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With the signing of Taylor Hall, their top six will likely include him, Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson, Eric Staal, and Sam Reinhart. Buffalo Sabresīuffalo is an interesting team. Unless Lindy Ruff and company can change that, this team will struggle as it’s tough to win giving up 35 shots a game. 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. Him and MacKenzie Blackwood are quietly one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, and there’s reason for optimism as a result. New Jersey Devilsīefore we get into the bad, the Devils will now have excellent goaltending night in and night out after they signed Crawford.
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It is clear they are in the early stages of a full-on rebuild. Their defense is one of the worst in the league, and their depth can use some help.
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Corey Crawford left for free agency, and they are now left with Malcolm Subban and Colin Delia as a goaltending tandem. However, the team has formally announced a rebuild, much to the disdain of their star players.
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They shocked the hockey world and beat Edmonton in the Qualifiers during the Return to Play, then were eliminated in a rather one-sided series against Vegas. It sounds weird, but the Chicago Blackhawks are a bottom team. While this team likely still won’t be anywhere near the playoffs, a mix of acquired free agents and developing young players should equate to a more successful season.
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In short, Ottawa’s roster is a pretty significant upgrade from where it was last season. They also brought in Evgenii Dadonov and Alex Galchenyuk in an attempt to bolster their offense.
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As Craig Anderson retired, Matt Murray will have a chance to redeem himself with a change of scenery. The Senators have made some pretty nice moves this offseason. While the Kings will likely finish low in the standings, if young players develop and they win some games, this season should be viewed as a success for the organization. They have an insane prospect pool, and many young guns will get a chance to play this year. This team is committing to a rebuild the right way. Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown and Johnathan Quick are no longer the same players they were, and many other key pieces of those teams have been traded or retired. Los Angeles KingsĪfter winning two cups last decade, the Kings have declined sharply and quickly. A team like Anaheim needs to commit to a rebuild like they have, but for now, it’s ugly. This team’s only saving grace is John Gibson, who despite having a down season last year, is still a top goalie in the NHL. When your leading scorer is Adam Henrique with 43 points, that presents a problem. Their defense is overpaid (including Kevin Shattenkirk), and they have nearly no firepower on offense. The Anaheim Ducks just might be the worst team in the Western Conference. This team is still far below average in every facet in the game, and after a historically bad season, should stay in the basement. However, Steve Yzerman and the Wings still have to deal with a lot of brutal contracts and are in a complete rebuild. Replacing Jimmy Howard with Thomas Griess is a massive upgrade, and the additions of Bobby Ryan, Troy Stecher, and Vladislav Namestnikov should help temporarily. This team has certainly improved drastically. Regardless, here are Drive4Five’s 2021 NHL Power Rankings! As a result, teams are slowly becoming closer and closer in caliber, making ranking every team extremely difficult, especially when plenty of contracts and free agents haven’t been signed yet, so these are subject to change. This leaves free agents to sign with bottom teams, making them automatically more competitive. Due to the flat cap, most of the best teams or teams on the fringe of becoming top teams haven’t been able to improve their teams. Regardless the length of the season, it has the potential to be the most competitive one in NHL history. Reports have implied that a shortened season is likely on the way, but that Gary Bettman doesn’t want it to be any less than 48 games. Hopefully, the 2021 NHL season will start sometime in the next few months.