ESPN future power rankings for all 32 teams

[Captain3rdLine]

F: Fantilli, Laine, Gaudreau, Jenner, Sillinger, K.Johnson, Marchenko, Chinakov, Brindley

C: Werenski, Jiricek, Provorov, Boqvist, Severson, Bean, Szovil

Looks pretty loaded to me. I think they could be a force as soon as this year, provided they get decent goaltending.

I don’t think I would call this loaded whatsoever. Pretty solid group of players with good young talent.

But my biggest concern with them would be getting stuck as a middle of the pack team. I think they’ve tried to rush out of their rebuild a bit too soon and it might limit their potential long-term. Once their top young guys like Fantilli, Jiricek, and Johnson are hitting their full stride (if that happens which isn’t a given), some of these older guys on the longer contracts will possibly be declining.

Best case scenario, their prospects all turn out great quickly, guys like Gaudreau and Severson don’t decline much and they keep everyone around. In that case I could see them being one of the better teams in the league.

But that best case isn’t crazy likely and on the flip side, there’s a reasonable possibility where 3 years from now they’re sitting there with only one truly elite forward in Fantilli and one elite dman in Werenski with 2 years left.

I think they fall somewhere in the middle of those scenarios.

The main problem with putting them this high is that none of their good young guys have done all that much yet or proven themselves. And people never seem to realize how many young players don’t turn out.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

For the next three seasons, having Detroit above Colorado, Toronto, Edmonton, and Tampa is hilariously bad.

 

[Three On Zero]

For the next three seasons, having Detroit above Colorado, Toronto, Edmonton, and Tampa is hilariously bad.

Seems like the teams that are in cap hell are getting too heavily penalized

 

[Ned Bouhalassa]

This list should be called ESPN Future Cap Hell Rankings.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

Not having the Avs in the top 5, let along the top 10 makes the list a joke.

Flyers should be last, however at least they finally realized it was time to rebuild.

 

[Unspecified]

ESPN rated all 32 teams. These rankings consider how teams are set up for success this season as well as the next three seasons. We had a panel of writers and editors rate each team in four categories -- roster (with an emphasis on players 26 and under); prospects; cap situation and contracts; and front office, ownership and coaching.

Definitely some interesting talking points with these rankings

NHL Future Power Rankings: Predicting best, worst teams for the next three seasons

Will the Devils' climb continue? Which bubble teams are set for a breakthrough in the next three years? Here are the 1-32 rankings for NHL teams.

www.espn.com

You get a monthly stipend to pimp out their dog ass service?

 

[CupofOil]

Toronto and Edmonton are both well on their way to suffering from the aane fate Colorado and Tampa are beginning to suffer from now... And aging core and no longer having its best players signed to team friendly deals.

I disagree with ESPNs evaluation of Detroit in particular, but I would say teams like Buffalo/Ottawa/Seattle easily have a brighter future then the likes of Edmonton/Toronto/Colorado.

An aging core? All these cores outside of Tampa are in their mid to late 20s and even the guys in Tampa's core aren't significantly declining by any means not to the point where they fall off the face of the earth in the next few years. Only on HF can players 26-29 years old be considered "aging".

Also, who are all these young and upcoming stars in Seattle's core? Their core is just as old as the ones from Colorado, Edmonton and Toronto and this isn't even long term future we're talking about, it's the next 3 years, the present and near future.

 

[Ezekial]

You lost me at “Laine”.

Near PPG player over the last 2 seasons, what a drag to have on your team.

 

[Tanknation]

Detroit, Columbus, Red wings top 10, Montreal one of the best prospect pools/ younger players under 24 ranked 27. Makes sense.

 

[Three On Zero]

You get a monthly stipend to pimp out their dog ass service?

It’s free, I don’t know why some people are stuck behind a paywall and others are not.

 

[CBJx614]

You lost me at “Laine”.

You mean the guy whose played at a PPG pace since coming to Columbus and has established himself as a leader on the team. The guy who decided he wanted to stay in Columbus through the summer and has essentially lived at the rink through the offseason?

Patrik Laine's growing presence within the Blue Jackets is difficult to ignore

Laine is heading into his eighth NHL season healthy, surrounded by more talent than he's known in Columbus, and more comfortable than ever.

theathletic.com

That conversation happened over the weekend, apparently. Laine has skated at center ice during practice drills the last two days. On Wednesday, he was between Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko, essentially the Blue Jackets’ top line.

“He’s shown a lot of interest in playing center,” Vincent said. “Like I told him, he has to do the right things. His conditioning has to be way up there. Skating and practicing, pushing himself has to be there. So far, I’d like to say that he’s been doing all of this, so we’re going to see how it goes, and if we like it we will continue the project.

“Centers have more (defensive) reads, more zone to cover defensively (than wingers). But when I see Patrik, the vision I have is that when he skates the puck and he’s building speed through the neutral zone, he’s hard to stop.”

“If it works, great, we all benefit. He’s a 6-foot-5 right shot. If it works, it changes the picture of our group up front. But if it doesn’t work, that was a good try and we’ll move forward.”

The guy who is asking for more responsibility and becoming a mentor in the locker room?! That Laine?!?

Detroit, Columbus, Red wings top 10, Montreal one of the best prospect pools/ younger players under 24 ranked 27. Makes sense.

