After ranking the bottom 10 and middle 10 teams, its time to rank the top 10 teams in the NHL. There are plenty of suprises in this top 10, and if you had read other two parts of the rankings, you can probably predict what they will be.
1) Chicago Blackhawks- 26
Forwards-9
Although they come at a price, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are the two most clutch players in the NHL. That can come in handy when you are the Blackhawks and seemingly contending for a Stanley Cup every year. Marian Hossa is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Even at 36, you can count on getting 60 points out of him again this season. Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen proved their worth last post season by combining for a total of nine goals and 22 points.
Defense-10
Duncan Keith could not be stopped in the post season last year, scoring 21 points and having a 16 +/- in the 23 games the Blackhawks needed to win the Stanley Cup. He averaged over 30 minutes a game on route to a Conn Smythe. He has a career 137 +/- and has logged more than 23 minutes a game his entire career. Brent Seabrook is capable of making the most difficult plays in the defensive zone look easy, and although he does not have Keith’s eye popping stats he is just as important. Niklas Hjalmarsson may be the most underrated defender in the league. His 25 +/- last regular season was second only to Toews on the team. Trevor Daley was brought in to complete the best top four-defender group in the league.
Goalies-7
Corey Crawford may not be the flashiest of goaltenders, but he gets the job done. His shutout in the close out game of the Stanley Cup showed he was a clutch performer. His save percentage was the same in the post season as it was in the regular season, which shows that he is just as successful against the best of the best in the post season as he is during the regular season.
2) Tampa Bay Lightning- 24
Forwards-8
Steven Stamkos is one of the elite goal scorers in the game. In his seven years in the NHL, he has scored 40 or more goals in four of them. Tyler Johnson led a new pack of scorers that emerged this season for the Lightning. He tied Stamkos for most points on the team with 72 and was second in assists. Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat both had more than 60 points as Johnson’s wingers. Ryan Callahan and Alex Killorn return to provide the team with a level of grit needed in the postseason.
Defense-9
After trading for Braydon Coburn, Tampa Bay took the title of deepest defensive unit. On the top are stars Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman who are coming off the best years of their careers. Jason Garrison and Andrej Sustr will likely form the next line, providing stability for the unit. The final line consists of two former top liners Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn. From top to bottom, this defense has no holes.
Goalies-7
Ben Bishop earned his starting role in the Stanley Cup by playing through a groin injury and still putting up a 92.4 save percentage. Bishop will bring almost a $6 million cap hit next year, which is up there with the best goaltenders in the league. He has started in more than 60 games for the Lightning the last two seasons and is the franchise goalie
3) Detroit Red Wings- 24
Forwards-8
Pavel Datsyuk will again be the centerpiece of a Detroit Red Wings team that is hoping to hoist the Stanley Cup. He put up 65 points in only 63 games last year, which is about on par with his career average. Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen return as his partners in crime. Last year, Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist both had break out seasons; they both scored over 50 points. Former Stanley Cup champion Brad Richards was brought in to provide depth for the center position and will compete with Darren Helm for the 2nd line gig.
Defense-8
Detroit gave up 2.6 goals a game last year, which is just not up to their standards. They responded by grabbing Mike Green from the Capitals, an All-Star two-way defender. He will likely join Niklas Kronwall, the Swede that invented the term Kronwalled, on the top line. Danny DeKeyser played more than 20 minutes a game last year while being second on the team with an 11+/-. Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson will likely compete for the fourth spot, with Brendan Smith filling out the sixth role.
Goalies-8
Detroit could possibly have two starting caliber goalies on their squad. Jimmy Howard has been their franchise goaltender for some time now, starting in 50 or more games in five of the last six seasons for the Red Wings. Last year, however, he was injured and the team had to rely on the young Petr Mrazek to get the job done. In the post season, he was able to post a 2.11 GAA and a 92.5 save percentage against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The old saying goes “if you have two goalies then you don't have any,” but Detroit seriously has to consider starting Mrazek a healthy amount of games this season as he has proven himself at only 23 years of age.
