Panthers fall with Barkov injury; Rangers replace Blues at No. 16
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Five more sleeps, counting Thursday, until the NHL’s season-opening date is here.
It starts Tuesday with a tripleheader. The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena (5 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS), then the Pittsburgh Penguins play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS). The night ends with the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings playing at Crypto.com Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).
Of the six teams in action Tuesday, four are ranked in our preseason Super 16, which is below.
The Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, are No. 6 after being No. 1 in the summer Super 16 that came out at the end of July. The drop has to do with not having center Aleksander Barkov and forward Matthew Tkachuk because of injuries.
The Rangers are No. 16 after not being in the summer Super 16. There’s optimism after a disappointing 2024-25 season.
The Avalanche are No. 5. They were No. 6 in the summer. So basically, the Panthers drop pushed them up a spot. The Kings stayed at No. 12.
To come up with the Super 16, the 15 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.
Here is the preseason edition of the Super 16:
Total points: 221
Summer: No. 2
“The Golden Knights are going for it again. They added yet another star in the offseason: forward Mitch Marner. Although they also lost a star in defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (hip injury), they should make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons since joining the NHL as an expansion team. They could win the Cup for the second time in four seasons. Marner couldn’t get over the hump in the playoffs in Toronto. Maybe he’ll have better luck in Vegas.” — Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Total points: 206
Summer: No. 3
“There are two things that interest me with the Stars; how they respond following another frustrating loss in the Western Conference Final and the impact coach Glen Gulutzan makes. This is a great team and as long as the mental scars of last season don’t affect the Stars, they’ll be fine. They’ll miss their captain, Jamie Benn, who is out to start the season after sustaining a collapsed lung in the preseason, but the Stars still have plenty of talent to withstand the veteran forward’s loss. I think the Jets ultimately win the Central Division, but the Stars are going to be challenging them the whole season.” — Tracey Myers, staff writer
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Total points: 188
Summer: No. 5
“The Hurricanes have consistently been one of the best teams in the NHL the past few seasons, but playoff success has eluded them, mostly because of the Florida Panthers, who have been to the Cup Final three years in a row. But the Panthers are banged up this year, and right now there is no excuse for the Hurricanes not to be the favorites in the East, especially with offseason additions of Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller. Is this the year they finally get over the top?” — Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
Total points: 181
Summer: No. 4
“The Oilers expect to get off to a better start this season having lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Panthers for a second consecutive time. The second heartbreak is always easier to get over than the first, according to several of Edmonton’s veterans. Despite the uncertainty of captain Connor McDavid‘s contract status beyond this season, the Oilers are still considered to contend with the core of their team returning. Led by McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton is hoping to make a third straight trip to the Final and finish the job this season. While it doesn’t seem likely McDavid will leave the Oilers after this season, how long he stays with them may be determined by whether they are able to win the Cup.” — Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Total points: 168
Summer: No. 6
“Mackenzie Blackwood is dealing with an offseason injury and is week to week, but once the Avalanche’s No. 1 goalie is able to play, it’s hard to dispute the talent on this roster. The ability to re-sign Brock Nelson after acquiring him prior to the NHL Trade Deadline last season makes Colorado incredibly deep down the middle and will continue to alleviate pressure from Nathan MacKinnon. Gabriel Landeskog is healthy and raring to go. And it doesn’t get much better than the top defense pair of Devon Toews and Cale Makar.” — Brian Compton, managing editor
Total points: 166
Summer: No. 1
“The Panthers know it’s hard to repeat. They found that out last season. To three-peat? They are finding out that that’s even harder. Florida will be without its structural leader while captain Aleksander Barkov is out 7-9 months after injuring his knee in training camp. It is also without its emotional leader; Matthew Tkachuk is out for at least three months of the regular season after undergoing surgery during the offseason. That said, write these Panthers off at your own peril. They have a world-class coach in Paul Maurice and a game-stealing goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. Their forward depth has been challenged but they still have elite players up front and a top-10 blue line. Don’t say goodbye to these Panthers just yet.” — Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
