Super 16: Golden Knights remain No. 1, Maple Leafs jump 4 spots to No. 5

The NHL season reaches the halfway point during the slate of 10 games Thursday that features nine of the 16 teams ranked in the Super 16 this week.

Now is as good a time as any to check in on where the top teams in the League are. How are they doing? What has worked so well? What are the reasons for optimism going into the second half? Are there reasons for pessimism?

Those questions and more are answered in the Super 16 power rankings showcasing the Toronto Maple Leafs making the biggest jump from last week, going from No. 9 to No. 5, and the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers tying for the biggest fall.

The Devils went from No. 4 to No. 9, and the Panthers from No. 6 to No. 11.

The Calgary Flames are back in, replacing the slumping Boston Bruins. The slumping Ottawa Senators barely stayed in. Oh, and the top three teams are the same for the fourth straight week, and in the exact same order for the second consecutive week.

As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 15 voters this week put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is the halfway point of the season edition of the Super 16:

1. Vegas Golden Knights (28-9-3)

Total points: 239
Last week: No. 1

"The Golden Knights expected to contend for the Stanley Cup again this season. Still, it's safe to say they have exceeded expectations at the halfway point. They lost seven pieces from their 2023 championship team in the offseason, including forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, defenseman Alec Martinez and goalie Logan Thompson. Yet here they are atop the NHL standings with the best points percentage in the League (.738). Vegas has been a model franchise since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18 and continues to be." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

2. Winnipeg Jets (28-12-2)

Total points: 216
Last week: No. 2

"Life is pretty nice if you're a Jets fan right now. Halfway through the season your favorite team has one of the best offenses in the NHL. Winnipeg averages 3.62 goals per game, is 32.0 percent on the power play and has six skaters who've scored at least 10 goals and 10 with at least 20 points. When there's elite players like Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor and the best goalie in the NHL in Connor Hellebuyck, who looks on his way to winning a second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the best in the League at his position, not much of a surprise there. The only area of concern is a penalty kill that ranks in the middle of the NHL (78.1 percent), but they're only short-handed 2.71 times per game, so they've done well mitigating that problem. It's also something that's entirely fixable, and I'm sure will be examined closer to the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

3. Washington Capitals (27-10-4)

Total points: 206
Last week: No. 3

"The Capitals are one of the NHL's best stories, surprising many by being in first place in the Metropolitan Division despite missing Alex Ovechkin for 16 games with a fractured fibula. New players such as Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, Andrew Mangiapane, Taylor Raddysh, Brandon Duhaime and Thompson have fit in seamlessly. Young players like Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael have taken significant steps and Ovechkin keeps scoring. Washington had hit a lull in the past three weeks, though, going into Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks. They're 6-4-2 in their past 12 games. The Capitals will need to elevate their play again in the second half to maintain their place in the standings." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

4. Minnesota Wild (26-11-4)

Total points: 187
Last week: No. 5

"The Wild must be thrilled at the halfway point. They've won four in a row and six of seven and are without their best player and a contender for the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player, Kirill Kaprizov, who has missed the past six games with a lower-body injury. The forward's dominance can't be replaced, but a pair of 23-year-old forwards, Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, have filled his shoes as well anyone could've hoped. That said, the Wild are by no means a flawless team. They're averaging 3.05 goals per game and are 19.1 percent on the power play and 70.7 percent on the penalty kill. Yet they keep winning seemingly unwinnable games, like a 6-4 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, when they allowed four straight goals before responding with four unanswered. Anyone wondering how a team can better than the sum of its parts, Minnesota is a shining example of one." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (27-13-2)

Total points: 175
Last week: No. 9

"All in all, the Maple Leafs have to be pleased the way the first half of the season transpired. They're first in the Atlantic Division despite injuries that kept goalies Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and captain Auston Matthews, out of the lineup for chunks of the schedule. All this has been accomplished with a new voice behind the bench in coach Craig Berube, who continues to try to implement a north-south style for a team accustomed to playing east-west. The fact that the Maple Leafs have been successful while fighting through growing pains certainly bodes well moving forward, although fans won't be convinced until the end result is success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

