Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens debut "The Best," a new segment sharing hockey's best. This time, it's squadron names for each player on the Air Force Academy's men's team. Ivan Barbashev [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxMjYxMTQwMTg4MDc5NjE3/usatsi_21531874.jpg] Ivan Barbashev Welcome to a new season of the ever-popular NHL power rankings at The Hockey News. Published every Wednesday, all 32 teams will be ranked from best to worst with an emphasis on their weekly performances. As always, there will be a ton of movement in the first few weeks, but by the end of the season, performances will have normalized, and the power rankings will provide a definitive list of the good, the bad and the ugly. Last season, the top 16 NHL teams in the final edition of the power rankings all made the playoffs. In the season before, 15 of the 16 teams made the cut, with the 17th-ranked Kings knocking out the 16th-ranked Canucks. However, that’s no barometer of future success; the Bruins ranked first for nine straight weeks to finish the 2022-23 season, and, well, we all know what happened. The pre-season ranks take into account last season’s playoff performances and moves made in the off-season, with key additions or losses highlighted in the write-ups. The Golden Knights are the No. 1 team as the defending champions, and while the Panthers are expected to fall off, they also start off at No. 2 by default. (All fancy stats are 5-on-5 and courtesy naturalstattrick.com. CF% stands for Corsi-for percentage [http://www.naturalstattrick.com/glossary.php?teams] and xGF% represents expected goals-for percentage.) 1. Vegas Golden Knights (Last season: 51-22-9, +43 goal differential. CF% rank: 22, xGF% rank: 16) Key loss: Reilly Smith, spelling the end of the ‘Misfits Line’ and making room for Ivan Barbashev and Adin Hill’s new contracts. For once, the Knights didn’t go big-name hunting, and that’s a good thing. 2. Florida Panthers (42-32-8, +17. CF%: 3, xGF%: 5) Key losses: Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad due to injury until November or December. The Panthers backdoored their way into the playoffs, and history has not been kind to Cinderella teams in their follow-up seasons. 3. Carolina Hurricanes (52-21-9, +53. CF%: 1, xGF%: 1) Key addition: Michael Bunting, who adds a snarl and edge. The Canes are 0-12 in the Eastern Conference final since their Cup win in 2006, and maybe a little nastiness is what they need to push through. 4. Dallas Stars (47-21-14, +67. CF%: 10, xGF%: 10) Key addition: Matt Duchene, who bolsters the Stars’ offensive depth on an already well-rounded team. They have an elite player at every position and led the Central in regulation wins last season. 5. Edmonton Oilers (50-23-9, +65. CF%: 7, xGF%: 6) Key addition: Connor Brown signed a cheap, one-year deal, but the impact is potentially huge re-uniting with Connor McDavid. The question remains in net, where consistency has been elusive. 6. New Jersey Devils (52-22-8, +65. CF%: 4, xGF%: 2) Key addition: Tyler Toffoli, who further strengthens their already-excellent top six, and a full season from Luke Hughes on the back end. The Devils seem to be everyone’s pick as the next big thing, which is a little worrying because hockey never seems to favor the favorite. 7. Toronto Maple Leafs (50-21-11, +57. CF%: 16, xGF%: 7) Key additions: Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and a full season from Matthew Knies give the Leafs an even more dangerous offense. Can they score their way to the holy grail, though? 8. Seattle Kraken (46-28-8, +33. CF%: 5, xGF%: 12) Key addition: Brian Dumoulin was an underrated pickup for a team that’s already very deep at every position except in net. We’ve seen the Kraken underachieve (inaugural season) and overachieve (last season), and the truth is probably somewhere in between. 9. Colorado Avalanche (51-24-7 +54. CF%: 8, xGF%: 14) Key addition: Ryan Johansen gives them a dependable No. 2 center, and Miles Wood and Ross Colton are serviceable depth. The key to the Avs’ Cup hopes, however, is staying healthy. Mikko Rantanen was the only top-six forward to play all 82 games last season. 10. New York Rangers (47-22-13, +58. CF%: 17, xGF%: 22) Key losses: Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane to free agency, but that’s arguably a good thing since it gives more ice time to Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko. The key addition was Peter Laviolette, who brings a Cup-winning pedigree behind the bench. 11. Tampa Bay Lightning (46-30-6, +29. CF%: 13, xGF%: 11) Key loss: Valuable veteran depth, cap space and Andrei Vasilevskiy for two months. While Vasilevskiy’s absence is relatively short-term, its impact is huge for a team that has a very small margin of error. The Lightning’s cap strategies were going to pin them into a corner sooner or later. 12. Los Angeles Kings (47-25-10, +23. CF%: 6, xGF%: 9) Key addition: Pierre-Luc Dubois, a major piece of their post-Anze Kopitar Era. Dubois gives the Kings considerable depth down the middle, but they need their prospects to break out, and goaltending is a huge question mark – do they really think Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley will cut it in the playoffs?! 13. Minnesota Wild (46-25-11, +21. CF%: 20, xGF%: 18) Key addition: None. Hopefully, though, Marco Rossi, Calen Addison and Brock Faber can play significant roles because the cap-strapped Wild don’t have the space to add any impact players. 14. Winnipeg Jets (46-33-3, +22. CF%: 11, xGF%: 13) Key addition: Gabriel Vilardi, who has played very well on the top line as the top player acquired from the Kings in the Dubois trade. The Jets will be competitive, but the outcomes are vast, with Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck facing unknown futures with the team. 15. Boston Bruins (65-12-5, +128. CF%: 15, xGF%: 8) Key losses: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, both of whom are irreplaceable. The Bruins finished first in the power rankings last season but lack depth at almost every position except in net, though Vezina winner Linus Ullmark faces a coming regression. Their centennial season is setting up to be very mid. 16. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-31-11, -2. CF%: 9, xGF%: 4) Key addition: Erik Karlsson, and by extension, Kyle Dubas, who has a history of pulling off bold moves and acquiring big-name players. The Pens are a playoff contender with room for more, depending on everyone’s health, especially Tristan Jarry. 17. New York Islanders (42-31-9, +21. CF%: 19, xGF%: 20) Key additions: None, unless you count Bo Horvat and Pierre Engvall, who were acquired late last season. The Isles are a perennial playoff hopeful, and they’ll only go as far as Ilya Sorokin carries them. 18. Ottawa Senators (39-35-8, -10. CF%: 12, xGF%: 15) Key additions: Vladimir Tarasenko signed a low-risk, one-year deal to replace Alex DeBrincat, Jakob Chychrun will play a full season and Josh Norris is fully recovered from shoulder surgery. The pieces are all there for the Sens; they need a big breakthrough after six seasons of incremental improvement. 19. Buffalo Sabres (42-33-7, -4. CF%: 14, xGF%: 21) Key addition: Devon Levi, who joined late last season following his NCAA career and he’s poised to be the No. 1 starter. It’s the only position the Sabres have yet to really address until now. The problem is the Sabres don’t defend very well, and that hurts their ability to win close games, especially when their offense sputters, however rare that may be. 20. Calgary Flames (38-27-17, +8. CF%: 2, xGF%: 3) Key addition: It’s addition by subtraction after firing Darryl Sutter, lifting a dark cloud that blanketed the team last season. Mikael Backlund’s re-signing offers some clarity into their future, while Jonathan Huberdeau is expected to bounce back after an abysmal season. 21. Vancouver Canucks (38-37-7, -22. CF%: 23, xGF%: 25) Key addition: Nothing major, but Carson Soucy and Ian Cole should solidify a blueline that needed a ton of help. Rick Tocchet gets a full training camp to reset the team’s culture, and – knock on wood – Thatcher Demko is healthy. 22. Detroit Red Wings (35-37-10, -39. CF%: 26, xGF%: 26) Key addition: Alex DeBrincat, and just about every middle-six forward and bottom-pairing defenseman who was available in free agency. GM Steve Yzerman is trying to spend his way out of a team that’s been stagnant, and another disappointing season and the Yzerplan is in danger of being Yzerscrapped. 23. Nashville Predators (42-32-8, -9. CF%: 24, xGF%: 24) Key addition: Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn were key additions to the Preds’ busier-than-expected free agency period. They’re two respected veterans who are expected to change the culture following the trade of Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene’s buyout. This is the first step of Barry Trotz’s long-term vision and also uncharted territory for a franchise that has had only one other GM. 24. Washington Capitals (35-37-10, -10. CF%: 18, xGF%: 19) Key addition: Spencer Carbery, who’s expected to re-ignite a once-dangerous power play. Like many other teams in a flat cap, the Caps are counting on returning players to bounce back from injury-riddled seasons and young players to plug gaps. Free agent signee Max Pacioretty is not expected to be ready to start the season. 25. St. Louis Blues (37-38-7, -38. CF%: 27, xGF%: 27) Key addition: Kevin Hayes was a great buy at half the cap hit, and he fills the hole left by Ryan O’Reilly. The Blues were huge underachievers, and it remains to be seen if Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas are the players to lead this team into the next era. 26. Philadelphia Flyers (31-38-13, -55. CF%: 25, xGF%: 23) Key addition: Sean Couturier, who missed all of last season. The last time he played a game, Mike Yeo was still the coach, Chuck Fletcher the GM and Claude Giroux the captain. This ranking feels low for a team that could really exceed expectations, but they’ll need to win games first. 27. Columbus Blue Jackets (25-48-9, -116. CF%: 30, xGF%: 29) Key addition: Adam Fantilli, who will likely start as the No. 3 center but will be the team’s No. 1 long-term priority. He’s the most hyped and accomplished prospect to put on a Jackets uniform since Rick Nash, who put in some memorable years. 28. Arizona Coyotes (28-40-14, -71. CF%: 29, xGF%: 28) Key addition: Logan Cooley tops the list after spurning the University of Minnesota despite committing to his sophomore season before signing in late July. The Coyotes have made some really good, low-risk bets this off-season, but they’re still a few seasons away from competing for a playoff spot. 29. Chicago Blackhawks (26-49-7, -97. CF%: 31, xGF%: 31) Key addition: Connor Bedard, of course. The rest of the roster isn’t convincing, but it’s a lot better than what they finished with last season. The only ranking that matters for the Blackhawks this season is Bedard in the Calder and scoring races. 30. Montreal Canadiens (31-45-6, -75. CF%: 28, xGF%: 30) Key addition: Alex Newhook, who gets a real opportunity to win a top-six role. Other than that, there’s very little roster turnover as the Habs continue their steady rebuild. This will be the first time we get a really good look at Cole Caufield, who played just 46 games last season, and it’s still to be determined if this team can be built around him and Nick Suzuki. 31. Anaheim Ducks (23-47-12, -129. CF%: 32, xGF%: 32) Key addition: Greg Cronin, who takes over for the ineffective Dallas Eakins. The Ducks can’t be worse than last season when they were one of the worst defensive teams ever in the Cap Era. Regardless, they’re still in for a tough season with Trevor Zegras missing most of camp, Jamie Drysdale possibly missing all of it, and Mason McTavish still developing into a top center. 32. San Jose Sharks (22-44-16, -87. CF%: 21, xGF%: 17) Key loss: Erik Karlsson, who was gone sooner or later, but the Sharks are a carcass of a hockey team. They could legitimately be the worst team ever in the cap era. Macklin Celebrini, San Jose’s calling your name!
