NHL Team Rankings #3

[pb1300]

1. Tampa 85%
2. Colorado 74%

On to #3.

BTW...this is going to into this season, not from what teams did 5/10/15 years ago. I would think thats self explanatory (seeing as how we have done this for every season on this board), otherwise it would have said NHL ALL-TIME Team Rankings.

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[Homesick]

Vegas will probably have the 3rd most wins(feasting on the Pacific) but I think the Isles are the better team.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'll continue to have my doubts about Vegas as a Cup threat until they improve down the middle.

 

[ted2019]

Vegas.

 

[Boreal01]

Vegas

 

[LaMasquerade]

I think Florida continues to improve. Maybe not yet a real contender, but certainly going right direction. Of course a lot depends on whether Bob starts to play according to his contract.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Florida is stacked and significantly better than Vegas at the most important position. Move on from Bob and just start Knight.

 

[bobholly39]

1. Tampa 85%
2. Colorado 74%

On to #3.

BTW...this is going to into this season, not from what teams did 5/10/15 years ago. I would think thats self explanatory (seeing as how we have done this for every season on this board), otherwise it would have said NHL ALL-TIME Team Rankings.

Going into this season - I have no faith in Florida making the playoffs, and even less in them winning a round if they qualify somehow.

Vegas.

 

[HeavyHammer]

NYI.

They should probably be #2 tbh.

 

[banks]

It's probably Vegas. But I don't trust them with no C depth.

After that it's a tier of:
Isles, Canes, Leafs, Panthers.

 

[Murzu]

Florida/Vegas/NYI

Went with Florida

 

[missionAvs]

Going with the Panthers, then NYI, then Vegas. Rankings 2-5 are extremely close for me (Avs, Panthers, NYI, Vegas).

 

[BKarchitect]

In terms of competing for the Cup, I think Vegas and the Isles are next on my list. I think Vegas is going to have an “ace” up their sleeve - they have like 20 wingers and didn’t lost anything in expansion - I think there s a move to make - be it Eichel or somebody else.

That said I think Florida could be primed to have a regular season similar to the Avs last year but may still need to take some lumps in the playoffs. So I guess I’m torn in terms of even just how to “rank” for even just this season. I think Florida is more talented the the Isles and will have more regular season points but I would pick the Isles/Knights in a playoff series.

I also don’t think the Canes and Leafs are far off from this group. Carolina lost Hamilton but still have an elite team. The Leafs are easy to pile on as playoff failures but their core is still just entering their primes and I like how they built depth economically this off-season. The goaltending platoons will have a lot to do with the success of both teams.

 

[I am not exposed]

In terms of competing for the Cup, I think Vegas and the Isles are next on my list. I think Vegas is going to have an “ace” up their sleeve - they have like 20 wingers and didn’t lost anything in expansion - I think there s a move to make - be it Eichel or somebody else.

That said I think Florida could be primed to have a regular season similar to the Avs last year but may still need to take some lumps in the playoffs. So I guess I’m torn in terms of even just how to “rank” for even just this season. I think Florida is more talented the the Isles and will have more regular season points but I would pick the Isles/Knights in a playoff series.

My thoughts as well.

 

[Regal]

I'm surprised by the Florida votes. I know they had a great year, but they don't have the track record of an elite team outside those 56 games, and after their star players (Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad) they're relying on a lot of guys who haven't consistently performed up to what they did last year or are expected to do this year (Bennett, Weegar, Verhaeghe, Duclair). They lost Wennberg who had a good year, Hornqvist is getting up there and Tippett is still a question Mark. They also lost Dreidger who was very good last year. Knight looks ready but relying on young goalies is always a crapshoot, as is relying on Bob at this point as well. Top 5 feels like a stretch.

 

[jonlin]

I actually have Panthers on par with Tampa at No1. Panthers was a really good team last year and has added Reinhart, Montour and Jumbo. Lundell is gonna be on the team and Ekblad is healthy. No way they are outside Top3. They also have a plethora of C:s - Barkov, Reinhart, Bennett, Lundell, Vatrano, Jumbo, Acciari...


