NHL Power Rankings: Ducks, Blackhawks Open 2015-16 Season On Top

Another NHL season starts Wednesday night with two games, highlighted by the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks hosting the New York Rangers on banner night at United Center. It’s never too early for some power rankings, though, so let’s dive into the first list of the new season.

1. Anaheim Ducks: The team with the best record in the West last season added plenty of depth over the summer by acquiring veterans such as Carl Hagelin, Chris Stewart, Shawn Horcoff and Kevin Bieksa. The core of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Cam Fowler is as good as any in the league.

2. Chicago Blackhawks: The defending champs lost several key players from its recent Stanley Cup teams over the offseason, including Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad, Brad Richards and Johnny Oduya. Chicago still has more than enough talent to win another title, and it should benefit from young guys such as Teuvo Teravainen and Marko Dano stepping into important roles.

3. Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin has never played on a better Capitals team, at least on paper. The additions of veteran forwards Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie provides the necessary depth for a deep playoff run.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning: The defending Eastern Conference champions play the fast-paced, highly skilled game that excels in today’s NHL. Steven Stamkos’ next contract could become a real distraction, though.

5. Los Angeles Kings: Don’t bet on the Kings missing the playoffs again after adding Milan Lucic and Christian Ehrhoff. The blue line is better, and there will be more opportunities for young players to fulfill important roles.

6. New York Rangers: The Blueshirts are a tough out in the playoffs based on their depth, two-way skill at forward and elite goaltending with Henrik Lundqvist. That shouldn’t change in 2015-16.

7. St. Louis Blues: The Blues have all the talent to make a championship run, but they can’t seem to advance past the first round of the playoffs each year. Six of their last seven playoff appearances have ended in the conference quarterfinals. Another early exit might force major changes on the ice and behind the bench.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins: Better health, improved blue line depth and the addition of elite goal scorer Phil Kessel should vault the Pens back to legitimate Cup contender status.

9. Montreal Canadiens: The Habs will go as far as reigning Hart and Vezina trophy winner Carey Price takes them.

10. New York Islanders: The Islanders enter their first season in Brooklyn with one of the most well-balanced teams in the league, but goaltending is a genuine concern.

11. Boston Bruins: The B’s have a deeper forward group and elite goaltending with Tuukka Rask, both of which will help them make up for some of the concerns on a young blue line.

12. Nashville Predators: If starting goaltender Pekka Rinne is healthy on a consistent basis, the Preds should be good enough defensively to secure a top three spot in the Central Division.

13. Detroit Red Wings: New head coach Jeff Blashill has inherited a quality roster that, barring major injuries, should earn a playoff spot for the 25th consecutive season.

14. Winnipeg Jets: This young team got a taste of the playoffs last season, and it should return this season because of strong puck possession, a deep forward group and a collection of young players ready to break out.

15. Minnesota Wild: Devan Dubnyk’s unlikely dominance in net saved Minnesota’s 2014-15 season. He’ll need another impressive campaign to lead the Wild back to the playoffs from a super-competitive Central Division.
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16. San Jose Sharks: The Sharks improved their goaltending with the addition of Martin Jones and still have a ton of veteran talent with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. Expect a bounce-back season from San Jose.

17. Dallas Stars: The Stars added Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya to an already-talented roster led by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but the lack of a trustworthy goaltender remains a huge concern.

18. Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus’ blue line likely will prevent it from making the playoffs this season. That said, a healthy Sergei Bobrovsky gives them a potentially elite goalie who can steal games when the offense goes through droughts.

19. Calgary Flames: The Flames are a difficult team to predict. They won’t catch as many breaks as last season in regard to high shooting percentages, third-period goals and unsustainable goaltending, but the addition of Dougie Hamilton gives them one of the best blue lines in the league.

20. Florida Panthers: The Panthers appear close to being a playoff team. They need young, core players such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad and Aaron Ekblad to take another step in their development to reach the postseason.

21. Ottawa Senators: The Senators are a good bet to regress a bit this campaign. Let’s face it, Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond is not a top-tier goaltender and likely won’t sustain his save percentage from the end of last season.

22. Edmonton Oilers: The additions of No. 1 draft pick Connor McDavid and free-agent defensemen Andrej Sekera will improve the Oilers and keep them in the mix for a playoff spot late in the season, but the longest postseason drought in the league likely won’t end.

23. Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers still are a few years from contending in the East, but they won’t be a pushover, either. This roster still has an elite first-line duo in Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, as well as some young players poised for breakout campaigns.

24. Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche should score plenty of goals with a highly skilled, fast-paced offense led by Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. Suppressing shot attempts and scoring chances, which were major issues last season, still are concerns entering 2015-16.

25. Buffalo Sabres: The additions of No. 2 pick Jack Eichel, defenseman Cody Franson, goaltender Robin Lehner and a healthy Evander Kane should make the Sabres much improved and fun to watch.

26. Vancouver Canucks: General manager Jim Benning made a few bad moves in the offseason, most notably trading talented young netminder Eddie Lack and relying on a past-his-prime Ryan Miller to be the No. 1 goalie. It likely will be a long season in Vancouver.

27. New Jersey Devils: Cory Schneider will do everything possible to keep the Devils competitive with his brilliance in net, but it probably won’t be enough for a team that lacks the scoring depth to consistently win games.

28. Carolina Hurricanes: This team has issues at just about every position, including in net, where former playoff hero Cam Ward is entering a contract year while coming off a horrible 2014-15 campaign.

29. Toronto Maple Leafs: The best-case scenario for the Leafs is to lose a lot of games and win the draft lottery, which would allow them to select top center prospect Auston Matthews.

30. Arizona Coyotes: There’s hope on the horizon in the desert, especially after No. 3 pick Dylan Strome enjoyed a fantastic training camp and preseason. That said, Coyotes fans (all 20 of them), should prepare for another tough season in Glendale.