Super 16: Defending champion Golden Knights remain team to beat

The Vegas Golden Knights are the early favorite to be the best team in the NHL again this season.

The Golden Knights, Stanley Cup champions last season, are the preseason No. 1 team in the NHL.com Super 16 power rankings. They were ranked No. 1 by 10 of the participating 13 writers who help to compile the weekly Super 16. They were ranked No. 2 by one writer and No. 3 by two.

The Dallas Stars got some love by two writers who had them ranked No. 1. The Edmonton Oilers also got one nod as the No. 1 team heading into the season. The Stars were also ranked seventh by five writers and five had the Oilers at No. 6. It's that wide ranging in the preseason.

There are, in fact, 25 teams ranked at least once by the 13 writers, including the Arizona Coyotes, who are No. 16 in one of the submissions.

Read on for more, but as a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 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 Super 16.

1. Vegas Golden Knights

Total points: 203

"The Stanley Cup champions did not make one significant addition to their roster in the offseason. The only significant subtraction was forward Reilly Smith, who they traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins to free up the salary cap space to sign forward Ivan Barbashev to a five-year, $25 million contract ($5 million AAV). Barbashev had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 22 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs playing primarily on a line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. He was an instant impact player for the Golden Knights after they got him in a trade from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 26. Vegas also re-signed goalie Adin Hill to a two-year, $9.8 million contract ($4.9 million AAV). But no major additions says everything you need to know about the Golden Knights and what they are capable of. They won the Stanley Cup last season and the roster is returning almost intact, minus Smith, an original Golden Knight and a well-respected player but certainly not irreplaceable. Paul Cotter and Pavel Dorofeyev, the top two candidates to replace Smith in the lineup, combined for 20 goals last season. Smith had 26. The Golden Knights can repeat. Some will say they should. If only it was that easy." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Total points: 177

"The Hurricanes' expectations are high after qualifying for the playoffs the past five seasons and reaching the Eastern Conference Final last season before losing to the Florida Panthers. Is this the season they break through and win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006? Carolina's core has grown together and learned from one of the best coaches in the NHL in Rod Brind'Amour, who was captain of that 2006 Cup team. The Hurricanes supplemented that core this offseason, adding some grit and goal scoring with the signing of forward Michael Bunting and bolstering what was already one of the best defenses in the NHL by signing Dmitry Orlov and Tony DeAngelo. With forward Andrei Svechnikov returning after recovering from ACL surgery, they have perhaps their deepest team since 2006. They are one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference, but they'll have to navigate the regular season first before getting the chance to prove their playoff mettle." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

3. Dallas Stars

Total points: 157

"I think the Stars are in good shape entering this season because they return so much from last season, when they advanced to the Western Conference Final. Forward Jason Robertson should be outstanding again after scoring a career-high 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) last season. Wyatt Johnston had a great rookie season and came through in big situations (he scored the series-clinching goals in the first and second rounds). Matt Duchene wants to prove he still has a lot of game left after the Nashville Predators bought out the final three seasons of his contract. Miro Heiskanen is one of the most dependable defensemen in the NHL. Combine all of that, and if goalie Jake Oettinger is as good this regular season as he was the last and keeps it up throughout the playoffs, the Stars should vie for the Stanley Cup." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Total points: 156

"Once again, success for the Maple Leafs will be judged on how they fare in the playoffs. Winning their first series in 19 years last season would seem to have taken some pressure off the team, but questions resurfaced after their passive elimination in five games to the Florida Panthers in the second round. To be fair, there's a new vibe around the team with Brad Treliving replacing Kyle Dubas as GM and immediately declaring the roster needed a little more "snot" to its game, something free agent additions Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves bring to the ice. With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci gone from the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy out likely for the first two months of the season, Toronto should be the leading candidate to win the Atlantic Division. But will Treliving's gritty adds help the Maple Leafs at playoff time when open ice is hard to come by? We'll see." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

5. New Jersey Devils

Total points: 155

"It might be too much to ask New Jersey to equal the 52 wins and 112 points it had last season in its 49-point increase from 2021-22, but players and coaches have their sights set on a second straight playoff berth and for good reason. The Devils are one of the League's deepest teams on offense after signing restricted free agent forwards Timo Meier (eight years) and Jesper Bratt (eight years), and re-signing unrestricted free agent Erik Haula (three years). They acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames (June 27) and defenseman Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars (July 1), and rookie defenseman Luke Hughes is expected to contribute right away. Still, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach on if the defense can exhibit some measure of consistency after the loss of Damon Severson (trade, Columbus Blue Jackets) and Ryan Graves (free agency, Pittsburgh Penguins). Additionally, will goalie Akira Schmid positively respond to a heavier workload in support of Vitek Vanecek?" -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

