Central Division Power Rankings

Containing a plethora of offense and great goaltending, the next Stanley Cup champion could very likely come from the Central Division. The Dallas Stars made some impressive offseason moves and Minnesota is coming off a surprising playoff run, but will it be enough to knock off the all-mighty Chicago Blackhawks?

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Players gained: Brad Richards

Players lost: Brandon Bollig

The Blackhawks made one big offseason acquisition acquiring the streaky Brad Richards out of free agency, but all the talk, as of late, has surrounded the big contract extensions for their two stars. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are locked up until the 2022-23 season and though it didn't come cheap, Hawks fans are just glad it happened. With Toews and Kane in the conversation for years to come, this team will be the top of anyone's power rankings for a very long time. Chicago knows how to keep their fans happy. Win Cups.

2. St. Louis Blues

Players gained: Paul Stastny, Carl Gunnarsson

Players lost: Ryan Miller, Roman Polak

The Blues trial run with Ryan Miller didn't exactly work out as planned. Miller couldn't give them the playoff run they hoped for, posting a .897 SV% and a 2.70 GAA in the post season. Nightmarish numbers for a goalie who has been so good for so long. But never fear, Blues fans, for as while Ryan Miller heads for Van City, Brian Elliott stays put. Elliott will bring stability to a team who has lost 2 great goaltenders in Miller and Halak in the past year. The Blues also have their offense taken care of with the offseason signing of Paul Stastny. I guess having Backes and Stastny as your top two centres isn't exactly a bad thing.

3. Dallas Stars

Players gained: Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Anders Lindback

Players lost: Aaron Rome, Alex Chiasson

The Dallas Stars will arguably have the best offensive one-two punch in the entire NHL next season. Already with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on the first line, former Ottawa Senators Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky will headline the Star's second line after a couple strategic offseason moves from GM Jim Nill. I, for one, am drooling just thinking about their power play unit.

The back line seems to be the only place where the Stars aren't stacked, actually. But where the Stars lack in defense, they surely make up for in offense. It's also going to be exciting to see what Valeri Nichushkin is capable of after having a very strong rookie season at the age of 18.

4. Minnesota Wild

Players gained: Thomas Vanek, Stu Bickel

Players lost: Clayton Stoner, Dany Heatley, Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick

After their impressive playoff run last season, the Wild are looking like the same team that knocked off the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. They might have given away a lot in Matt Moulson and Dany Heatley, but gained it back with the signing of Thomas Vanek. The Wild will be looking for Zach Parise to continue to lead by example after his strong regular season and spectacular playoff performance. With Ryan Suter leading the way on defense, and Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom providing a strong goalie tandem, the Wild could be returning to the playoffs in a big way.

5. Colorado Avalanche

Players gained: Jarome Iginla, Daniel Briere, Brad Stuart, Jesse Winchester, Zach Redmond

Players lost: Paul Stastny, Matt Hunwick, Brad Malone, P.A. Parenteau

Last year might have been a fluke. The Colorado Avalanche had an extremely impressive run as they sat atop the Central Division by the end of the regular season, but fell short in the playoffs as the Minnesota Wild knocked them out in 7 games during the first round. Maybe it was lack of experience or maybe the Avalanche just weren't the full package a lot of people thought they were.

Now, a year older, Nathan MacKinnon is going to be looked upon to carry more of the load offensively this season with the departure of Paul Stastny. The Avs made some good offseason acquisitions picking up veteran Jarome Iginla, and also took a chance on Daniel Briere who didn't quite make a home in Montreal. The Avalanche have a lot to prove if they want to show that they're not just a one-hit wonder.

6. Nashville Predators

Players gained: James Neal, Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro

Players lost: Patrick Eaves, Patrick Hornqvist, Nick Spaling


The Predators didn't improve enough on their offense in the offseason and it seems to be the only department they needed to get better in. Their blue line is stacked with players like Shea Weber and newcomer Seth Jones, and Pekka Rinne will be ready for a full season after missing most of the 2013-14 season because of a hip injury. But who knows how James Neal will play without Evgeni Malkin along his side and acquiring hit-and-miss guys like Mike Ribeiro and Olli Jokinen is also risky. It could pay off, but the Predators are going to need a lot from their big players if they're going to compete in this offensively talented Central Division.

