Ranking a defence core is difficult especially after a season has been completed. Some teams have underachieved despite having star defencemen on their roster and some have gone a long way because of the depth throughout their lineup. So I have endeavored to look at how a team’s overall core has performed rather than looking at the glamour of the names.
In the second of a four-part series ranking the NHL teams by position, here is how they stack up on defence — counting down from No. 31 to No. 1.
31) Detroit Red Wings
Danny DeKeyser-Filip Hronek
Patrik Nemeth-Trevor Daley
Dennis Cholowski-Madison Bowey
Jonathan Ericsson-Alex Biega
Cody Goloubef-Joe Hicketts
Moritz Seider/Vili Saarijarvi/Gustav Lindstrom/Brian Lashoff/Dylan McIlrath
ANALYSIS: The Red Wings are clearly rebuilding in all areas. They have a couple of promising pieces on defence in Cholowski, Hronek, and Seider but they are not proven top-four defencemen yet. Hronek had a great sophomore season with 9 goals and 31 points in 65 games, but was a minus-38, while Cholowksi had two goals and eight points in 36 games along with a minus-26. DeKeyser only played eight games in 2019-20 and Mike Green was traded at the deadline, so the young core was forced into way more minutes and it showed. Unfortunately, this unit is still ranked last in the NHL.
30) Ottawa Senators
Thomas Chabot-Nikita Zaitsev
Ron Hainsey-Erik Brannstrom
Mike Reilly-Christian Jaros
Mark Borowiecki/Max Lajoie/Andreas Englund/Nick Ebert/Christian Wolanin
ANALYSIS: Similar to the Red Wings, the Senators are rebuilding their defence at the moment. Chabot regressed a bit after his career season in 2018-19 but still posted a 39-point campaign. He is still the clear-cut number one defenceman, but he’s going to need a bit more help next season from his young cohort. Brannstrom got into 31 games and has loads of potential, so look for him to have an impact in his first full season in 2020-21. Their defence is clearly a work in progress, but with the pieces they could add in the draft this year (cue Jamie Drysdale), the future should be bright on the backend for the Sens.
29) Los Angeles Kings
Drew Doughty-Sean Walker
Ben Hutton-Matt Roy
Kurtis MacDermid-Joakim Ryan
Tobias Bjornfot-Kale Clague
Paul LaDue/Mikey Anderson/Sean Durzi/Markus Phillips//Austin Strand/Chaz Reddekopp
ANALYSIS: The Kings still have Drew Doughty — one of the league’s elite — but the rest of L.A.’s defence leaves a lot to be desired in this rebuilding state. Hutton, who came from the Canucks in the offseason, had a good season defensively finishing with a plus-five in the plus/minus column, which surprisingly was his first plus-season in his career. Youngsters Walker and Roy had solid seasons with 24 and 18 points respectively and Roy was a team-leading plus-16 as well, so the future looks good. Additionally, they could be in line to add a stud defenceman at the draft in October. The defence may not be sexy right now, but trust me, it’s coming.
28) New Jersey Devils
P.K. Subban-Damon Severson
Will Butcher-Mirco Mueller
Connor Carrick-Matt Tennyson
Ty Smith/Josh Jacobs/Colton White/Dakota Mermis/Brian Strait
ANALYSIS: To say that the Devils’ defence core was a disappointment in 2019-20 would be a massive understatement. First of all, Subban, their prized offseason acquisition, had his worst season in the NHL with a career-low 18 points in 68 games after nine straight seasons of 30 or more points. He was supposed to be the leader on defence but never seemed to get comfortable in the swamp. If the Devils hope to turn a corner, he has to get going, especially with the money he’s being paid right now. Severson and Butcher are good defencemen but are not proven top-four fixtures yet, so the Devils’ defence is a work in progress once again.
27) Anaheim Ducks
Cam Fowler-Hampus Lindholm
Josh Manson-Jacob Larsson
Erik Gudbranson-Brendan Guhle
Michael Del Zotto-Matt Irwin
Josh Mahura-Christian Djoos
Jani Hakanpaa-Simon Benoit
ANALYSIS: The Ducks aren’t as deep as they once were, having traded away Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore, but Fowler, Lindholm, and Manson are still in their prime. Those three, on paper, are still a very solid group going forward, but Anaheim is no longer icing a top-10 defence in the present. Larsson and Guhle have top-four potential, but they are definitely not in that realm yet. Djoos, Gudbranson, and Mahura provided depth this past season, but they still need some help in the future to become a deep blue line again.
