Are power rankings in a sport with as much parity as hockey more or less a crapshoot? Is it a bit early to start looking at power rankings for 2019-20?
Yep. But is that going to stop us? Nope.
With most of the free-agency frenzy in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at what teams stand as viable candidates for a deep Cup run in 2019-20 — as well as the clubs that, well, are looking at a looooong winter.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning
After getting straight up punked by the Blue Jackets in a shocking first-round exit, the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be awfully motivated going into 2019-20 — with a wagon of a roster likely set to go scorched earth on the competition once again. Now, they likely won’t be winning 62 games again, but the gang is all set to return in what is an absolutely loaded roster — with the lone remaining offseason task being a new contract for RFA Brayden Point (92 points over 78 games). As was the case last year, there really aren’t too many flaws on this team — whether it be up front with Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, etc., Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh on the blue line or the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in Andrei Vasilevskiy in net. Oh, and the top-ranked power play and penalty kill didn't lose too many pieces as well. Yeah, this team is terrifying.
2. St. Louis Blues
They’re sitting high up on this list as the reigning Stanley Cup champs, and as a whole, they’re still going to be a tough team to go against — especially with guys like Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko (a dark horse for the Conn Smythe, IMO) anchoring the defense. Still, it’s awfully hard to repeat in this league, and one has to question how Jordan Binnington will handle a full season after jump-starting his team’s miraculous run. He can’t do it again — right? Right?
3. Boston Bruins
After coming up one game short of a Stanley Cup title, the Bruins have largely stood pat this summer, with the club’s cap crunch preventing them from being big players this offseason. While the Bruins could really use another top-six option, there’s still plenty to like about Boston in 2019-20. Along with the established core expected to return (Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Krug, Rask), the case could be made that the expected strides for youngsters like Pastrnak, McAvoy, Carlo, Grzelcyk, DeBrusk, Heinen and more could make this club even better this winter. Of course, the biggest challenge facing the Bruins lies more in the competition around them than the team itself.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
This ranking might differ depending on how the Mitch Marner situation plays out, but there’s still an awful lot to like about the Maple Leafs — who should once again have one of the most dynamic forward groups in the entire league. Guys like Marner and Auston Matthews should continue to get better and better, while John Tavares is .. well, John Tavares. Still, while Tyson Barrie is a solid pick-up, that D corps is still very, very, very, very bad. If you thought the Bruins had a field day with the likes of Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev, just wait until Cody Ceci takes a few shifts.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
Had this club not had its meltdown in Game 7 against the Sharks, the Golden Knights very well could have been back in the Cup Final for the second year in a row — they’re that good. While they had to shed a few contracts (Colin Miller, Ryan Carpenter, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Erik Haula) to get under the cap, most of the key cogs on the roster are expected back on a balanced Golden Knights roster. After tallying 12 points in his first seven playoff games with Vegas, Mark Stone is poised for a huge year. Without a doubt, he’s one of the most complete players in the league.
6. Nashville Predators
The book has been out on the Predators over the last couple of seasons when it comes to identifying their strengths — great goaltending and a stout blue line. Don’t expect that to change this season, while the addition of Matt Duchene should do wonders for a team that ranked 19th in the league in GF/G at 2.88 and had the worst power play in the NHL with a 12.9% success rate. Getting both Filip Forsberg (64 games played) and Viktor Arvidsson (58 games played) back healthy should also help the Preds' offense rebound.
7. Dallas Stars
The Stars might be more known for their scoring prowess over the years thanks to guys like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but this club orchestrated its run last year thanks to the play of Ben Bishop in net and a stout D corps that ranked second in the NHL in GA/G at 2.44. That defense could be even better this season with players like Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell all expected to take further strides in their game, while the addition of Joe Pavelski up front could put this club over the top.
8. Washington Capitals
While the pillars that have made the Capitals a perennial contender still remain in Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom and many more, Washington largely decided to tread water this summer, with the club having to save up some cap space with Holtby and Backstrom set to be UFAs next year. Still, a team with this core of players is going to be right in the mix when it comes to Cup contenders, while Richard Panik, Radko Gudas and Garnet Hathaway are all solid additions.
9. Colorado Avalanche
The Avs, boasting both the top line in all of hockey (Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen) and a dynamite pipeline of talent on the blue line (headlined by Cale Makar) very well could be the top team in the Western Conference by the time the postseason rolls around. Their ceiling as a club is pretty terrifying, and they should only get better and better going forward.