4) Anaheim Ducks- 23
Forwards-8
A lot of teams in the NHL choose to beat you by skating around you and forcing the play wide. The Ducks are not one of those teams. Instead, they head straight for you and if you are not ready for the physical play then they’ll knock you into your own net. Ryan Getzlaf may be the strongest captain in the NHL right now, with a 6’4’’ frame that allows himself to bully defenders. Despite his size, his greatest attribute may be his passing ability. In last years post season, he put up 18 assists in 16 games. It helps that he has one of the best snipers in the league, Corey Perry, at his wing. Perry has scored 30 or more goals in four of the last five seasons, and in last years postseason scored 10 goals in 16 games. Ryan Kesler is a huge asset on the second line, providing the team with the same kind of physical play as Getzlaf.
Defense-8
The loss of Francois Beauchemin will for sure be felt. However, it gives the young defensemen on the roster a chance to shine. Hampus Lindholm was second on the team last year in minutes a game and led the team with 25 +/-. Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler both played more than 20 minutes last year, and just like Lindholm finished with a positive +/-. What is so incredible about these three is that they are all doing this before their 25th birthday, and they still have time to grow even more. Kevin Bieksa was brought in to replace Beauchemin, and will fight with Simon Despres and Clayton Stoner for ice time.
Goalies-7
Frederik Andersen appears to be the goalie of the future for the Ducks. He played in all 16 of the Ducks post-season games and put up an impressive 2.34 GAA. The team in front of him is as good as ever, so there is no reason why he cannot improve after gaining the post-season experience.
5) New York Rangers- 23
Forwards-7
The Rangers boast a forward group with plenty of star power. Rick Nash is one of the best power forwards in the game, and last year he managed an impressive 42 goals. Center Derick Brassard put up 60 points last season, second only to Nash. Derek Stepan scored 55 points in only 68 games last year, which was good for third on the team. The loss of Martin St. Louis will hurt them though, and they will have to rely more on Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes on the right wing.
Defense-8
The Rangers defense has been good for a long time. A big reason for that is because the core of the unit has stayed for the most part intact. Marc Staal, Daniel Girardi and Ryan McDonagh all return for the Rangers next year. Keith Yandle proved his worth in the post season last year, providing the team with 11 points from the blue line. Dan Boyle and Kevin Klein will likely round out a superb unit.
Goalies-8
If you don't know that Henrik Lundqvist is an elite goaltender by now, you don't know hockey. In the post season last year, he had a 2.11 GAA to drop his career average to 2.22 GAA in the post season. With 111 career post-season starts under his belt, Lundqvist is one of the most trustworthy goaltenders in the world.
6) Montreal Canadians-23
Forwards-6
For a team as good as they are, only scoring 2.6 GPG is a little underwhelming. Max Pacioretty was the team’s best weapon on offense, scoring 37 goals as well as putting up 67 points. Tomas Plekanec reached the 60-point plateau too, but scored only 4 points in 12 post-season games. David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher can be counted on to score 40 or more points, but after them things get dicey. Montreal brought in Alexander Semin as a low risk, high reward sniper who may find his groove playing on the Canadian’s lower lines.
Defense-7
It’s hard to tell how good a defense is when Carey Price is the goalie. P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov return to form the obvious first line. Alexei Emelin had a good season last year, and should see his ice time improved. Jeff Petry gets paid like a top four defender, but last year did not play like one. The team has plenty of options for the bottom pair, but none of them are that eye popping.
Goalies-10
Speaking of eye popping, did anyone see Carey Price play last year? That 1.96 GAA and 93.3 save percentage were not just good enough for the Vezina Trophy, but the Hart Trophy as well. That never happens to goaltenders, but Price is a one of a kind goaltender. The Canadians gave up the fewest goals in the league last year, and almost all of it had to do with the best goalie in the world Carey Price.
7) Dallas Stars-23
Forwards-9
The rich got richer this offseason. Even though the Stars were already the second highest scoring offense last season, the team went out and got star winger Patrick Sharp. Now that star will join the other stars on an All-Star Dallas Stars team. With all that star power (I promise no more star puns), Dallas should be the favorites for highest scoring team in the league. They have the highest scoring player last year in Jamie Benn. They also have one of the best young centers in Tyler Seguin, who scored 37 goals and put up 77 points. Jason Spezza could be the best second line center in the league, scoring 62 points last year. Add to all of that Patrick Sharp, and you have the recipe for a very high scoring team.
