Even though this list is likely to be irrelevant in a couple weeks, everyone else seems to be doing an off season power ranking so might as well go with the flow. I ranked these teams based on how good I think their forward, defensive, and goalie groups are. They all received a grade from 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. I took the total of those three groups and added them together to get the final ranking.
21) Columbus Blue Jackets- (20)
Forwards: 7
Columbus finished last year ranked 12th in goals a game. A big part of their scoring came from stars Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen, who both had more than 70 points last year. Former Blackhawk Brandon Saad will likely join that top line. Saad had 52 points in the regular season, and scored eight goals in the playoffs. Scott Hartnell, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson could be the second line again. Hartnell was the most productive out of that group last year, scoring 28 goals and 60 points. Grinders like David Clarkson, Jared Boll and Rene Bourque round out what seems to be a good group of forwards.
Defense: 5
As good as the Blue Jackets were offensively, they were much worse defensively. They gave up over 3 goals a game, even with former Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky in net. The group is pretty much the same, with Jack Johnson, David Savard and Fedor Tyutin all returning after logging more than 20 minutes last year. Ryan Murray was impressive last year, and the 21-year-old should see much more ice time this season. His 1 +/- last year was good for third among defensemen on the team. The third pairing could be brutal, with a combination of Dalton Prout, Justin Falk and Cody Goloubef likely to play. Overall, the group did not improve enough to where they should be considered average.
Goalies: 8
Sergei Bobrovsky is as good as it gets in net. He won a Vezina trophy, and has been transformed ever since he has come to Columbus. His athletic abilities allow him to make some incredible desperation saves, and is never really out of a play. His 91.8 save percentage last year was not among the best, but he has proven that he can put up some great stats if the defense plays well in front of him.
22) Ottawa Senators- (20)
Forwards: 6
Bobby Ryan and Kyle Turris are the stars on what is an otherwise average group. Both scored over 50 points last year, and have consistently done so in their careers. The young Mark Stone may be the most important player of the group. He was tied with Turris for most points by a forward with 64. At age 23, he could improve further this year. The team also has two prospects with tons of potential in Curtis Lazar and Matt Puempel. The problem with this group is besides Ryan and Turris, the other expected major contributors are all young and it is uncertain how they will perform.
Defense: 7
Erik Karlsson could be the best offensive defender in the game. He has put up 60 or more points a season in three of the last four seasons. Matt Cooke is the only reason why that is not four for four. Last season, he again led the team in points with 66, and logged 27 minutes a game. He is this team’s most important player, and still young enough at 25 to improve his game greatly. Marc Methot should be on the top pair after putting up a 22 +/- in only 45 games. Mark Borowiecki and Chris Phillips would make a good second pairing, and Jared Cowen will likely be on the final pairing along with Patrick Wiercioch.
Goalies: 7
Craig Anderson will again likely be the starter for Ottawa. He has managed a 91.5 save percentage in his 12-year career, and has established himself as one of the more trustworthy goalies in the league. Andrew Hammond shocked the world last year when he posted a 94.1 save percentage and a sub 2 goals against average. He has more than proven himself as a back up, and if something happens to Anderson he has proven he can take his place.
23) Winnipeg Jets- (19)
Forwards: 6
The veteran group did not have a 30-goal scorer, but they did finish 16 in the league in goals last year. They have a handful of really good players in Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Drew Stafford. Mark Scheifele had a break out year last year with 49 points and should challenge the top dogs for ice time. It looks like he should be the second line center along with Michael Frolik and Stafford. The team does not have much depth after the top six, and will likely count on them again to do the majority of the scoring.
Defense: 6
It's an interesting group with a lot of potential. Tyler Myers and Dustin Byfuglien are both physical defensemen that can score but are also mistake prone, which is why Buffalo traded Myers. If these two could cut down on their mistakes, they would make one of the better defensive pairings in the league. Tobias Enstrom and Jacob Trouba are the more trustworthy alternatives, and could end up with more ice time. Mark Stuart will likely round out the unit with Grant Clitsome, whom make a decent final pairing.