10. San Jose Sharks
The loss of Joe Pavelski is a big one, but the Sharks still have most of the same cast returning from a team that made it back to the Western Conference Final this spring. San Jose is hoping that Erik Karlsson will finally be able to play with a clean bill of health this season, considering how much money they have invested in him now. There are few weaknesses on this Sharks roster, although Martin Jones is still a huge wild card in net.
11. Calgary Flames
No surprise here: the Flames are still going to score a boatload of goals in 2019-20 — with their big guns up front in Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk all expected to be back in the fold. Calgary also has a strong D corps, but their acquisition of Milan Lucic is still a head-scratcher, while the club still has a ton of question marks in net.
12. Carolina Hurricanes
Can these “Bunch of Jerks” put together another memorable run in 2019-20? They still need to figure out if Justin Williams will be back in the fold, but the ‘Canes already have a dynamic young core headlined by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, while they might have one of the most underrated D corps in the entire league, especially with Jaccob Slavin leading the way. Adding some good depth up front in Ryan Dzingel and Erik Haula are also great pick-ups.
13. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets might still have one of the best young cores up front — to go along with dynamic veterans like Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele — but this club has lost quite a bit this summer. Unable to retain Kevin Hayes in free agency, the Jets’ biggest hit came on the blue line, where they dealt Jacob Trouba to New York and lost Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot to Vancouver and Montreal, respectively. They still need to retain RFAs in Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor as well.
14. Florida Panthers
Has this team woefully underachieved over the last few years? No doubt. But even before this offseason, the Panthers looked to be a club in line for a rebound in 2019-20, especially with so many dynamic players sprinkled throughout the roster in Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle. And of course, after their netminders posted a collective .897 save percentage in 2018-19, the Panthers addressed their weakness by signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a huge deal. This club certainly has the pieces to be a legitimate contender in the East.
16. New York Rangers
Talk about a quick rebuild, eh? After one ugly year, the Rangers are poised to jump right back into the playoff picture in 2019-20 with a roster filled with high-end talent and plenty of potential. Artemi Panarin alone transforms their top six, but the Rangers also have a slew of younger players ready to make an immediate impact, headlined by Kaapo Kakko. Jacob Trouba is also a key pick-up on the blue line, although his mega-deal could force the Blueshirts to part ways with a player like Chris Kreider before October.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins
Perhaps it’s a foolish move to sleep on a team like the Penguins, given their championship pedigree, but for all the work that Jim Rutherford has done this summer to keep his team’s championship window open in the Crosby Era, the results could be underwhelming. Alex Galchenyuk is a solid center with plenty of room to grow, but the Pens will miss the steady production that Phil Kessel brought them. As for that six-year deal for Brandon Tanev? Yikes.
17,. Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes had absolutely no business being even remotely competent in 2018-19, and yet — despite an unproven core and a slew of injuries — they hung around the playoff picture out west up until the final weeks of the regular season. With youngsters like Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz expected to take major strides and the roster gifted with a clean bill of health, look for Rick Tocchet’s club to take a major step forward this winter. Having Phil Kessel in your top-six is also a great plus for the ‘Yotes.
18. New Jersey Devils
After being downright putrid for most of 2018-19, the Devils are in line for a big turnaround this winter, especially with the club set to roll out Jack Hughes at the pivot. The top pick in the 2019 NHL Draft should definitely hit the ground running, giving the club a great, young 1-2 punch at center alongside Nico Hischier. Adding P.K. Subban will also be a huge pick-up for the Devils, who were in desperate need of some help on the blue line. Oh yeah, and getting a Hart Trophy winner back in Taylor Hall after an injury-riddled 2018-19 campaign should help as well.
19. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are still gonna score a ton with guys like Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and more all hanging around. But what about that putrid defense that relinquished 3.55 goals per game last year (30th in NHL). Well, Chicago made some moves to address those weaknesses on its roster, headlined by signing Vezina finalist Robin Lehner to a one-year deal, while adding some good options on the blue line in Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta.
20. New York Islanders
They might have been one of the NHL’s feel-good stories last year, but unless Barry Trotz can work some more magic, it seems like a given that the Islanders are doomed to regress after going from the worst defense in 2017-18 (3.57 GA/G) to the best (2.33 GA/G) the following year. Count me skeptical about the Islanders’ new netminder in Semyon Varlamov.
21. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers were very busy this offseason and have quite a bit working in their favor. They might have finally found a goalie in Carter Hart, stalwarts like Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier remain while youngsters like Nolan Patrick and Ivan Provorov should continue to get better. But some other additions are severely lacking, whether it be adding veterans Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun on the blue line or paying Kevin Hayes — who’s only scored 20-plus goals once — $7.1 million annually through 2026. Woooooof.
22. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets still have a ton of great young talent — headlined by Seth Jones and Zach Werenski — and they’re still going to be a pain to play against with guys like Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson, Boone Jenner and David Savard all in tow. Still, when you lose the likes of Panarin, Bobrovsky and Duchene all in the same summer, you have to be realistic in terms of expectations for 2019-20.
23. Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have a great young crop of players in Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes — with Hughes in particular set for a breakout campaign after Pettersson (deservedly) stole the show in 2018-19. (Seriously, look up some of Hughes’ skating videos). Still, Vancouver has to be knocked for that brutal contract it handed Tyler Myers. Wooof.
24. Montreal Canadiens
After their offer sheet to Sebastian Aho ended in complete disaster, the Habs more or less remained quiet for most of the summer. Even if they just missed out on a playoff spot last year, I think Montreal has some real question marks up front, while I think a player like Max Domi (72 points) is in line for a bit of a regression. That putrid power play (13.3%) was telling last year. If Carey Price gets hit with the injury bug, look out.
25. Edmonton Oilers
Did the Oilers actually win a trade? Props to Edmonton for getting rid of Milan Lucic’s contract, while I think James Neal could be in line for a nice bounce-back performance back in a top-six role. It’s a bit of a gamble, but Mike Smith could be a solid pick-up for the Oilers, while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are, well, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
26. Buffalo Sabres
The pieces are in place for Buffalo to take another step, especially with Jack Eichel at center and Rasmus Dahlin on the blue line. While they added to their depth with players like Marcus Johansson, Jimmy Vesey and Colin Miller, there are still plenty of questions both in net and on that blue line. After cashing in this summer with a new contract, Jeff Skinner needs to be more consistent. Despite his 40 goals last year, he only tallied four over his final 25 games.
27. Minnesota Wild
So, what exactly is Paul Fenton’s plan in Minnesota? Already saddled with a veteran-heavy roster with plenty of money tied up under long-term contracts, the Wild seem to be stuck in no-man’s land — too good to fully tank but nowhere near good enough to contend for a Cup. Not sure what the addition of a good player in Mats Zuccarello is going to do to get them over the top.
28. Anaheim Ducks
Their situation may not be as dire as the Kings, but the Ducks still have quite a bit of cap tied up with some ugly contracts — headlined by Ryan Kesler ($6.875 million cap hit through 2022). But cutting ties with Corey Perry was a step in the right direction, while John Gibson remains as one of the top goalies in the league. They’re still going to struggle to score goals, but guys like Ondrej Kase, Sam Steel and Troy Terry have plenty of potential.
29. Detroit Red Wings
While the Red Wings have some promising talent in guys like Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha, there are still far too many bloated contracts and not nearly enough talent to think that this club is going to take a major step forward in 2019-20. Still, with prospects like Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno progressing, Steve Yzerman has a nice base to build off of, with 10 contracts set to come off the books in 2020.
30. Los Angeles Kings
And you thought the Bruins’ cap situation was miserable? While the Kings’ ship has sailed and a rebuild is prescribed going forward, the team can’t do much with the contracts it has on the books. While Anze Kopitar ($10 million cap hit through 2024) and Drew Doughty ($11 million cap hit through 2026) are still top-flight players, deals for guys like Ilya Kovalchuk, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter (a combined $17.2 million cap hit this season) are drowning this team.
31. Ottawa Senators
Last season was ugly for the Senators, who jettisoned Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone and — as expected — plummeted into the cellar of the Eastern Conference for just about all of the 2018-19 campaign. While the Sens do have a few nice young pieces in defenseman Thomas Chabot and forward Brady Tkachuk, there are still waaaaaay too many holes all across the lineup, with a serious dearth of talent across the board. Start watching those highlight vids of Alexis Lafrenière, Ottawa fans. It will make the season fly by.
Other Notes:
- Dominik Hasek for President of the Czech Republic? Why not? He’s already one of the most dominant netminders in NHL history, and not even counting his career in North America, he’s still a hero back home for leading his country to a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Follow your dreams, “Dominator”.
- It’s been a couple of days, but I still can’t get over the photos of Phil Kessel’s home in Pennsylvania — now on sale for a cool $2.1 million. I mean, I have so many questions: The collection of Baileys in the wine closet. That home theater. Ok, most of the questions are about that home theater.
- I mean, c’mon:
This is the theater in Phil Kessel’s house. It might be the funniest photo I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/83VRK7KzbJ
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) July 24, 2019