Name: NHL Power Rankings: Contenders, pretenders for 2020-21 season
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NHL Power Rankings: Contenders, pretenders for 2020-21 season

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In this week’s NHL Power Rankings we are going to take a look at the the three different tiers of teams in the league this season. The contenders, the pretenders, and the lottery teams.While it can be difficult, and maybe even impossible, to know exactly which teams are going to end in the Stanley Cup Final we should at least have a pretty good idea as to which teams fit into which category. At least to a point.How are we defining each tier? The contenders are the teams that should have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. Teams that as of right now you could conceivably see winning it all. The Pretenders are teams that could be good, could easily make the playoffs, but may not quite be at a Stanley Cup level. The lottery teams are teams that seem destined to miss the playoffs entirely.So let’s take a look.Which tier is your team in?To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!1. Tampa Bay Lightning. Even without the defending Stanley Cup champions still have an absolutely loaded roster.2. Colorado Avalanche.&nbsp;An already great team managed to get even stronger this offseason with the additions of and .3. Vegas Golden Knights.&nbsp;They have two starting caliber goalies, two legit top-pairing defensemen, and an excellent group of forwards. A third trip to the NHL’s semifinals in the first four years of their existence seems possible.4. St. Louis Blues.&nbsp;Losing hurts, but is a more than capable replacement and the rest of the team is outstanding. Which version of they get in goal will play a big role in how far they go.5. Boston Bruins.&nbsp;There is following the losses of Krug and (and not replacing them from outside of the organization) but the forwards and goalies are good enough to make them a force.6. Washington Capitals. Back-to-back First Round exits is a concern, but they have finished in first place in their division five years in a row, are consistently near the top of the league standings, and still have an excellent roster. The window is still open.7. Dallas Stars. Surprising fact: No team in the NHL has won more playoff games than the Stars over the past two seasons. The offense is not great, but the goaltending and defense are both great.8. Carolina Hurricanes. Stop me if you have heard this one before, but if they can get the goaltending the sky is the limit for this team.9. Pittsburgh Penguins. Do you remember the end of the Dan Bylsma/Ray Shero era when the Penguins had two great forward lines built around and that could carry them to the playoffs, and then the rest of the team looked severely flawed? This team looks similar to that on paper.10. Philadelphia Flyers. There , but if is the goalie they think he is (and he should be) they could be dangerous.11. New York Islanders. Islanders fans will not like this ranking, and I get it. They were in the Eastern Conference Final just a year ago and now in 11th in the preseason rankings? But it was such a weird season. They started great for 18 games. Then they were awful for the next 50 games and may have even missed the playoffs in a normal season. Then they got white hot in the bubble. Which team are they? They have enough flaws to make me question them, but enough strengths that I also do not want to bet against them.12. Toronto Maple Leafs. On one hand, this team has to actually do something when it matters for anyone to take them seriously. On the other hand, they are in probably the most winnable division in the league this season and could easily end up in the semifinals. But again, the time has come to do something. Finish higher than third in the division. Finish in the top-five of the league standings. Win a playoff round. Give me something.13. Edmonton Oilers.&nbsp;A , but is that enough help for and ?14. Calgary Flames. They are not as good as they looked two years ago, but they might be a little better than they showed a year ago. will dictate which direction this thing goes.15. Columbus Blue Jackets.&nbsp;They have two outstanding defensemen and some underrated forwards that can keep them competitive. They desperate need the goaltending to repeat its performance from a year ago.16. Vancouver Canucks. The top of the lineup is a championship core. The bottom of the lineup is going to be a liability. The goaltending is a question.17. Montreal Canadiens. They had great underlying numbers a year ago and needed some finishing ability at forward. I think they found some in and , and watch out for to have a breakout season.18. Nashville Predators.&nbsp;When things stay at even-strength they are pretty good. When it turns into a special teams game they are as bad as it gets. That has to change.19. New York Rangers. The forwards and the goalies are cause for a lot of optimism, . The defense after is a big concern.20. Florida Panthers.&nbsp;They need the Columbus version of or .21. Winnipeg Jets.&nbsp; gives them a chance every night. I still think .22. Minnesota Wild.&nbsp;I could see them making the playoffs as the fourth-team in a top-heavy West Division. But I do not see them getting through two of Colorado, Vegas, or St. Louis if they get there.23. San Jose Sharks. Take the entry above about the Wild and repeat the same thing here.24. Arizona Coyotes. Love the goalies, but where is the offense going to come from?25. Buffalo Sabres. All of the offseason excitement that came with adding and Eric Staal, with Boston, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the New York Islanders, and New York Rangers.26. New Jersey Devils. The was the potential of and Corey Crawford goalie duo. . They need more offense, and that division is going to be brutal.27. Ottawa Senators. The roster definitely looks like more of an NHL roster this season, and the cupboard is being restocked. Still a long way to go in this rebuild.28. Los Angeles Kings.&nbsp;Within two years they will be a playoff team again. Within three years they will be a contender. Their time is coming. It is just not right now.29. Chicago Blackhawks.&nbsp;An already thin roster is already being impacted by injuries and the season has not even started yet. The goaltending question .30. Anaheim Ducks.&nbsp;Some intriguing young players here, but they need to get the memo that they need to pick a new direction and follow it.31. Detroit Red Wings. Some , but this is going to be another tough season.