26) San Jose Sharks
Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Erik Karlsson
Radim Simek-Brent Burns
Mario Ferraro-Jacob Middleton
Dalton Prout-Brandon Davidson
Nick DeSimone-Jeremy Roy
Trevor Carrick-Ryan Merkley
ANALYSIS: Despite having three of the best defencemen in the NHL with Vlasic, Karlsson, and Burns, the Sharks allowed the fourth-most goals and generally underachieved in their own end during the 2019-20 campaign. With a top-three like that, you really shouldn’t be missing the playoffs. They lost depth in Dhillon at the trade deadline, so if the Sharks want to return to glory soon, the big-ticket men have to be better defensively.
Karlsson and Burns both turned in good seasons offensively but were adventures in their own zone. For two guys that eat up over $19 million in cap space, they have to be the leaders on the blue line, not only in production but in defensive play too. With the Sharks going through a transition period, they have to be the motor that pushes the team forward, not the anchor that drags them down.
25) Buffalo Sabres
Rasmus Dahlin-Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe-Brandon Montour
Colin Miller-Henri Jokiharju
John Gilmour-Casey Nelson
ANALYSIS: After recording a gaudy 44 points in 82 games during his rookie season, Dahlin did it again in his sophomore campaign with another 40 points in 59 games. If the season had continued, he likely would have eclipsed those totals and set a new career-high in points. If the Sabres ever get their house in order, he will lead this team on the backend for the next decade. The rest of the core was just average, just like their team overall. If they want to take the next step, Dahlin and Ristolainen need some help. That could come in the form of Miller who once was a core piece of the Vegas Golden Knights. If he can rebound from his worst season in the NHL, the Sabres will be better for it.
24) Edmonton Oilers
Oscar Klefbom-Darnell Nurse
Adam Larsson-Kris Russell
Ethan Bear-Matt Benning
Caleb Jones-Evan Bouchard
Brandon Manning/William Lagesson/Dmitri Samorukov/Keegan Lowe/Logan Day
ANALYSIS: The Oilers have two of the best forwards in the game today with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but their defence still leaves a lot to be desired. Nurse, Klefbom, and Larsson are legitimate top-four defencemen, but they still need a clear cut number one to lead the core. Bouchard definitely has the potential to do that, but he’s not here yet. He had a great first professional season with the Bakersfield Condors, so the hope is that he can take a full-time job in 2020-21. The bottom line is, the Oilers will not go anywhere without a defence core that can defend and move the puck up to their superstar forwards.
23) Montreal Canadiens
Shea Weber-Jeff Petry
Victor Mete-Ben Chiarot
Brett Kulak-Cale Fleury
Christian Folin-Noah Juulsen
Xavier Ouellet/Karl Alzner/Gustav Olofsson/Josh Brook/Otto Leskinen
ANALYSIS: The Canadiens defence is a work in progress, but showed some great potential in the postseason by helping to knock off the Penguins and giving the Flyers all they could handle in the actual playoffs. Weber and Petry proved they were a legitimate top-pairing, while Chiarot had a great debut season after joining the team in the offseason from the Jets. Fleury, Folin, Kulak and Ouellet were also impressive at times too. Suffice it to say, the blue line is less of a worry now than it was before the NHL-induced pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
22) Chicago Blackhawks
Duncan Keith-Connor Murphy
Olli Maatta-Calvin de Haan
Slater Koekkoek-Adam Boqvist
Nick Seeler/Dennis Gilbert/Chad Krys/Brent Seabrook
ANALYSIS: Keith is clearly on the downturn, but he showed that he still had some fire in his belly during the qualifying round and subsequent playoffs. Despite only finishing with 27 points in the regular season, he put together an impressive five points in six games in the postseason and looked like he drank from the fountain of youth as well. Maatta and Koekkoek were solid in their first seasons in the Windy City and Boqvist appears to be a future star in the NHL, so it may not be all doom and gloom going into 2020-21.
