NHL power rankings: Where is each team trending?
By Jeremy Tuch
Tier 3: Bubble Out Tier
Arizona Coyotes
Last Season: 39-35-8, 86 points
Summer Changes: Traded for Carl Soderberg and Phil Kessel, giving up Kevin Connauton and Alex Galchenyuk in the process.
Trending: Up
Riding the coattails of a white-hot Darcy Kuemper wasn’t enough to vault the Coyotes into the playoffs last spring, so Arizona needed to bring in some outside help. Adding Carl Soderberg and Phil Kessel to their offense should add a big spark to a team that struggled to score at times, which should improve the outlook for the Coyotes. Is it enough to land one of those Wild Card spots? That’s the million hot dog question.
Chicago Blackhawks
Last Season: 36-34-12, 84 points
Summer Changes: Made several trades. In is Olli Maatta, Calvin de Haan, Andrew Shaw, Alexander Nylander, and Zack Smith. Out is Dominik Kahun, Gustav Forsling, Henri Jokiharju, and Artem Anisimov. Additionally signed Robin Lehner.
Trending: Steady
It’s been an eventful summer of changes for the Blackhawks, significantly changing their roster behind their main core of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and co. As much as the trades have changed, no one’s sure if they really moved the needle in either direction.
Adding Robin Lehner to tandem with oft-injured Corey Crawford can be seen as a win for now, which could improve the outlook slightly, but with a tough division, it may be that the Hawks are still not quite there yet.
New York Rangers
Last Season: 32-36-14, 78 points
Summer Changes: Brought in Jacob Trouba by trade, Kaapo Kakko by draft, and Artemi Panarin by free agency. Jimmy Vesey was traded away, and Kevin Shattenkirk was bought out.
Trending: Up
The Rangers’ rebuild is seemingly ramping up, now that they’re back to buying for a last run with Henrik Lundqvist. Trading for Jacob Trouba was a shrewd move, and winning the Artemi Panarin sweepstakes was a big boon for their offense.
Winning a draft lottery spot and Kaapo Kakko can’t hurt things either. The Rangers are viewed as a big winner of the summer, but may still be on the outside looking in with their defense and center depth still in question.
Buffalo Sabres
Last Season: 33-39-10, 76 points
Summer Changes: Brought in Jimmy Vesey, Marcus Johansson, and Colin Miller. Only exiting player was Alexander Nylander.
Trending: Up…well, at least it should be
Last year, we expected a big step forward for the Sabres. In fairness, it looked like we had it for a few weeks in November. Once that came and went, the Sabres’ season went the way the last handful have gone, which would be in the toilet, and quickly. The Sabres’ summer shopping included some pieces that are fairly decent, and could definitely help the bottom half of the lineup. Unless the young studs like Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt make big steps forward, though, the Sabres are still not there yet.