—Adam Gretz&nbsp;is a writer for&nbsp;. Drop him a line at&nbsp;&nbsp;or follow him on Twitter&nbsp;.FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars signed general manager Jim Nill to a one-year contract extension through 2023-24 season.Nill is going into his 10th season with the Stars, which was the last year on his current deal before the extension announced. Dallas has made the playoffs three of the past four seasons, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago.“He’s re-shaped our club to put us in a position to compete with the league’s best each and every season,” Stars owner Tom Gaglardi said. “Jim’s diligence and commitment to the Stars has reverberated throughout our entire organization and we’re excited for him to continue his work building a championship-caliber team.”The Stars have a 356-259-84 record with five playoff appearances overall in Nill’s nine seasons.“While we have made some big strides toward our ultimate goal, I am eager to continue my work in developing a winning culture that ultimately brings this team and this city a championship,” Nill said.The Stars in June hired Peter DeBoer as the franchise’s new coach. DeBoer, who has twice gone to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with a new team (New Jersey and San Jose), is the fifth Stars coach since Nill became GM in April 2013.DeBoer replaced Rick Bowness, who was the interim coach when the Stars made the Cup Final before a two-year contract that went through last season.Nill initially went with veteran coaches Lindy Ruff (2013-17) and Ken Hitchcock (2017-18) before hiring Jim Montgomery from the University of Denver for his first NHL head coaching job. Bowness took over when Montgomery was fired because of off-ice issues early in the 2019-20 season.The St. Louis Blues signed forward to an eight-year contract extension worth $65 million, the organization’s latest move to keep its top young players in the fold long term.General manager Doug Armstrong announced the deal two months to the day since the Blues extended forward for the identical contract terms. Each player counts $8.125 million against the salary cap from the start of the deal in 2023 through 2031.Kyrou set career highs with 27 goals, 48 assists and 75 points in 74 games last season. He had 47 points in his first 99 NHL regular-season games.Thomas is 23, while Kyrou is 24. St. Louis also has top four defensemen , , and Nicky Leddy signed for at least the next four seasons, and center is under contract for six more years.Armstrong has reshaped the Blues since they won the Stanley Cup in 2019, the first championship in franchise history. Cup-winning goaltender signed long term, while then-captain left in free agency in 2020.Two big questions still face the front office with key members of that title-winning team: Top center and winger are each set to be a free agent after this upcoming season. O’Reilly figures to be part of the long-term core, something that’s far less certain with Tarasenko, who requested a trade in the summer of 2021 but remains with St. Louis.DENVER — The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche added more depth at forward by signing to a one-year, $2 million deal.The move comes on the heels of losing Nazem Kadri in free agency to Calgary. The Avalanche are banking that Rodrigues can help fill the void.Rodrigues arrives in the Mile High City after a season in Pittsburgh, where he set career highs with 19 goals and 24 assists. Rodrigues was the lone Penguins player to skate in every game last season.“We are excited to add a two-way player with Evan’s versatility to our group,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He is coming off his best offensive season and has shown he can play in a variety of roles and help a lineup in many ways.”It’s been a busy offseason for the Avalanche since beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final in June as they hoisted the trophy for the first time since 2001. Among the moves, they brought back defenseman , along with signing left wingers and . They also signed right winger to a contract extension, retained forward and traded for goaltender .The 29-year-old Rodrigues has played in 316 career NHL games in his time with Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the team that signed him as a free agent in April 2015. Before turning pro, he played at Boston University, where he helped the Terriers to the 2015 NCAA championship game before losing to Providence.After spending time hanging out with the Stanley Cup all summer, the Avalanche get back to work this week with rookie camp.OTTAWA, Ontario — The Ottawa Senators have locked up another one of their top young players.Center Tim Stutzle agreed to an eight-year, $66.8 million contract extension, the team announced.The deal, which carries an average annual value of $8.35 million and kicks in following the 2022-23 season, is the latest move by general manager Pierre Dorion to solidify Ottawa’s core.Selected No. 3 overall at the 2020 draft with the pick received in the trade with the San Jose Sharks, Stutzle has 34 goals and 87 points in 132 NHL games.The 20-year-old German finished second on the Senators with 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) in 79 appearances in 2021-22.The Senators previously signed captain , center , winger and defenseman to long-term deals.“Tim is a dynamic offensive player who utilizes an exceptional blend of speed and skill to be a consistent difference-maker,” Dorion said in a statement. “He’s electrifying and has quickly become a fan favorite for good reason.”Ottawa, which has failed to make the playoffs since reaching the 2017 Eastern Conference final and has gone through a major rebuild, made news earlier this summer by acquiring forward in a trade the Chicago Blackhawks and signing veteran forward in free agency.The Senators, who finished with 73 points last season, also traded goaltender to the Toronto Maple Leafs before acquiring from the Minnesota Wild as his replacement.Powered by

In this week’s NHL Power Rankings we are going to take a look at the the three different tiers of teams in the league this season. The contenders, the pretenders, and the lottery teams.While it can be difficult, and maybe even impossible, to know exactly which teams are going to end in the Stanley Cup Final we should at least have a pretty good idea as to which teams fit into which category. At least to a point.How are we defining each tier? The contenders are the teams that should have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. Teams that as of right now you could conceivably see winning it...

NHL Power Rankings: Contenders, pretenders for 2020-21 season

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