Preseason Power Rankings
Avalanche, Golden Knights battle for top spot
I have a Google sheet with my fantasy hockey rankings/projections here.
It is going to be an interesting year, I’m sure. In a shortened schedule, injuries and Covid-19 absences will affect NHL teams – it’s already affecting the Dallas Stars, whose season will not start on time – but this is the life we lead now.
Here are my NHL Power Rankings before the start of the 2021 season.
Counting down from 31 to 1.
31. OTTAWA SENATORS
I like: Brady Tkachuk and Evgenii Dadonov and hope that they can bring along rookie center Josh Norris.
I don’t know about: Their goaltending, their defense, or their scoring. I’d say scoring depth but I’m not even sure the top-end guys will score enough for the Sens.
30. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
I like: Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Dominik Kubalik – the Blackhawks have wingers that can score.
I’m not sure about: The goaltending does not appear to be NHL caliber, they are suspect defensively, and they are missing their top two centers to start the season. Otherwise, things are going great!
29. NEW JERSEY DEVILS
I like: A future built around centers Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, what that means for the present, I don’t know. Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev offer some offense. Goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood looks good and the defense might be okay if P.K. Subban bounces back from his worst season and Ryan Murray manages to stay healthy.
I’m not sure about: Their depth, pretty much across the board, and the loss of Corey Crawford to retirement does leave them very thin in goal.
28. DETROIT RED WINGS
I like: They have started to get some good young players around which to build, including Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Filip Zadina, and Filip Hronek. They also added some solid pros to make them more competitive and the goaltending duo of Thomas Greiss and Jonathan Bernier should be okay, which is a lot better.
I’m not sure about: The forward depth is still pretty shaky and the defense has holes. It does appear that the Red Wings may be on the right path but they are starting from a long way down.
27. LOS ANGELES KINGS
I like: Anze Kopitar, Gabriel Vilardi and a crew of prospects on the way, including Quinton Byfield. They also have some unheralded defensemen like Matt Roy and Sean Walker that have been effective and inexpensive.
I’m not sure about: Aside from Kopitar the core pieces of the championship teams (Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick) have not played at a high level for a couple of years.
26. ARIZONA COYOTES
I like: A great goaltending tandem with Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta behind a solid, if not spectacular, defense.
I’m not sure about: Whether they can score enough goals. With Phil Kessel and Clayton Keller struggling last season they are the obvious players that need to improve but, even if they do, the Coyotes don’t have sufficient depth up front.
25. SAN JOSE SHARKS
I like: Their top six forwards plus roving defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson gives the Sharks something to work with.
I’m not sure about: Basically anything beyond those top six forwards and the goaltending tandem of Martin Jones and Devan Dubnyk.
24. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
I like: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, Zach Werenski and Seth Jones (though Jones has slipped the past couple of seasons).
I’m not sure about: Is the goaltending duo of Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo great or not? Feels like they need more scoring and it’s possible that it could come from within, whether that’s Alexandre Texier, Emil Bemstrom, Liam Foudy, or Mikhail Grigorenko the Blue Jackets could use a surprise or two offensively.
23. NEW YORK ISLANDERS
I like: Their top six forwards. Not great, but a solid group. The goaltending tandem of Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin should be strong, too.
I’m not sure about: The bottom six forwards (say, exception Jean-Gabriel Pageau) or a defense corps that lost Devon Toews and Johnny Boychuk in the offseason.
22. BUFFALO SABRES
I like: The Sabres adding skill up front. Taylor Hall and Eric Staal joining Jack Eichel, Victor Olofsson, Sam Reinhart, and Jeff Skinner gives them a fighting chance offensively.
I’m not sure about: Forward depth is iffy, the defense is full of question marks (though Rasmus Dahlin is a potential difference maker) and neither Linus Ullmark nor Carter Hutton is a proven reliable option between the pipes.
21. MINNESOTA WILD
I like: A quality top four on defense (Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba), some offensive upside with wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala.
I’m not sure about: Going into a season without a bona fide No. 1 center and starting goaltender Cam Talbot was good for Calgary last year but he started just 22 games.
20. VANCOUVER CANUCKS
I like: Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are two great pieces around which to build. J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat, and Nate Schmidt are quality complementary pieces, too.
I’m not sure about: Depth everywhere. It feels like a team that could use another quality forward and some assurances that the goaltending duo of Braden Holtby and Thatcher Demko will be all right.
19. ANAHEIM DUCKS
I like: Even after a down season last year, I like goaltender John Gibson, left winger Rickard Rakell, and defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson.
I’m not sure about: Whether their young forwards will step up but I’m interested to see them give World Juniors star Trevor Zegras a shot.
18. CALGARY FLAMES
I like: Mark Giordano is still a rock on the blueline and Matthew Tkachuk is an agitator who can really play. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was great for Vancouver last season.
I’m not sure about: As much as I expect the Flames’ top players to bounce back from a poor season in 2019-2020, it is imperative that they actually do it. Some concern about the depth of their defense, too.
17. FLORIDA PANTHERS
I like: Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are great and there are a few interesting pieces on the blueline including Aaron Ekblad and Mackenzie Weegar.
I’m not sure about: Pretty much any hope for the Panthers hinges on whether Sergei Bobrovsky can get back on track after a terrible 2019-2020 campaign.
16. DALLAS STARS
I like: Defensemen Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg, along with some potential up front like Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov.
I’m not sure about: It doesn’t look like the Stars have nearly enough firepower, especially with Tyler Seguin out, and it’s asking a lot for Anton Khudobin to handle the starting goaltender role with Ben Bishop out.
15. NEW YORK RANGERS
I like: Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad are coming off incredible seasons. Rookies Igor Shesterkin and Alexis Lafreniere should make a difference and sophomore defenseman Adam Fox had a stellar rookie season last year. Maybe rookie defenseman K’Andre Miller can help, too.