7. Winnipeg Jets

Players gained: Mathieu Perrault

Players lost: Al Montoya, Olli Jokinen, Zach Redmond

The Winnipeg Jets won't be moving up in the standings anytime soon until they give up on Ondrej Pavelec. The 26-year old goaltender had the highest goals against total in the NHL last season, and since he arrived in Winnipeg, Pavelec hasn't had a SV% above .906. The false hope the Jets have in their goaltender is crushing the team's potential.

Also, with Evander Kane supposedly wanting out, and Dustin Byfuglien having multiple position disorder, the Jets need to get things together for the 2014-15 season or things are going to go much worse than planned.

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New and Familiar Faces in Leaf Land

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ additions this offseason were rather small and not especially news worthy. However, they do provide the team with some attributes that they have lacked for the past few years: depth, veteran presence, and defensive stability.

When looking deeper into the projected forward lines the changes don’t start until you look to the third line.

James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel

Joffrey Lupul - Nazem Kadri - David Clarkson

Leo Komarov - Petri Kontiola - David Booth

Daniel Winnik - Mike Santorelli - Matt Frattin

With the return of former Leafs Leo Komarov and Matt Frattin, Toronto fans can be reassured that their bottom six will be both tough to play against, and productive in the offensive zone.

Freshly recovered thruster David Booth, should remind fans of the Mason Raymond signing of last year. It is a one-year, low risk deal that could pay dividends if the three-time twenty-goal scorer can get back to the game he played with the Florida Panthers.

When looking to the defensive side of the bench, there are only two new names to the squad: Stephane Robidas, and the large, punishing Roman Polak.

Dion Phaneuf - Stephane Robidas

Jake Gardiner - Cody Franson

Morgan Rielly - Roman Polak

While the thirty-seven-year old Robidas adds a sense of veteran presence that Toronto has lacked in the recent past, he also provides support and a likely partner for captain Dion Phaneuf, with the exit of former D partner Carl Gunarsson. The acquisition of Stephane Robidas should allow Phaneuf to assume a more physical role and provide much needed offensive support from the blue line.

Roman Polak however, appears to be the more impacting move, as he brings a plethora of physicality, speed, skating ability, and a respectable -7 plus/minus in 424 NHL games. Whether if he is paired with Morgan Reilly, or Jake Gardiner, Polak will stabilize the bottom four of the defensive unit. With Gardiner and Reilly both rapidly maturing and improving, and Korbinian Holzer developing, it appears as though the Maple Leafs finally have a degree of depth and stability on defense.

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan commented on the trade for Polak saying, “I’ve watched him play and I’m incredibly impressed with a guy that size and with that skating ability. I reached out to a couple of teams after the deal was done and asked what they liked and they said his speed. But he will make guys pay a price, too. He’s an element we don’t have in Toronto.”

With no changes in net, the Leafs maintain one of the best “bang-for-your-buck” goaltending duos in Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer. If they are able to coexist with minimal controversy, this combination could result in a large number in the wins column.

The upcoming 2014-2015 season should excite fans, while the additions from this past summer should have an immediate impact on the Maple Leafs’ starting lineup.

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Pacific Division Power Rankings

With less than 45 days until the puck drops on the 2013-14 NHL season, it's time for the bloggers (that's us) to start telling you that we can predict the future. The Pacific Division kicks off our four-part series of NHL power rankings.

1. Los Angeles Kings

Players gained: None

Players lost: Willie Mitchell

Where could you possibly rank a team that has won two of the past three Stanley Cups? First. You rank them first. The L.A. Kings are the current powerhouse of the NHL and it's because they have the full package. With Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar up front, and Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick on the back lines, this team has a lot of reasons why they are so dominant. The Kings are a force to be reckoned with and it's going to be that way for a very long time.

2. San Jose Sharks

Players gained: John Scott, Tye McGinn

Players Lost: Dan Boyle, Brad Stuart, Martin Havlat, John McCarthy

The Sharks finished 2nd in a division with some of the best teams in the NHL last season. After winning the first 3 games of their first round playoff series against the Kings, they fell apart and lost 4 straight to lose the series to the future champs. Although San Jose lost defensive pillars Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart, younger defensemen such as Jason Demers and undrafted third year player Matt Irwin should come in to their own under the leadership of Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sharks forwards corps, and goaltending are just as strong as they have been in recent years. The future is looking good in San Jose.

3. Anaheim Ducks

Players gained: Ryan Kesler, Clayton Stoner, Jason LaBarbera, Nate Thompson, Dany Heatley, Louis Leblanc

Players Lost: Teemu Selanne, Nick Bonino, Lucas Sbisa, Jonas Hiller, Zack Sortini, Stephane Robidas, Mathieu Perrault

With offseason moves landing both Ryan Kesler and Dany Heatley in Anaheim, there's no question that the Ducks can provide the offence they're looking for. It's the goaltending that should worry them. Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth are both long gone now, leaving the opening for two very young goaltenders in Frederik Anderson and John Gibson. Andersen is the more experienced netminder, but when the Ducks were out of luck with Jonas Hiller in the playoffs, they turned to Gibson to right the ship. The Ducks put a lot of confidence in Gibson last postseason, but it'll be hard to give the starting job to a 21-year old. Just remember, goalie controversy ruins teams.

4. Phoenix Arizona Coyotes

Players gained: Devyn Dubnyk, Joe Vitale, Sam Gagner, B.J Crombeen

Players lost: Thomas Greiss, Radim Vrbata, Mike Ribeiro, Tim Kennedy, Gilbert Brule 

The 'Yotes lost out on a playoff spot by 3 points last season, and made off season moves that could boost them into claiming a wild card spot this coming year. They deepened their forward group with the additions of Gagner, Vitale and Crombeen and simultaneously made it younger, by losing Vrbata and Ribeiro, who are both on the wrong side of 30. Arizona will have work to hard in the Pacific division to be competitive, but they are most certainly making moves that send them in the right direction. 

5. Vancouver Canucks

Players gained: Radim Vrbata, Dustin Jeffery, Ryan Miller, Derek Dorsett, Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa

Players lost: David Booth, Mike Santorelli, Ryan Kesler

The Vancouver Canucks are a very interesting case. In the past two seasons, they have had three different starting goaltenders, traded two of them away, and when the season starts, the Canucks will play their fourth different starting goaltender in 3 years. Signing Ryan Miller was the acquisition of the summer for the 'Nucks, maybe even saved their playoff hopes. But if Vancouver wants to return to the post season, the Sedins will definitely have to return to their usual offensively gifted ways. Excluding the 2012-13 shortened season, last year was the worst year for combined production for the Sedin twins since 2002. Daniel and Henrik will really have to show they can still be two of the best players in the league next year, especially with the departure of Ryan Kesler.

6. Edmonton Oilers

Players gained: Mark Fayne, Benoit Pouliot, Keith Aulie, Teddy Purcell, Nikita Nikitin

Players lost: Ryan Smyth, Darcy Hordichuk, Sam Gagner

It’s no secret to anyone that the Oilers have been one of the most consistently under performing teams in the NHL in recent seasons, and they have found themselves in the basement of their division more often than not during the stretch as well. Off season acquisitions for Edmonton may very well move them above their division rivals and provincial counterparts, the Calgary Flames, in the near future. Edmonton has lacked experience and depth and that has been their downfall, especially on the back end. Adding defensemen Nikita Nikitin, Mark Fayne and Keith Aulie through free agency was huge for the Oilers, and the offensive additions of Benoit Pouliot and Teddy Purcell will certainly strengthen the forward corps. If the newly formed young goaltending tandem of Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth can hold up, the Oilers should be looking at a more positive season than those they have experienced as of late. 

7. Calgary Flames

Players gained: Jonas Hiller, Deryk Engelland, Brandon Bolig, Devon Setoguchi

Players lost: Joey MacDonald, Mike Cammalleri

As you might have guessed it, the Flames won't be moving up in the standings this season. Quite the opposite. Sadly, it might be the same story for a while. Not enough change has been made to make this team better and the minor free agency signings aren't exactly drastically improving their chances. Taking shots on Devon Setoguchi and Deryk Engelland just won't cut it for a team who has struggled for so long and with only one player hitting the 50-point mark last season, the much needed fire power isn't being provided. Can you say "Connor McDavid", Flames fans? Bundle up Connor, it's a bit cold where you're going.

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