Weekly Power Rankings: Who is for real and who is not

The early season creates some wild results.

The first 10 games of the season are the wild wild west of the NHL because nothing really makes sense. Bad teams win a few games and you think, “hey, these guys might be good!”

Then they are not.

Good teams lose a few games and you think, “Well, shit, what’s wrong with them?”

Then they run off 10 wins in a row and you realize, oh, they’re fine.

We are still at that point in the season where there is a lot of randomness and noise with the standings and team’s starts as everybody still figures out exactly what they are and where they might go.

So we are going to try and use the Weekly Power Rankings to figure out who is legitimately good, who is legitimately bad, and who might be stuck in between. We break the teams down into several different tiers to make things easier.

Where does your team sit?

To this week’s Power Rankings!

Strong start and legitimately good

1. Boston Bruins. Getting Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to come back has been huge. They have the league’s best record entering play on Tuesday and they have been playing most of that time without some key players (Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo). I do not think they are going to be the best team in the league for the season, but they are off to a good start and legitimately good.

2. Vegas Golden Knights. Have to admit, this one surprises me a little bit. I thought they were cooked. Goaltending will still make or break their season, but Jack Eichel looks healthy and the player he is supposed to be. That is the game-changer here.

3. Carolina Hurricanes. Their young guys are finding their scoring touch and they are going to get Max Pacioretty back at some point. I think this might be their year.

4. Calgary Flames. They are not going to be an easy out this year. Still amazed at how they navigated what could have been a brutal offseason. Full marks to the front office to keep things rolling.

5. Edmonton Oilers. I do not buy them as a Stanley Cup team. But they should be a playoff team. There should be some concern about Jack Campbell’s start.

6. New York Rangers. Another team that I have some questions about, but their underlying numbers are surprisingly good and Igor Shesterkin has not yet played great. Big potential here. Still some bust potential. But they have the right process in place so far.

7. Dallas Stars. As long as Jake Oettinger stays healthy they have a shot every night. Especially with that top line.

8. Florida Panthers. The defense concerns me, as does the goaltending, and while the offense will not be as dominant as it was a year ago they have some serious talent here. Matthew Tkachuk has looked like a perfect fit.

Credit for a strong start, but I am not buying it yet