2021 NHL draft • Who will be the top pick this summer? The NHL is back and there's been no shortage of … Locally, last night’s Capitals season opener was NBC Sports Washington’s highest-rated regular season game since the 2018-19 season, and its most-streamed regular-season game on record. We reached Week 8 of the NHL season and there was a big shakeup in the Power Rankings. Edmonton will likely finish higher than 17th in the standings due to their historically good power play and top-end talent, but are one of the most incomplete teams in the league. NHL Power Rankings 2021: Week 2 1. The Wild are the intriguing story this week thanks to a six-game winning streak. They brought in a couple players like Andreas Johnsson and Ryan Murray, but their core is still the weakest in the Metropolitan Division and their team defense is absolutely putrid. In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings the Golden Knights climb to the top spot thanks to a six-game winning streak that has been driven … But, the main questions remain the culture in the organization, their defense outside Rasmus Dahlin, and whether Linus Ullmark is a legitimate starting goaltender in the NHL. Regardless the length of the season, it has the potential to be the most competitive one in NHL history. SHARE. The 2020-21 NHL season is here! Forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov are leading the way on this recent surge. It sounds weird, but the Chicago Blackhawks are a bottom team. 25. Last night’s #CapsSabres season … The additions of Devon Toews and Brandon Saad only make the Avs more dangerous, as they’ll be playing on a team with players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Name Kadri, Ryan Graves, and Andre Burakovsky. SHARE. As good as the Canes are, last year was quietly a disappointment. That is another reason we want to slightly delay this release. Brandt Clarke, D, Barrie Colts (OHL): Assertive defenceman who is never afraid to join and stay in the … Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are simply not good enough to lead a team to a Cup, as they are both fringe starters at best. They are 5-14-2 against everybody else in the division. These rankings will grow considerably over the next few months as the OHL and WHL are expected to resume play for the first time since Match of 2020. The Marc-Andre Fleury redemption tour rolls on for Vegas. Jacob Markstrom is a top goalie in the NHL, and a major upgrade over Cam Talbot to play with David Rittich. The question is whether Ilya Samsonov is ready to truly become a starter in the NHL after Holtby’s departure. Like Minnesota, the offense is a concern and is the main factor holding them back in a tough Central division. Texas winter storm: Searching for … The Flames are coming off of a relatively disappointing season, especially after finishing second in the NHL in 2018-19 with 107 points. Unless Lindy Ruff and company can change that, this team will struggle as it’s tough to win giving up 35 shots a game. How NHL Power Rankings are made * Power Rankings are updated every Monday and Friday of the NHL regular season. However, their depth and defense aren’t nearly up to snuff with the rest of their roster, and that may cost them in the playoffs or important divisional games. Connor Clifton, Jeremy Lauzon, and Kevin Miller may get full-time roles, which hurts their defensive depth. You can contact me via E-mail ([email protected]), Twitter (@shawndaversa), and Instagram (@daversa91). The Blue Jackets are the most criminally underrated team in hockey. The good news for the Stars offense is that young players such as Rope Hintz, Denis Gurianov, and Joel Kiviranta will develop over time, and the Stars will gradually become a more high scoring team. Graphic Courtesy of Andrew Armstrong The 2021 NHL Draft, tentatively scheduled for July, will be one of the most unique in the history of the league. They added some defensive depth in Zach Bogosian and TJ Brodie, which can help very much. This leaves free agents to sign with bottom teams, making them automatically more competitive. But that fourth playoff spot has always been wide open given the rest of the division. Year after year, the Panthers are supposed to take the next step, but they never seem to. Users get the option of streaming either the home or away broadcast for each game, of course, but they also get additional angles: the service also offers in-goal cameras, which is a cool feature that sets it apart from some other sports streaming services. This team is still far below average in every facet in the game, and after a historically bad season, should stay in the basement. 10. Now they fired their coach and can not seem to get a win. The Sharks had an atrocious season last year and finished last in the Western Conference, leaving their fans quite disappointed. They are using the recipe they need to use in order to win: Great goaltending and relying on their top forwards to to carry the offense. They still should score a lot of goals. We reached Week 8 of the NHL season and there was a big shakeup in the Power Rankings. 6. They have star power, they’re deep, they have good two-way players and penalty killers, everything a championship team needs except for a star goaltender. We are kicking off the top ten with the Washington Capitals. It’s not a coincidence they were the closest team to beating the Blues in 2019 and made the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Players such as Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau had down seasons last year, and are more than capable of bouncing back. Dallas Stars. Goalie Chris Driedger and offseason pickups Patric Hornqvist and Carter Verhaeghe are really driving this great start. Which NHL stocks are worth buying into thus far? Regardless, here are Drive4Five’s 2021 NHL Power Rankings! They played 12 games in February. There is no slowing down David Pastrnak right now, and Charlie McAvoy is emerging as a Norris Trophy front runner right now. Boston was easily the team hurt most by the coronavirus pandemic and the NHL season pausing. Elsewhere in the NHL Power Rankings, Carolina moves up to the No. While Torey Krug is a decent replacement, he doesn’t nearly match Pietrangelo’s caliber and leadership. We combine their rankings into 1 Expert Consensus … 3. TWEET. The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Preseason Rankings January 11, 2021 by Matthew Zator The 2020 NHL Draft is now a distant memory and the 2020-21 NHL season is finally upon us. Who are the real contenders and who are the pretenders for the Stanley Cup? Nashville Predators. Montreal Canadiens: 7-1-2 (1st in North) Week 2 ranking: 1 . Igor Shesterkin seems as if he’s going to be a star goaltender as soon as next season as long as things don’t change, and there’s a lot to be excited for if you’re a Ranger fan. We will have to wait to know the answers to these questions, but a LOT would have to go right for Buffalo to make a playoff push. The last couple seasons have ended in a disappointing way for Washington, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve won the Metropolitan Division five consecutive years and are still loaded up front. » • Early top-32 prospect rankings » • How COVID-19 will impact evaluations » 24. It surged in the playoffs, but that can’t be expected throughout a whole season as the Stars lack offensive skill on their roster. Buffalo is an interesting team. Their defense is decent, with Shea Weber and Jeff Petry leading the charge. NHL TV ratings up as push to engage fans outside rinks breaks from tradition By Sean Shapiro Jan 29, 2021 112 The NHL, like any other sports league, is primarily a digital product in 2021. 2021 NHL Power Rankings: Breaking down all 31 teams one month into season / by Nick Goss Bruins We're almost a month into the new NHL season several teams are starting to establish themselves as the top tier of Stanley Cup contenders. Toronto drops out of the top spot as the red-hot Golden Knights move. Posted on January 15, 2021 by Jon Sorensen. The Flyers don’t seem to be a fluke. It caused Nate Schmidt to be dealt elsewhere, and may rip apart part of the forward core. In net, you can make the argument that the Minnesota Wild have gotten slightly better with the signing of Cam Talbot. This team has certainly improved drastically. Their depth is questionable, with Zemgus Girgensons likely being the best piece in their bottom six. NHL Power Rankings: Best Teams for the 2021 Season, Short-Term Islanders Players You May Have Forgotten About, Islanders Play Sabres Sunday Seeking Third Consecutive Win, Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders Are Perfect Match, Islanders Fans Criticize Reverse Retro Jersey. Arizona Coyotes. Michigan teammates Owen Power and Matt Beniers continue to lead the way for the NHL's Draft Class of '21 Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel should continue to contribute offensively.