Nashville Predators: Way too early Western Conference Power Rankings

The opening weekend of games has come and gone, with a few surprises. How do the Nashville Predators and the Western Conference stack up?

Now that we have emerged on the other side of opening weekend in the NHL, it is time for much too early Western Conference Power rankings. While some teams have surprised early on, others (including the Nashville Predators) are still working out the kinks and struggling to find chemistry.

Here I will take a look at the week that was for the Nashville Predators and the other 14 Western Conference teams, while I try to project where each franchise is heading. Although I know the rankings will change week-to-week, the hope is to evaluate and breakdown my thoughts on which teams are trending up and which teams are taking a turn for the worse.

So without further ado here is the first edition of my weekly Western Conference Power Rankings.

Chicago Blackhawks (2-0-0, 4 pts)

When you beat the defending Stanley Cup champions 10-1 in your opening game, heads are going to turn. Granted, they did catch Sidney Crosby and crew on the second night of a back-to-back, but it was still impressive. Follow that up with a decisive 5-1 win against Columbus for a +13 goal differential through two games and you have your No. 1 team in the West. I criticized Chicago’s management for being held hostage by their salary cap woes when they were forced to trade Artemi Panarin for an older version of Brandon Saad.

I still think long-term that move will cost them but with the Blackhawks, if old habits die hard, it wasn’t going to be this past week. It is easy to overreact and I have major question marks about the longevity of this roster, but for now and it really pains me to say it, they have earned the top spot. Patrick Kane is off to another torrential start with two goals and four assists and if he emerges as the Hart Memorial Trophy winner at the end of the year, then his team could well find themselves in the middle of yet another Western Conference Finals run.

Edmonton Oilers (1-1-0, 2 pts)

Incredibly enough, Connor McDavid looks even better than he did last year. I know everyone has seen it by now but his breakaway goal against the Flames made NHL athletes look as if they were skating in molasses and despite a 3-2 loss to Vancouver on Saturday, I am more confident in the Oilers making a deep run than ever.

I know it’s early, but it is staggering how much he has shaped that franchise in a few short years and while we’re at it, has there even been a better fit for a veteran than Milan Lucic in Edmonton? He has been a positive, physical presence to reign in the young herd when they get out of line and he has fit in perfectly. Cam Talbot was up to his old tricks looking all-world on an opening night shutout over Calgary, followed closely by allowing three goals on seven shots to Vancouver in his very next outing.

Adam Larsson has been effective in the orange and blue so far and has balanced what I consider one of the most improved defenses in the Western Conference. If Edmonton can stabilize the goaltender position, they have more than enough fire power to take the Pacific. I think the division as a whole is down, so this should be Edmonton’s year to take hold of the Pacific for now and for the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles Kings (2-0-0, 4 pts)

I think Los Angeles was better than their finish a season ago. They still have elite talent – albeit getting older talent – and it appears they were looking to make a statement over the weekend. Jonathan Quick posted a 2-0 shutout of the Flyers and followed it up with 4-1 decisive dismantling of Pacific Division foe San Jose. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown remain two of the most productive players in hockey, while receiving very little love for it.

It wasn’t a flashy offseason for the Kings, nor did it need to be. Simply put, they just had to play better. Most of the pieces from their Stanley Cup years remain intact, including annual Norris Trophy nominee Drew Doughty. If anyone can threaten Edmonton in this division, it has to be L.A. The Kings have three more winnable games, all at home, this week as they welcome Calgary, Buffalo and the Islanders to Staples Center.

If they can put those games away and open the season 4-0 or even 4-1, it could send some shock waves throughout the league that the Kings are real contenders again.

St. Louis Blues (2-0-0, 4 pts)

With a pair of wins including an overtime victory over the Penguins on the night they unveiled their Stanley Cup banner and a home win over what many believe to be a favorite in the Central Division Dallas, the St. Louis Blues land the No. 4 spot in the opening Western Conference Power Rankings. Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo are two of the best defencemen in the NHL and it appears they have enough scoring outside of Vladimir Tarasenko to be a real threat in the West. Last season was up and down, but with some stability behind the bench in Mike Yeo, the Blues are trending in the right direction. Brayden Schenn opened his Blues’ career with an excellent showing against Pittsburgh and so far, looks the part as the No. 2 center behind Paul Stastny.

It isn’t the usual faces in St. Louis, but so far this team has looked explosive offensively and are a good candidate for Central Division champs. You never know with Jake Allen, but he shouldn’t be called upon to have to steal games like he was a season ago. The Blues head east to face the Islanders, Panthers and Lightning for a three-game roadie, so let’s see if they can keep the early season momentum going.

