With the bottom third of the NHL ranked, it is time to rank the middle of the pack. These guys are the bubble teams for the playoffs, and they include a couple former Stanley Cup veterans. I ranked these teams based on the strength of their forwards, defenders and goalies separately and added them together to create their final score. The link for part one of the ranking is here.
11) Los Angeles Kings - 22
Forwards - 6
With the departure of Mike Richards, the Kings wanted to bring in a forward that could excel in the defensive aspects of the game. Milan Lucic was arguably the best power forward on a couple Boston Bruins Stanley Cup teams, and should fit right in with a locker room that is accustomed to success. Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Dustin Brown are probably the top line, and with the level of talent each possess they could form one of the best lines in the league. That 70’s line that includes Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson are suspected to supply the Kings with goals again, especially last years top goal getter Jeff Carter. Behind those top two lines is dicey, and the Kings were 18th in the league last year in GPG. That number should not improve that much this season.
Defense - 8
Drew Doughty is as good as it gets in the NHL. Despite the Kings troubles last year, he still managed a positive +/- while leading the team in ice time with 29 minutes a game, which was second to only Ryan Suter. Slava Voynov will return to be his line mate after logging 23 minutes a game. Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin are only in their mid 20s, but already have plenty of experience and are now entering their primes. Los Angeles could have the best top four defensemen in the league, a big reason why they gave up the fourth fewest goals in the league last year.
Goalies - 8
Jonathan Quick returns after playing 72 games last year for the Kings. He has a lot of mileage on him, and it showed in his 91.8 save percentage, which is below the level we have come to expect from the all-star goalie. Jhonas Enroth, who is a capable back up, will join Quick and should allow Quick more time off this season.
12) Boston Bruins- 22
Forwards - 7
The Bruins will boast one of the deepest forward groups in the league this year. At the top is former Selke winner Patrice Bergeron. Loui Eriksson could finally reach the 30-goal plateau this season, after coming close for so many seasons. Brad Marchand and David Krejci have been consistent contributors for the Bruins for years. The team has also added the young, promising forwards Jimmy Hayes and Brett Connolly to round out what should be a solid forward group.
Defense - 7
Zdeno Chara is the most intimidating player in the NHL right now. To make matters worse for his opponents, they had to deal with him somehow for 23 minutes a game last year and that number should remain about the same. Towering at 6’9’’, there is just so much an opponent can do offensively when Chara is clobbering anyone foolish enough to enter the slot. His long time partner Dennis Seidenberg will join him on the top line. He may be close to a foot shorter than Chara, but he proves his worth with his responsible play that allows Chara to play aggressively. The loss of Dougie Hamilton hurts, but Torey Krug looks more than capable of becoming the new third best defender on the team.
Goalies - 8
Tuukka Rask was fantastic last year for the Bruins. He played in 70 games, but still managed a 92.2 save percentage that was among the league leaders. His career average is 92.6%, and he should reach that mark again this year.
13) Minnesota Wild - 21
Forwards - 7
Zach Parise is one of the biggest stars in the league. In his 10 year career, he has managed 60 or more points in six of those seasons. Last year, he was tied for 10th in the league with 33 goals. He may cost a lot against the cap, but he earns it year after year. Stars Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville will join him up front. The only problem with this is that they all cost over $5 million against the cap, which means the team cannot pay for a average supporting cast, a big reason why the team finished only 12th in the league last year in goals despite their star players producing.
Defense - 7
The same problem occurs on the defensive end. Ryan Suter is one of the highest paid defenders in the league, and has to play more minutes than anyone else every year to cover up for the lack of depth on the blue line. Mike Reilly and Matt Dumba are young, but are expected to make important contributions on a team that is pressed for cap room.
Goalies - 7
The most expensive position of all is the goaltender position. Devan Dubnyk and Niklas Backstrom will both make more than $3 million next year. That is ridiculous considering one of them will be riding the bench in each game, hopefully, and they could use the money elsewhere to improve depth. Dubnyk has to be the starter after putting up crazy numbers last year. He had a 1.78 GAA and a 93.6 save percentage to go along with 27 wins in only 39 games. Backstrom could be trade bait to bring in an extra defender. If that is the case, Darcy Kuemper played 31 games last year and would be a fine back up.
