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Carter Gaddis' NHL Power Rankings

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 6, 2008

1. RED WINGS: They're good enough to withstand the temporary loss of Henrik Zetterberg (back spasms).

2. SENATORS: Regaining D Anton Volchenkov after he missed 15 games with a broken finger will be a big boost.

3. SHARKS: G Evgeni Nabokov has played nearly every game. Think he misses former teammate Vesa Toskala?

4. CANUCKS: Six shutouts already for G Roberto Luongo. The Vezina is his to lose.

5. STARS: They hit a little speed bump with a three-game losing streak, but they'll bounce back.

6. FLAMES: As well as they've played lately, they've still only barely out-scored their opponents (123-122 through 42 games).

7. WILD: After scoring five goals against the Rangers on Dec. 20, Marian Gaborik scored one in his next five games.

8. DEVILS: After going 4-3-0 to end December, they're trying to regain the huge momentum of an earlier nine-game win streak.

9. CANADIENS: They're only the fourth-best team in Canada, but even that's a step forward this year.

10. PENGUINS: Evgeni Malkin, not Sidney Crosby, leads this team in goals.

11. AVALANCHE: Already without Joe Sakic (hernia), they'll have to do without Ryan Smyth (broken ankle) for two months.

12. DUCKS: What this team could use is a big scorer. Like, say … Teemu Selanne?

13. BRUINS: They're glad to get an awful December behind them, and they started '08 with G Tim Thomas' first shutout.

14. RANGERS: The big guns - Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury - just aren't scoring enough to create positive momentum.

15. BLUE JACKETS: At age 33, is Fredrik Modin's career coming to a close? He's played only six games this year because of a bad back.

16. HURRICANES: They have the great fortune to be playing in what has become the weakest division, by far, in the NHL.

17. BLUES: They win on the road against Detroit and lose at home to Edmonton in consecutive games. That inconsistency could cost them in the long run.

18. ISLANDERS: A five-game road swing that began Saturday in Colorado will help determine the course of the season.

19. FLYERS: They recovered nicely from a six-game winless streak to finish December with three consecutive victories.

20. SABRES: G Ryan Miller is still seeing bouncing bucks in his nightmares after that snowy outdoor game.

21. COYOTES: They aren't really a threat to make the playoffs, but at least they're playing winning hockey for Wayne Gretzky.

22. BLACKHAWKS: As the season wears on, it becomes apparent they're still too young in key positions to be much of a threat in the Central Division.

23. THRASHERS: In most divisions, they'd be virtually out of it. But the weak Southeast gives Atlanta a chance to rally into the post-season.

24. PANTHERS: The same could be said of Florida, but it's hard to envision this as more than a .500 team, at best.

25. PREDATORS: They're still trying to recover from a five-game losing streak in the middle of December.

26. MAPLE LEAFS: The calendar turns, and 1967 recedes further and further into the distant past.

27. OILERS: This franchise has problems on the ice, but nothing will be solved until the ownership issue is resolved.

28. CAPITALS: Once again, Alexander Semin (tailbone) is out. And once again, Washington can't score enough to win, not even with Alex Ovechkin on the ice.

29. LIGHTNING: If they fight their way out of this one, it'll be one of the great recoveries in recent Tampa Bay sports history.

30. KINGS: They're licking their chops at the prospect of moving past the Lightning in the league standings.

Carter Gaddis

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