I’m not sure about: The defense remains an issue and the forward depth would be improved if second-year winger Kaapo Kaako took a giant leap forward after a miserable rookie season.
14. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
I like: The top three on defense – Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm – though it used to be a dominant top four. Their forwards were disappointing last season but Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene are a couple that have the track record to believe they can score.
I’m not sure about: Whether enough of their forwards will recover offensively. If Ryan Johansen, Mikael Granlund, Viktor Arvidsson come through, Nashville ought to be pretty good. If not…
13. WINNIPEG JETS
I like: Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and tons of skill at the top of their forward depth chart (Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine). Re-signing Dylan DeMelo was necessary for the defense and maybe rookie Ville Heinola will have a chance to contribute this season, too.
I’m not sure about: The defense is still not great overall and Winnipeg’s forward depth is not quite where it needs to be.
12. EDMONTON OILERS
I like: They have a couple of decent forwards. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are among the very best, though their defensive play has not been ideal. The Oilers defense corps should actually be decent.
I’m not sure about: How the Oilers are going to use their goaltenders because it appears that Mikko Koskinen is the better of the two, yet Mike Smith was starting play-in games last season.
11. ST. LOUIS BLUES
I like: Solid depth at forward and on defense. They may not have elite talent but the Blues should be able to run four lines and play all six defensemen, which will probably work to their benefit in a compressed schedule.
I’m not sure about: The goaltending duo of Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso. Binnington slumped after a good start last season and Husso has yet to play in the NHL. The other concern is that, without Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues don’t have game-breaking offensive talent.
10. BOSTON BRUINS
I like: The Bruins more than this ranking but the absence of David Pastrnak for the first month is a big deal. Otherwise, I still love Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand is great, and the goaltending pair of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak is first-rate.
I’m not sure about: Aside from Pastrnak’s absence, the defense lost Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara which leaves some questions to be answered if they are going to be a Stanley Cup contender.
9. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
I like: A solid veteran core from a recent Stanley Cup winner. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Jakub Vrana, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and T.J. Oshie is a potent top six. They’ve also done a nice job adding defensive depth. Once they signed Zdeno Chara, the Capitals basically have eight NHL defensemen ready to go.
I’m not sure about: After Henrik Lundqvist required heart surgery, the Capitals are turning to Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek in net. Not a lot of experience in that duo.
8. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
I like: Goaltender Carter Hart and a quality group of forwards bolstered by the returns of Oskar Lindblom and Nolan Patrick.
I’m not sure about: I tend to think that Philadelphia’s defense is okay but that probably depends on further development from Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers.
7. MONTREAL CANADIENS
I like: Their underrated top line of Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault, and Brendan Gallagher, which dominates 5-on-5 play but Danault and Gallagher aren’t big power play producers so they don’t get praise heaped upon them. Young centers Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are promising and the defense, led by Shea Weber and Jeff Petry, is steady. I also don’t mind that Carey Price wasn’t great last season because he has played better following down seasons.
I’m not sure about: As bright as the future is for those young centers, will they be ready to play championship-level hockey this season? Jonathan Drouin remains an enigma and Josh Anderson is getting lots of love in training camp but he is coming off a season in which he scored one goal in 26 games.
6. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
I like: A team with top-end talent (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander) and veterans willing to come in cheap to play supporting roles (Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds). The defense has been much maligned but has a chance to be pretty strong, especially if prospect Rasmus Sandin can force his way into the lineup.
I’m not sure about: Goaltender Fredrik Andersen struggled last season and he will probably be better, but what if he isn’t?
5. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
I like: The defending champs still have lots of talent, despite being without star right winger Nikita Kucherov for the regular season while he recovers from hip surgery. Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy – these are elite players and they can keep the Lightning among the top teams.
I’m not sure about: The defensive depth isn’t ideal. Behind Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak it starts to get rather lean but we will see how they manage that on their way to defending the title.
4. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
I like: The Penguins still have elite talent up front and a solid top four on the blueline. As long as they have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang steering the ship, they have a chance but in recent seasons they have added Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker, and Kasperi Kapanen among others to bolster the attack.
I’m not sure about: A goaltending duo of Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith is inexperienced and there is the risk that they won’t be up to the challenge of backstopping a potential Stanley Cup contender.
3. CAROLINA HURRICANES
I like: A skilled lineup with good depth throughout. Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, and Andrei Svechnikov are the best of the forwards and the defense may be even stronger, in relative terms, with Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei filling the top four.
I’m not sure about: As always, it seems, goaltending is a question for the ‘Canes. Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are competent NHL goaltenders but that isn’t necessarily enough if they are matched up against a good team that has better than merely competent in net.
2. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
I like: The Golden Knights have done a bang-up job adding high-end talent. Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Pietrangelo, and Robin Lehner have been added to the expansion core and they have basically operated like contenders right from the start.
I’m not sure about: Maybe there is a little concern about Vegas’ defensive depth but any shortcomings on this roster are the epitome of first-world hockey problems.
1. COLORADO AVALANCHE
I like: A loaded lineup. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are the offensive leaders but they have a lot of support from Gabriel Landeskog, Andre Burakovsky, Brandon Saad, and Nazem Kadri. Their forward depth is solid, too, and their defense might be even better. Cale Makar could be a Norris Trophy contender in his second season, and they added Devon Toews to what was already a quality group. Top prospect Bowen Byram could be a wildcard if he makes the team.
I’m not sure about: I suppose the goaltending. Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz should be good enough with this team in front of them but they both got hurt in last year’s playoffs so there is always a vulnerability, even in the Death Star.
Projected Standings
Again, the fantasy rankings are here.