14) Vancouver Canucks - 21
Forwards - 6
The Sedin twins are back again to lead the Canuck attack. They both had more than 70 points last year, which the Canuck faithful have come to expect from them. Sniper Radim Vrbata scored 31 goals for the Canucks last year playing with the twins on the top line. He is a late bloomer who has scored 30 or more goals in two of the last four seasons. The problem with the forward group is that there are not many goal scorers after the top line. Brandon Sutter was a good pick up, but last year only the top line scored more than 40 points.
Defense - 7
Alexander Edler has silently emerged as one of the best defenders in the league. He led the team in minutes per game and +/- . Dan Hamhuis, who is as physical a defender there is in the league, will again join him on the top line. They form one of the best top lines in the league, and will be counted on again to dominate when on the ice. The loss of Kevin Bieksa really hurts a defense that relies on its grit. However, the team did bring back Christopher Tanev and Luca Sbisa, who will both likely see 20 minutes a game.
Goalies - 8
Ryan Miller has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL for quite some time now, as shown by his Vezina Trophy won in 2010. He is still chasing his first Stanley Cup, and will be a force to be reckoned with this year. The 25-year-old Jacob Markstrom, who has struggled in the NHL, will likely be his back up, which may be cause for concern for Canuck fans.
15) New York Islanders - 21
Forwards - 7
John Tavares has rejuvenated this team. Not to long ago, the Islanders were tied with the Oilers for biggest jokes in the league. Now, they are a serious playoff contender and are continuing to get better. Tavares has been chasing the NHL MVP for the last couple seasons now. Last season, he posted career highs with 38 goals and 86 points. The Islanders scored 3 goals a game last year, and Tavares played a large part in their success.
Defense - 7
The Islanders made a wise decision when they went out and grabbed Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk last year. They posted a 23+/- collectively on a team that has been notorious for poor defensive play. Travis Hamonic will return after playing top line minutes for the team last season. Even though he is only 24, he had a 15+/- last year and could improve this season. The team was still ranked 23rd in goals against last year and needs a defender or two to step up on the bottom-line.
Goalies - 7
Jaroslav Halak at this stage of his career is an average starter. You can basically expect him to give up around 2.5 goals a game. Halak should be more than enough for an Islanders offense that should continue to score 3 goals a game.
16) St. Louis Blues - 20
Forwards- 6
The young Vladimir Tarasenko had his breakout year for the Blues last year. He was tied for 5th in the league with 37 goals. Joining him in the 50 points club are Alexander Steen, Jaden Schwartz and David Backes. The Blues lost T.J. Oshie, who was a major contributor last year with 55 points. Paul Stastny was brought in to possibly be the top line center, but ended up underachieving with a decent 16 goals and 46 points. The reason the Blues are not ranked higher on the list is because of their lack of depth and reliance on uncertain young players.
Defense - 8
The strength of the Blues has to be considered the defense. Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Kevin Shattenkirk form one of the best defender corps in the NHL. They all are important reasons why the Blues only gave up 2.4 goals a game last year. With the core intact, expect another season of dominant defensive play.
Goalies - 6
Brian Elliott does not have to do much to look good behind the Blues vaunted defense. He only gave up 2.26 goals a game but still finished with just a 91.7 save percentage. He should continue to do enough for him to be successful behind a great defense.
17) Washington Capitals - 20
Forwards - 8
Alex Ovechkin vanquished just about every goalie he came across last season, scoring 53 goals. It is hard to believe he is only 29, because he already has 475 goals since joining the NHL 10 years ago. His spot in the Hall of Fame is basically already a given. It’s unfair to expect 50 goals out of anyone, but Ovi cannot be stopped and he will probably end up with those 50 goals again like he almost always does. Nicklas Backstrom quietly put up another 70-point season last year, and you can expect the same will happen with him centering Ovi again this year. T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams could potentially team up with Marcus Johansson on the second line.
Defense - 6
John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik all had fantastic years last year. They played 20 minutes a game each, and helped make Brayden Holtby look great. However, the loss of Mike Green will mean that each of them will have to shoulder I bigger load. Neither Orpik nor Nickanen were really stars with Pittsburg, and with Green gone they will have to be. Carlson has a pattern of a good year followed by a bad year the last four years, so if that pattern continues, then next year should be a bad year.
