Super 16: Stars, Flames rise, Lightning, Oilers sink in power rankings

The NHL season is more than a week old and the NHL.com Super 16 power rankings have changed dramatically since the preseason version. Four of the teams that appeared in the rankings two weeks ago have dropped out. Others have climbed and some have fallen.

The 13 NHL.com and LNH.com staff members who make up the panel that decides where each team is ranked will be offering their thoughts to explain their rankings.
Each of the 13 members put together his or her version of what they think the Super 16 should look like. Those are submitted and a point total assigned to each. The team that is selected first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third 14, and so on down to No. 16, which gets one point.
Here is the Super 16, with thoughts from the staff members whose individual rankings are below:

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1. Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-0)

Total points: 202
Preseason rank: No. 3
"Sure, it's early, but the Hurricanes look like a team determined to get over the hump this season. Forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are incredibly dangerous together, and the Hurricanes allowed one goal in each of their first three games before a setback at the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. They'll only become more dangerous from the back end once defenseman Brent Burns gets going (three assists thus far), and you have to think that's inevitable. Should goalie Frederik Andersen stay healthy, Carolina could be playing deep into the spring."-- Brian Compton, managing editor

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2. Colorado Avalanche (2-1-1)

Total points: 183
Preseason rank:No. 1
"Gabriel Landeskog being out 12 weeks after having knee surgery is not good news, but the defending Stanley Cup champions remain the team to beat. Forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin are off to strong starts, Cale Makar is the engine on defense, and goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on July 7, appears to be settling into his role as a full-time NHL starter. Coach Jared Bednar is also giving forward Alex Newhook and defenseman Bowen Byram, each 21 years old, prominent roles." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

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3. Calgary Flames (3-1-0)

Total points: 175
Preseason rank: No. 6
"The retooled Flames made general manager Brad Treliving look good with wins against the Avalanche, rival Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights. Calgary's offseason additions played significant roles in the start with forward Nazem Kadri getting five points (one goal, four assists) in the first four games, and forward Jonathan Huberdeau getting four assists. Huberdeau (acquired with MacKenzie Weegar from the Florida Panthers in a trade July 22) had two assists and Kadri (signed as a free agent Aug. 19) and Weegar each had one assist to help the Flames rally from a two-goal deficit to hand the Golden Knights their first loss of the season Tuesday." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

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4. New York Rangers (3-1-1)

Total points: 161
Preseason rank: No. 5
"The Rangers appear to be picking up where they left off last season. Forward Artemi Panarin leads the NHL with 11 points (three goals, eight assists), and center Mika Zibanejad has eight (four goals, four assists). Vincent Trocheck, a center the Rangers signed in the offseason, had five points (two goals, three assists) and won 53.1 percent of his face-offs entering Thursday. And New York has averaged more than four goals per game, more than enough with Igor Shesterkin in goal." -- David Satriano, staff writer

5. Dallas Stars (3-0-1)

Total points: 133
Preseason rank: No. 14
"Even if the start by the Stars on its own hasn't convinced everyone to pay attention, the quality of their defensive play and goaltending should. Jake Oettinger has been simply outstanding. The 23-year-old goalie allowed one goal in each of his three starts while stopping 84 of 87 shots, and his .966 save percentage is tops in the NHL among goalies who have played more than once. Granted, Dallas hasn't faced the top teams in the Western Conference yet, but it did manage to win all three of its games, two against the Nashville Predators and one against the Winnipeg Jets, by at least three goals." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

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6. Florida Panthers (3-1-1)

Total points:126
Preseason rank: No. 4
"I love the impact forward Matthew Tkachuk has had on the Panthers. The forward, acquired in a trade with the Flames in the offseason, is involved offensively and engaged physically. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) in five games. The bad news is the Panthers have to soldier on without defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who was placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday with a lower-body injury. The Panthers are trying to make themselves into more of a grinding team that can win low-scoring games, albeit with the ability to score five or six goals in a game too. Losing Ekblad will make it harder on them to establish a new identity."-- Dan Rosen, senior writer

7. Boston Bruins (4-1-0)

Total points:111
Preseason rank:No. 15
"The Bruins have scored at least five goals in each ot their three games and are missing two of their best players in forward
Brad Marchand
(hip) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (shoulder). Forwards David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron have each scored three goals, but forward A.J. Greer also scoring three is a bit of a surprise. And forward Nick Foligno, who was on waivers last week, has scored two goals in five games, matching his total from 64 games last season. That kind of depth can carry a team a long way, but allowing an average of 3.20 goals per game isn't sustainable. Missing McAvoy, and fellow defensemen Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder) and Brandon Carlo (upper body) is testing the defensive depth. Goalies Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark are good, but they need a bit more support." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

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8. Pittsburgh Penguins (3-0-1)

Total points: 108
Preseason rank: No. 11
Sidney Crosby is someone who's always led by example, and that's exactly what he's doing to start the season. The Penguins captain was named NHL First Star of the Week on Monday after having six points (two goals, four assists) in their first two games. Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang are all in their 30s, yet have shown they all have plenty left in the tank. Whether Father Time will interject through the grind of an 82-game season remains to be seen, but so far, so good. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

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9. St. Louis Blues (2-0-0)