6. Edmonton Oilers (25-12-3)

Total points: 144
Last week: No. 8

"The Oilers are finding their stride and looking more and more like a Stanley Cup contender. Edmonton is on a 15-3-1 surge with Leon Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid heating up. McDavid had a goal in a 4-0 win at the Bruins on Tuesday to give him 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) in his past 15 games. Draisaitl had 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) on a 14-game point streak that ended in Boston but moved him to second in the NHL scoring race behind Colorado Avalanche forward. Defensively, the Oilers are starting to play better, and goalie Stuart Skinner is 10-2-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in his past 13 starts. Edmonton still has some things to iron out but is starting to resemble the team that made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

7. Los Angeles Kings (23-10-5)

Total points: 141
Last week: No. 7

"The Kings qualifying for the playoffs this season wouldn't be a surprise. But what is, is how well they have been playing and that they've been putting pressure on the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. They've won four in a row, 12 of 16 and nine straight at home. They're one of the top defensive teams in the NHL, ranking first in goals-against per game (2.50) and in the top 10 on the penalty kill (82.6 percent). Where they could use work is on the power play (16.0 percent; 28th). They've still had an impressive season and have done it without defenseman Drew Doughty, who has been out the entire season so far after suffering an ankle injury in a preseason game." -- David Satriano, staff writer

8. Colorado Avalanche (25-16-1)

Total points: 133
Last week: No. 10

"I was surprised when the Avalanche got off to a rough start (3-6-1) but they've been trending in the right direction for a while now. They're back in the hunt in the Central Division by going 8-2-1 in their past 11 games. Acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 has worked out great with the goalie 7-1-1 with a 1.69 GAA and .938 save percentage in nine games (eight starts). Nathan MacKinnon is, well, great as always. Same with forward Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar. The Avalanche are rolling (pardon the pun) and entering the second half of the season in a great spot." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

9. New Jersey Devils (25-15-3)

Total points: 127
Last week: No. 4

"The Devils ended a four-game losing streak and a five-game slide on the road with a 3-2 win at the Seattle Kraken on Monday. New Jersey is probably right where many expected it to be at this point of the season, particularly with the way goalie Jacob Markstrom has played. The 34-year-old, who will represent Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20, is 20-8-2 with a 2.17 GAA, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 30 starts. The Devils have seven players with at least 10 goals and six with at least 25 points, including defenseman Dougie Hamilton (five goals, 21 assists)." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

10. Dallas Stars (25-13-1)

Total points: 119
Last week: No. 13

"The Stars are beginning to hit their stride. It's been a somewhat inconsistent first half for a team that should be a Stanley Cup contender, but five wins in a row and points in seven straight (6-0-1) seems to have straightened them out. Jake Oettinger has been the stabilizer in net. He has 20 wins in 30 games, the fastest to the 20-win mark in Stars history, one game faster than Ed Belfour in 1997-98. As a result, the Stars have been one of the stingiest defensive teams in the League despite losing some key players from last season's team that reached the Western Conference Final, including defenseman Chris Tanev and forward Joe Pavelski. They're allowing 2.54 goals per game (fourth in the NHL) with a penalty kill at 84.8 percent (second). Jason Robertson has heated up in the past month with 18 points in 16 games. The Stars have been elite at home, going 16-5-1, but need to create more of a road identity. They're 9-8-0 away from American Airlines Center. Coming back twice to win 5-4 in overtime against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday gave them a great start to five-game road trip. They need to build on that to have more road success." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

11. Florida Panthers (25-15-2)

Total points: 116
Last week: No. 6

"The defending Stanley Cup champions are healthy and happy. That's all you can ask at the halfway point of the season. Are the Panthers where they want to be? Not exactly, but they know they can get there. There appears to be no Cup hangover, and their best players are finding traction. Their points percentage is above .600, Sam Reinhart has scored 23 goals, and five players have at least 10. Their goaltending tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight is clicking, and coach Paul Maurice is still pushing the right buttons. All systems go for the Panthers at the midpoint." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