Goalie - 6
Braden Holtby was on fire last season. His 2.22 GAA was the fifth best in the league, and he really took advantage of playing behind a strong defense. With Green gone, the defense may not be a strong as it was last year. If the defense starts to decline, will Holtby’s play decline as well?
18) Philadelphia Flyers - 20
Forwards- 7
Claude Giroux has developed into one of the biggest stars in the NHL today. For the last five years, he has been a point a game player for the Flyers and has made the all-star game in three of those seasons. He had a bit of a down year last year, but still finished with 73 points which was tied for 10th best in the league. Teammate Jakub Voracek finished in the top five in points with 81. He has established himself as Giroux right hand man at wing and is set for another monster year. Despite the fact that these two had such good years last season, the team still finished 21st in the league in scoring. They could use a couple more good players, but they have one of the worst cap situations in the NHL.
Defense - 5
A big reason why the cap situation is so poor is the defense. Despite being mediocre, they will dish out over $20 million to a sub par defense. A big part of the problem is the contract of Andrew McDonald, which cost $5 million against the cap for the next five years. Michael Del Zotto had a good year last year, but he has proven to be an inconsistent player throughout his career. Luke Schenn is still young but is already a promising physical defender. First round pick Ivan Provorov could see action, as well as Shayne Gostisbehere or Robert Hagg.
Goalies - 8
Steve Mason has to be one of the biggest surprises in the NHL over the past couple years. He couldn’t hack it in Columbus, and when he came to Philly nobody expected him to play much better in basically the roughest city to be a goalie. Even with relentless pressure as the team’s first franchise goalie since Ron Hextall, he posted a 2.25 GAA and a 92.8 save percentage, both of which were good enough for top 10 in the league last year. Michal Neuvirth was brought in this summer to be Mason’s back up, which should give Flyers fans confidence heading into the season.
19) San Jose Sharks - 20
Forwards - 8
The Sharks aging core returns after missing the playoffs last season. Joe Pavelski had a great season, with 37 goals and 70 points. Veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau again scored more than 50 points. They all have a lot of milege on them and the question is can they continue to play up to their previous levels. Adding the 34 year old Joel Ward does not solve their age questions, and while he is a strong defensive player does not add that much of an offensive punch. Logan Couture is for sure a bright spot on the team. He scored 67 points last year to go along with his 27 goals. Tomas Hertl managed 31 points last year as a 20 year old and is expected to see his role expand.
Defense - 7
The team gave up 2.8 goals a game last year, which just wasn't up to their standards. Brent Burns is an excellent offensive defender, posting 60 points last year. However, he was not so excellent in his own end, with a -9 +/- showing a pretty mediocre effort defensively. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun could overtake him on the top line if the team decides it wants to focus on defense more.
Goalies - 5
A big reason that the team could focus on defense is the uncertainty in net. Martin Jones has talent, but close to no experience. Playing behind a shaky defense could hurt his confidence early in the season. The Sharks are known as an aggressive team, which means they will inevitably leave Jones out to dry more than a few times this season. Alex Stalock is a capable back up, but if they have to count on him shouldering the load in net then they are in trouble.
20) Nashville Predators - 20
Forwards - 6
Filip Forsberg was one of the more surprising players in the NHL last year. At only 20 years old, he led the Predators in points with 63. He may be the first forward star the team has had in a long time, and is expected to continue his strong play. James Neal did not live up to the hype last year with only 37 points in 67 games. He was expected to be a 30-goal scorer after finding success with the Penguins, but could not reach the mark. The team should be deep in the center position, with Forsberg, Mike Fisher, Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith but just do not have enough good players to expect them to be anything but average next year offensively.
Defense - 6
Shea Weber is one of the best defenders in the league, easily. He is a punishing hitter who can also fire a cannon from the blue line to assist in the offense. His 45 points were fourth on the team last year, and was second on the team in minutes a game. Roman Josi led the team in minutes a game, and was successful playing with Weber. Seth Jones is one of the more promising defensive prospects in the world, but he is still far from reaching that potential. Nashville has a couple more promising young defenders, but it is unclear how they will play this season.
Goalies - 8
Pekka Rinne is an elite goalie if I ever saw one. He won 41 games last year in only 64 starts. His 2.18 GAA was good for third best in the NHL. Rinne is possibly the most trustworthy goalie in the planet, and will be crucial for the Predators success this year.