21) Winnipeg Jets
Josh Morrissey-Neal Pionk
Dmitry Kulikov-Dylan DeMelo
Tucker Poolman-Nathan Beaulieu
Luca Sbisa-Anthony Bitetto
Carl Dahlstrom-Sami Niku
ANALYSIS: The Jets really struggled to defend, as Hellebuyck faced a lot of rubber and high danger chances this past season. Despite that, there were some bright spots with Pionk and Morrissey forming an effective top pairing and Pionk having a career season with 45 points. He seemed to fit in almost immediately as a top-four defenceman on a depleted blue line after losing Byfuglien, Trouba, and Myers in the offseason. Kulikov even had a bounceback season and a strong qualifying round as well. All in all, the Jets have some good young pieces for the future with Niku and Dahlstrom coming soon, but they are definitely not as strong as years past.
20) New York Rangers
Jacob Trouba-Adam Fox
Marc Staal-Tony DeAngelo
Libor Hajek-Ryan Lindgren
Yegor Rykov-Tarmo Reunanen
Brendan Smith/Brandon Crawley/Darren Raddysh
ANALYSIS: The Rangers have a formidable top-four with Trouba, Fox, Staal, and DeAngelo anchoring the defence. Fox and DeAngelo eclipsed 40 points and Trouba was a physical force and shot-blocking machine posting 173 hits and 128 blocked shots. Skjei was moved to the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline for a 2020 first-round pick, so that hit their depth a bit. However, Lindgren and Hajek are both 21-years-old and the former was second on the team in plus/minus, so the future appears to be bright on the blue line in the Big Apple.
19) Pittsburgh Penguins
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Jack Johnson-Justin Schultz
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
Juuso Riikola-Chad Ruhwedel
Pierre-Olivier Joseph/David Warsofsky/Zach Trotman/Kevin Czuczman/Calen Addison
ANALYSIS: The Penguins’ defence core was led once again by Letang, who just finished his 13th season in the NHL. He also eclipsed the 500-point mark in his career, despite battling injuries for the last few seasons. He is still hands down one of the best defencemen in the NHL. Unfortunately, the buck stopped with him, as the rest of the core struggled for most of the season. Schultz continues to regress from his 51-point season in 2016-17, and Johnson does not look like he’s suited for the speed of the game anymore. On the bright side, Pettersson impressed in his sophomore season and appears to be a legitimate top-four defender.
18) Calgary Flames
Mark Giordano-T.J. Brodie
Noah Hanifin-Travis Hamonic
Erik Gustafsson-Rasmus Andersson
Derek Forbort-Oliver Kylington
Michael Stone/Juuso Valimaki/Alexander Yelesin
ANALYSIS: After posting a career-high in points and winning the Norris Trophy in 2018-19, Giordano dropped off the cliff in 2019-20. He only had 34 points and struggled mightily to produce at the same rate. At 36-years-old, it’s unreasonable to expect a lot more from him in the future. Brodie has regressed too, and that’s two of the Flames’ top defenders. Hanifin, Kylington and Andersson have significant potential, but to be competitive, someone has to step in for Giordano soon.
17) Florida Panthers
Keith Yandle-Aaron Ekblad
Michael Matheson-Anton Stralman
Mark Pysyk-MacKenzie Weegar
Ian McCoshen-Joshua Brown
Tommy Cross-Ethan Prow
Riley Stillman-Brady Keeper
ANALYSIS: As projected by THW’s own Larry Fisher in the first edition of these rankings, the Panthers’ top-four were excellent in 2019-20. Yandle and Ekblad both eclipsed 40 points and Matheson and Stralman contributed some offence too with 20 and 19 points respectively. Even Pysyk and Weegar were dangerous offensively with nine and seven goals as well. Offence was definitely not a problem with this unit. It was in their own end where it got dicey, as they finished with the fifth-most goals against in the NHL. If they hope to make the playoffs next season, the defence needs to be better in their own end.
16) Toronto Maple Leafs
Morgan Rielly-Cody Ceci
Jake Muzzin-Tyson Barrie
Travis Dermott-Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin-Martin Marincin
Timothy Liljegren-Calle Rosen
Kevin Gravel/David Warsofsky/Teemu Kivihalme
ANALYSIS: The Maple Leafs took a step back defensively in 2019-20 despite adding Barrie and Ceci and having Muzzin for an entire season. They allowed the seventh-most goals in the NHL and clearly need some sort of a change on the blue line. Muzzin stabilized the core a bit, but Ceci had an off year and Barrie could not replicate the success he had in Colorado. On the bright side, Dermott and Sandin showed great potential in the games they played and should be ready for full-time roles in 2020-21, especially if Barrie is not retained.