Verhaeghe - Barkov - Reinhart
Huberdeau - Bennett - Duclair
Vatrano - Lundell - Tippett
Marchment/Jumbo - Acciari - Hornqvist

Heponiemi, Luostarinen, Lammikko

Ekblad - Weegar
Nutivaara - Montour
Forsling - Gudas

Knight
BobCop

 

[jonlin]

I'm surprised by the Florida votes. I know they had a great year, but they don't have the track record of an elite team outside those 56 games, and after their star players (Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad) they're relying on a lot of guys who haven't consistently performed up to what they did last year or are expected to do this year (Bennett, Weegar, Verhaeghe, Duclair). They lost Wennberg who had a good year, Hornqvist is getting up there and Tippett is still a question Mark. They also lost Dreidger who was very good last year. Knight looks ready but relying on young goalies is always a crapshoot, as is relying on Bob at this point as well. Top 5 feels like a stretch.

They added Reinhart, Montour and Jumbo. Ekblad was injured for playoffs and Panthers was the best team Tampa faced still.

 

[Regal]

They added Reinhart, Montour and Jumbo. Ekblad was injured for playoffs and Panthers was the best team Tampa faced still.

Reinhart was a good add for sure. Montour is solid enough, though he's not a needle-mover. Thornton is a non-factor really. They were very good in the playoffs and overall last year, and I see the potential there, but we've seen teams not be able to carry that momentum after a big year and I still think there's more question marks than other top teams.

 

[jonlin]

Reinhart was a good add for sure. Montour is solid enough, though he's not a needle-mover. Thornton is a non-factor really. They were very good in the playoffs and overall last year, and I see the potential there, but we've seen teams not be able to carry that momentum after a big year and I still think there's more question marks than other top teams.

Ekblad is obviously the biggest factor, as he didnt play a playoff-game last season. Montour adds defense, not offense. As there is questions about Panthers goaltending, they needed a stay-at-home D. Weegar, Ekblad and Forsling all have offensive strenghts. Jumbo is actually a serviceable 3-4th liner. Preferrable on the wing though. Reinhart will probably close to PPG with Barkov, so Panthers have upgraded the team a lot.
Florida was only 3p behind Colorado&Vegas in the regular season and finnished only behind Carolina in their division. Infront of Tampa. Now Tampa has lost their entire third line, while Florida has upgraded. I dont see how there is more questionmarks for Florida, when their 1D is healthy and they have added skill?

 

[FlappyGiraffe]

Jets are gonna be a threat for the presidents, but will get ranked in the mid teens here.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Jets are gonna be a threat for the presidents, but will get ranked in the mid teens here.

Jets are gonna be a playoff team and they're going to be ranked accordingly. Dillon and Schmidt don't get you from 14th to presidents trophy level unless Schmidt, Wheeler and Morrissey all decide to be good at hockey again

 

[Regal]

Ekblad is obviously the biggest factor, as he didnt play a playoff-game last season. Montour adds defense, not offense. As there is questions about Panthers goaltending, they needed a stay-at-home D. Weegar, Ekblad and Forsling all have offensive strenghts. Jumbo is actually a serviceable 3-4th liner. Preferrable on the wing though. Reinhart will probably close to PPG with Barkov, so Panthers have upgraded the team a lot.
Florida was only 3p behind Colorado&Vegas in the regular season and finnished only behind Carolina in their division. Infront of Tampa. Now Tampa has lost their entire third line, while Florida has upgraded. I dont see how there is more questionmarks for Florida, when their 1D is healthy and they have added skill?

We'll see with Reinhart, but I doubt he scores scores much. He played significanty with Eichel in the past already. He might score 70 though. Thornton is done as an effective player and certainly shouldn't be playing higher than the 4th line. And Montour doesn't really bring great defense. He's an average #4.

The big issue though is you're not taking in account any potential regression. Verhaeghe came out of nowhere to put up good numbers. Can he repeat it? Duclair has shown he can score goals in streaks but can also go ice cold and doesn't bring much when he does. Can he continue to provide value or will yet another team move on from him? Bennett went off once moving to Florida but has never shown he can be a quality top 6 player. Can he solidify the role? And if not, who plays 2C? There's a bunch of players on the roster who can play center but I don't think any are ideal for the role if Bennett fails. Weegar played like a #1D last year and Ekblad's absence. Can that continue or will he regress which will negate some of the benefit of Ekblad's return? Forsling as well played like a top 4 defenseman last year, but hasn't shown he can do that regularly at the NHL level. Will that continue? The team is also hoping Tippett takes the next step and Lundell can come in this year which are both unknowns. I keep hearing "Hornqvist is on the 4th line", but that's only if everything goes right above him in the lineup which is unlikely. The biggest question as well is the goaltending, as Knight is extremely talented but he's 20, and even the best young goalies can go sideways (see Hart this year), and Bob is always a crapshoot.