Super 16: Golden Knights new No. 1 in close power rankings

One voting point. It can't get any closer.

The Vegas Golden Knights are No. 1 in the Super 16 power rankings this week, edging the Boston Bruins by one voting point, 198-197.
Eight of the 13 NHL.com and LNH.com staff members who make up the voting panel had Vegas No. 1 and four had Boston No. 1. The Carolina Hurricanes were the only other team to be ranked first by at least one staff member.
The Bruins were ranked No. 2 by seven staff members, whereas the Golden Knights were second three times. Boston also was ranked third twice and Vegas once. The Golden Knights were ranked as low as No. 11.
But the eight people who voted for Vegas at No. 1 was enough to propel it to the top spot.
The Seattle Kraken, who enter Thursday in second place in the Pacific Division, enter the weekly power rankings for the first time since joining the NHL last season.
As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 13 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like. A point total assigned to each with the team selected first is given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on down the line.
For this week, the voters also offered thoughts on who they think is the early-season most valuable player for each team ranked in the Super 16. To say there were some surprises would be an understatement.
Here is the Super 16, with those thoughts from the staff members, whose individual rankings are below:

1. Vegas Golden Knights (12-2-0)

Total points: 198
Last week: No. 2
"The Golden Knights have won eight straight games and have the best record in the NHL. There have been many reasons for this, including new coach Bruce Cassidy and a healthy Jack Eichel. But the MVP so far has been rookie goalie Logan Thompson. Expected to be the backup this season before the injury to Robin Lehner, Thompson is 7-2-0 and among NHL leaders with a .930 save percentage and 2.12 goals-against average. He played 19 games last season (17 starts) and that experience has helped him thrive. The 26-year-old is not only in the Calder Trophy race, but the Vezina Trophy race as well."-- David Satriano, staff writer

2. Boston Bruins (11-2-0)

Total points: 197
Last week: No. 1
"When you are the top team in the Eastern Conference through the first 13 games of the season, there are some MVP candidates sprinkled across your roster. But, for the Bruins, goalie Linus Ullmark stands head and shoulders above the pack. He has been unflappable, the goalie of record in nine of their 11 wins. He has done it with consistent play. His .932 save percentage is third among goalies with at least five appearances and his 2.05 GAA is fifth. He has helped the Bruins excel in what should have a been a trying month of October, when all-word forward Brad Marchand and top defenseman Charlie McAvoy were shelved with injuries. Marchand is back and producing (seven points in five games) and McAvoy could be back later this week. My apologies to forward David Pastrnak and defenseman Hampus Lindholm, two other fine candidates." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

3. Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-1)

Total points: 175
Last week: No. 3
"If you asked me to predict the Hurricanes' MVP before the season began, I would have had to pick between Sebastian Aho and Frederik Andersen. To date, the Finland-born center has been great (seven goals, eight assists in 12 games), the Danish goalie (5-3-0, 2.72 GAA, .891 save percentage before an injury sustained during practice Tuesday) not so much. Andrei Svechnikov also kicked the door down early with six goals and two assists in his first four games, but the forward has slowed down since. What hardly anyone could predict was the emergence of Martin Necas as Carolina's newest star and, in my view, their early MVP. With 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists), the 23-year-old Czech forward has been on a tear since Day One, but most importantly has produced steadily, consistently, and at clutch times. He has scored all his goals in the second and third period and is the only player who has contributed points to every Carolina win. Look for him to blow his NHL career highs of 16 goals and 41 points out of the water this season." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

4. New Jersey Devils (10-3-0)

Total points: 170
Last week: No. 6
"New Jersey has been the surprise of the NHL. It possesses speed, tough defense and it's figuring out how to win in different ways. Forwards Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, and defenseman John Marino, have played vital roles, but goaltending is the equalizer to every facet of this game. It was also the greatest area of concern for the Devils entering this season. Vitek Vanecek, acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on July 8, has helped alleviate the uneasiness and is my Devils MVP since New Jersey has become a very resilient group due in large part to his superb play. He is 6-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .940 save percentage since Oct. 25, including a 1-0 shutout of the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 28. The 26-year-old will need to keep it up, too, since Mackenzie Blackwood will be out 3-6 weeks with a MCL sprain sustained against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 3." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

5. Winnipeg Jets (8-3-1)

Total points: 120
Last week: No. 15
"Several players have contributed to the Jets' strong start, including defenseman Josh Morrissey (12 points) and forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (11), Mark Scheifele (10), Kyle Connor (10) and Blake Wheeler (9). But Winnipeg's clear-cut MVP through the first month has been goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The 2020 winner of the Vezina Trophy voted as the top goalie in the NHL, Hellebuyck is 7-2-1 with a 1.98 GAA, and .938 save percentage in starting 10 of the Jets' 12 games. Winnipeg is in the middle of the pack with 3.17 goals per game but has a chance to win every game because of Hellebuyck, who has allowed two goals or fewer six times and more than three goals only twice. During the Jets' current 6-0-1 surge to the top of the Central Division, Hellebuyck is 5-0-1 with a 1.48 GAA, .953 save percentage and two shutouts." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