15) Arizona Coyotes
Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Jakob Chychrun-Alex Goligoski
Jordan Oesterle-Jason Demers
Kyle Capobianco-Ilya Lyubushkin
Aaron Ness-Robbie Russo
Cam Dineen-Victor Soderstrom
ANALYSIS: The Coyotes were led once again by captain Ekman-Larsson, but not Hjalmarsson, who was limited to only 27 games due to injury. Chychrun had a career season with 12 goals and 26 points and looks to have established himself as a top-four defenceman in the NHL. Goligoski, Demers, and Oesterle all had strong campaigns as well, so the future looks to be pretty set on the blue line for the time being. All of their top-six is signed through 2020-21 and barring any trades should continue to be a strong group going forward.
14) Vancouver Canucks
Quinn Hughes-Chris Tanev
Alex Edler-Tyler Myers
Oscar Fantenberg-Troy Stecher
Jordie Benn/Olli Juolevi/Guillaume Brisebois/Ashton Sautner/Jalen Chatfield/Brogan Rafferty/Josh Teves
ANALYSIS: The Canucks defence core went through a major shift this season with Hughes taking over as the top defenceman from veteran Alex Edler. He not only led all rookie defencemen in scoring with 53 points but also played an average of 21 minutes which is usually unheard of for a rookie defender. Myers and Fantenberg had good first seasons on the West Coast, but with Tanev potentially leaving and Edler approaching retirement, the Canucks will need one of Juolevi, Rafferty, or Jack Rathbone to step in soon to make this unit a top-10 force in the NHL.
13) Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar-Nikita Zadorov
Samuel Girard-Erik Johnson
Ian Cole-Ryan Graves
Mark Barberio-Conor Timmins
Bowen Byram/Calle Rosen/Kevin Connauton/Anton Lindholm/Jacob MacDonald/Mark Alt
ANALYSIS: Uber rookie Makar had a monster season with 50 points in 57 games and continued his brilliance in the playoffs as well with 4 goals and 15 points after his six-point debut last season. With him taking over as the top defender on the Avs, their defence could be even deeper with another star rookie coming up as soon as next season in Byram. Basically, this unit is strong and it’s only going to get stronger.
12) Minnesota Wild
Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba
Carson Soucy-Brad Hunt
Greg Pateryn/Matt Bartkowski/Louis Belpedio/Brennan Menell
ANALYSIS: Suter continued to be a workhorse for the Wild in 2019-20 while Soucy emerged as a key part of the core in his first full season in the NHL. Spurgeon, Brodin, and Dumba were a force in the top-four and Hunt was a productive part of the offence too with a career-high eight goals. Overall, they were an effective top-six and should not be faulted for ultimately missing the playoffs.
11) Washington Capitals
Dmitry Orlov-John Carlson
Michal Kempny-Radko Gudas
Brenden Dillon-Nick Jensen
Jonas Siegenthaler/Alexander Alexeyev/Lucas Johansen/Tyler Lewington/Colby Williams/Connor Hobbs
ANALYSIS: Carlson was clearly the driver of the defence core this season for the Capitals. He led all blueliners in scoring with 75 points in 69 games and at one point was projected to eclipse 100 points on the season. That’s how good he was in 2019-20. He struggled a bit defensively in the playoffs finishing with a minus-11, but that should not discount what he did during the regular season. Orlov, Kempny, Gudas, Jensen, and newcomer Dillon were solid too, but Carlson was hands down the centerpiece of the Capitals defence this season.
10) Philadelphia Flyers
Ivan Provorov-Justin Braun
Travis Sanheim-Matt Niskanen
Shayne Gostisbehere-Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg-Nate Prosser
Samuel Morin-Andy Welinski
T.J. Brennan/Chris Bigras/Tyler Wotherspoon
ANALYSIS: Led by 23-year-old Ivan Provorov, the Flyers’ defence core had a relatively solid season overall. Newcomers Niskanen and Braun fit in seamlessly and Sanheim continued to develop into the top-four defenceman everyone projected him to be when he was drafted 17th overall in 2014. Myers also had a great sophomore season with 4 goals and 16 points along with a plus-17, which led all defencemen. Gostisbehere is clearly not the offensive force he once was, but he was still good depth along with the steady Hagg who was just behind Myers at plus-14.
