OT: SI NHL Preseason Power Rankings

[Spooner st]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nhl/news/20130109/nhl-preseason-power-rankings/?sct=uk_t11_a6

After a Cup hangover-type of season in many ways, the B's should be good and eager to try to win another.

Click to read more...

 

[Kaoz*]

Oilers at #3.

Even Ryan Whitney thinks this guy is smoking pot.

 

[Greyhounds]

Funny how no one puts the Kings as #1 team.

Yet they coasted through the playoffs, cutting up the opponents like a knife through butter. There's a good chance that LA will defy the odds and repeat.

 

[Hnidy Hnight]

I knew there's a reason I only read one issue of SI a year.

 

[bruinsfan46]

Four kids playing together in the AHL brings the Oilers from the team who has beat one team in the standings any of the last three years to 3rd overall, LOL. Have to agree with Whitney.

 

[Gobias Industries]

A better, Canadian , perspective from TSN...

Has us at three...

 

[Samsonov14]

I think they're spot-on about the Rangers. though. I lived in NY for several years and so I still follow the team. I have to say that this is a team that really does have it all.

Defense, yep. Goaltending, definitely. Offense was a little better than middle of the pack last year, but Nash should help. They don't have any real weaknesses.

I bleed black and gold (which turns out to be a sort of reddish color according to past experiments), but I have to say that I like the Rangers and where they are going. They're my pick for #1 in the East.

I think the Bruins will be contenders, but I'm still worried about Rask. He'll perform just fine, but I'm concerned about an injury (you know he's going to have a groin injury this year), and how our backups will perform when two U's and two K's can no longer equal one win with him on the bench. I hope I'm wrong.

Also, we need to stop pretending that Dougie Hamilton will be a stud from the get-go. He'll need seasoning, just like many other decent prospects do. Remember Seguijn's first year? Or Joe Thornton? It's even tougher for defensemen.

 

[smithformeragent]

Meh...power rankings. The regular season is meaningless for the contenders. Pittsburgh, NYR, Boston, and Philadelphia will all make the tournament. We'll see what happens in June.

 

[Seidenbergy]

Funny how no one puts the Kings as #1 team.

Yet they coasted through the playoffs, cutting up the opponents like a knife through butter. There's a good chance that LA will defy the odds and repeat.

They certainly picked the right year to win it all. The lockout gave them the rest they needed to catch up with everyone else and not have the dreaded hangover.

 

[LouJersey]

Funny how no one puts the Kings as #1 team.

Yet they coasted through the playoffs, cutting up the opponents like a knife through butter. There's a good chance that LA will defy the odds and repeat.

No way..remember teams get fat and tired after winning....We saw it first hand...OH wait, they had a longer break!@

 

[Dellstrom]

Another article that says 4 players will make the Oilers succeed.

This time, #3 in the league. Credibility was already gone since it was SI, they're not exactly a hockey magazine, but this...

 

[Greyhounds]

No way..remember teams get fat and tired after winning....We saw it first hand...OH wait, they had a longer break!@

They had a heck of a team in the playoffs. Apart from mental aspects, or injuries, I'm having trouble coming up with reasons why they can't do it again.

 

[Artemis]

Another article that says 4 players will make the Oilers succeed.

This time, #3 in the league. Credibility was already gone since it was SI, they're not exactly a hockey magazine, but this...

Not that I'm an SI fan (when it comes to hockey, at least), but to be fair, those are power rankings for the first week, not a season prediction. He's picking the Oilers to get off to a fast start, which isn't outside the realm of possibility.

 

[LouJersey]

They had a heck of a team in the playoffs. Apart from mental aspects, or injuries, I'm having trouble coming up with reasons why they can't do it again.

Kings are the favorite in the West IMO and I don't care where they finish. Favorite in the East is the Rangers and Bruins. If the Rangers click right away, they will far and away be the first seed IMO. If they don't click, they could be in trouble.