Super 16: Hurricanes rise, Devils fall in weekly rankings

Ninety-two players will represent the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off next month.

Whittling it down to 92, 23 per team, could not have been an easy task for the four countries that will be playing in the first best-on-best hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. There were obviously some top players left off the rosters.

Who are they? And was their omission warranted, or was it a mistake?

That was the task in this week's edition of the Super 16 power rankings. Of the players on the teams ranked this week, who could or should, and maybe still might depending on injuries, have been chosen to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which begins Feb. 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal.

As for the rankings, the Carolina Hurricanes rose five spots to No. 7 this week; the New Jersey Devils, who traded places with the Hurricanes, dropped five spots to No. 12.

Carolina has three players going to the 4 Nations Face-Off. New Jersey has four. There could have been more.

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 are the players who could have made and might still get selected to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off edition of the Super 16:

1. Washington Capitals (32-10-5)

Total points: 238

Last week: No. 1

"As the lone team without any players selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Capitals had a few who could have been picked, including defenseman John Carlson for the United States and forward Tom Wilson for Canada. But the most glaring omission was goalie Logan Thompson, who was overlooked by Canada despite having a standout season. The 27-year-old is the NHL's reigning First Star of the Week after he was 3-0-0 with a 0.33 goals-against average, .984 save percentage and two shutouts during the week ending Jan. 19. For the season, Thompson is third in NHL in wins (22-2-3), second in goals-against average among goalies to play at least 16 games (2.09) and third in save percentage (.925). None of the goalies ahead of him in those categories is from Canada." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

2. Winnipeg Jets (32-14-3)

Total points: 211

Last week: No. 2

"Seven players have scored at least 25 goals this season, and the only one from a country participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off that won't be playing in the tournament is Jets center Mark Scheifele, who entered Wednesday tied for fourth in the NHL with 27 goals. Scheifele is the No. 1 center on the team that's been one of the top teams in the NHL for the entire season. Twenty of his goals have come at even strength, and he's scored six game-winning goals, each of which are tied for third in the NHL. And he's averaging 20:25 of ice time per game, most among Winnipeg forwards while skating in all 48 games. I know Canada's depth through the middle starts with Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, but I'd imagine any of them would love to have a player of Scheifele's caliber on their wing." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

3. Vegas Golden Knights (29-14-4)

Total points: 195

Last week: No. 3

"Vegas has no snubs. The Golden Knights have seven players in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Only the Panthers have more (eight). But Canada could have selected defenseman Brayden McNabb and kept him with his usual partner, Shea Theodore, for continuity in a short tournament. McNabb is the steady complement to Theodore's offensive flair. He is plus-23, fifth among skaters and first among defensemen in the NHL, and has 103 blocked shots, 10th in the League. He also kills penalties." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

4. Edmonton Oilers (29-15-3)

Total points: 193

Last week: No. 5

"If Canada has any trouble scoring at the 4 Nations Face-Off, it may regret leaving forward Zach Hyman off its roster. Hyman got off to a slow start this season, so it was understandable why he was overlooked when the rosters of the four teams were announced on Dec. 4. At the time, the Oilers forward had three goals and eight points through 20 games. Yet, Hyman had a career-best 54 goals last season playing with McDavid and the two developed outstanding chemistry together. Considering Hyman was one of only three Canadian players to score over 50 goals last season, along with Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (57) and Colorado Avalanche center MacKinnon (51), leaving him off the roster may not have been a good idea. Since the roster announcement, Hyman has scored 12 goals in 22 games. As a player who is not afraid to go to the tough areas in front of the net and score greasy goals, his absence may become noticeable if Canada has any trouble scoring goals, particularly ones that require going to the tough areas." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (30-17-2)

