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Carter Gaddis' NHL Power Rankings

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 27, 2008

POWER RANKINGS

1. RED WINGS: What can stop them? Only a long-term injury to Nicklas Lidstrom. And Pavel Datsyuk. And Henrik Zetterberg. And Tomas Holmstrom. And Brian Rafalski.

2. SENATORS: If Daniel Alfredsson scored seven points in a real game against the Lightning, will he score 15 points in today's All-Star Game?

3. STARS: Imagine Vinny Prospal and Dan Boyle added to this lineup. Maybe then they'd be able to push Detroit to seven games in a playoff series.

4. FLYERS: With G Antero Niittymaki bringing stability in net, Philadelphia hit the break leading the Atlantic Division.

5. WILD: Evidently, Marian Gaborik loves playing on Thursdays (17 points in nine Thursday games).

6. CANADIENS: In 49 games, Alexei Kovalev already has three more goals (21) than he had in 73 games last season.

7. SHARKS: If they were better at home (11-11-4), they might be a real threat in the Western Conference.

8. DUCKS: If they were better on the road (11-13-2), they might be a real threat in the Western Conference.

9. DEVILS: They're still looking over their shoulder at Pittsburgh, but the Flyers now are looking back at both of them in the Atlantic.

10. FLAMES: It's going to take a lot for someone to knock Jarome Iginla off the top of the list of Hart Trophy favorites.

11. BRUINS: If they're going to make headway in the Northeast Division, they'll have to find a way to end a nine-game losing streak against Montreal.

12. CANUCKS: With three points separating four teams in the Northwest Division, the difference in the coming weeks could be G Roberto Luongo.

13. AVALANCHE: It's going to be tough for them to keep pace in the Northwest down the stretch with all their injuries.

14. BLUE JACKETS: It's beginning to look like Coach Ken Hitchcock and G Pascal Leclaire might find a way to will this team into the playoffs for the first time ever.

15. PREDATORS: If they were in the Eastern Conference (which geography would seem to dictate as logical), they'd be solid playoff contenders. As it is, they're on the periphery.

16. CAPITALS: All indications are they are going to win the Southeast Division. The key will be the health of Alexander Semin.

17. COYOTES: After so many bad years, this season already can be considered a relative success even if they miss the playoffs.

18. PENGUINS: Without Sidney Crosby (high ankle sprain), they are just another mediocre Eastern Conference team.

19. ISLANDERS: Until they find more scoring from somewhere - anywhere - it's hard to envision this as a playoff team, even with G Rick DiPietro playing well.

20. RANGERS: You'd like to think their big-name players will take off after the All-Star break, but nothing we've seen so far indicates that will happen.

21. HURRICANES: They should have run away and hid at the top of the Southeast Division long ago, because now they seem powerless to hold off surging Washington.

22. BLUES: They're usually sellers at the trade deadline, but they've already moved Doug Weight.

23. OILERS: After a 2-2-1 run through the Southeast Division, it's clear their brand of mediocrity would fit right in if they switched out of the Northwest.

24. BLACKHAWKS: It's beginning to look as if they'll have to settle for the moral victory of a .500 season, rather than shocking the world with a playoff berth.

25. PANTHERS: Why on Earth does Olli Jokinen continue to insist he won't leave Florida? Doesn't he understand how bad things are there?

26. THRASHERS: So much for the great comeback from that 0-6 start.

27. MAPLE LEAFS: So, Cliff Fletcher is rehired by Toronto. He brought Mats Sundin into this organization, and by golly, he can take Mats Sundin out of it.

28. LIGHTNING: Dan Boyle is back, but his presence might not be enough at this point to lift this team into the playoffs.

29. SABRES: Somehow, they reached the break with a break-even record of 21-21-6. Regardless, the problems are myriad, and Coach Lindy Ruff knows it.

30. KINGS: They are, perhaps, the only sure-fire seller at the trade deadline. Rob Blake, anyone?

Carter Gaddis

BUYERS AND SELLERS

The trade deadline is Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. In the Eastern Conference, no team is more than seven points out of a playoff position. In the Western Conference, only the L.A. Kings are more than six points out. What that means is 29 teams conceivably could be considered buyers in the current trade market. That number should dwindle considerably during the first two weeks after the break, when a given team's hot streak or cold streak could serve to tip the balance between playoff hopeful and participation in the draft lottery. For now, though, for the most part, hope survives - which makes for a complicated few weeks for GMs around the league. Here's how they break down today in terms of buyer-seller status:

BUYERS
Detroit, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Dallas, Anaheim, New Jersey, Montreal, San Jose, Minnesota
These are the teams that are firm contenders for the Stanley Cup and are hoping to make a move or two that will help them sustain a long push into the summer. Most of these teams are set at goalie, but all of them - even the Red Wings - could use some scoring help. The Stars, in particular, could position themselves to challenge the Wings in the Western Conference by adding a little more experience on the blue line and a scoring wing to fill out the top three lines.

JUST LOOKING
Carolina, Washington, Phoenix, Nashville, Boston, Pittsburgh, N.Y. Islanders,
N.Y. Rangers, Columbus, Calgary, Vancouver, Colorado
These are the teams on the cusp of a favorable playoff position, but needing something now to help them secure that spot. Most of these teams have glaring weaknesses, which is why they find themselves on the second tier of contenders. A common theme among this group is the need for experienced defensive help, along with a distinct shortage of consistent scoring.

SETTING UP SHOP
Chicago, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Edmonton, St. Louis, Florida, Atlanta
These are the teams that, realistically, need everything to fall just right to make the playoffs, which probably still won't happen unless they do something dramatic at the trade deadline. The decision whether to buy or sell is most difficult for these teams. The Lightning, Thrashers and Panthers, in particular, don't want to pack it in too soon considering the Southeast Division champion will probably be a team at or barely better than .500. Realistically, though, these teams need to be thinking about using the trade deadline to secure a better future - which means line up those draft picks, boys!

SELLERS
Buffalo, Los Angeles
These are the teams that are either out of things entirely or have no hope of sustaining enough momentum in the final two months to eke out a playoff berth. They will be joined in the coming days by many of the teams already setting up shop. The Sabres have been victimized by free agent departures and injuries, so they can't go making a knee-jerk move like trading G Ryan Miller because next year could still bring better fortune. As for the Kings … well, if Rob Blake is still in L.A. on Feb. 27, it will be the upset of the season.

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