McDavid vs. Eichel; Crosby vs. Ovechkin; 3-on-3 OT vs. Patrick Roy’s blood pressure…
Drop the puck already.
In one of our final pieces of NHL 2015-16 hype content (promise), we rank the hottest teams in the league from top to bottom — from ANA to AZ.
As a bonus, we’ve included each club’s Vegas odds of claiming Lord Stanley come June.
If you are, indeed, gambling, we don’t like the return on Chicago to repeat at 13/2 or the Minnesota Wild to clinch at 16/1. The Washington Capitals at 18/1 and Columbus Blue Jackets at 25/1, however, look like decent value in the wide-open East.
OK, anyone else itching to see this baby get underway?
But first: a couple of notes regarding these power rankings.
The rankings themselves reflect whom we believe to be the scariest, most potent teams right now as the season opens.
“Previous ranking” is based off our Off-season Power Rankings, which rated the teams according to their on-paper performance after the Stanley Cup Final only.
“Stanley Cup odds” reflects the latest and final puck-drop odds (via Bodog) of each team winning the championship. These are not our odds. “Up” means the team’s odds of winning it all have increased since June 16. “Down” means the team’s odds have worsened since that date.
| Rank | Team | Previous | |
| 1 |  |
Jonathan Toews paid the Ducks the ultimate compliment last spring when he said Anaheim was the toughest test en route to the championship. That core remains largely unchanged, with the additions of Kevin Bieksa and Carl Hagelin. More people are betting on Anaheim to win it all than any other team, and EA Sports’ simulated season concurs. |
13 |
| 2 |  |
The young, exciting Lightning dang-near won the whole thing a few months ago. Just two wins shy. The roster returns, so why wouldn’t they contend for the Cup again? The Triplets start the season a little banged up, but the Steven Stamkos-Jonathan Drouin duo has ‘highlight reel’ written all over it. |
14 |
| 3 |  |
A personal hunch to win it all this year, Washington enters strong up front, on defence and in net, with the crucial extension of Braden Holtby. Nicklas Backstrom is ailing, but the additions of wingers Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie should make an already-exciting team even more fun to watch. |
6 |
| 4 |  |
The Rangers made few significant additions this off-season, and Martin St. Louis retired. I think the Ducks got the better of the Emerson Etem-Carl Hagelin deal, and replacing backup Cam Talbot for backup Antti Raanta will be a wash. Coach Alain Vigneault is one of the best, and he gives them an edge. |
19 |
| 5 |  |
Coach Ken Hitchcock enters the year on the hot seat, superstar Vladimir Tarasenko is all locked up, and the roster is deeper than most. The whole season is just a dress rehearsal for the playoffs in St. Louis. |
16 |
| 6 |  |
GM Stan Bowman was forced to take a hatchet to his Cup-winning roster, but this club is so sturdy, it sent Marko Dano to the minors. Oh, and how awesome is this new line of Hossa-Toews-Teravainen going to be? Teuvo time! |
28 |
| 7 |  |
Milan Lucic is playing for a new team and a new contract, and he’s already punching people’s faces. Ditto Christian Ehrhoff (minus the punching). The Kings had a good, long rest for a change, and they know what it takes. Beware. |
26 |
| 8 |  |
Preseason doesn’t matter, but we’ll tell you this anyways. Ryan Johansen led all NHL scorers in preseason with 12 points. Nick Foligno was second overall with nine. This team can’t wait for puck drop. |
7 |
| 9 |  |
Any team whose defence — Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Seth Jones — is so stacked that they can’t see any use for Cody Franson should be feared. |
9 |
| 10 |  |
Over/under: Phil Kessel scores 81 goals? There is serious hype over the offence here, but questions on defence persist. News that an injured Pascal Dupuis (not blood clots, reportedly) could be out weeks doesn’t help. |
4 |
| 11 |  |
The tireless Jim Nill looks so good in summertime, doesn’t he? The defence is too young and incomplete to make Dallas a Cup threat yet, but the Stars should score more than any other team this year — including Tampa. |