Anaheim Ducks (1-0-1, 3 pts)

As one of the most physical teams in the past five years, Anaheim’s style of play translates well to sustained success. Couple that with a strong core of power forwards in Corey Perry, Ryan Kessler and Ryan Getzlaf (who sat out the first two games with an inury) and you have one of the most potent teams in the West. For the first time in his career, John Gibson is the clear No. 1 netminder and has shown the ability to mesh well with an improving defensive unit. Andrew Cogliano was a bit of a no-show in last year’s postseason, but has chipped in early with a goal and a pair of helpers in the early going to mask Getzlaf’s absence.

The bottom line is that Anaheim will likely be involved in a lot of close games – both of their games this week were decided by one goal. If puck luck evens itself out, and with only a few legitimate threats in the Pacific, Anaheim should find themselves in the playoffs once again with a chance to make a long-awaited return trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Calgary Flames (1-1-0, 2 pts)

Calgary bounced back from the Connor McDavid opening night show with a 6-3 thrashing of the Winnipeg Jets. Johnny Gaudreau is off to a solid start with four early points (1 G, 3 A) and Mike Smith will be a welcome presence in net after all the turmoil between the pipes the last few seasons. Like with a lot of teams, chemistry and offensive continuity looked to be a bit of an issue on opening night, but I give props to teams that get it corrected quickly.

Now I know Winnipeg isn’t exactly a stalwart when it comes to sound defensive hockey, but a six-goal performance is good to see nonetheless. As active as any defenceman in the league, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton will look to contribute to what can be a very up-and-down forward group. Brodie has already picked up a pair of goals on the year and he will be a big part of the Flames’ power play all season long.

Calgary has a trip to Anaheim and Los Angeles on tap before taking on the Senators and the Canucks later in the week. With four games in six days, this week will go a long way in determining how legit Calgary is.

Minnesota Wild (0-1-1, 1 pt)

Despite a lackluster performance out of the gate, the Minnesota Wild still have enough pieces to make a run in the Central division. Eric Staal and Mikko Koivu represent a one-two punch down the middle that most teams cannot replicate. Personally, I believe Devan Dubnyk is on his way back to reality after a pair of career-changing seasons in net for Minnesota. After I watched him in a Predators uniform a few seasons back, I was ecstatic about the idea of him between the pipes for a division rival. However, he proved more than formidable and over the past two years has established himself as an elite regular season goalie.

That being said, Dubnyk is not going to be able to carry his club past Minnesota’s deficiencies any longer. They will need to button up defensively and find some consistent production from the forwards to make a real splash in the West. For now, I have them at No. 8, but they are one of the biggest wildcards on this list.

Dallas Stars (0-2-0 0 pts)

OVERRATED! By pure talent alone, the Stars manage the No. 9 spot on the opening Power Rankings, but I see all the makings of another pitiful year in Dallas. Does it get any worse than losing to an expansion team in their first ever game on home ice? How about James Neal, a former Dallas Star and a thorn in the franchise’s side during his time in Nashville, coming up with both the go-ahead goal and the game-winning goal.

The questions start and end with sketchy goaltending and this year the victims are a mixture of Kari Lehtonen and Ben Bishop. No one can deny the scoring talent of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and even aging Jason Spezza, but as past seasons have shown, they alone cannot carry one of the worst blue lines in the NHL anywhere. Dan Hamhuis was brought in to bring some veteran leadership to a struggling defensive unit, but so far no good. John Klingberg can put up numbers, but has never been a shutdown guy.

If things go south this week and the Stars can’t right the ship, this franchise could be big-time sellers at the trade deadline.

Vancouver Canucks (1-0-0 2 pts)

Vancouver rounds out the top-10 having claimed a 3-2 victory in their lone game of the season over the Oilers. Bo Horvat has emerged as a bright, young star on a team that could really use some bright, young stars. He tallied a career-high 20 goals a season ago and has already netted two to open the year. Jacob Markstrom is finally getting his chance as the No. 1 goaltender having spent the last four seasons with the club getting spot starts. Loui Eriksson is in his second year in Vancouver and needs to bounce back from what was a poor season.

So far there isn’t much to evaluate for the Canucks but this week will be a good measuring stick. The NHL was friendly, scheduling their first four contests at home. This week Vancouver squares off with a winless Senators team, a winless Jets team and their biggest test of the week in Calgary. The Canucks have the chance to get off to an extremely fast start and ride that momentum up the standings. I don’t see them sustaining any long-term success in a division owned by Connor McDavid, but they could potentially squeak into the playoffs depending on how well Markstrom does as the man.

Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-0, 4 pts)

This is a prime example of giving credit where credit is due, all the while being completely realistic with where the Golden Knights are. Picking up back-to-back road wins to begin your franchise is never a bad thing. James Neal is doing exactly what he has always done and exactly what Vegas needs him to do as the only real threat to score night in and night out. Marc-Andre Fleury is going to have the opportunity to revitalize his career, which is a big reason why I believe he waved his no trade clause in order for Vegas to select him in the first place. He knows he will likely see 30-40 shots a night and if he can stand on his head a few times, he can look like the hero for Vegas.

The Golden Knights play their next seven games at home and against much tougher competition. Yes, they get Arizona again on Tuesday, but that is followed by a visit from the Red Wings and the Bruins. This is lightning in a bottle at its finest and it is just a matter of time before Vegas starts sinking to the bottom of the Pacific standings.

San Jose Sharks (0-2-0, 0 pts)

A fall from grace, and not a blissful one has become the story of the San Jose Sharks. There are a ton of fan favorites on this team, but they are slowly creeping into the basement of relevancy in a division that includes some of the league’s top talent. Joe Pavelski is still really good, Brent Burns is still really good, Joe Thornton is old, but still really good.

The Sharks just looked tired over the first two games and the season just started. Martin Jones is going to have to be spectacular for San Jose to get things going and I am not sure he can make that happen alone. However, the future schedule is favorable with just two games this week, both in the Shark Tank, against the Sabres and Islanders. They will be a one of the teams I expect moves around a lot on this list, but if the opening week is an indicator of how things will go in San Jose this year, it will not be a pleasant site.

Colorado Avalanche (1-1-0, 2 pts)

The Avalanche were the second team in the Central to venture up the east coast to open the season. After an impressive 4-2 win over the Rangers, Colorado followed it up with an uninteresting 4-1 loss to the Devils.

There is plenty of talk surrounding what to do with Matt Duchene and at this point there is no way to hide it from him or the entire club. I have been a proponent of having to move him, but for now he remains entrenched with a franchise that keeps him in limbo. To me, there is almost zero chance he finishes the season in an Avalanche uniform and the quicker they can get rid of this dark cloud hanging over the team, the better.

It’ll be a tough week for the Avalanche who get the Bruins twice and then have a back-to-back with Anaheim and Dallas over the weekend. Will Duchene still be centering a rebuilding Colorado squad come this time next week? I think this is a question we will be asking a lot in the coming days.

Arizona Coyotes (0-1-1, 1 pt)

Arizona could be an exciting team to watch this season, but I am not sure how that translates to wins. Apparently Vegas is already more seasoned in coming out on top in close games. But, Arizona is more looking toward the future than focused on the present. They should cement themselves in the bottom half of these rankings, especially if they are surrendering 40+ shots against the Golden Knights.

It appears as if the Coyotes will two-platoon their goaltender situation, likely going with whoever can gain the hot hand first. Louis Domingue and Antti Ranta are the rotating netminders and I can only imagine how many points McDavid, Gaudreau and other premier talents in this division will try to put as they feast on the bottom feeders of the Pacific. Anthony Duclair and Tobias Rieder have shown flashes that make you think the future could be bright in Arizona, but sustaining any relevancy is still years away. I imagine management interest is in accumulating draft picks over accumulating wins come the trade deadline.

Winnipeg Jets (0-2-0, 0 pts)

Losing 7-2 at home to the upstart Toronto Maple Leafs on opening night is forgivable. What isn’t forgivable is giving up six more goals the next time out. Or blowing a two-goal lead by allowing five unanswered. I just don’t see a lot of defensive urgency from the Jets, who I thought could be in a position late for a wildcard spot to start the year. I appear to have been mistaken.

Steve Mason looked horrid in net and is giving up 6.53 goals per game. I guess the one saving grace here is Patrik Laine, who has continued to look like a future superstar in the NHL. However, his talent is clearly overshadowed by the deficiencies that are looming large thus far. I rank the Jets last. This is a huge week and a huge opportunity for them to turn things around from their rough start. They hit the road to take on the Oilers and the Canucks, before returning home to play Carolina to close the week.

Next: Pittsburgh Loss Exposes Lack of Accountability

It will be tough sledding. If the Jets pull out victories, then Winnipeg could vault up the power rankings quickly.

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