6. Colorado Avalanche

Total points: 151

"The Avalanche addressed their biggest area of need during the offseason, acquiring Ryan Johansen (Nashville Predators) and Ross Colton (Tampa Bay Lightning) to join Nathan MacKinnon to give them the kind of center depth they had when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022 with MacKinnon, Nazem Kadri and J.T. Compher. The current group could be even better if Johansen can return to the player who had 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games with the Predators in 2021-22, rather than the one who was limited to 55 games last season because of a skate cut to his leg. The Avalanche already have the best defenseman in the NHL (Cale Makar), a top-flight goalie (Alexandar Georgiev) and two elite forwards (MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen). Now that they're deeper down the middle, the Cup could be on its way back to Denver." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

7. Edmonton Oilers

Total points: 148

"The Edmonton Oilers feel they are in their championship window and anything short of a Stanley Cup victory would be considered a disappointment this season. With the two leading scorers in the League last season in Connor McDavid (153) and Leon Draisaitl (128), the Oilers are again expected to be one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL. The focus for Edmonton this season is to be a better defensive team and they are counting on goalie Jack Campbell to have a bounce-back season after a struggling in his first year with the Oilers. Having veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm for an entire season will help keeping the goals-against down as well. Barring injury to a core player, the Oilers should be favored to come out of the Western Conference in search of their first Stanley Cup since 1990." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

8. Boston Bruins

Total points: 94

"This is a difficult season to figure for the Bruins. There's no more Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and, well, that's not a good thing for the on-ice product. That being said, this is still a team with a stalwart defense, with the reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goalie in Linus Ullmark, and some top-end forward talent in Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. It's a team that had a truly historic season in 2022-23, with 13 more wins than the next-closest Eastern Conference team. I see Marchand, Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm leading this team into the future. With that, I just can't see this team falling far enough not to make the playoffs. And, as the Florida Panthers certainly proved last season, all you have to do is get in." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

9. New York Rangers

Total points: 93

"The Rangers have been working throughout the preseason to pick up the nuances of the new systems they'll be using under new coach Peter Laviolette. They're also figuring out where forwards Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick, and defenseman Erik Gustafsson fit in. Those four along with goalie Jonathan Quick signed with the Rangers on July 1. The additions of Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline didn't yield the results New York expected. It was eliminated in the Eastern Conference First Round by the Devils in seven games. So they're gone, as is former coach Gerard Gallant. Enter Laviolette, his up-tempo style and his consistent push for increased work ethic in practice so it becomes a habit in games. The quicker the Rangers pick up on what Laviolette is demanding of them the better they'll be. It still feels they'll go as far as goalie Igor Shesterkin will take them, but he's one of the best in the League so with some help the Rangers could go very far. They have a lot to prove, though." -- Rosen

10. Los Angeles Kings

Total points: 81

"The Kings feel they are Stanley Cup contenders, even though they haven't won a playoff round since winning the Cup in 2014. Coach Todd McLellan is using a mountain metaphor and coaxing them to "finish the climb." At minimum, after back-to-back first-round losses to the Oilers, they should get higher up the hill this season. With the addition of Pierre-Luc Dubois, they can roll out Dubois, Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault down the middle, a matchup problem for opponents. Quinton Byfield seems primed to break out offensively. The addition of Cam Talbot should help in goal." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

11. Florida Panthers

Total points: 70

"Are the Stanley Cup runners-up too low on this list? Maybe. But, a bit of reality has to rule here, no? There are too many questions surrounding the Eastern Conference champions to be overly bullish. Don't forget, this is a team that snuck into the postseason in the final week last season, in part because the Pittsburgh Penguins couldn't close the deal for themselves across their final few games. And this Florida team is weaker than that one, especially on the back line. Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, the Panthers' two best defensemen, are out long term with injuries. Radko Gudas and Marc Staal moved on to other teams. Meanwhile, there is a concern about Matthew Tkachuk, who is healthy after sustaining a broken sternum during the Final loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Will the 104-point man (40 goals, 69 assists) be effective right off the hop as the Panthers try to survive their early injury woes? With so much uncertainty, putting Florida in a prove-it position seems right." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

12. Seattle Kraken

Total points: 64

"What to expect in year three for the Kraken after they improved by 19 wins and 40 points last season from their inaugural season? They lost forwards Daniel Sprong, