NHL Power Rankings: Grades, team MVPs at the quarter point
We're through a quarter of the NHL season already, and that means it's time for some reflection. We're grading each team and declaring its MVP through 25 percent of the campaign.
1. New York Rangers
(Last Week: 1)
Grade: A+
MVP: Henrik Lundqvist
Who needs a respectable Corsi when you've got The King between the pipes?
2. Montreal Canadiens
(Last Week: 2)
Grade: A+
MVP: General manager Marc Bergevin
You could pick any number of Habs as the team's MVP. Captain Max Pacioretty? No argument here. Unheralded Tomas Plekanec? He's due for some credit. Even less heralded David Desharnais? Why not. There's P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov, and Brendan Gallagher. Hell, even Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann have been integral contributors, not to mention that Carey Price guy. So, all that stated, how about a round of applause for Marc Bergevin, the architect.
3. Dallas Stars
(Last Week: 3)
Grade: A+
MVP: Jamie Benn
Benn is the obvious choice on a team that also boasts Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg. The Art Ross champion is under contract for another season at only $5.75 million - what a bargain. And as much as we talk about how good the two-goalie system's been, Kari Lehtonen deserves more praise at 9-1 with a .921 save percentage. He's back.
4. Washington Capitals ▲
(Last Week: 5)
Grade: A
MVP: Alex Ovechkin
Guess who leads the Caps in scoring? It's not Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom. It's Evgeny Kuznetsov. He's becoming a star. You could go with the youngster, or Braden Holtby, or head coach Barry Trotz as the team's MVP. But it's still Ovechkin's team.
5. St. Louis Blues ▲
(Last Week: 7)
Grade: A
MVP: Vladimir Tarasenko
It's a toss-up between Tarasenko and Jake Allen, whose .923 save percentage ranks sixth in the league. Allen's three shutouts are tied for tops among all 'tenders, too. It's finally clear: He's the No. 1.
6. San Jose Sharks ▲
(Last Week: 15)
Grade: B+
MVP: Martin Jones
Joe Pavelski is easily one of the most underrated players in the league, and Brent Burns has 17 points while playing over 26 minutes a night, but Jones is for real. And spectacular.
7. Los Angeles Kings ▼
(Last Week: 6)
Grade: B
MVP: Tyler Toffoli
Consistency - or a lack thereof - influences the Kings' grade. As for Toffoli, he's the NHL's best goal-scorer that far too many people have never heard of.
8. Minnesota Wild ▲
(Last Week: 9)
Grade: B
MVP: Ryan Suter
Not only is Suter playing almost a half-hour a night, he leads the team in scoring. Beast.
9. Ottawa Senators ▲
(Last Week: 14)
Grade: B+
MVP: Bobby Ryan
The easy pick would be Erik Karlsson, and he's having another stupendous season, but Ottawa badly needed Ryan to play like Anaheim Bobby Ryan, and he finally is.
10. Pittsburgh Penguins ▼
(Last Week: 8)
Grade: B-
MVP: Marc-Andre Fleury
That the Penguins have scored only 45 goals through 20 games is mind-blowing. Luckily for them, Fleury is playing out of his mind. If he finishes the season with a .925 save percentage - a big if, obviously, considering there's tons of hockey left - it will be the highest of his career.
11. Nashville Predators ▼
(Last Week: 4)
Grade: B-
MVP: James Neal
With Filip Forsberg struggling and Pekka Rinne posting an un-Rinne-like .910 save percentage, the Predators have needed all of Neal's production. His first season in Nashville was a disappointment, and the Predators are going to need Neal to keep finding the back of the net if they want to compete for a Cup with their vaunted defense.
12. Chicago Blackhawks ▼
(Last Week: 11)
Grade: B-
MVP: Patrick Kane
Artemi "The Bread Man" Panarin has been a revelation, but Kane may be from another planet. A hockey-crazy planet.
13. Boston Bruins ▲
(Last Week: 19)
Grade: C+
MVP: David Krejci
The Bruins are rounding into form after a disastrous start from Tuukka Rask. Up front, the club's best players are playing like its best players, including Loui Eriksson - and especially Krejci, who's better than a point per game and in the top 10 in scoring.
14. New York Islanders ▼
(Last Week: 10)
Grade: C-
MVP: Thomas Greiss
John Tavares is playing like John Tavares, but the fact the Islanders are tied in the Metropolitan with the Devils is a bit jarring. So it's worth asking: Where would the Isles be without Thomas Greiss and his .929 save percentage in 10 games? (A: Below the Devils in the standings.)
15. New Jersey Devils ▼
(Last Week: 12)
Grade: B+
Co-MVPs: Mike Cammalleri, Cory Schneider
These Devils can play, and we've got our first co-MVPs. Cammalleri's 21 points in 20 games and Schneider's .928 save percentage have New Jersey in a playoff spot at the quarter point. That matters.
