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Carter Gaddis' NHL Power Rankings

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

1. RED WINGS: Henrik Zetterberg missed a few games with a back injury, then scored a goal this week in his return. This guy should be in the discussion for the Hart Trophy.

2. FLYERS: Hey, Peter Forsberg might come back. But the way Philadelphia is playing now, it doesn't seem to need him.

3. SENATORS: They need to get their goaltending straightened out or it will be short run in the playoffs this year.

4. SHARKS: Sure, G Evgeni Nabokov is very good. But a 13-save shutout this past week speaks as much to San Jose's defensive prowess as Nabokov's ability.

5. CANADIENS: They are poised to catch Ottawa in the Northeast Division if the Senators continue to struggle.

6. STARS: They could use a wing to play on the second line with Mike Modano. Vinny Prospal might be a good fit.

7. WILD: G Niklas Backstrom is beginning to regain his form of last season at exactly the right time.

8. FLAMES: If they can get a few more hat tricks from Owen Nolan (he had his first since '99 Wednesday), they'll really be in business.

9. DUCKS: The return of Teemu Selanne could be the most important pretrade deadline acquisition in the league.

10. PENGUINS: G Marc-Andre Fleury has begun to test his injured ankle after a nine-week rest, but he can afford to be patient with G Ty Conklin holding the fort.

11. DEVILS: They're slipping in the standings, but does anyone really think G Martin Brodeur will let this team fall all the way out of the playoff field?

12. BRUINS: Marc Savard (nine-game scoring streak) is beginning to heat up, and if he stays hot Boston might just find a way to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoff field.

13. AVALANCHE: Just as G Jose Theodore began to play well, his back went out. Now it's up to Peter Budaj again to keep them afloat.

14. PREDATORS: It's going to be a touch-and-go couple of months for Nashville, which is barely clinging to a playoff berth in the Western Conference.

15. CAPITALS: If Alex Ovechkin (four goals Thursday) can keep it up, it's only a matter of time before Washington takes over the Southeast Division lead.

16. HURRICANES: Of course, Carolina might have something to say about that, and it still has more scoring depth than Washington.

17. RANGERS: Inexplicably, this team remains in playoff contention. Not even the Islanders average fewer goals, but G Henrik Lundqvist keeps the Rangers afloat.

18. ISLANDERS: A flu bug decimated the lineup this past week, but it will take more than hot soup and bed rest to cure what ails this low-scoring team.

19. COYOTES: They're still talking playoffs in Phoenix, a testament to the difference made by the in-season trade that brought G Ilya Bryzgalov.

20. BLUE JACKETS: In Columbus, they're lamenting the loss of popular enforcer Jody Shelley in a trade to San Jose. In 28 other NHL cities, they're asking, Jody Who?

21. SABRES: All it took for Buffalo to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff chase was a quick swing through the miserable Southeast Division.

22. THRASHERS: Remember when this was a team on the rise? Like, about two weeks ago? Not anymore, and now Ilya Kovalchuk (knee) is hurt.

23. BLUES: It's hard to gain traction in the playoff race with a break-even (10-10-0) record against division opponents.

24. MAPLE LEAFS: All this talk about trading Mats Sundin? The loudest voice belongs to Sundin, who says he does not want to be traded. Well, so much for that.

25. LIGHTNING: If GM Jay Feaster can get Dallas G Mike Smith in a trade, he should. The cost will be high, but that's the price of success.

26. PANTHERS: A 4-7-1 record in January left them essentially out of the playoff chase.

27. OILERS: Like most struggling teams, the problem is goaltending. G Dwayne Roloson, 38, no longer appears to be a viable No. 1 in the NHL.

28. CANUCKS: Still in the thick of the Northwest Division race, but they won't be for long if they continue to struggle like this.

29. BLACKHAWKS: They fell from the NHL's darlings to also-rans with a 4-9-1 January. Injuries contributed, but so did inconsistency.

30. KINGS: They finished January on a 6-2-1 run. If they're not careful during this eight-game road trip, they might lose their once-firm grip on the bottom spot in the league.

Carter Gaddis

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