Marner lands in Vegas, Ehlers joins Carolina; Florida unanimous No. 1 following 2nd straight championship
© Vegas Golden Knights; Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images
August arrives on Friday, which means vacations will soon end, players will slowly start matriculating back into their respective NHL markets, and summer skates will intensify with training camp on the horizon.
So, with the rumble of hockey season approaching, the noise of sticks and skates and pucks and training camp and preseason games and, before long, opening night on Oct. 7, let’s take stock into what we think we will be looking at in six weeks.
Not surprisingly, the Florida Panthers are the unanimous No. 1 team in this summer edition of the Super 16, but what does the staff here at NHL.com think about the teams chasing the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and the possible path to catching them?
Read on to find out.
To come up with the Super 16, the 13 voters this week put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total was assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.
Here is the mid-summer edition of the Super 16:
Total points: 208
“The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions return virtually intact from the team that steamrolled through the playoff field last season, capped by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the Final for the second straight season. Somehow, the Panthers were able to keep all their key contributors aside from defenseman Nate Schmidt, who was replaced by veteran Jeff Petry. Will they be the best team in October? On paper yes, but they will have to navigate the physical and emotional baggage associated with playing deep into June for three straight seasons. But, one thing we know about this squad, coached by Paul Maurice, is they are at their best when it matters most. There were 10 teams better than Florida during the 2024-25 regular season, but nobody could touch this team in May and June. Expect more of the same.” — Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Total points: 182
“The Golden Knights made arguably the most impactful move in the NHL this offseason by acquiring and signing forward Mitch Marner. At the top of the primary assist leaderboard since 2018-19 is Connor McDavid (366), followed by Marner (281). Known for strong advanced stats and two-way prowess, Marner has a chance to complement centers Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl in different situations and also finally get over the hump in the postseason with a more well-rounded supporting cast. Marner never reached the conference finals during his Toronto Maple Leafs tenure; Vegas, meanwhile, has qualified for the postseason in seven of its eight seasons since expansion, won the Stanley Cup in 2023 and multiple rounds four different times.” — Pete Jensen, senior director, fantasy
Analyzing the Golden Knights deep forward group
Total points: 166
“The Stars haven’t diverted much from the roster that’s gotten them to the Western Conference Final in each of the past three seasons, and that’s why I’ve got them ranked high heading into training camp. They’re still steady from goaltending on out. And now they’re led by Glen Gulutzan, who is entering his second go-around as Stars coach after spending the past seven seasons as an Edmonton Oilers assistant. Gulutzan is older and wiser, which should be beneficial. He’ll tinker in places, but he’s not going to mess with the formula that’s led to so many strong regular seasons. Until it shows signs of wear and tear, it’s hard for me not to place Dallas in my top five.” — Tracey Myers, staff writer
Looking at the Dallas Stars going into 2025/26
Total points: 153
“The Oilers again fell short in their quest to win the Stanley Cup last season, losing in the Cup Final to the Panthers in six games. Edmonton is expected to remain a contender as long as McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to lead the way. McDavid is entering the final season of his contract, and until he signs a new one there will be some anxiety in Edmonton. But the Oilers should again challenge for a championship despite a handful of changes to the roster; they added forwards Andrew Mangiapane, David Tomasek, Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard and Curtis Lazar, and signed Trent Frederic to an eight-year contract hoping to make up the difference lost with the departures of Evander Kane, Connor Brown, Corey Perry and Jeff Skinner.” — Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Total points: 148
“With their Stanley Cup ambitions intact, the Hurricanes will enter training camp with a slightly younger roster and a clear understanding of how narrow their margin for error will be if they hope to finally break through. Offensively, Carolina has improved with the addition of Nikolaj Ehlers, one of the top forwards available in free agency. He brings speed and much-needed top-six scoring to an already solid core featuring Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and Logan Stankoven, who is expected to make a full-time impact. However, the defense looks potentially vulnerable following the departures of Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov and Scott Morrow. K'Andre Miller is their only significant addition to date. Carolina’s well-established identity under coach Rod Brind’Amour should comfortably ensure a playoff berth, but the emergence or acquisition of another top-four defenseman will be needed for a Stanley Cup run.” — Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer
Total points: 147