16. Detroit Red Wings
(Last Week: 16)
Grade: C
MVP: Henrik Zetterberg
Honorable mentions go to Petr Mrazek and Dylan Larkin, but Zetterberg kept the ship afloat while Pavel Datsyuk missed the start of the season and new head coach Jeff Blashill put his mark on the team.
17. Tampa Bay Lightning ▲
(Last Week: 20)
Grade: C-
MVP: Ben Bishop
All of a sudden, the Lightning can't score. That's a problem. And it would be an even bigger one if it weren't for Bishop.
18. Vancouver Canucks ▼
(Last Week: 13)
Grade: C
Co-MVPs: Daniel and Henrik Sedin
A nightmare November's brought the Canucks - and Ryan Miller's save percentage - back down to earth. But, seriously, the Sedins. They're unbelievable. An absolute delight to watch.
19. Winnipeg Jets ▲
(Last Week: 21)
Grade: C-
MVP: Blake Wheeler
One day, the Jets won't have goaltending problems. Maybe. As for Wheeler, he's on pace for his fourth 60-plus-point season out of five with Winnipeg.
20. Arizona Coyotes ▼
(Last Week: 18)
Grade: B-
MVP: Max Domi
The Coyotes aren't going to make the playoffs, but the fact that's even a thought through 20 games is a testament to Domi's impact in his rookie year. An honorable mention goes to Martin Hanzal, who's become a leader out in the desert.
21. Florida Panthers ▼
(Last Week: 17)
Grade: C-
Co-MVPs: Jaromir Jagr, Roberto Luongo
That a 43-year-old Jagr and 36-year-old Luongo are leading the charge in Florida is so very fitting.
22. Anaheim Ducks
(Last Week: 22)
Grade: F
MVP: Frederik Andersen
Andersen's had a brutal November, and although he didn't win a game in October, he's the biggest reason the Ducks are only four points back of a wild-card spot. Still, it must be asked: How much more rope does Bruce Boudreau have?
23. Toronto Maple Leafs
(Last Week: 23)
Grade: C++
Co-MVPs: Mike Babcock, James Reimer
The Bab-tism is underway in Toronto, and it's almost incredible to see what Babcock is getting out of this crop of Maple Leafs - especially Nazem Kadri. It didn't seem possible, but the head coach may actually be worth $50 million. As for Reimer, there's no doubt he's worth a lot more than his $2-million salary and $2.3-million cap hit. He's the No. 1, and he's earned it.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets ▲
(Last Week: 25)
Grade: D-
MVP: Sergei Bobrovsky
Look, John Tortorella isn't some magic man. The Blue Jackets dug themselves a massive hole that cost their coach his job, but it had a lot to do with Sergei Bobrovsky. His .865 save percentage in October was an abomination, and it's no surprise that Columbus is winning in November, when Bob decided to show up. He's stopped 234 of 250 shots this month (.935) and Columbus will go as far as the goaltender takes it, regardless of how many shots the defense blocks.
25. Edmonton Oilers ▲
(Last Week: 28)
Grade: C-
MVP: Taylor Hall
The Oilers deserve better than last place in the standings, so we're giving them some love. Hall looks even better than the 2013-14 version of himself, when he had 80 points in 75 games, and Leon Draisaitl is lighting the world on fire. As always, it's the same old story in Edmonton: Imagine they had some goaltending.
26. Buffalo Sabres ▼
(Last Week: 24)
Grade: C+
MVP: Linus Ullmark
The Sabres have lost five in a row since hitting the .500 mark, three by a single goal. It's clear Dan Bylsma's the right man for the job, and while there will certainly be bumps along the way, Buffalo's headed in the right direction. And, even better, they may have something in Ullmark.
27. Colorado Avalanche ▼
(Last Week: 26)
Grade: D
MVP: Nathan MacKinnon
Goals were never going to be an issue in Denver, and MacKinnon and Matt Duchene are lighting it up. But if you never have the puck, you need better goaltending than the Avs have received, especially from Semyon Varlamov.
28. Carolina Hurricanes ▲
(Last Week: 30)
Grade: D-
MVP: Justin Faulk
Faulk has eight goals - all of them on the power play. He leads the team in scoring and is turning into a true No. 1 power-play defenseman. As for Cam Ward, it's a little bit sad, but his best days appear officially behind him.
29. Philadelphia Flyers
(Last Week: 29)
Grade: F
MVP: Michael Neuvirth
What a disaster in Philly. Jakub Voracek's practicing on the fourth line, and he and Claude Giroux are the only players with 10 or more points. The Flyers would be dead last in the league if it weren't for Neuvirth, their backup goalie.
30. Calgary Flames ▼
(Last Week: 27)
Grade: F
MVP: Johnny Gaudreau
The Flames are awful - especially their goalies. Gaudreau's the only light in the darkness.