Total points: 192

Last week: No. 8

"With Auston Matthews (United States), Mitch Marner (Canada), William Nylander (Sweden) and Jani Hakanpaa (Finland) headed to 4 Nations, which other Maple Leafs were snubbed by their national teams? Realistically, it's hard to make a case for any of them. Perhaps Oliver Ekman-Larsson has the best argument (three goals, 16 assists, 19 points, plus-13 entering Wednesday) but it's difficult to crack a Swedish defense that features Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, Gustav Forsling, Mattias Ekholm and Rasmus Dahlin. Goaltenders Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz have played well, but you can't debate Team USA's choices of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman. Forward John Tavares, and defensemen Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev deserved consideration, but who on the Canadian roster would you drop for them? Tough choices." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

6. Dallas Stars (29-17-1)

Total points: 152

Last week: No. 4

"If there's a Stars player that could have been selected to his respective 4 Nations Face-Off team, it's Matt Duchene. Listen, I get it, Canada has a whole lot of player choices for international tournaments and not everyone can get there. But Duchene has been very good. The native of Haliburton, Ontario, leads the Stars with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 47 games this season. He has four game-winning goals, tied for the Stars lead with Roope Hintz and Jamie Benn. Duchene has found new life with the Stars after the Nashville Predators bought out the final three years of his contract on June 30, 2023. If there was another spot on Canada's team, Duchene would make a case for it." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

7. Carolina Hurricanes (29-16-3)

Total points: 150

Last week: No. 12

"I know the group of Canadian defensemen is already stacked, but I would have loved to see Brent Burns play in the 4 Nations just because he's so fun to watch. He has an off-beat personality and though his numbers are down this season, he has been strong on the power player, averaging close to 20 power-play points per season the past few years. He had three assists for Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and I would have liked to see the 39-year-old represent his country one more time." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

8. Minnesota Wild (28-15-4)

Total points: 147

Last week: No. 6

"The Wild have five players going to 4 Nations: forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Brock Faber will play for the United States, and goalie Filip Gustavsson, defensemen Jonas Brodin and forward Joel Eriksson Ek for Sweden. To complicate my assignment further, three of Minnesota's top four scorers are from non-participating countries (Kirill Kaprizov from Russia, Marco Rossi from Austria, and Mats Zuccarello from Norway). That's a third of the Wild's roster taken off the board. Yet, there is still another guy whose selection to Team Canada would not have shocked anyone. Yes, Marc-Andre Fleury is 40 years old and playing in his last NHL season, but he is still a very capable goalie with enormous experience and a Hall of Fame resume, who has performed brilliantly in pressure situations throughout his career. For his farewell tour to include a stop at the best-on-best international tournament would have been such a great story." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

9. Florida Panthers (28-18-3)

Total points: 129

Last week: No. 10

"You want another participant in the 4 Nations Face-Off? A League-high eight players isn't enough? It's OK. They are the Stanley Cup champion. They go deep. And defenseman Aaron Ekblad could help Team Canada on the blue line. He has missed two weeks with injury but is close to returning. He is one of the best two-way defenders in the game. He has 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in 41 games this season and leads all Florida players in ice time per game (23:32), more than Forsling (Sweden) and Niko Mikkola (Finland), each of whom is playing in the tournament." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

10. Colorado Avalanche (28-19-2)

Total points: 100

Last week: No. 11

"It's a small sample size, sure, but what if Mackenzie Blackwood had started the season with the Avalanche as opposed to being traded by the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9? Blackwood is showing what he's capable of with a formidable roster playing in front of him. He has a .928 save percentage and 1.97 goals-against average in 14 games since the trade. Obviously, the Avalanche are going to already be well-represented at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but if Canada's biggest question mark entering the best-on-best tournament is in goal, Blackwood has made a case for himself over the past six weeks." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

11. Los Angeles Kings (26-14-5)

Total points: 89

Last week: No. 9

"With the question marks that Team Canada has in goal, Darcy Kuemper could have certainly been an option. Although he was injured at the time of the roster announcements, he's healthy now and is 13-4-5. His 2.10 goals-against average ranks third, and his .922 fourth among qualified goalies this season. Kuemper certainly could be an injury replacement if needed. -- David Satriano, staff writer