12. Carolina Hurricanes (24-15-2)

Total points: 81
Last week: No. 11

"I really don't know what the Hurricanes are. There have been times they look like the best team in the Eastern Conference and there are times where they don't. I think, when all is said and done, they could be one of the best teams in the East, but they need to get on a roll. After winning their season-high eighth straight Nov. 7, they were 10-2-0. Since then, they're 14-13-2, not winning more than three in a row, but not losing more than three in a row. It's been up and down. They need to string some wins together to show what they really are." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (21-15-2)

Total points: 63
Last week: No. 12

"I suppose the Lightning are about where I expected them to be this season -- still finding their way without the services of Steven Stamkos for the first time in more than a decade. They're getting another world-class effort from Nikita Kucherov, who is well on his way to exceeding 100 points for a third straight season, and Jake Guentzel has been impressive, particularly on the power play. But even with Victor Hedman still averaging more than 23 minutes per game (23:18) and Andrei Vasilevskiy still solid in goal, the Lightning look like they're going to be in a dogfight throughout just to make the playoffs. If they can get a little bit more from their bottom-six forwards, I think they'll be OK." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

14. Vancouver Canucks (18-12-10)

Total points: 34
Last week: No. 16

"Topsy-turvy, emotional, inconsistent and a bit soap opera-ish seems like a good way to describe the Canucks' first half, but they're in a playoff spot. Tenuously, yes, but nonetheless in it, which means they are at the very least set up to create some optimism with a second half push. Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes has been elite and is in contention to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman for a second straight season, but the Canucks need a whole heck of a lot more out of forward Elias Pettersson when he comes back from his injury. Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals was their 10th in overtime. They play a lot of close games, but they have to start finding ways to get that extra goal. In the end, it likely will be the difference in making or missing the playoffs." -- Rosen

15. Calgary Flames (19-14-7)

Total points: 23
Last week: NR

"The Western Conference is tough, and especially top-heavy with Vegas, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Colorado and Dallas all ranked in the top 10 this week. The Flames, though, have managed to stay in the race, be quite competitive and somewhat consistent despite lower expectations entering the season. I didn't think they would be in the playoff race this season, but rookie Dustin Wolf has given them quality goaltending and they've had some decent depth scoring with six players who have at least 20 points. Jonathan Huberdeau has finally figured out how to be a top scorer away from Florida, where he was for years, and the Flames are hanging in despite not being an overly dangerous offensive team. Good for them. Let's see how long it goes." -- Rosen

16. Ottawa Senators (19-17-3)

Total points: 10
Last week: No. 15

"With the uncertainty the Senators have in net after the Linus Ullmark injury, they're trending exactly the way I would have expected -- down. The Senators have lost five of six (1-4-1), which puts them in dangerous territory in the uber-tight Eastern Conference. That could continue given that Ullmark is week to week with a back injury and he's a huge part of the reason the Senators have been in the playoff conversation. In full disclosure, I didn't rank the Senators this week, both because of the way they're playing lately and the potential for the downward trend to become a feature rather than a bug. They're a borderline team with an extremely big hole in net right now." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

Others receiving points: Boston Bruins 9, Montreal Canadiens 6, Detroit Red Wings 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Utah Hockey Club 2

Dropped out from last week: Bruins (No. 10)

Enterprise Team of the Week: The Maple Leafs deservedly moved up four spots to No. 5 this week. They've won five in a row, taking advantage of a somewhat weaker part of their schedule (two games each against the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, one against the Bruins). It gets harder from here with Toronto's next four opponents all ranked this week (Carolina, Vancouver, Dallas, New Jersey). But the Maple Leafs have Matthews back and are hoping to get Stolarz back sometime this month. They're first in the Atlantic Division and rolling with 11 wins in 15 games since Dec. 10. -- Rosen

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Utah Hockey Club; 16. Montreal Canadiens

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Vancouver Canucks

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Ottawa Senators

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Ottawa Senators

TOM GULITTI

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Boston Bruins

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Vancouver Canucks; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Vancouver Canucks; 16. Calgary Flames

TRACEY MYERS

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Boston Bruins

BILL PRICE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Carolina Hurricanes; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Florida Panthers; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Ottawa Senators

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Detroit Red Wings

DAN ROSEN

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Detroit Red Wings

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Ottawa Senators

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. Boston Bruins

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Boston Bruins