Total points:105
Preseason rank: No. 9
"What's not to like about the Blues, even with a two-game sample size? They are who we thought they were last season; a big, deep, skilled team that was primed to give the Avalanche a big test in the Western Conference Second Round before an injury to goalie Jordan Binnington. If rookie Jake Neighbours, who scored in the opener, is as good as some suggest, it makes the forward depth even more pronounced." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

10. Vegas Golden Knights (4-1-0)

Total points: 102
Preseason rank: Unranked
"The Golden Knights are off to a good start under new coach Bruce Cassidy. Though it was disappointing they gave away a two-goal lead and lost 3-2 at the Flames on Tuesday, they did win their first three games. Perhaps the biggest question mark is in goal, where Logan Thompson is 2-1-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage and one shutout. It's also encouraging to see captain Mark Stone recovered from back problems. More important than his three points (one goal, two assists) is his average ice time of 18:48, most among Vegas forwards." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

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11. Philadelphia Flyers (3-1-0)

Total points: 77
Preseason rank: Unranked
"The season is young, but I like how the Flyers have started. Coach John Tortorella said the Flyers needed a culture change. I don't know how things have changed in the room, but his defense-first approach has shown on the ice. Philadelphia has been especially great in goal with Carter Hart allowing six goals through his first three starts. Oh, and impressive that the Flyers won their first three games despite trailing 1-0 in each. It was also good to see that forward Travis Konecny found his scoring touch in his first two games, when he had four points (three goals, one assist)." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

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12. Tampa Bay Lightning (2-3-0)

Total points: 67
Preseason rank: No. 2
"It's hard to ever take issue with the Lightning given their recent history, but it's also been a slow start to the season. They let a two-goal lead slip away to the Flyers on Tuesday and lost for the third time in four games. I still believe in the Lightning -- how can you not? -- but I'm watching to see if they can correct some of their early-season mistakes, especially with puck management." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

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13. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2-0)

Total points: 38
Preseason rank:No. 8
"Even though he walked back his comments, I agree with coach Sheldon Keefe, who said Tuesday that the Maple Leafs need their elite players to play at an elite level. Right now, center Auston Matthews has one more goal this season than I do; same with forwards Mitchell Marner and John Tavares. And their shallow goaltending depth took a hit with Matt Murray out with an adductor injury, leaving Ilya Samsonov and Erik Kallgren to carry the load. That being said, it's four games into the season. I'm the guy who said Matthews would score
at least 60 goals this season
and I have no doubt he'll improve on his 4.2 percent shooting percentage. Marner, Tavares and William Nylander are elite players. Samsonov could be as good as Jack Campbell was for them last season. The Maple Leafs will figure it out. -- Kimelman

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14. New York Islanders (2-2-0)

Total points: 33
Preseason rank: Unranked
"The Islanders rebounded from a dud of a season-opening loss to the Panthers with a 7-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks and a 5-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks, but lost 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Scoring 13 goals in three games should do wonders for New York's confidence. Scoring was a big question going into the season and there wasn't a good answer after the 3-1 loss to the Panthers. The Islanders got five of their seven goals against the Ducks from defensemen, and then the forwards kicked it up in the win against the Sharks. I think they're a playoff team this season." -- Rosen

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15. Edmonton Oilers (2-2-0)

Total points:31
Preseason rank: No. 7
"It's hard to figure out if we should be concerned about the Oilers after back-to-back losses to the Flames and Buffalo Sabres, but they did bounce back with a 6-4 win against the Hurricanes on Thursday. They were also down 3-0 against the Vancouver Canucks before scoring five straight goals for a 5-3 win in their season opener. The fact is they've been in every game, and they've mounted comebacks in all. They also doubled up the Sabres in shots on goal (48-24), but goalie Eric Comrie made 46 saves. It's too early to worry."-- Rosen

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16. Detroit Red Wings (2-0-2)

Total points: 29
Preseason rank: Unranked
"Six out of a possible eight points in the first four games is a heck of a way for the Red Wings to start the season, especially with how they got one point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. A backcheck from forward Dylan Larkin stopped the Kings from scoring an empty-net goal with 90 seconds remaining in the third period, and forward Oskar Sundqvist then delivered with a game-tying goal at 19:19. The Red Wings lost in overtime, but Larkin's backcheck combined with Sundqvist's game-tying goal go down as an important early-season swing. They also won 5-2 against the New Jersey Devils and 3-0 against the Montreal Canadiens. If the Red Wings want to be a playoff team, they have to win those games. And they did. It's why I ranked them No. 15." -- Rosen
Others receiving points:Los Angeles Kings 28, Nashville Predators 26, Buffalo Sabres 17, Washington Capitals 15, Minnesota Wild 1
Dropped out from preseason Super 16 (last ranking): Wild (10), Predators (12), Kings (13), Capitals (16)

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HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Calgary Flames; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Vegas Golden Knights
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Nashville Predators
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Calgary Flames; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Philadelphia Flyers; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Florida Panthers; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs
TOM GULITTI
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Calgary Flames; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. Nashville Predators
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Calgary Flames; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Edmonton Oilers
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Calgary Flames; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. New York Islanders; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Washington Capitals
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Calgary Flames; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TRACEY MYERS
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Calgary Flames; 5. Philadelphia Flyers; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Los Angeles Kings
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Calgary Flames; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
DAN ROSEN
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Calgary Flames; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. New York Rangers; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Calgary Flames; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Detroit Red Wings
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Calgary Flames; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Minnesota Wild
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Buffalo Sabres; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. St. Louis Blues; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning