Power Ranking All 30 NHL Teams Before 2014-15 Season
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The NHL season is set to kick off on Wednesday with everyone hoping to get off to a fast start and lay the foundation for a run at hoisting the Stanley Cup at season’s end. Every team is set to put their best foot forward (for the most part) so let’s see where everyone stands in the initial RantSports power rankings for the 2014-15 season.
30. Buffalo Sabres
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30. Buffalo Sabres
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Despite adding solid veterans like Matt Moulson, Brian Gionta, and Josh Georges, Buffalo does not look like a team that will win a lot of games this season. While they build for the future, this season could be one to forget for Sabres fans.
29. Carolina Hurricanes
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29. Carolina Hurricanes
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Carolina figured to have a rough time this season to begin with and then they lost Jordan Staal to a broken leg. The team’s lack of activity during the offseason leaves them without any fresh faces to pick up the slack in his absence and the Hurricanes figure to be in for a long campaign this season.
28. Calgary Flames
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28. Calgary Flames
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Calgary is a young squad that will be trying to find their identity throughout the season. While they may be raw this season and lack the consistency to compete for a playoff spot, they should be exciting to watch in front of newly acquired goaltender Jonas Hiller.
27. Winnipeg Jets
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27. Winnipeg Jets
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Winnipeg is full of exciting young talent that will be thrilling NHL fans for years to come but they lack the pieces to put it together into a playoff contender this season. Their biggest issue remains in net as Ondrej Pavelec struggles to find consistency as a goaltender.
26. Edmonton Oilers
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26. Edmonton Oilers
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Edmonton continues to be a team of promise that is perennially on the cusp of competing for the playoffs. This season will likely play out in a similar fashion to the last five or six, with the team’s rallying cry once again settling on “Maybe next year!” as the season winds down.
25. Ottawa Senators
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25. Ottawa Senators
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While Ottawa is better for having locked up Bobby Ryan long term and named Erik Karlsson their captain, their roster is just not built to compete this season. Without a miraculous year in net from Craig Anderson, the Sens are a long shot to be playing this postseason.
24. Florida Panthers
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24. Florida Panthers
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Florida is a hard team to pin down heading into the season as they have the potential to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference but could also end up with another draft lottery pick. Having Roberto Luongo in net could help provide some consistent goaltending for a change which could be the spark this team needs to make a push for the playoffs.
23. Arizona Coyotes
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23. Arizona Coyotes
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There are major questions about where this team’s offense is going to come from after an active offseason but at the end of the day, Arizona’s chances rest in net with Mike Smith. If he returns to his elite form of 2012, the Coyotes will be in the mix for the playoffs. Anything less and Arizona will be out of the hunt sooner rather than later.
22. Toronto Maple Leafs
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22. Toronto Maple Leafs
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Toronto shook up their roster during the offseason trying to get the funk of their late-season collapse off of the franchise. But an apparent rift between star player Phil Kessel and the coaching staff could spell trouble for the Leafs who will need Jonathan Bernier to stay healthy and play at an elite level to stay in the hunt for the playoffs this season.
21. New Jersey Devils
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21. New Jersey Devils
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Cory Schneider should be very solid for New Jersey in net but there are major questions about the offense that could keep the Devils down this season. If they can patch together a competitive lineup, New Jersey could be a dark horse contender for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
20. Vancouver Canucks
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20. Vancouver Canucks
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Vancouver has been very aggressive in remaking their roster but may not be as mired in their “rebuild” as some will predict. Ryan Miller takes over in net and could be a catalyst to getting the Canucks back into the postseason sooner rather than later.
19. Philadelphia Flyers
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19. Philadelphia Flyers
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Philadelphia was buried by a slow start last season that they were never able to recover from. The team has to avoid a similar fate this year as there are too many questions in this lineup to weather another sluggish October. The Flyers need huge contributions from their leaders like Claude Giroux (injured throughout training camp) up front and some magic from Steve mason in net to have a shot this season.
18. Nashville Predators
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18. Nashville Predators
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After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season, Nashville gets a healthy Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber back in the lineup to try and break through this season. If they can stay healthy, the Predators should be in the mix for the top eight all season long.
17. New York Islanders
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17. New York Islanders
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The Islanders are an intriguing team to watch with plenty of great pieces that the team hopes will come together to win some games this season. The key to everything may be the goaltending of Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson. If they provide a consistent presence in net, the Islanders could make a run this season.
16. Washington Capitals
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16. Washington Capitals
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The Caps were very aggressive in making changes this offseason to try and provide a spark to their lineup. Will the new additions help reinvigorate the Washington attack around Alex Ovechkin and push the team to a playoff spot this postseason?
