| 1. |
 |
A wonderful performance from Khabibulin, and wonderful
play by Richards, Modin and St-Louis. General Manager Bruce Sparcklin
hasn't made a lot of trades, but his team is still one of the
best in the NHL. |
| 2. |
 |
Has started the season very well, and with a solid
core of veterans like Mats Sundin, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan
Shanahan, this team will be competing for the cup comes playoff
time.
|
| 3. |
 |
Have lost their two last games. Would it have been
wiser to keep Joe Sakic? The team also has a very bad power play,
which puts them a bit lower in these rankings. Rumours are saying
that GM Teo Petrescu might be considering dealing Keith Primeau.
If he does, expect him to get a lot in return, as he's one of
the league's toughest traders. Maybe they should be lower rated
in this ranking, because they are only making the .500-mark at
the moment.
|
| 4. |
 |
One reason for their position in the standings is
definitely the play of the Penalty killing units. Brunette has
gotten a good start to the year.
|
| 5. |
 |
They are firing away at the oppositions goaltending
as if they were completely gone mad! But what else is to be expected
with a roster including Yzerman, Robitaille and Hull. The team
has tried to lower their salary cap, and give younger players
a shot in the NHL. So far, it has worked out pretty well for GM
Joey Hannah |
| 6. |
 |
GM Ryan Christie must be satisfied with the start
the team has gotten so far. Kirk Muller is playing far better
than he has done in years, while Langkow and Markov average more
than a point per game |
| 7. |
 |
Good power play, lousy penalty killing. Jagr and
Bondra are doing what is expected from them, and Mark Messier
seems to have found something he has been looking for the last
couple of years. His career.
|
| 8. |
 |
Only Sabres are letting in fewer goals then Kings,
but their special teams are middle of the road. GM Greg Herridge
must be happy with his goaltender, Potvin, who's playing very
well. Potvin already has an assist, by the way. So does Kelly
Buchberger...
|
| 9. |
 |
Five straight wins. And Daniel Alfredsson has picked
up his game a notch since GM Ryan Roy came to Ottawa.
|
| 10. |
 |
With guys like Lindros, Bure and Fleury, the team
should have more shots on goal then they have, and they have a
high penalty minutes average per game. How will the trade of veteran
Brian Leetch affect the other Rangers?
|
| 11. |
 |
Pretty good start to the season, but
expect GM Martin Lavoie to start trading some of his players soon,
because the team needs to get under the salary cap limit within
five games.
|
| 12. |
 |
A good start to the season, but they are subject
to a lot of injuries so far. Joe Thornton is newly recovered,
and has played well so far. Byron Dafoe has two assists, by the
way.
|
| 13. |
|
The team has done a lot of deals lately, so GM Martin
Krantz must be curious about how it'll turn out. The additions
of Joe Sakic and Paul Kariya will probably help the team climb
higher in the power rankings, when the both of them start producing.
Getting rid of the under-achieving Milan Hejduk was a good deal
for Flyers. Rumours are that Cechmanek is interested in leaving
town...
|
| 14. |
 |
A good team from the start, and GM Jerry
Maciuk hasn't done much about it. He's added Roberts and York,
though. So far, York needs to produce better though.
|
| 15. |
 |
The top players on the team aren't producing. Players
like Michael Nylander, Tony Amonte and Eric Daze should be able
to scare the crap out of opposing goaltenders, but Amonte isn't
scoring. Daze is, but he doesn't have a lot of assists. Get them
producing, and GM Randy Tevelde will watch his team rise in the
standings.
|
| 16. |
 |
This is a young team with a lot of talent. I expect
them to be competing for a playoff spot this season, but just
wait until the team gets a bit more experience on the ice. If
Canucks GM Les Koch don't fret, and sit tight on the many talented
players he has picked up, expect Vancouver Canucks to be a contender
for years to come.
|
| 17. |
 |
It is a well known fact that GM John Wetzel is aiming
for the cup this year. At the moment, the 'Canes are fighting
for a playoff position. And players like Ron Francis, John Leclair
and Patrick Roy will surely make a difference in the struggle.
GM Wetzel isn't too worried, though. He believes that if he just
keep playing these players, they will eventually hit it off big
time. We will just have to wait and see.
|
| 18. |
 |
This talented team shouldn't be this far down the
standings. They score a lot of goals, but they have a problem
with keeping the puck out of their own net. Will Nabokov be traded?
|
| 19. |
 |
Bad powerplay, but they still score
a lot of goals. They let in quite a few as well. I'm surprised
they score such a decent amount of goals, considering the fact
that they have very weak centers. Problem lies in the defence.
They have no good defensive players. When Chris Tamer is the most
defensive-minded player on the team, you've got problems. |
| 20. |
 |
Four straight losses, and only one win in the last
ten games. This team could just as well have been in the 30th
position as on the 20th. But they played well before that, and
I am taking that into the rankings at this time, because this
is the first power ranking in a while. Good powerplay, bad penalty
kill, and the team lets in far too many goals to be a playoff
team come spring. GM Mark Xamin has a lot of work to do.
|
| 21. |
 |
Also a team that was expected to be found higher
up in the rankings before the season started. They score a lot
of goals, but still they don't reach the .500-mark. The problem
is that they're letting in way too many goals to contend for a
playoff spot. If GM Mikael Svensson can fix the defence, the population
in New York might have a fun winter. They have won four in a row,
now, though. That's the second longest winning streak in the league
at the moment.
|
| 22. |
 |
Well, they are playing better than they did in the
pre-season, but GM Thomas Eisenring can't be too happy with his
team. Not one single player is averaging a point per game, and
poor Ed Belfour sees the puck zip past him between three and four
times per game.
|
| 23. |
 |
Not an expected position for a team that was a contender
a couple of years ago, and also won the cup the year before. The
team has a good power play, but they aren't scoring enough, and
Brodeur is also facing way too many shots. Brian Leetch is a welcome
addition.
|
| 24. |
 |
The team has dealt some of their youth, like Marcus
Nilson, to acquire veterans. The fans don't want to wait any longer
for a playoff spot, and GM Nathan Erb is with all means available
trying to get them there. But, the way it looks at the moment,
expect the Panthers fans to have to wait a bit longer. |
| 25. |
 |
Was it really a good idea to deal Paul Kariya to
another team? Maybe, since he weren't producing. If the team can
get more production out of Rod Brind'amour, and Jeff Friesen continues
to produce, expect Anaheim to still miss the playoffs. But with
a smaller margin than before.
|
| 26. |
 |
The team is scoring well enough (what else, when
you've got Lemieux on the roster?), but they need a better defense.
They don't have any good, solid defencemen on the roster. One
of the biggest surprises of the pre-season, the team hasn't been
able to live up to the expectations.
|
| 27. |
 |
In their last 10 games, they have played a better
hockey than before. With a record of 4-5-1, the team is almost
at .500-mark.
|
| 28. |
 |
Had a win in their last game. That's
the only reason they are above Wild in this ranking. The biggest
problem is that they are letting in way too many goals. |
| 29. |
 |
Very good power play unit, and the team is average
in most other things. Problem is that the team isn't scoring enough.
|
| 30. |
 |
It goes something lithis: power
play isn't good enough. Penalty killing isn't good enough. They
take too many unnecessary penalties. They don't shoot enough,
and they get shot at more than enough. The Predators are, in competition
with Montreal and Minnesota, the worst team in the league at the
moment. GM Shaun Stephens has a lot of work to do, but it is a
very young team, and hopefully, they will work out well in the
future. |