Columbus has a higher ranked prospect pool and current roster so.... don't know why you called them out.

I don’t think I would call this loaded whatsoever. Pretty solid group of players with good young talent.

But my biggest concern with them would be getting stuck as a middle of the pack team. I think they’ve tried to rush out of their rebuild a bit too soon and it might limit their potential long-term. Once their top young guys like Fantilli, Jiricek, and Johnson are hitting their full stride (if that happens which isn’t a given), some of these older guys on the longer contracts will possibly be declining.

Best case scenario, their prospects all turn out great quickly, guys like Gaudreau and Severson don’t decline much and they keep everyone around. In that case I could see them being one of the better teams in the league.

But that best case isn’t crazy likely and on the flip side, there’s a reasonable possibility where 3 years from now they’re sitting there with only one truly elite forward in Fantilli and one elite dman in Werenski with 2 years left.

I think they fall somewhere in the middle of those scenarios.

The main problem with putting them this high is that none of their good young guys have done all that much yet or proven themselves. And people never seem to realize how many young players don’t turn out.

I don't think we are a write in for top 10 in the next 3 seasons. Anything can happen. But I do think the Jackets are likely a top 15, potentially perennial playoff contender (not cup contender but in the battle for the playoffs) moving forward.

 

[Ezekial]

Columbus has a higher ranked prospect pool and current roster so.... don't know why you called them out.

So do the Wings

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Nice

 

[Tanknation]

You mean the guy whose played at a PPG pace since coming to Columbus and has established himself as a leader on the team. The guy who decided he wanted to stay in Columbus through the summer and has essentially lived at the rink through the offseason?

Patrik Laine's growing presence within the Blue Jackets is difficult to ignore

Laine is heading into his eighth NHL season healthy, surrounded by more talent than he's known in Columbus, and more comfortable than ever.

theathletic.com

The guy who is asking for more responsibility and becoming a mentor in the locker room?! That Laine?!?

Columbus has a higher ranked prospect pool and current roster so.... don't know why you called them out.


I don't think we are a write in for top 10 in the next 3 seasons. Anything can happen. But I do think the Jackets are likely a top 15, potentially perennial playoff contender (not cup contender but in the battle for the playoffs) moving forward.

Its not to call them out. I like Columbus. But to put them that high and Montréal 27th is absurd. Montreal should easily be top 10 too. This list makes zero sense, follows no rules, while claiming too.

 

[MNRube]

You lost me at “Laine”.

Well you are simple, Jack

 

[Pavels Dog]

Someone said something positive about the Wings? That's a first.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

An aging core? All these cores outside of Tampa are in their mid to late 20s and even the guys in Tampa's core aren't significantly declining by any means not to the point where they fall off the face of the earth in the next few years. Only on HF can players 26-29 years old be considered "aging".

Also, who are all these young and upcoming stars in Seattle's core? Their core is just as old as the ones from Colorado, Edmonton and Toronto and this isn't even long term future we're talking about, it's the next 3 years, the present and near future.

Congrats, you just described an aging core...


Regression starts in the NHL at ~28.

As for Seattle, the future 1C and 2C on that team are 19 and 20 years old....

 

[Bank Shot]

Congrats, you just described an aging core...


Regression starts in the NHL at ~28.

As for Seattle, the future 1C and 2C on that team are 19 and 20 years old....

MacKinnon didn't even have an elite season until draft +5.

Shane Wright didn't make the NHL draft +1.

Call me crazy but I take Mackinnon 28-32 over Shane Wright 19-23 any day of the week.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

Holy, this spark hope I could become a regular hockey analyst at ESPN

 

[MK9]

ESPN

 

[robsenz]

I'd rather read Vanity Fair's take on hockey than ESPN's.

 

[3074326]

I expected to read the ESPN ranking and assume HFBoards was being dramatic, as per usual.

Nope. This list sucks.

ESPN talking about hockey. Automatic failure as if Tucker Carlson talked about culinary receipts instead of politics. Or maybe he is a chef!

Many would argue it's an automatic failure as if Tucker was talking about politics.

 

[HTFN]

This list bails on its own criteria on a whim for basically no reason. It's apparently a futures based list but ranks teams like Pittsburgh way above the strength of their actual farm system because it temporarily decided to make it about veterans again, then doesn't do the same for Washington despite a better prospect pool and wonders how long it will be before the wheels fall off of all their veterans... what?

I'm just using them for a shorthand comparison because they're in moderately similar places but it's a mess literally everywhere. The f*** are they doing?

 

[wetcoast]

Too much emphasis on future/youth. It's a 4 year prediction not a 5-10 year prediction. The Lightning will likely still contend for 2-3 more years and I don't see Buffalo or Detroit even making the playoffs in the next 2 years, yet those 2 are top 5 and Tampa is 21. That's a little absurd to me. Maybe by year 4 those 2 will be ahead of the Bolts but I can't see it happening in the next 3 years. Just 1 example.

I agree it makes too many assumptions about young players and some teams that could very well win a SC next season like the Leafs or Oilers get lost in the U26 craze.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Very interesting indeed, I mean I bet it is at least if I was willing to pay 10 bucks to read it.

No issues reading it.