Defense-6
Unfortunately for Dallas, they also have to play defense. They added Johnny Oduya in the offseason, which is a plus considering his performances during Chicago’s Stanley Cup runs. John Klingberg scored 40 points in 65 points last year and had a positive +/- playing in over 20 minutes a game. Jason Demers was brought in from San Jose, and played well in his first season with Dallas. The question is, though, who is their top two defenders? Who will they send out when they need to hang on to a lead in the final seconds or need a stop on the penalty kill?
Goalies-8
After Kari Lehtonen surprised everyone in Dallas with a meltdown of a season last year, the team added Antti Niemi. The two cost $10 million against the cap, and it is unsure what they plan on doing with either of them. One thing is clear, this will be the most interesting goalie situation in the league next year. If they get it right, they are a dangerous team in the playoffs. If they do not, all that money spent this off-season will be for nothing.
8) Colorado Avalanche-23
Forwards-9
Last season was bizarre for this group. Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon were both expected to improve off of impressive seasons the year before, but saw their production actually drop. Instead, Jarome Iginla of all players was tied for the lead in points on the team. Someone is going to crack 60 points this season. Getting rid of Ryan O’Reilly gets rid of a lot of the off the ice issues and gives Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon more ice time. This group has far too much talent to continue playing the way they did last season.
Defense-6
Adding Francois Beauchemin was a great move. With him and Erik Johnson, the Avalanche have their first legitimate top pair in a long time. Tyson Barrie led the team in assists and +/-, so his role should improve. Brad Stuart will likely join him on the second line, but has not put up the numbers you would expect out of a top 4 defender. The addition of Beauchemin helps, but the team still gave up 2.7 GAA last year.
Goalies-8
Semyon Varlamov may have his issues off the ice, but he does not allow it to affect his on ice play. Last year he posted a 92.1 save percentage despite some suspect play in front of him. With a defense that should improve this season, expect his numbers to improve as well.
9) Pittsburgh Penguins-22
Forwards-10
I’m not sure what more has to be said about Crosby and company. Crosby and Malkin were again able to put up a point a game and were among the league leaders in points last year. It is a pattern that has repeated itself since they entered the league, and will only be aided by the arrival of Phil Kessel. Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis are among those expected to assist Crosby and Malkin’s annual scoring spree.
Defense-5
This is where the Penguins always run into issues. In the playoffs, they cannot just out score their opponents, and their defense gets exposed. Kris Letang may be a good two-way defender, but he is not big enough to guard in front of the net. Paul Martin is gone, and Christian Ehrhoff has not been resigned yet. Instead, the team is going to have to rely on Rob Scuderi, Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy to get the job done, who just aren’t going to be enough.
Goalies-7
Marc-Andre Fleury returns again for the Penguins. Fleury has evened out in this point of his career averaging around 2.35 GAA and .915 SV%. Those are good numbers, especially considering the fact that he has not gotten much help from his defense. It is uncertain how good his back up Jeff Zatkoff is, but if all goes according to plan, we won’t be seeing much of Zatkoff.
10) Calgary Flames-22
Forwards-8
The Flames surprised everyone last year when they almost scored three goals a game. Jiri Hudler is a late bloomer, scoring 31 goals to go along with 76 points. He was eighth in the league last year in points, which shows how good he really is now. The young stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan also lead the Flames attack. They both had over 60 points and Monahan had 31 goals. Michael Frolik was a good addition to an already good offense. Sam Bennett is an exciting prospect that could get some ice time this season.
Defense-8
Adding Dougie Hamilton will come in handy as the Flames look to improve a defense that was average last season. T.J. Brodie was big for the team in the postseason, playing 27 minutes a game and was in a tie for the team leader in +/-. Mark Giordano was an all star last season, and is another late bloomer for the Flames. Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell should add depth to a defense that should improve this season.
Goalies-6
The downfall of the Flames in the playoffs last season began in net. They could not decide which of their goalies they wanted to start, and they each ended up playing seven games in last years post season. Jonas Hiller is the veteran of the two, and he can be expected to give up 2.5 GAA. Karri Ramo is less certain, but at 29 years old he could end up being a late bloomer like Giordano or Hudler.