9) New York Islanders
Ryan Pulock-Nick Leddy
Johnny Boychuk-Scott Mayfield
Adam Pelech-Devon Toews
Andy Greene-Noah Dobson
Thomas Hickey/Sebastian Aho/Parker Wotherspoon/Mitch Vande Sompel/Seth Helgeson/David Quenneville/Bode Wilde
ANALYSIS: The Islanders don’t have an all-star cast on the blue line, but under the tutelage of Barry Trotz, they have become a formidable unit. They all play a strong two-way brand of hockey and their top defenders are young as well. Puloch, Pelech, Toews, and Mayfield are all in their prime, and top prospect Noah Dobson is on the cusp of becoming a full-time player too, which is just icing on the proverbial cake. They have probably been the most surprising defence core in the playoffs, having made quick work of the Capitals and recently knocking off the Flyers as well. They just know how to defend and follow the system their coach has laid out for them. That alone makes them a force to be reckoned with.
8) Dallas Stars
Miro Heiskanen-John Klingberg
Esa Lindell-Stephen Johns
Jamie Oleksiak-Andrej Sekera
Taylor Fedun/Joel Hanley/Dillon Heatherington/Gavin Bayreuther/Ben Gleason/Thomas Harley
ANALYSIS: The Stars defence core is without a doubt led by the dynamic duo of Heiskanen and Klingberg. They play the lion’s share of the minutes and drive the offence from the blue line. Heiskanen had an average season with 35 points but is a monster in the playoffs so far with 5 goals and 21 points in 16 games. Basically it’s where Heiskanen and Klingberg go, the Stars go. Lindell, Johns, Oleksiak, and Sekera provide terrific depth but it’s the top-two that lead this core.
7) Columbus Blue Jackets
Zach Werenski-Seth Jones
Ryan Murray-David Savard
Vladislav Gavrikov-Markus Nutivaara
Adam Clendening/Dean Kukan/Gabriel Carlsson/Dillon Simpson
ANALYSIS: Clearly the Blue Jackets’ defence is centered around Werenski and Jones. They performed at a high level throughout the regular season and playoffs and became workhorses by the end of it, as Jones broke records for ice time in the insane five overtime periods against the Lightning and averaged over 30 minutes in the ten games he played. Beyond them, they have a lot of depth from the rugged shot-blocking machine of Savard to the young potential of Murray, Gavrikov, Nutivarra, and Kukan. They all had very effective seasons, helping the Blue Jackets to the second round of the playoffs where they gave the Lightning all they could handle in a tight-checking low scoring series.
6) Vegas Golden Knights
Shea Theodore-Nick Holden
Alec Martinez-Nate Schmidt
Brayden McNabb-Zach Whitecloud
John Merrill-Nicolas Hague
Jake Bischoff-Deryk Engelland
Jimmy Schuldt-Jaycob Megna
ANALYSIS: The Golden Knights have proven throughout the season and the playoffs that they are one of the toughest teams to play against. One of the reasons for that is the depth, physicality, and speed of their defence. Theodore came into his own in 2019-20 with a career-high 13 goals and 46 points and is a beast in the playoffs right now with 6 goals and 16 points already. He is clearly a star in the making and should actually be considered one of the top defenders in the NHL at this point. After him, Schmidt, Martinez, McNabb, and Holden have formed a formidable entourage behind him and rookie Zach Whitecloud has given them even more depth as he’s become an integral part of their bottom pairing and penalty-killing unit.
5) Nashville Predators
Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis
Mattias Ekholm-Dante Fabbro
Korbinian Holzer-Yannick Weber
Steven Santini/Jeremy Davies/Alex Carrier/Frederic Allard/Matt Donovan/Jarred Tinordi/Ben Harpur
ANALYSIS: Even without Subban, the Predators still boast a formidable top-four of Josi, Ellis, Ekholm, and Fabbro. The latter in particular had a solid season in an increased role. He has loads of potential at 22-years-old and could have a breakout season in 2020-21, especially if he’s given even more responsibilities. Josi had a Norris Trophy worthy season, leading the entire team in scoring with a career-high 65 points while Ellis and Ekholm continued to produce as well. The defence was definitely not the reason for the Predators’ qualifying round exit, that’s for sure.
