good again.
5) Vancouver - Luongo is on a mission clear and simple. If they can score a little more they will be tough to beat.
6) Colorado - Excellent depth in the forwards ranks and Hannan should provide some leadership on the back end.
7) New York Rangers - They should score at will this year, but their defense is still suspect. Thank god they have a top tier goalie.
8) Buffalo - I will never sell Ruff short. He is able to get the most out of his teams. Connolly will be back for the full year and Roy may just be the next Briere.
9) Minnesota - With Gaborik back for the entire year this team will again surprise. I am looking for Gaborik to be near the lead in the scoring race most of the year.
10) Pittsburgh - I see a little fall back this year as Crosby will struggle to start the year. Also, the defense does not intimidate anyone...needs more grit.
11) Tampa Bay - I think Lecavalier is the best player in hockey right now. I think he will dominate even more this year. If this team can get the goaltending, look out.
12) Nashville - This is still a solid team and probably has the best young defense corps in the league. I expect Shea Weber to improve on last years strong performance.
13) Carolina - This team is a sleeping giant. It has tremendous offensive depth and Staal is going to rebound big time this year. However, the defense is old and non-intimidating. If they make the playoffs they will be tough.
14) New Jersey - They may jump out of the gate a little slow as Sutter molds them into a fine tuned machine, but I expect they be a tough team to play by December. Also, if no one has heard of Parise and Zajac by now, they will very soon.
15) Calgary - If there is a team that I think is over-rated it is the Calgary Flames. They are a competitive team, but that is it. There are too many feeble personalities on this team and with Keenan running the ship that will prove it's demise.
16) Dallas - They will always be in the mix, but offense will tough to come by for this team. If you looked at their roster you would think it was a team from Finland with a few North American players. The west is too physical for this team to be a player.
17) Washington - They will be an improved team, but not unlike many teams, their defense just does not cut it. Ovechkin will outscore Crosby this year.
18) St.Louis - I like the coach and the defense corp. The offensive output will be spread out among many, but they will be a tough team.
19) Toronto - Unless they are struck by lightning this team is doomed again. An aging, small scorer is not going to change the fortunes of this team. It is still years away from being a force.
20) Los Angeles - They will be in the top 5 in team scoring this year for sure. But, Bernier will find it tough as the season goes along.
21) Montreal - This is still a small, but speedy team. Kovalev will not produce and team chemistry will be weak. A pleasant surprise will be Chipchura.
22) Philadelphia - Team chemistry will be nagging problem. There will good a scoring tandem between Briere and Gagne, but after that the team will struggle to score goals. Hartnell will prove to be a bust.
23) New York Islanders - Again, Nolan gets the most out of scrap pieces. He continues to develop the personality of the team, but he still needs more pieces that can execute. Comrie is not what the doctor ordered to anchor the top line.
24) Florida - They always seem to have the talent, but never quite get there. This year will be the same. Top tier goaltender is not enough to right the ship.
25) Edmonton - The biggest story for the Oil this year will be the play of Sam Gagner. He will shine and be in the Calder race all year. Other than that, it will be more or less the same.
26) Boston - Some teams just seemed to be destined to mediocrity and the Bruins are one of those teams. There will be changes in store for this team.
27) Atlanta - I would put them lower, but they have too much talent. I suspect that Hartley will be gone early in the year.
28) Columbus - The nice story will be the turnaround of Gilbert Brule. They are waiting to get rid of Foote and Fedorov so they can turn this team around.
29) Chicago - The youngsters come out of the gate strong, but fizzle going into Christmas. The west is just too tough for the young team. And, Kane will be outplayed by his former teammate, Sam Gagner.
30) Phoenix - I think there are some junior teams that could ice a more intimidating offense then Phoenix. It will be long year, but Hanzal and Mueller will hold their own. They will be looking to Turris and another lottery pick.
1) Anaheim - Stanley Cup champs deserve this position. Also, I am convinced that the young core of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan up front will grow tremendously this year.
2) Detroit - I am big fan of Mike Babcock. One of the more creative coaches in the league.
