SV’s 2019 Annual NHL Power Rankings: 31-22

Ranking the balance of power in the NHL, separating the contenders from the pretenders.

31. Ottawa Senators

The Senators finished last in the 2018 NHL standings with 64 points – seven points behind the next-worst team, the L.A. Kings. They lost out on the lottery, and didn’t get to pick until 19th – so there is no Connor-McDavid-Jack-Hughes-type of “savior” on the way. Having surrendered the most goals of any team (302), Ottawa looked to shore up some of their defensive problems by swapping Cody Ceci for the Maple Leaf’s Nikita Zaitsev, and by signing 38-year old Ron Hainsey. Zaitsev is a physical defensive D-man, but not a player that’s going to turn a team around defensively, and Hainsey is a lumbering liability at this point in his career.

The Sens have a good young forward core in Brady Tkachuk, Colin White, and Drake Batherson that could make 2018-Canucks like splash this year. They also added Connor Brown in that trade with Toronto, a promising young player that got lost in the rotation with the Leafs’ additions of John Tavares and Auston Matthews. Goalie Craig Anderson’s stellar career is on its last legs. Ultimately, there are too many holes in this roster right now and not enough experience in the leadership department.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets gambled the house last season, trading away multiple future assets for a shot at capturing the elusive Stanley Cup. While they didn’t catch lightning in a bottle, they did bottle up the Lightning – stunning the overwhelming Stanley Cup favorites, and the hockey world in the process. Just months after that incredible 4-0 series sweep, Columbus was Cup-less and gutted of their best core players in free agency. Artemi Panarin left for New York, Sergei Bobrovsky went to Florida, and Matt Duchene opted not to re-sign with the team that traded two first-round picks to acquire him.

This team is now led by an excellent defensive duo in Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Jones is a highly intelligent, elite defenseman with a rare combination of size and speed. However, in a league that requires multiple superstars in order to compete at a high level, Columbus will struggle to find consistent firepower with the current group of forwards. Cam Atkinson is coming off an impressive 41-goal season, but may find it tougher being the leading man, and the focus of each teams’ top defensemen. Goaltender Joonas Korpisaalo has potential, but still needs time to develop into a reliable number one option.

29. Los Angeles Kings

While the Kings’ Cup-worthy defense has slowly eroded over the years, that may not be their biggest concern. Despite adding Ilya Kovalchuk last season, L.A. finished 30th in goals per game (2.43), and any semblance of the explosive offenses during those Cup runs is gone. The Kings have not done much to address their goal-scoring woes in the offseason, and seem to be taking a “hope we’re better this year” approach. Despite an embarrassing season statistically, Jonathan Quick remains one of the best tendy’s in the league. Goalies can be strange creatures; Sharks goalie Martin Jones finished the season with .896 save percentage – then proceeded to help lead his team to the Western Conference Finals. The Kings won’t be pushovers like they were last year, but they will be found wanting in the depth department.

28. Detroit Red Wings

After 25 straight seasons of making the playoffs, the Red Wings’ era of proliferation came to an abrupt end in 2017, and they’ve continued to struggle ever since. Detroit and General Manager Steve Yzerman have reunited once again, and there’s reason for optimism. Given Yzerman’s track record, including his recent work of building the Lightning into the juggernaut they are today, Detroit hopes to rebuild what was one of the most feared clubs in hockey for over two decades. The Red Wings have an exciting pair of young defensemen in Filip Hronek, along with the 6th overall pick Moritz Seider to bank a future on.

In the short-term, they’re going to have a tough time stopping teams with Mike Green and Jonathan Ericsson still seeing heavy minutes. The recent defensive struggles have taken their toll on goalies Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier. While the 35-year-old Howard has been in a slow decline, Bernier is still just 31 with plenty of good goaltending left in him. This team is still at least a year away from becoming a consistent winner again.

27. Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo took a step forward last season and played some good, exciting hockey at home. On the road, however, the Sabres lost more than twice as much as they won. Jack Eichel established himself as the leader of this club, and the addition of Jeff Skinner gives them a legitimate one-two punch combination. The Sabres traded a second and fifth-round pick to Vegas for Colin Miller, who brings playoff experience and an excellent shot from the point. Paired with the first-overall pick in 2018, Rasmus Dahlin, and the Sabres have a dangerous duo on the back end as well. Dahlin still needs to time develop his defensive game, but is already an extraordinary offensive-defenseman as a 19-year-old.

26. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks finished last in the league in scoring in 2018 with a putrid 2.39 goals per game. Their leading scorer, 34-year-old Ryan Getzlaf, finished with just 48 points on the season. That should change this year, as the Ducks are ready to start giving full-time roles to multiple quality prospects like Ondrej Kase and Max Comtois. Beyond the top-6 forwards, however, the Ducks still lack scoring depth. The player that gives this team a chance to win is goalie John Gibson, a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate over the past two seasons. The Ducks have decent depth on defense led by stalwart Hampus Lindholm, but Gibson does a lot to cover up some of the egregious errors.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

In the offseason, the Flyers brought in Alain Vigneault to try and right the ship. Vigneault helped to lead Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, where they lost in Game 7 to the Bruins. His tenure in New York didn’t work out, but he is still regarded as a top-notch head coach. The problem is, the Flyers’ best offensive players are aging, and the defense lacks the toughness needed to compete in the Metropolitan division. Goaltender Carter Hart showed promise in his rookie season, and could be the answer in net for Philly, but they need to focus on building a defensive core in front of him.

24. New York Rangers

The Rangers got the prize of the offseason when they signed Artemi “The Bread Man” Panarin, a sleek, savvy left-winger with 40-goal-season capability. While Panarin is an excellent talent, he’s not yet at the elite level to where he can be counted on to lead a team to a Stanley Cup. The Russian sniper would be much better suited in a secondary role to a legitimate franchise player, one the Rangers are still in search of. Henrik Lundqvist is in his last years as a viable NHL goaltender, and Alexander Georgiev will likely split the games with Lundqvist this season. Defensively the Rangers still have much work to do.

23. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have the most dynamic player in hockey, Connor McDavid, to lead a talented group of forwards that includes 50-goal scorer Leon Draisaitl. Sadly, McDavid suffered a severe knee injury in the last game of the 2018 regular season, and will not be rushed back into action. However, the young phenom should be ready to go in the early in the season. The Oilers have a couple of veteran goalies to try to backstop a loose defensive front. Surely, they’ll win some games just based on pure offensive firepower, but will continue to struggle in stopping high-quality chances around their net.

22. Chicago Blackhawks

How the mighty have fallen. It was a rough season for the team we became most accustomed to seeing hoist the Cup in the 2010’s. Three championships and some questionable moves/trades later, and here they are. In 2018, Patrick Kane put the club on his back and went on an otherworldly run/points-streak in the midst of Chicago’s horrid season, nearly bringing them back from the depths to a playoff birth.

With Kane and Jonathan Toews, the Hawks still have the horses to get it done, but last year seemed like the turning of a page. The Hawks surrendered the second-most goals in the league at over 3.5 per game. Living-Hawks-legends Ducan Kieth and Brent Seabrook seem to have fallen off in defensive efficiency, and goaltender Corey Crawford saw his save percentage drop to its lowest mark since 2012. Chicago added goalie Robin Lehner for insurance, which could end up being a nice steal if the Hawks do slip into the post-season.