NHL: Ranking the seven Canadian teams from worst to best
All seven of the NHL’s Canadian teams are looking competitive for next season. Where does each team rank? Here are my Canadian team rankings for the 2020-21 season.
Since 1993, the Stanley Cup has not gone north of the border. It’s a source of a lot of shame for many Canadians, but we are seeing the country’s teams really turning it around. Here are my rankings for the seven Canadian teams:
7. Ottawa Senators
The fact that the Ottawa Senators are at the bottom shows you how loaded the Canadian teams are. While Ottawa made some big moves in free agency, acquiring Matt Murray and Evgeni Dadonov and drafting Tim Stutzle, we have yet to actually see this team in action.
There’s just too many questions surrounding the Senators right now. Can Murray bounce back from his poor performances these past few seasons? Do they have enough depth at center or defense? Until these problems are shown to be solved, the Senators will continue to be at the bottom of the Canadian team rankings.
6. Montreal Canadiens
I think the Montreal Canadiens did a good job bolstering their top-six by getting Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson and finding a solid back-up for Carey Price. However, I don’t think the Canadiens have any player that truly moves the needle. If you look at the teams I’ve ranked ahead of Montreal, all of them have two or more players that can completely shift the momentum of the game.
Until one of their young stars like Nick Suzuki and Jesper Kotkaniemi can prove that they are true difference makers, I’m not going to put this team very high on my list. While I do think they will be huge threats in the future, they aren’t going to be one in the 2020-21 season.
5. Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are not enough to win this team the Stanley Cup. The NHL has proved time and time again that having two superstars are not enough. The Edmonton Oilers have been working on adding wingers to play with their stars, but no one they’ve added has blown me away. Kyle Turris was an interesting pick up as he adds more center depth to the team that desperately lacks bottom-six production.
However, my biggest hang-up is with their goalie tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith. Koskinen had a strong season last year, but Smith had a really poor performance, going 19-12 with a .902 save percentage. In his one playoff game last season, he let in five goals on 23 shots. I just don’t understand why the Oilers would bring him back. This goalie tandem has a massive question mark on it, and having uncertainty on your most important position is not a good look.
4. Vancouver Canucks
Before this free agency period, I would have had the Vancouver Canucks number one or number two. However, after all their moves – or lack thereof, they have fallen down to number four. Last season, Jacob Markstrom was their undisputed MVP. If it weren’t for his incredible season, the Canucks never would have made it to the playoffs, never mind to the second round. Losing him is a big blow for the team on the ice as well as in the locker room.
Losing Chris Tanev was a huge loss for the team as well. He was a mentor for Quinn Hughes, and many of the younger players on the team called him “Dad” because of the leadership he offered to them. While adding Nate Schmidt helps out a lot on defense, the Canucks lost two huge character pieces in the locker room. Losing Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson is concerning as well as these were strong depth pieces for the team with Stanley Cup pedigree.
Brayden Holtby will be a good mentor for Thatcher Demko and a strong veteran presence in the locker room, but he’s coming off the worst season of his career in which he saw his save percentage go under .900 for the first time (.897). I think the Canucks took a step back this offseason, but they still have very talented pieces in Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Bo Horvat that they can build around.
3. Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets have one of the best top-six forward groups in the league, a solid defensive core, and a Vezina-winning goaltender in Connor Hellebyuck. Brining back Paul Stastny was a great move as he has a strong rapport with Paul Maurice and has experience playing with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine. Re-signing Dylan DeMelo was also a great move as he was their best defenceman last season.
Building a strong NHL team starts at the goaltending position and expands outwards. The Jets have just that, and I don’t doubt that they will be a major competitor this upcoming season, especially if they get out of the Central Division that has the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars.
2. Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are such a confusing hockey team but getting Jacob Markstrom solidifies them as one of the top Canadian teams. Markstrom has proven to be a star goaltender, which is a position the Flames have been trying to fix for years. The big issue with this team is the inconsistency of their star players.
I think a big reason for this has been the turmoil within the organization. They’ve had four different head coaches in the last six years, and the last firing was Bill Peters, which drew a lot of media attention due to the scandal that he was involved in. This team desperately needed stability, and bringing in Markstrom and turning towards Geoff Ward to be the full-time head coach helps give this team a strong base. These changes are huge for the Flames, and I believe that they will give this team a proper chance to play at their best.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed all their issues this offseason. They added veteran leadership and grit to their lineup by bringing in Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds, and re-signing Jason Spezza. T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian add depth to their defensive group, and Aaron Dell gives them depth in the goaltending position, an area that they have been trying to finalize for years.
This team reminds me a lot of the Tampa Bay Lightning of 2019. They were built with skill but were eliminated in an embarrassing way when the playoffs rolled around. The Leafs were built on skill as well and didn’t even technically make it to the playoffs, losing in five games to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was the kick in the teeth the team needed, and now they’re playing with fire under their bellies.
Next. Crawford is an improvement over Schneider. dark
In the last year of his contract, Frederik Andersen is going to want to play for a lucrative contract, Sheldon Keefe gets his first proper season with the team, and all their stars are a year wiser. I think this season will be a big one for Toronto because of everything they have at stake. Four years of Auston Matthews and never going past the first round is embarrassing, and they’re determined to change that narrative.