3) Ottawa - This a pick I am not 100% sure about, but too much offense to argue with.
4) San Jose - If they had picked up another scoring winger in the offseason I would have placed them second to Anaheim. I also have some reservations on the back end, but with Thornton and Marleau up the middle, they will be good again.
5) Vancouver - Luongo is on a mission clear and simple. If they can score a little more they will be tough to beat.
6) Colorado - Excellent depth in the forwards ranks and Hannan should provide some leadership on the back end.
7) New York Rangers - They should score at will this year, but their defense is still suspect. Thank god they have a top tier goalie.
8) Buffalo - I will never sell Ruff short. He is able to get the most out of his teams. Connolly will be back for the full year and Roy may just be the next Briere.
9) Minnesota - With Gaborik back for the entire year this team will again surprise. I am looking for Gaborik to be near the lead in the scoring race most of the year.
10) Pittsburgh - I see a little fall back this year as Crosby will struggle to start the year. Also, the defense does not intimidate anyone...needs more grit.
11) Tampa Bay - I think Lecavalier is the best player in hockey right now. I think he will dominate even more this year. If this team can get the goaltending, look out.
12) Nashville - This is still a solid team and probably has the best young defense corps in the league. I expect Shea Weber to improve on last years strong performance.
13) Carolina - This team is a sleeping giant. It has tremendous offensive depth and Staal is going to rebound big time this year. However, the defense is old and non-intimidating. If they make the playoffs they will be tough.
14) New Jersey - They may jump out of the gate a little slow as Sutter molds them into a fine tuned machine, but I expect they be a tough team to play by December. Also, if no one has heard of Parise and Zajac by now, they will very soon.
15) Calgary - If there is a team that I think is over-rated it is the Calgary Flames. They are a competitive team, but that is it. There are too many feeble personalities on this team and with Keenan running the ship that will prove it's demise.
16) Dallas - They will always be in the mix, but offense will tough to come by for this team. If you looked at their roster you would think it was a team from Finland with a few North American players. The west is too physical for this team to be a player.
17) Washington - They will be an improved team, but not unlike many teams, their defense just does not cut it. Ovechkin will outscore Crosby this year.
18) St.Louis - I like the coach and the defense corp. The offensive output will be spread out among many, but they will be a tough team.
19) Toronto - Unless they are struck by lightning this team is doomed again. An aging, small scorer is not going to change the fortunes of this team. It is still years away from being a force.
20) Los Angeles - They will be in the top 5 in team scoring this year for sure. But, Bernier will find it tough as the season goes along.
21) Montreal - This is still a small, but speedy team. Kovalev will not produce and team chemistry will be weak. A pleasant surprise will be Chipchura.
22) Philadelphia - Team chemistry will be nagging problem. There will good a scoring tandem between Briere and Gagne, but after that the team will struggle to score goals. Hartnell will prove to be a bust.
23) New York Islanders - Again, Nolan gets the most out of scrap pieces. He continues to develop the personality of the team, but he still needs more pieces that can execute. Comrie is not what the doctor ordered to anchor the top line.
24) Florida - They always seem to have the talent, but never quite get there. This year will be the same. Top tier goaltender is not enough to right the ship.
25) Edmonton - The biggest story for the Oil this year will be the play of Sam Gagner. He will shine and be in the Calder race all year. Other than that, it will be more or less the same.
26) Boston - Some teams just seemed to be destined to mediocrity and the Bruins are one of those teams. There will be changes in store for this team.
27) Atlanta - I would put them lower, but they have too much talent. I suspect that Hartley will be gone early in the year.
28) Columbus - The nice story will be the turnaround of Gilbert Brule. They are waiting to get rid of Foote and Fedorov so they can turn this team around.
29) Chicago - The youngsters come out of the gate strong, but fizzle going into Christmas. The west is just too tough for the young team. And, Kane will be outplayed by his former teammate, Sam Gagner.
30) Phoenix - I think there are some junior teams that could ice a more intimidating offense then Phoenix. It will be long year, but Hanzal and Mueller will hold their own. They will be looking to Turris and another lottery pick.