4) St. Louis Blues
Vince Dunn-Alex Pietrangelo
Justin Faulk-Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson-Marco Scandella
Robert Bortuzzo-Niko Mikkola
Derrick Pouliot-Mitch Reinke
Jake Walman/Jake Dotchin/Jay Bouwmeester (LTIR)
ANALYSIS: The Blues’ strength on the blue line took a significant hit when Bouwmeester had a cardiac episode during a game and subsequently was placed on long term injury reserve (LTIR). As expected, his future in the NHL is in jeopardy right now. Despite that, the Blues still have a formidable blue line with Pietrangelo leading the way. Faulk and Scandella were seamless additions, while Dunn and Parayko provided their usual strong two-way game from the top of the lineup. If they are able to re-sign their captain to a cap-friendly deal, they should remain a defensive power in the West.
3) Carolina Hurricanes
Jaccob Slavin-Dougie Hamilton
Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner-Joel Edmundson
Trevor van Riemsdyk-Sami Vatanen
Haydn Fleury/Gustav Forsling/Jake Bean/Roland McKeown/Jesper Sellgren
ANALYSIS: The Hurricanes’ defence took a significant step forward in 2018-19 and continued it in 2019-20. Slavin continued to be a stud for the Canes with a career-high 36 points and Hamilton was dominant again with another 40-point season as well. Before he got injured, he was in the Norris Trophy discussion too. At 27-years-old, he’s in the middle of his prime and should be a significant piece of the core going forward. Newcomer Brady Skjei only played seven games, but he’s also only 26-years-old and should be a huge addition next season too. Overall, this blue line remains a strong group going forward.
2) Boston Bruins
Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug-Brandon Carlo
John Moore-Matt Grzelcyk
Connor Clifton-Kevan Miller
Jeremy Lauzon-Urho Vaakanainen
Jakub Zboril-Steven Kampfer
ANALYSIS: The Bruins won the President’s Trophy and made it to the second round of the playoffs on the strength of their defence. The top-four of Chara, McAvoy, Krug, and Carlo was among the best in the league, and even though Chara is 43-years-old, he still averaged over 20 minutes of ice time and didn’t look any worse for wear either. McAvoy and Carlo are two of the best young defencemen in the NHL, and Clifton emerged as an offensive threat in the postseason too. I don’t think defence will be a problem for the Bruins any time soon.
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman-Mikhail Sergachev
Ryan McDonagh-Erik Cernak
Braydon Coburn-Kevin Shattenkirk
Zach Bogosian/Jan Rutta/Luke Schenn/Cal Foote/Luke Witkowski/Cameron Gaunce
ANALYSIS: The Lightning are the envy of the NHL when it comes to their defence core. Hedman is a perennial Norris Trophy candidate, Sergachev keeps getting better every season, McDonagh is a number-one defenceman on most teams, and Cernak provides a tremendous two-way game in the number-four spot. Then you have Coburn, Bogosian, and Shattenkirk in the mix for the bottom pairing. Talk about depth and skill in all areas! Basically, they are the toast of the NHL, so it’s really no surprise that they are in the Conference Finals right now.
Recapping Defence Rankings
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
2) Boston Bruins
3) Carolina Hurricanes
4) St. Louis Blues
5) Nashville Predators
6) Vegas Golden Knights
7) Columbus Blue Jackets
8) Dallas Stars
9) New York Islanders
10) Philadelphia Flyers
11) Washington Capitals
12) Minnesota Wild
13) Colorado Avalanche
14) Vancouver Canucks
15) Arizona Coyotes
16) Toronto Maple Leafs
17) Florida Panthers
18) Calgary Flames
19) Pittsburgh Penguins
20) New York Rangers
21) Winnipeg Jets
22) Chicago Blackhawks
23) Montreal Canadiens
24) Edmonton Oilers
25) Buffalo Sabres
26) San Jose Sharks
27) Anaheim Ducks
28) New Jersey Devils
29) Los Angeles Kings
30) Ottawa Senators
31) Detroit Red Wings
Feel free to disagree with those rankings and share your own in the comments below.
