October 15, 2021
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — Welcome back, hockey.

It’s a new era in the National Hockey League. In the United States, ESPN and Turner take over the broadcast rights as the League looks to attract a bigger, younger audience with two networks bringing their unique style to the broadcast.

We also welcomed a new franchise. It’s good to have you, Seattle! Good luck in your first season.

More than anything else, it’s good to have fans back in the seats around the league and expectations of a relatively normal 82-game season. And players heading back to the Winter Olympics (hopefully).

We look forward to the chatter as we extend our weekly Power Rankings to 32 this year. As always, let us know what you think, what we got right and where we’re absolutely crazy.

32. Buffalo Sabres

Until they trade Jack Eichel, the Sabres will have a cloud hanging over the franchise. The fans should probably spend their time watching the University of Michigan’s team, which is loaded with future NHL stars including future Sabre Owen Power.

31. Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes move to the Central Division this season to make room for Seattle, adding some travel to their books for this season. Their retro jerseys look great, but will their play in those jerseys be worth it? It was a long summer in the desert with some long-time Coyotes leaving town.

30. Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman is starting to put his fingerprints on the Red Wings’ roster, using his cap space to bring in players and picks to accelerate the rebuild in Motor City. Nick Leddy will bring a veteran leadership to the blueline.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Grandpa Ryan Getzlaf will patrol the ice surrounded by players who could be his kids. But the youth movement in Anaheim is expected to bring more speed and scoring into a lineup that desperately needed that last year. The Ducks pursuit of the top overall pick could be entertaining this year.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

An emotional summer that saw the tragic passing of Matiss Kivlenieks and trade of Seth Jones ends with the team hitting the ice behind captain Boone Jenner. Will Adam Boqvist develop and become a player Chicago regrets trading away?

27. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks will have their work cut out for them this year. Will they be the best team in California? The worst in the state? Of somewhere in between? If the season doesn’t start well, Doug Wilson and Co. may start moving pieces.

26. Nashville Predators

If you look at the list of names no longer in Nashville, it’s a strong indication that the Predators are moving into a new era. But who will emerge as a leader from the next generation? And how will they compete with some of the more veteran-heavy rosters in their division?

25. Los Angeles Kings

Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty come into this season with chips on their shoulders and something to prove. They’ll inject some young players into their lineup this year and the addition of Phillip Danault should help them on both ends of the ice.

24. Calgary Flames

Mark Giordano is now the captain – of the Kraken. And Johnny Hockey’s time in Calgary may not last much longer. The Flames are in a transition as some of the teams around them look to take significant strides forward this season.

23. Ottawa Senators

We’ve heard the soundbites from Ottawa about the rebuild being over and the window being open starting now. Perhaps the biggest indication the Sens are for real about making this season matter came Thursday, when the organization got a seven-year deal done with their best young player, Brady Tkachuk.

22. Vancouver Canucks

They’re young and fast, move the puck well and will score this season. But will they play enough/any defense? Or will the Canucks and their opponents be a popular over bet all season? This is a growth season in Vancouver with increased expectations.

21. New Jersey Devils

The Devils brought in Dougie Hamilton to provide leadership and stability on the backend. They’re young and will be frustrating at times, but the future is coming quickly for New Jersey. Keep an eye on Dawson Mercer as a good rookie in their lineup.

20. Seattle Kraken

Opening night saw a strong Vegas team run out to an early lead, but Seattle fought back and made that game interesting. The Kraken are in the weak Pacific Division and there will be incredible energy in their brand-new arena (when it opens). They might be able to sneak into the playoff picture.

19. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs are starting the season without Shea Weber or Carey Price. And they’re asking Cole Caufield to make a significant impact offensively. Do they have the horses to stay in the mix back in their traditional division?

18. St. Louis Blues

The Blues lost Jaden Schwartz, Mike Hoffman, Sammy Blais and Vince Dunn this summer. And they still don’t know what to expect from Vladimir Tarasenko this season. Their fans are going to love Pavel Buchnevich as a big part of their future, though.