15. Detroit Red Wings
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15. Detroit Red Wings
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Detroit has a young core of players who will be asked to take on major roles this season, especially early on while veteran Pavel Datsyuk works his way back from a shoulder injury. How well they respond will tell us how good this Red Wings team can be this season.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
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14. Columbus Blue Jackets
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It will be interesting to see if Columbus can put the Ryan Johansen contract drama behind them to start the year after it kept him out of the entirety of training camp. Not helping matters are injuries to players like Boone Jenner and Nathan Horton which could add up to short-out a potential run at the division title for the Blue Jackets this season.
13. Dallas Stars
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13. Dallas Stars
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Dallas made a splash this offseason adding the likes of Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky to the mix. If the team can improve defensively and take some of the pressure off goaltender Kari Lehtonen, the Stars could be a major player come playoff time in the Western Conference.
12. Montreal Canadiens
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12. Montreal Canadiens
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Carey Price remains an elite goaltender and P.K. Subban finally got his big-time deal, so that’s two areas that Montreal doesn’t need to worry about this season. The rest of the roster, however, is a bit more undecided as the Canadiens got noticeably younger this offseason. Whether or not that means they are better this year remains to be seen.
11. San Jose Sharks
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11. San Jose Sharks
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It has been a tumultuous offseason in San Jose, to be sure, but there is still a talented roster here that will make the Sharks competitive for a playoff spot at the least this season. If growing tension between ownership, coaches, and players doesn’t boil over into a truly toxic situation, expect the Sharks to be playing deep into the year.
10. New York Rangers
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10. New York Rangers
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The defending Eastern Conference Champions lost a lot of pieces this offseason but still have a strong nucleus in place, centered on All-World netminder Henrik Lundqvist, to contend once again this season. How well the new faces in New York adapt to their expanded roles will determine just how far the Rangers go this year.
9. Minnesota Wild
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9. Minnesota Wild
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Minnesota has been very aggressive about adding star-power to this lineup over the last two seasons but the Wild’s chances still hinge on their goaltending. One of their biggest weaknesses last season, goaltending will be the difference between a deep run for the Wild this season or an early exit come the postseason.
8. Colorado Avalanche
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8. Colorado Avalanche
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Colorado rode a young, exciting core of players to the Central Division crown last season and have added some depth and experience this offseason to try and take this team deeper into the postseason. If they can improve their defense and continue to develop their young stars on offense, the Avs will be dangerous in the Western Conference.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
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7. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Tampa Bay might be the best bet to unseat Boston in the Eastern Conference after a busy offseason, locking up long-term deals for players like Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, and Anton Stralman. If Ben Bishop steps up in net, the Bolts are going to be tough to turn away this season.
6. Pittsburgh Penguins
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6. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Pittsburgh is a talented, well-built team with some questions heading into the 2014 season. Can Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin stay healthy? Is Marc-Andre Fleury still an elite net-minder in the NHL? If the Pens can answer these questions, they’ll be in the mix for the Stanley Cup at season’s end.
5. St. Louis Blues
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5. St. Louis Blues
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The Blues should be an exciting team to watch this season as they built up their depth in the middle this offseason and will be turning the offense over to youngsters like Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. If their goaltending duo of Brian Elliott and Jake Allen play strong, St. Louis will be in the mix for the Central Division title.
4. Anaheim Ducks
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4. Anaheim Ducks
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The only question for the Ducks is whether young goaltenders Frederik Andersen and John Gibson can hold things down between the pipes. The rest of this roster looks poised for a run at the Stanley Cup and will be a popular pick to win it all this season.
3. Boston Bruins
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3. Boston Bruins
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There’s likely nobody better in the Eastern Conference than Boston heading into this season as the Bruins once again boast one of the most talent-heavy rosters in the NHL. They will be strong favorites to come out of the regular season as the top seed in the East and make another push for the Cup finals.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
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2. Chicago Blackhawks
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Chicago came so close to making the Stanley Cup Finals last season, they’ll be looking to get over the hump this year. The team returns mostly intact plus the intriguing addition of Brad Richards. Look for the Blackhawks to once again be one of the NHL’s best teams and make a deep run in the playoffs.
1. Los Angeles Kings
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1. Los Angeles Kings
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Until proven otherwise, the Kings are the No. 1 team in the NHL coming off yet another Stanley Cup victory. While they are notoriously slow starters, the pieces are in place for LA to seize control of the Pacific Division from the start and make a run at a repeat this postseason.
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