2 |
| 12 |  |
“We made a lot of 40-foot putts last year, and we won’t make as many this year maybe. But I don’t think we’re going to be putting from 40 feet as much as we were.” – Brian Burke, teaching the nerds how to Dougie. |
5 |
| 13 |  |
Can Carey Price, who won every hockey trophy in 2014-15, summon a repeat performance in 2015-16? He may just need to. New captain Max Pacioretty is back in time for Oct. 7, but we’re still not sure he’s enough. |
17 |
| 14 |  |
Badly in need of a fresh start and some new blood, the Sharks should be sneaky good this season. We’re picking them to leap back into the playoffs. Plenty of individuals here feel they have much to prove. |
10 |
| 15 |  |
Is it possible to be underrated and overrated simultaneously? Last season featured dramatic dips and rises. This year’s Wild will be more consistent, but surviving the gauntlet that is the Central Division will be a task again. Charlie Coyle lit it up in preseason, though. |
12 |
| 16 |  |
A quiet off-season, but a brand-new home in Brooklyn. John Tavares will contend for the Art Ross Trophy again, yet the Isles will have to grind through a very top-heavy Metropolitan Division. |
23 |
| 17 |  |
The early injury to Andrew Hammond shouldn’t be too big of a concern here; Craig Anderson is the man here. The Senators will again be a playoff bubble team, bolstered by the smoothest defenceman in the world. |
11 |
| 18 |  |
Perhaps bettors have been engrossed in the NHL preseason. For the Detroit Red Wings have seen their odds of winning the Cup increase significantly since posting the best exhibition record of the circuit: 6-0-2. |
20 |
| 19 |  |
The consensus choice to take a step backward this season, Vancouver is getting younger and (hopefully) more compelling as the kids are ready to play real minutes. |
29 |
| 20 |  |
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Bruins fan who loves the early work of GM Don Sweeney, and the injury to Dennis Seidenberg is a bummer. Yet we see the B’s as last year’s Canucks — good enough to hop back into the post-season, thanks to a weak division. |
27 |
| 21 |  |
Can Ondrej Pavelec have another respectable season? Can the youth movement carry Winnipeg back to the playoffs? Will Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien re-sign? Questions abound in Manitoba. |
24 |
| 22 |  |
Jaromir Jagr is bringing back the mullet at age 43. That is the most important information you need to know. |
25 |
| 23 |  |
Ron Hextall is making tough choices decisively. He hired a need-to-Google coach out of the NCAA, gave Jakub Voracek a ton of dough, and waived the super-expensive Andrew MacDonald. Now, let’s see how this all plays out. |
15 |
| 24 |  |
Buffalo should be considerably better than the joke that was 2014-15, to the extent that coach Dan Bylsma gets a Jack Adams nomination and Jack Eichel is a serious Calder threat. But, please, keep those postseason dreams on hold. |
3 |
| 25 |  |
Not much belief in this team, but a full season from No. 1 defenceman Erik Johnson (now healthy and paid!) and a bounce-back campaign from Nathan MacKinnon could mean the Avs surprise people (again). |
22 |
| 26 |  |
No team enters 2015-16 with more hype and momentum than Edmonton, who went a Western Conference-best 6-1-1 in preseason. We still think they’ll be in tough to make the playoffs in Year One of the new era, though. |
1 |
| 27 |  |
The Florida Panthers are paying Brad Boyes to not play for them this season. The Maple Leafs are paying him to play on their top line. |
18 |
| 28 |  |
No one expects much out of Carolina this year, but Ron Francis is smartly building a future contender. The expiring contracts of captain Eric Staal and goalie Cam Ward will probably be the focus of the media and fans here. |
8 |
| 29 |  |
The New Jersey Devils now have facial hair and publicized contract dollars and can wear whatever sweater number they want. What they don’t have is enough scorers to scare their opponents. |
30 |
| 30 |  |
The tank to get Connor McDavid whiffed, so Arizona will shoot for Auston Matthews in 2016. Wise move to let Dylan Strome develop in junior for one more year. |
21 |