17. Dallas Stars

What will Tyler Seguin look like this season? And how motivated will Ryan Suter be after being bought out by Minnesota? It’s a redemption tour year in Dallas, who still need to lock up their most important defenseman, John Klingberg.

16. Chicago Blackhawks

Opening night in Denver was ugly. But the Blackhawks should be encouraged that Jonathan Toews is back and appears to be ready to roll. Chicago’s depth down the middle is totally changed over from last year; Toews and Kirby Dach missed most/all of last season and the Hawks added Tyler Johnson and Henrik Borgstrom to provide depth at center.

15. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens looked good – even without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin – on opening night. It was the first opener for the Penguins without one of those two since 2003, a remarkable run. Will this year be another exciting postseason from Sid and Geno or the beginning of a transition in Pittsburgh?

14. Winnipeg Jets

Moving out of the all-Canada division and back into the Central will help the Jets settle back into playoff contention. They’ll be good in net and on the backend with size and speed up front. The Jets will be a handful this season.

13. Minnesota Wild

The Parise-Suter Era in Minnesota was cut short early with two surprising and expensive buyouts this summer. In their place are younger players, including the well-paid Kirill Kaprizov. The middle of the Central Division is going to be a mess this season with three or four teams in the playoff mix.

12. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers, like the Blackhawks, spent a lot of money on their blueline problems this summer. They’ll be a physical team, as always, but will need much better play from Carter Hart between the pipes if they want to make a playoff run this year.

11. New York Rangers

Opening Night wasn’t what the revamped Rangers wanted. They brought in more physical players specifically to match up better with the Capitals, only to get their butts kicked in Washington. There’s still a lot of skill and young pieces developing around the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Adam Fox, and Artemi Panarin.

10. Washington Capitals

The beginning of the season comes with a few bodies banged up in Washington, but Alexander Ovechkin reminded all of us that he’s still got some gas in the tank with a four-point performance against the Rangers in the first NHL game on TNT in the United States. If he can stay healthy, Ovi could cross a few more milestones this season.

9. Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid plays at a level almost nobody else in the league can imagine. One of the few players who can play near that level is his teammate, Leon Draisaitl. But will the addition of two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith to the blueline be enough to make the Oilers a threat to make a deep run in the playoffs?

8. Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina moves back to the Eastern Conference after a pandemic season in the Central Division. They do that with almost half of their roster turned over from last year, including top defenseman Dougie Hamilton. How quickly the Canes can integrate their new additions and develop chemistry will be something to watch in a tough, deep division this season.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas might be No. 1 in our pre-game production Power Rankings after their incredible visual display in front of an ESPN audience in the U.S. on Wednesday night. They handled their business pretty well against their “younger brother” expansion franchise from Seattle.

6. Florida Panthers

Sasha Barkov got the bag just before the regular-season began. Now, the Panthers will look to improve on last season’s performance and make a deep run back in the Eastern Conference. Joel Quenneville is a popular pick for the Jack Adams with a great group on the ice.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last season’s disappointing postseason exit will be talked about until the Leafs’ young core shows they can get past the first round of the playoffs. There’s no denying the talent in Toronto, but the experience needs to turn into wins in April, May and June now. The cap isn’t going to let them keep this band together forever.

4. Boston Bruins

Tuukka Rask and David Krejci aren’t in Boston any longer, but the pieces are still in place to make life miserable opponents. Boston is still a strong, deep team led by David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron up front.

3. New York Islanders

The Islanders have the best goaltending tandem in the NHL and a strong group in front of the net that returns almost everyone; they swapped Zach Parise for Jordan Eberle and brought in Zdeno Chara to bolster the blueline. Can Barry Trots take a third franchise to a Stanley Cup Final this year?

2. Colorado Avalanche

Darcy Kuemper looked good against the Blackhawks on opening night and the Avs looked just fine – even without Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado is the class of the Western Conference this season even with their offseason departures.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Opening Night loss be damned, the Bolts will incorporate the new players into the lineup and get comfortable. To be the best you’ve gotta beat the best, and the two-time defending champs will start the season as the top team in our Power Rankings.