6. New York Islanders (9-5-0)

Total points: 118
Last week: No. 14
"If you paid close attention last season, you know goaltending didn't play a role in the Islanders' failure to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ilya Sorokin has picked up where he left off and, to me, is the MVP for New York over the first month of the season. He is among the NHL leaders in save percentage (.933) and wins (six) and has made at least 39 saves in three of his first nine starts. If the Islanders find their way into the postseason, Sorokin will be the biggest reason why. He's a bona fide star." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

7. Dallas Stars (8-4-1)

Total points: 114
Last week: No. 8
"Who needs training camp to be an MVP candidate? Not Jason Robertson. The forward has been the Stars' best player from Day One this season. Jake Oettinger might get the nod here if he were healthy, but the goalie has missed the past four games with a lower-body injury. He is 5-1-0 with a 1.40 GAA and .952 save percentage, so if he were playing in the past week and a half, he would likely be the MVP. But Robertson is deserving of it too with his nine goals and 19 points in 13 games, including at least one goal in six straight. Robertson was named the NHL First Star of the Week for last week, when he had eight points (four goals, four assists) in three games, all wins. The Stars need Oettinger back soon, but they're hanging in just fine in large part because of Robertson." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

8. Colorado Avalanche (6-4-1)

Total points: 98
Last week: No. 11
"When it comes to having players off to hot starts, the Avalanche have an embarrassment of riches. Forward Valeri Nichushkin had seven goals in seven games before needing ankle surgery that will sideline him for at least a month. Cale Makar, the defending Norris Trophy winner as the top defenseman in the NHL, is averaging more than a point per game (13 in 11 games). But the clear early MVP here is forward Nathan MacKinnon, who has 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 11 games and has been dominant. Consider this: in Colorado's two-game sweep of the Columbus Blue Jackets at NHL Global Series 2022 in Tampere, Finland, MacKinnon assisted on seven of the Avalanche's 11 goals. Case closed." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

9. Seattle Kraken (8-4-2)

Total points: 90
Last week: Unranked
"The Kraken have won five in a row and there have been a lot of contributions, but most of the credit goes to their early season MVP, Martin Jones. The goalie is 7-3-1 with a 2.45 GAA, .907 save percentage and one shutout through 11 games (10 starts). Jones is five wins away from equaling the 12 he had in 33 starts with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. His 4-0 shutout against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, when he made 22 saves, was his first since April 2, 2021, when he was with the San Jose Sharks (3-0 win, 30 saves against the Los Angeles Kings). Jones has looked great in the early going, and his work has the Kraken chasing the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

10. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-5-1)

Total points: 76
Last week: No. 10
"I think it's a slam dunk to say that Nikita Kucherov has been the Lightning's MVP so far this season. The forward has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), six more than the next closest skater, Brayden Point. And right now, just as the Lightning are starting to get a little closer to the form we expected to see from them, it's Kucherov who is pushing them there. He's on an 11-game point streak, which included a six-game goal streak that ended Tuesday against the Oilers -- and has had one game this season without a point. There are a lot of good players on the Lightning but, so far this season, Kucherov has been the best." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

11. Toronto Maple Leafs (7-4-3)

Total points: 74
Last week: Unranked
"Prior to injuring his knee last weekend, goalie Ilya Samsonov (6-2-0, 2.23 GAA, .921 save percentage) was making a strong case to be the early-season pick here as Toronto's MVP. But in a neck-and-neck battle, I'm going to give the edge to captain John Tavares, who arguably has been Toronto's most consistent skater with at least one point in 10 of 14 games. The 32-year-old has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 14 games, one behind Mitchell Marner for the team lead. Though Marner and fellow forward Auston Matthews have been flashier at times, they've also been up and down through the first few weeks. Not so with Tavares, who has produced almost every night and leads the Maple Leafs with nine power-play points. -- Zeisberger