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Total points: 155
Summer: No. 7
“The NHL return of Jonathan Toews — in his hometown, no less — will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow this season. What can the 37-year-old still bring after two full seasons away from the game? Can the three-time Stanley Cup winner bring the experience that can get the Jets over the playoff hump after years of disappointment? The Jets still have the best goalie in the NHL in Connor Hellebuyck, and top offensive talent in Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi. Losing Nikolaj Ehlers could hurt, but Cole Perfetti appears poised to make up for his departure. But how Toews adds to the equation could be the most compelling storyline in Winnipeg this season.” — Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Total points: 148
Summer: No. 8
“It’s hard not to love what the Lightning have on offense, starting with the dynamic top line of Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, certainly one of the League’s best. And it doesn’t drop off far from there, including Brandon Hagel, who had a breakout 2024-25 and Anthony Cirelli, who continues to bring stellar defense with his stellar offense. The Lightning led the NHL in goals per game at 3.56 last season and, while that’s tough to maintain, nothing would surprise me with this crew. They still have a top-of-his-game Andrei Vasilevskiy, too, which means that it’s entirely likely that Tampa Bay will be among the teams that have their sights set on the Stanley Cup come spring.” — Amalie Benjamin, senior writer
Total points: 136
Summer: No. 9
“How will the Maple Leafs fill the gap left by Mitch Marner and his 102 points from last season? We’re about to find out. We do know this; while Toronto lost skill over the summer now that Marner is a Golden Knight, it certainly added grit with the additions of Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua. Both check the boxes of coach Craig Berube’s gameplan of north-south, physical, heavy hockey. One of the most intriguing storylines in training camp has revolved around 20-year-old forward Easton Cowan, the Memorial Cup MVP of the London Knights who appears to be poised to take the next step to the NHL. With goalie Joseph Woll away indefinitely on personal leave, the net belongs to Anthony Stolarz and his new four-year contract. Maple Leafs fans wanted change; they certainly got it. Whether it translates into success remains to be seen.” — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
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Total points: 95
Summer: No. 11
“The Devils might not have defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (knee) available until the new year, but defenseman Luke Hughes did sign a seven-year, $63 million contract on Wednesday. Simon Nemec is expected to fill the vacancy left by Kovacevic and look for Seamus Casey to also challenge for playing time if Nemec falters. Ethan Edwards, a defenseman who impressed the coaching staff in training camp, may begin the season with Utica of the American Hockey League now that Hughes is back in the fold. Evgenii Dadonov, who was signed as free agent on July 1, will likely begin the season on a line with center Jack Hughes and right wing Jesper Bratt. Rookie forward Arseny Gritsyuk has looked comfortable his first season in North America and should offer depth scoring in a middle-six role.” — Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer
Total points: 83
Summer: No. 10
“While we wait to find out whether this will be Alex Ovechkin‘s final NHL season, the Capitals will try to exceed outside expectations again. So much went right for them last season when they had a host of players post NHL career highs and surprised many by finishing first in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Hurricanes in the second round of playoffs. Even if all their players can’t replicate their production from last season, the Capitals have enough depth to contend in the Metropolitan Division. Now the NHL’s all-time leader with 897 goals, including 44 last season, Ovechkin will try to defy his age again after turning 40 on Sept. 17.” — Tom Gulitti, senior writer
Total points: 79
Summer: No. 12
“The Kings acquired forwards Joel Armia and Corey Perry (who is injured and could miss two months), and defensemen Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin for depth. With a healthy Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar set to play his final NHL season, the team should be extra motivated to win, but it starts with advancing past first round of the playoffs for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.” — David Satriano, staff writer
Total points: 49
Summer: No. 14
“After ending a seven-season playoff drought with a 45-30-7, 97-point season, Ottawa enters 2025-26 with genuine expectation rather than hope. Anything less than another postseason appearance would be a major disappointment. Its young core of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson still looks capable of leveling up. Offense was middling last season (tied for 18th with 2.95 goals per game), so the burden is on that core and secondary scorers to make the attack more reliable. In goal, Linus Ullmark‘s solid regular-season track record (163-87-26, 2.54 goals-against average, .917 save percentage, 2022-23 Vezina Trophy) should help stabilize results, however questions remain about his ability to deliver in the playoffs, where his career numbers are 5-10, 3.28 GAA and .885 save percentage. But with Florida and Toronto missing their own key pieces, the task of getting there might become slightly less daunting.” — Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer
Total points: 47
Summer: No. 15
“The word ‘rebuild’ is now a thing from the past in Montreal. They are now ready to push for another playoff appearance. The Canadiens would like to prove that last spring was not a fluke. Nick Suzuki, the captain, was saying that it’s time to set some higher goals for this young team. Montreal was able to add two young players to that already young core with the acquisitions of defenseman Noah Dobson and forward Zack Bolduc. Forward Ivan Demidov could follow the footsteps of defenseman Lane Hutson and win the Calder Trophy as the League’s rookie of the year.” — Jean-Francois Chaumont, journalist principal LNH.com
Total points: 40
Summer: No. 13
“The Wild took care of the biggest question of their offseason on Tuesday by signing forward Kirill Kaprizov to a $136 million contract ($17 million average annual value). Kaprizov still has one season left on his current contract, but by getting him locked up long term it removes a question about his immediate future in Minnesota and if the Wild would have to look to trade him this season. Now that’s off the table and the Wild just need Kaprizov to stay healthy. He had 56 points (25 goals, 31 assists) in 41 games last season. The Wild were 25-13-3 for 53 points with Kaprizov in the lineup and 20-17-4 for 44 points without him. They finished in the first wild card in the West, five points behind the Avalanche for third place in the Central Division. A healthy Kaprizov for the other half of the season likely makes up that five-point difference. This season, Minnesota could be a top three team in the Central if he plays more, especially with the continued development of forwards Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, and defenseman Brock Faber.” — Dan Rosen, senior writer
Kaprizov’s $136 million deal shows financial stability in NHL, what’s ahead for other free agents
Total points: 27
Summer: NR
“The Rangers are hoping to use the disappointment of last season as part of their motivation to get back into the playoffs and once again become a Stanley Cup contender. New coach Mike Sullivan has been busy putting his fingerprints all over the organization since he was hired on May 2. Sullivan is pushing his players in training camp, and so far the response has been positive. To push into the playoffs this season the Rangers will need, among other things, Mika Zibanejadto be more of a consistent scoring threat (20 goals last season); Will Cuylle to take the next step and fill most of the minutes left open by the departure of Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks; Adam Fox to return to being a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman with the help of new partner Vladislav Gavrikov; Igor Shesterkin to once again be a Vezina Trophy-caliber goalie; Artemi Panarin to once again lead their offense with 90-100 points; and more secondary scoring from Alexis Lafreniere. All is possible. Those are, in fact, realistic expectations. But any slide in the wrong direction and the Rangers could play their way out of the mix like they did last season.” — Rosen
Dropped out from Summer Super 16: St. Louis Blues (No. 16)
Others receiving points: Utah Mammoth 22, Blues 11, Vancouver Canucks 7, Calgary Flames
6, Columbus Blue Jackets 5
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Dallas Stars; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. New York Rangers; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Vancouver Canucks
JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT
1. Dallas Stars; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Florida Panthers; 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
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Minnesota Wild
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Vancouver Canucks; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Utah Mammoth
TOM GULITTI
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Florida Panthers; 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
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Utah Mammoth; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TRACEY MYERS
1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. New York Rangers; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
BILL PRICE
1. Dallas Stars; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Ottawa Senators; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Vancouver Canucks
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Utah Mammoth
DAN ROSEN
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. New York Rangers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. St. Louis Blues
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Utah Mammoth
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Florida Panthers; 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
DEREK VAN DIEST
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Colorado Avalanche; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. St. Louis Blues
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. New York Rangers
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