The new NHL season is almost upon us, and man has it been a longer summer! With training camps and preseason games concluded, each team has submitted its final roster as they prepare for the grueling 82 games they have ahead. Only 16 of these teams will make the playoffs and of course only one will have the right to call themselves champions at the end of June.
Before the season starts we take this chance to predict where these teams are ranked. Here are the 32 NHL teams ranked worst to best.
32. Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard
The Blackhawks didn’t have a single player score over 50 points last season. Seeing as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are no longer in town, we had to go with the rookie. Bedard obviously set to be an absolute superstar, but he has yet to play a game so he ranks last.
31. Philadelphia Flyers: Travis Konecny
To put it simply, being the best on the Flyers doesn’t really equate to being the best around the league. Travis is a good player, but he’s not the caliber of some of the superstars on this list.
30. Anaheim Ducks: Trevor Zegras
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This may seem unfair, but the reality is he plays for the Ducks and being above average on Anaheim can seem like you’re an elite player. Trevor has a lot of potential, but is clearly still developing.
29. Arizona Coyotes: Clayton Keller
Keller pretty much carried the Arizona offense last season, but seeing as the Arizona offense still wasn’t that good, it’s hard to rank him up high with the other stars.
28. Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
Montreal doesn’t really have a superstar. Their team captain is the closest they’ve got and he doesn’t score nearly as much as some of the other stars around the league.
27. Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin
Larkin is far and away the biggest producer on this mediocre Detroit team. However, his skills just don’t match up to some of the league’s greats, at least not yet. At 27, he still has a while to his peak.
26. St. Louis Blues: Jordan Kyrou
The Blues are a sinking ship and unfortunately there isn’t much Kyrou can do. At only 25 years old he’s hopefully still far from his peak, but it’s unlikely he ever gets there playing with this team.
25. Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Jack is a phenomenal hockey player, but hovering under 70 points a season is not what he was expected to be. Vegas is good because of their depth scoring, so they don’t really need a bonafide super star. Eichel is good enough.
24. Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar
Adrian Kempe or Kevin Fiala could’ve easily made this spot, but Kopitar has been LA’s rock for years. A steady assist man that’s more than capable of finding the back of the net, but doesn’t always show the same consistency some of the other stars do.
23. Seattle Kraken: Jared McCann
The Kraken announced their presence last season and a big reason why was the break out season of Jared McCann. If he can continue to produce at a high level, this team could pose a serious threat.
22. Calgary Flames: Jacob Markstrom
Markstrom has shown his potential to be among the best goalies in the league. He should be ranked higher, but his struggles last season are cause for concern. When he struggles the team struggles, so hopefully Jacob can find his way back.
21. Carolina Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho
Martin Necas could’ve also made this list, but Aho’s loyalty and consistency win him the day today. Carolina, much like Vegas, is good because of their depth scoring. Aho is a terrific player, but his stats can also be boosted by playing around terrific teammates.
20. Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprisov
For a while, Kaprisov was the one hope in Minnesota. He remains the most important part of their core and his success is detrimental to Minnesota’s playoff hopes.
19. Buffalo Sabres: Tage Thompson
What a season Thompson had, emerging as Buffalo’s breakout star. The question is whether or not Tage can continue playing at this level, or if he fizzles out. If he continues he could very quickly become one of the best in the world.
18. New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
Hughes continues to show off more and more of his potential with each passing season. The sky is the limit for this young man and it’ll be fun to watch him go to work again next season.
17. San Jose Sharks: Logan Couture
Poor Couture. He deserves so much better than the team he’s gotten. The captain continues to produce at a high rate, and shows phenomenal leadership, but that’s mainly due in part to the fact that he’s the only one in San Jose that can.
16. Columbus Blue Jackets: Johnny Gaudreau
One of the biggest signings just a year ago was the massive contract Columbus signed Johnny Hockey to. Gaudreau continued to put up good numbers, but Columbus failed to do anything with them.
15. Nashville Predators: Jusse Saros
Saros is the backbone of this once great team. However, even he has his limits and he couldn’t carry Nashville to a playoff berth last season.
14. Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk
Tim Stutzle could make this list next year if he continues to produce the way he has. As it is now, Brady is the safe choice for Ottawa’s best player.
13. New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin
If Sorokin falls off, this entire team will fail. He’s the backbone of this team and the next season depends on him continuing his stellar netminding.
12. Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
The former first overall pick hasn’t missed a beat in his time with Toronto, consistently scoring 80 or more points. He just signed a contract extension too, so Toronto will have his services for a while.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy
He’s still one of the best goalies in the world, however he’s as battle worn as the rest of the team. Hopefully they lighten the load on him moving forward.
10. Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson
Last season solidified this young man as Dallas’ new star. He put up 109 points last season. If continues to produce at that level he can be the face of this franchise for a good long while.
9. Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson
Pettersson and his stellar play are a massive reason why this team is out of the gutter. If he continues his play moving forward, Vancouver’s time in the playoffs could return very soon.
8. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebyuck
Connor got so tired of carrying this team that he almost didn’t resign. He did though, and Winnipeg gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor for a little longer.
7. Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak
Linus Ullmark could easily make this list, however Pastrnak scored 113 points last season. He’s an outstanding player and an even better leader. Here’s hoping he has another terrific season.
6. Florida Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk
The older of the Tkachuk brothers, Matthew’s move to Florida hasn’t slowed him down in the slightest. A big piece in their playoff run, and most likely a massive piece in their success moving forward.
5. New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin
Igor is most likely the best goalie in the world right now. He could very well carry New York into the playoffs singlehandedly to be honest. However, they’re going to need more than just him if they want a deep run.
4. Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin
He may not be the young man he once was, but he certainly is just as dangerous as ever. With a slap shot so deadly his team’s entire gameplan is built around it, it’s hard to ever count out Ovi.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby
No spring chicken himself anymore, Sid the Kid still finds himself comfortably in the top 5. Unlike Ovi, Sid doesn’t need his team to gameplan around him as he is still perfectly capable of pulling opportunities out of nowhere.
2. Colorado Avalanche: Nathan Mackinnon
Mackinnon is so much fun to watch. The man can do it all. Pass, score, hit, skate. He’s an absolute must watch for any hard core hockey fan.
1. Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid
No one will argue the McDavid is the best player in the world right now. He’s a nightmare to play against and consistently puts up well over 100 points a season. A wicked shot, dirty dangles, and quite frankly the fastest skater in the league, McDavid is also still only 26.