12. Philadelphia Flyers (7-3-2)

Total points: 69
Last week: No. 13
"Carter Hart has been the Flyers' best player in just about every game he's played. And it's not just his numbers, which are fantastic. He's 6-0-2 in eight games, and among NHL goalies to play at least five games, he's second with a .946 save percentage and third with a 1.97 GAA -- while facing 36.4 shots on goal per 60 minutes, the fourth-highest total in the NHL. The new defensive structure the Flyers have implemented under coach John Tortorella certainly has given Hart more support than he had last season. But Hart has been the backbone of that structure, making timely saves and giving his teammates the confidence that if they make a mistake, they have a dependable goalie behind them. Having watched Hart going back to his junior hockey days, I always felt he had the ability to be a franchise goalie, and his subpar numbers the previous two seasons (3.34 GAA, .895 save percentage) were more about the play in front of him. Now, at 24 years old, Hart is back to showing how good he can be."-- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

13. Detroit Red Wings (7-3-3)

Total points: 66
Last week: Unranked
"The Red Wings have been without top-six forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana and Robby Fabbri for most of the season, so someone had to step up. That's been newcomer Dominik Kubalik, who signed a two-year contract in the offseason and leads the Red Wings in scoring. The forward has six goals, 10 assists, eight power-play points, and a point in 10 of 13 games, including at least two in five of them. He's on pace to shatter his NHL career high in points (46 in 68 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019-20) and a big reason the Red Wings are where they are in the standings." -- Satriano

14. Edmonton Oilers (8-6-0)

Total points: 61
Last week: No. 4
"It's a close race for the Oilers MVP through 14 games, but then again, is it really THAT close? Obviously, it's between forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the top two scorers in the NHL this season. McDavid leads with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists). Draisaitl is second with 26 (nine goals, 17 assists). But this is McDavid's award at this point. The goal scoring alone is enough to give it to him. He leads the NHL with his 14 in 14 games. Yes, that's an 82-goal pace. No, he won't score 82…. wait, don't say that, he might. Let's never again say McDavid won't do something. He's capable as long as it's reasonable. Eighty-two goals might not be reasonable, but he's been on fire, shooting 24.6 percent, and half of his goals have come on the power play and two are game-winners. Draisaitl is a top five player in the NHL, but McDavid is the best. When opponents look at the Oilers, McDavid is the player they think about first. He's Edmonton's MVP." -- Rosen

15. Florida Panthers (8-5-1)

Total points: 59
Last week: No. 12
"Matthew Tkachuk is slowly helping to change the identity of the Panthers, giving them a bit more sandpaper so to speak, a little harder or rougher exterior. The forward is also leading the team with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists). He's Florida's MVP to this point in the season, which is exactly what the Panthers were hoping for when they acquired him in a trade with the Calgary Flames for forward Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar in the offseason. The idea was that the Panthers needed an identity-driving player like Tkachuk, and he's brought exactly that to South Florida. It's not happening overnight. The Panthers are still struggling to establish consistency, but I think that also should have been expected with all the changes made in the offseason, including hiring Paul Maurice as coach. This team will find its footing and Tkachuk will continue to drive the identity while also driving up the production." -- Rosen

16. New York Rangers (6-5-3)

Total points: 31
Last week: No. 5
"It's easy to look at the points and say forward Artemi Panarin is the Rangers' MVP through 14 games. He leads them with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists), but 11 have come on the power play and he's a minus-8 at even strength. Instead, it's defenseman Adam Fox, who has 12 points (three goals, nine assists), averages nearly 25 minutes per game (24:56) and has been all over the ice. The Rangers' power play goes as much through Fox as it does Panarin. He is their ice time leader. He's played more like the Norris Trophy winner he was two seasons ago. The problem for the Rangers, though, is that they need their MVP to be goalie Igor Shesterkin. He hasn't been. He's been fine (6-2-2, 2.58 GAA and .910 save percentage), but the Rangers have needed him to be better. They're averaging 2.79 goals per game and struggling at 5-on-5 (1.64 goals per game). Shesterkin, the Vezina Trophy winner last season, has to start playing at least close to the standard he set for himself last season." -- Rosen
Others receiving points: Los Angeles Kings 30, Calgary Flames 15, Washington Capitals 4, Buffalo Sabres 3
Dropped out:Flames (No. 7), Sabres (No. 9), Minnesota Wild (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Colorado Avalanche; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Los Angeles Kings
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Seattle Kraken; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Los Angeles Kings
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Seattle Kraken; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Colorado Avalanche; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TOM GULITTI
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Seattle Kraken; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. New York Rangers
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Florida Panthers
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Florida Panthers; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Colorado Avalanche; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Los Angeles Kings
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. New York Islanders; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Seattle Kraken
TRACEY MYERS
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. New York Islanders; 5. Seattle Kraken; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Colorado Avalanche; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Florida Panthers
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Seattle Kraken
DAN ROSEN
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Seattle Kraken; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Seattle Kraken; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New York Rangers
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Philadelphia Flyers; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Seattle Kraken; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Los Angeles Kings
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Seattle Kraken; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. New York Rangers
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