12. New Jersey Devils (27-17-6)

Total points: 80

Last week: No. 7

"While I have no issue with the caliber of defensemen already chosen by Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, perhaps Dougie Hamilton could be among the next in line in case of injury. The 31-year-old right-handed shooter has always had an ability to wire pucks on net and can quarterback a power play. Entering Wednesday, he has 29 points (six goals, 23 assists), 12 power-play points (four goals, eight assists) and averages 19:58 of ice time per game. He is also tied for third on the team in blocked shots (67) and takeaways (18) in 49 games this season." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (25-18-3)

Total points: 66

Last week: No. 13

"The Lightning will be well represented at the 4 Nations Face-Off with coach Jon Cooper, and forwards Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel with Team Canada. Hedman will be playing for Team Sweden, and Jake Guentzel will be representing Team USA. With five players on board plus their coach, it's hard to find someone who was left off a team that should have been selected or in the hunt for a spot." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, journalist principal LNH.com

14. Montreal Canadiens (24-19-4)

Total points: 29

Last week: NR

"Cole Caufield is one of the best pure goal scorers in the NHL, but he's not on the United States' roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. In fairness, the U.S. has a lot of elite goal scorers, but only one American has more goals this season than Caufield's 24. That's Winnipeg's Kyle Connor with 26. Tampa Bay's Guentzel also has 24. Connor and Guentzel are each on the U.S. roster. Caufield was left off. He was even the leading goal scorer among U.S.-born players with 16 when the rosters were named on Dec. 4. The U.S. chose a well-balanced roster. There's no arguing that. It might be the deepest roster in the tournament, but let's hope for the sake of the Americans that Caufield's omission doesn't become a talking point. It could if they struggle to score in the tournament." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

15. Ottawa Senators (24-19-4)

Total points: 21

Last week: No. 16

"As I sit at TD Garden waiting to talk to Jake Sanderson, this is an easy choice for me. It's Sanderson, who has emerged this season as a No. 1 defenseman on an up-and-coming Ottawa team. Sanderson is playing 24:26 per game, 15th in the NHL, with 25 points (two goals, 23 assists) in 47 games. I imagine Sanderson will get a long look for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, given what he's shown this season and what he projects to be in the future. It's a tough group to break into, but Sanderson has been showing he's got what it takes this season." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

16. Calgary Flames (22-16-7)

Total points: 19

Last week: No. 15

"Mikael Backlund is a Swiss Army knife kind of center. Play him on any line, on the power play or the penalty kill, and you're going to get the same kind of strong two-way play. Sweden's decision to leave Backlund, Calgary's captain, off its roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off surprised me. I totally see the argument for choosing 20-year-old Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson for the team. He's a big part of the future of Tre Kronor hockey in the best-on-best format. Get him the experience now. I get it. But I'll argue that Backlund fills the need more than Carlsson right now. He could be Sweden's fourth-line center, fully understanding that role with the ability and experience of shutting down top NHL players, which is exactly what would be asked of him. Carlsson's time will come. Backlund is arguably a better fit for Sweden's roster now." -- Rosen

Others receiving points: Columbus Blue Jackets 13, Boston Bruins 11, New York Rangers 5

Dropped out from last week: Blue Jackets (No. 14)

Enterprise Team of the Week: The Hurricanes moved up from No. 12 to No. 7 this week because of three straight wins, including 3-2 against the No. 3 Golden Knights and 2-1 against the No. 6 Stars. Carolina had lost two straight leading into last week's Super 16. It didn't drop last week, instead staying at No. 12. But with three straight wins, including against two of the top teams in the rankings, the Hurricanes are back in the top eight. The Hurricanes three games before next week's Super 16 comes out are against the Blue Jackets, New York Islanders and Rangers --- three unranked teams. It's an opportunity for them to continue to find some consistency and potentially move into a top five spot in the Super 16 a week from now. -- Rosen

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

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

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

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

BRIAN COMPTON

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

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

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

TOM GULITTI

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

ADAM KIMELMAN

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

MIKE G. MORREALE

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

TRACEY MYERS

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

BILL PRICE

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

SHAWN P. ROARKE

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

DAN ROSEN

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

DAVID SATRIANO

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

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

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

DEREK VAN DIEST

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

MIKE ZEISBERGER

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