Goalies: 7
Last year was a career year for Ondrej Pavelec. He posted a career high in save percentage and shutouts. His 2.28 goals against average was way below his career average of 2.28. It is likely that next year will be somewhere between the plateau reached last year and his career average. The 25-year-old Michael Hutchinson should push him again this year, as he posted similar stats to Pavelec last year.
24) Toronto Maple Leafs- (19)
Forwards: 6
It is hard to believe that a team with Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak, James Van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri could finish 24th in the league in scoring, but that is what this team did last year. Without Kessel, the remaining four will have to put the team on their shoulders if they expect to score more goals this year. Van Riemsdyk led the team with 27 goals last year after finishing with 30 goals a season before. He is their most talented player, and still has a lot of potential to improve. Nazem Kadri proved why the Maple Leafs drafted him in the top 10 in 2009, putting up 39 points in 73 games. He could get much better, and should be getting plenty of ice time.
Defense: 6
For years, Toronto has been trying to get rid of Dion Phaneuf, but everyone knows that he is overpriced. With a career -8 +/- he is just not a top line defenseman and hurt his team last year playing 23 minutes. Jake Gardiner is a promising young defenseman at 25 with seemingly unlimited potential, but he played poorly last year. With the 38-year-old Stephane Robidas being their most trustworthy player, they may have to play him 20 minutes a game next year if they plan on making the playoffs.
Goalies: 7
Jonathan Bernier is still a restricted free agent, but it’s hard to believe that any team would put up an offer that Toronto would not match. Bernier is the team’s franchise goalie, playing in 50 or more games in both of the seasons he has been with the team since coming from Los Angelis. James Reimer is a good back up that has had to play some bad defenses in Toronto.
25) Florida Panthers- (18)
Forwards: 5
The Panthers have a few future stars in this group. Nick Bjugstad, Aleksander Barkov, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Huberdeau are some of the best forward prospects in the world. Last year, Huberdeau had his breakout season with 54 points and for the first time had a positive +/-. Bjugstad led the team with 24 goals despite only playing 16 minutes. Barkov has scored 60 points before his 20th birthday. They will form a strong nucleus in five years, but the problem is that it isn’t five years from now. The team will have to rely on aging veterans David Bolland, Jussi Jokinen and Jaromir Jagr this year if they do not want to finish 25th in goals a game again.
Defense: 6
Aaron Ekblad is one of the more exciting young defenders around. He scored 12 goals last year, is a physical 6’3’’ monster of a man and can make the play on the power play or penalty kill. There is nothing that can stop Ekblad from becoming the best defender in the world someday except for Ekblad; he has already proved why he was picked first overall in 2014 as a teenager. He has veterans Brian Campbell and Willie Mitchell to help, but this is Ekblad’s show right now and into the foreseeable future.
Goalie: 7
Roberto Luongo may not be the elite goalie he was in the first stint he had with Florida, but he still is a franchise goalie. Last year, Luongo played in 61 games and posted a 2.35 GAA and 92.1 save percentage. There is no reason to suspect he won’t do the same thing next year, but at 36 he is reaching the twilight of his career and is not as quick as he once was.
26) Arizona Coyotes- (18)
Forwards: 5
Like the other teams around them with hard to watch offenses, they are choosing the longer method of developing young players to fixing the offense instead of going out and getting the quick fix in free agency. The Coyotes were the second worst offense in the league last year, and there is little cause for hope that will change. They traded away their only 40 point getter in Sam Gagner, and there may be no one to fill those shoes this year. Instead, they will give their young, promising prospects Max Domi and Dylan Strome a chance to play some heavy minutes in the hope that it will make them better players 3-5 years from now.
Defense: 7
The team’s top point getter will likely be a defender again. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the only returning player to reach the 40 point plateau, and should play heavy minutes yet again. Zbynek Michalek will likely be who he is paired with, which is good news for Oliver because Michalek is a defensive mind player who will allow Oliver to focus more on attacking on offense.
Goalies: 6
Mike Smith was dreadful last season for the Coyotes. He had a 3.16 GAA and a 90.4 save percentage to go along with a 14-42-5 season. The poor play came out of nowhere, since Smith was a big reason for the Coyotes getting into the playoffs a few seasons ago. If he has another season like last season, the Coyotes are in for a rough season.
27) Carolina Hurricanes- (17)
Forwards: 4
Eric Staal is certainly a star, and he proved it last year by scoring 23 goals and 54 points with practically no help. Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Nathan Gerbe and Elias Lindholm are on paper expected to help next year, but none of them had good seasons last year for a variety of reasons. Elias Lindholm at 20 looked promising with 39 points, but how much will he progress in one year? Jordan Staal was injured last season, but he has not scored 20 goals since coming to Carolina.
Defense: 6
Adding James Wisniewski will help a defense that was ranked 18th last year in goals against. Justin Faulk led the team with 49 points and 24 minutes, and is expected to join Wisniewski on the top line. Ryan Murphy had a good year at only 22 last year, and is expected to see his role expand next year on an otherwise average defense.
Goalies: 7
Cam Ward is the franchise goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes, but he struggled last year. He had a losing record last year and a 91 save percentage, both uncharacteristic of him. Eddie Lack, who was impressive for the Canucks last year, will pressure him for the starting gig. He got his first crack at the NHL playoffs last year and at age 27 still has plenty of room to grow.
28) New Jersey Devils- (17)
Forwards: 4
Adam Henrique was the only player younger than 30 to score more than 30 points last year for the Devils. That's bad news for a team that already was the third lowest scoring team in the league last year. The Devils are in the middle of a rebuilding project, and that means that they need to lose a lot of games. Future Hall of Famer Patrik Elias will return for his 20th NHL season, all with the Devils, but how much can he possibly have left in the tank?
Defense: 6
Even through a rebuilding phase, the Devils still have a bright future in their group of defenders. Adam Larsson has not signed yet, but there is no way the Devils give up their best player. At 22 years old, Larsson has already logged 20 minutes a game, and last year ended up with a positive +/-. Jon Merrill and Damon Severson are both expected to see an increase in playing time. Veterans Andy Greene and John Moore should also see plenty of ice time, and will be pushing their young teammates.
Goalies: 7
Cory Schneider returns after an impressive season where he started 69 games. His 2.26 GAA and 92.5 save percentage were among the top 10 in the league. With a slightly better defense possibly in from of him, expect no different from Schneider next year.
29) Buffalo Sabres- (16)
Forwards: 6
Tyler Ennis returns as the only 20 goal scorer from a season before. He led the team with 46 points, and will likely lead the team again in points. Evander Kane is talented, but you never know just how motivated he will be. With a struggling team around him, he could quickly turn into a headache. Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel should get their fair share of minutes to show why they were the second players picked in the last two drafts.
Defense: 6
Zach Bogosian was brought in from the Jets in Winnipeg’s attempt to get rid of the constant headache Evander Kane. He played 26 minutes a game last year, and will likely lead the team in minutes again. Rasmus Ristolainen is a young guy with a lot of promise but is still a long way away from being a top line defender. Josh Gorges, Mike Weber, Carlo Colaiacovo and possibly Andrej Meszaros round out a unit that should improve from last year.
Goalies: 4
The Sabres organization can say whatever they want, but when you go into a season with Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson as your goalies, you are not chasing a Cup. More than likely you are chasing a first pick in the draft, which they will be “competing” for this season.
30) Edmonton Oilers- (13)
Forwards: 6
The Oilers have a lot of guys with a lot of promise that just have not lived up to their hype. Their best players are also their most likely players to make bad mistakes that end up in their own net. Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins both scored 24 goals and had over 55 points, but finished with a negative +/-. Former first overall pick Nail Yakupov somehow managed a -35 +/- despite only playing 15 minutes a game. Their best player, Taylor Hall, was injured for most of the year, so getting him back will be a boost for the 26th best offense in the league.
Defenders: 3
Nobody gave up more goals last year than the Oilers, and their defenders stand to blame. Justin Schultz and Oscar Klefbom were their top line last year… I repeat Justin Schultz and Oscar Klefbom were their top line last year.
Goalies: 4
The masters of tanking, the Oilers and Sabres, both understand that to ensure yourself of losing a lot of games, you must have bad goaltending. Ben Scrivens had the worst save percentage in the league last year among starting goaltenders, yet somehow finds himself in the same position as last year. Cam Talbot has been the back up with the Rangers the last couple years, but he has put up good some stats. Talbot could easily find himself the starting goaltender by the end of the season.