NHL Power Rankings: Week 22
Greetings from Miami. I am sitting at a conference here in the Sunshine State and it’s the 1st Monday following the trade deadline. It’s the last Monday of the NHL Fantasy Regular Season. It’s the Monday we look at and mark as the final push to Playoffs and Lord Stanley’s Cup. What a week we had last week in terms of trades. We all hope this trend continues every year, it was unprecedented and fascinating.
#16 Buffalo Sabres (32-25-4, 68 Points)
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Buffalo controls their fate. The GM made some small moves to reward their team for playing well but didn’t stray off of the path for the rebuild. You know what the best part of where the Sabres are right now? The team is playing meaningful games in March. That means something. It means something to those young players, that organization, and the fanbase. For years March meant meaningless hockey for over a decade and now the Sabres actually control their fate. They have the math on their side. They can make the playoffs by winning a few games at hand. This is a special year for the Sabres.
#15 New York Islanders (32-25-8, 72 Points)
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Yikes it is ugly in the wildcard race for some of these teams. NYI get the bid by a tiny margin.
#14 Seattle Kraken (36-21-6, 78 Points)
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Seattle with 4 straight wins. They should be higher perhaps but we will see how they fair down the stretch here. The Kraken are making the playoffs, barring any major catastrophe. I just don’t know if this goaltending unit is capable of making a run.
#13 Minnesota Wild (36-21-6, 78 Points)
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The Wild are good man. The Wild weren’t major players in the deadline, in fact were almost late in getting John Klingberg from Anaheim but they made sneaky moves that will help this team in some respect. I think Billy G still thinks this team isn’t quite ready to contend but maybe they will surprise. The Wild West is wide open.
#12 Winnipeg Jets (36-25-2, 74 Points)
Previously #11
The Jets play as of late I think dictated how Kevin Cheveldayoff would handle the deadline. Adding Namestnikov and Niederreiter were solid picks but they weren’t in anyone major. The Jets are still a solid team that could very well do damage in these playoffs especially with their goaltending.
#11 Dallas Stars (34-16-13, 81 Points)
Previously #8
Dallas deserves a higher grade perhaps but I am still a bit weary about this group given what we saw recently. Give them one more solid week of this type of play and they will be a top 8 team I am sure of it.
#10 Edmonton Oilers (34-22-8, 76 Points)
Previously #12
Way to do something with your life Kenny Holland. A solid A grade for the Oilers this deadline, getting the defenseman that they absolutely needed. Mattias Ekholm will change the dynamic of this D corp in so many ways and for once, I am a bit comfortable with the Oilers D. Grabbing Bjugstad was a very solid cheap pick up as well and adds notable depth in the forward for next to nothing.
#9 Los Angeles Kings (36-20-8, 80 Points)
Previously #10
Kings had a very interesting deadline week that. The major shocker of the week, sending Jonathan Quick to Columbus for Korpisalo. What a crazy move by my account especially with their available cap space. It seems to be working as they are on a 3-game winning streak but wow that was caused jaws to drop.
#8 Tampa Bay Lightning (37-21-5, 79 Points)
Previously #6
Does anyone look at what’s happening with the Lightning this week and not be worried about Toronto. The Bolts are reeling…and its going to screw over the Leafs. 2015 the Chicago Blackhawks looks disinterested and “bored”, not willing to get up for games. They flipped the switch in mid-April. Teams like that know they can.
#7 Colorado Avalanche (34-21-6, 74 Points)
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Colorado is going to the Western Conference Finals. Bet it. Book it. It’s happening.
#6 New York Rangers (35-19-9, 79 Points)
Previously #5
Wow. Not looking good with Patty Kane on the bench. Can this team stop forcing their passes and plays and start clicking? Is there too much star power on this team after all? Is Shesterkin going to get it done?
#5 Vegas Golden Knights (38-19-6, 82 Points)
Previously #9
Vegas is back in the driver’s seat folks. They acquired a pissed off Jonathan Quick as an insurance policy. While his numbers this year have been awful, when he’s on…woof. I still think they are vulnerable of giving up their top spot but they are in the driver’s seat.
#4 Toronto Maple Leafs (38-17-8, 84 Points)
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Kyle Dubas looked like a rockstar this deadline. With literally no salary space, he made magic happen and brought in notable adds including Ryan O’Reilly. This is a GM in the hot seat and he will be damned if this team isn’t prepared to win round 1.
#3 New Jersey Devils (41-15-6, 88 Points)
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Devils have an outside chance of reaching tops of the Metro. This is a good team that has shown they can handle the adversity swings. I like that, plus they gained Meier who will flourish.
#2 Carolina Hurricanes (41-12-8, 90 Points)
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Take care in Carolina Jesse Puljujarvi. Pretty quiet deadline otherwise. A little concerning for me.
#1 Boston Bruins (49-8-5, 103 Points)
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When a team can continue to beat teams with their B game…you get the best regular season team of our generation. First team to the 100-point milestone…it’s March 6.
In-Season Cup
Fun home and home for my Oilers and James’ Jets. Unfortunately for me, the Jets stole the Cup on the second game and hold it going into this week. Its going to be a fun stretch.