“I still have the Avalanche among the top 10 teams in the League after the addition of Burns, who should alleviate some pressure from Cale Makar on the power play. Burns may be 40 years old, but he still averaged nearly 21 minutes of ice time per game last season with the Hurricanes and brings 135 games worth of playoff experience to a roster already loaded with it. A full season of Brock Nelson after the forward was acquired from the New York Islanders prior to the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline should help Colorado immensely in an absolutely loaded Western Conference.” — Brian Compton, managing editor
Total points: 127
“The Jets made arguably the most intriguing move of the offseason, signing center Jonathan Toews. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is 37 and hasn’t played in two seasons, but there has to be a ton of motivation to show his hometown fans that he’s still got something left in the tank. Can he still keep up with today’s game? Where and how much coach Scott Arniel uses Toews could determine how successful he is. Losing Ehlers will hurt, but Toews should supply some offense, as should Gustav Nyquist. Winnipeg still has one of the top lines in the NHL in Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi. It is deep on defense, and Connor Hellebuyck is the best regular-season goalie in the NHL. Expect the Jets to be right at the top of the League standings again this season.” — Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Total points: 112
“The Lightning had four of the 12 players named to end-of-the-season NHL All-Star teams last season, including forward Nikita Kucherov, the back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winner, on the First Team. They already have five players named to rosters for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, including defenseman Victor Hedman (Sweden) and forward Brayden Point (Canada). Russia is not competing in the Olympics, which is why Kucherov and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy are not included. Forwards Jake Guentzel (United States), Brandon Hagel (Canada) and Anthony Cirelli (Canada) are realistic Olympic hopefuls too. The point is that the Lightning remain one of the top teams in the NHL; their only issue is they ran into the best team, the Panthers, in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. But Tampa Bay should again compete for first place in the Atlantic Division and be a lock to qualify for the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season.” — Dan Rosen, senior writer
Total points: 109
“How will Toronto make up for the 102 points that left town with Marner now in Vegas? Easier said than done. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has done a nice job this offseason in creating more depth up front with the additions of Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua. But will that translate into instant offense, especially in the absence of the dynamic Marner? Toronto still has top-end firepower in Auston Matthews, William Nylander and the ascending Matthew Knies, but can the rest of the forwards provide the goals needed to keep up with perennial Atlantic Division powerhouses Florida and Tampa Bay, which have combined to win four of the past six Stanley Cup championships? The answers to these questions will determine whether the Maple Leafs can climb the Super 16 rankings once the season starts.” — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
The Tonight crew discuss Mitch Marner facing his former team twice in January
Total points: 107
“With Alex Ovechkin heading into his 21st and potentially final NHL season, the Capitals would like to make it a special one. They’ll need their players who enjoyed career seasons in 2024-25 — forwards Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun — to match or exceed those performances this season after finishing first in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Hurricanes in the second round. Washington’s only additions thus far this offseason have been bottom-six forward Justin Sourdif (trade with Panthers) and depth defenseman Declan Chisholm (trade with Minnesota Wild). It also re-signed forward Anthony Beauvillier, but it has so far been unable to add a wing to play in the top six. Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said they tried “to do something big” without confirming it was Ehlers, who signed with the Hurricanes.” –Tom Gulitti, senior writer
Total points: 71
“The Devils made a few subtle additions, signing veteran forwards Brown and Evgenii Dadonov, who each will help bolster 5-on-5 scoring in the middle of the lineup. Goalie Jake Allen signed a five-year, $9 million contract to remain in New Jersey and is expected to continue to be a fine complementary piece alongside Jacob Markstrom. New Jersey is also hoping rookie forwards Arseniy Gritsyuk and Shane Lachance will help generate more secondary scoring. Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (knee) will miss the start of the season, so it’s vital that Simon Nemec and/or Seamus Casey show consistency as each contends for more ice time.” — Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer
Total points: 63
“The Kings have failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, losing to the Oilers each time. They didn’t make a splash in free agency, but they signed key pieces at all positions. Forward Corey Perry and defenseman Brian Dumoulin, each a Stanley Cup winner, as well as forward Joel Armia and goalie Anton Forsberg give the Kings more depth. That could help them take the next step in the postseason.” — David Satriano, staff writer
Total points: 42
“Yes, the Wild still need a No. 1 center. Yes, there is still uncertainty around restricted free agent forward Marco Rossi. Those are question marks. We know Kirill Kaprizov is one of the NHL’s best forwards. If he can stay healthy all season, he’ll compete for the scoring title. Forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Brock Faber are expected to continue to emerge into stars. So, yes, there are questions, but also plenty of hope the Wild can not only be a playoff team again, but this time make some noise. They haven’t won a round since 2015. There’s also a handful of young players who could be in Minnesota this season, leading to more optimism about the present and the future. Zeev Buium, a 19-year-old defenseman, and 21-year-old forwards Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov could be impact players this season.” — Rosen
Total points: 36
“The Senators have a benchmark now of being a playoff team. Anything short of that this season will be unacceptable. They qualified last season, ending a drought that began in 2018. They have made only minor tweaks to the roster in the offseason, adding defenseman Jordan Spence in a trade with the Kings and signing veteran center Lars Eller, who should fill a fourth-line role. So, Ottawa is going to rely on the core that helped it reach the playoffs last season, led, of course, by captain Brady Tkachuk. The Senators need more offense; they qualified despite scoring 2.95 goals per game, 14th among the 16 teams who got in. All eyes will be on middle-six centers Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto to lead the way for secondary scoring behind Tkachuk, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle. Ottawa could be in the market for another scoring forward at some point during the season.” — Rosen
Total points: 34
“Similar to the Senators, the Canadiens also have a benchmark of being a playoff team. They got in as the second wild card last season, and although they lost to the Capitals in five games, they showed flashes of what they could be this season, especially with rookie forward Ivan Demidov becoming a full-time player. Montreal will try to tame expectations, which will be difficult to do because of the excitement around a young, exciting team led by one of the most dynamic top lines in the League with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. The addition of defenseman Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders is only fueling optimism and expectations. So too is the thought of what Lane Hutson might do for an encore; the 21-year-old defenseman won the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie last season, when he had 66 points (six goals, 60 assists) in 82 games. For the first time in a long time, the Canadiens will have some pressure to live up to expectations. How they handle that will determine how quickly they can take the next step to become a team that can win in the postseason.” — Rosen
Total points: 30
“The Blues qualified for the playoffs last season with a late push. They went 20-4-3 from Feb. 8 to the end of the regular season, a .796 points percentage that was the best in the NHL in that stretch. They then gave the Jets all they could handle in a seven-game series in the first round. Since then, St. Louis has changed its depth chart, adding forwards Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad while subtracting forwards Radek Faksa and Zack Bolduc. Logan Mailloux, the defenseman acquired from Montreal for Bolduc, has a chance to be a top-four defenseman. The Blues are a threat in the Central Division — not quite as dangerous as say the Avalanche, Stars and Jets, but certainly capable of finishing in the top four and reaching the playoffs again, provided goalie Jordan Binnington continues to come through. He has a chance to be Canada’s No. 1 goalie at the Olympics, so the motivation should be high.” — Rosen
Others receiving points: Utah Mammoth 15, New York Rangers 12, Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Detroit Red Wings 1
Enterprise Team of the Summer (so far): It has to be the Panthers. Not only are they spending a second straight summer celebrating with the Stanley Cup, but they were able to lock up four big players from the latest Cup-winning team with the re-signings of forwards Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Tomas Nosek, and defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Three-peat is already a buzz word in South Florida. It’s not far-fetched; in fact, it’s an attainable goal with the roster the Panthers have coming back. — Rosen
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. St. Louis Blues; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Montreal Canadiens
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Montreal Canadiens
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Ottawa Senators
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. St. Louis Blues
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Utah Mammoth; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Los Angeles Kings
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Utah Mammoth
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Utah Mammoth
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. St. Louis Blues; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Ottawa Senators
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Detroit Red Wings
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Ottawa Senators
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. New York Rangers
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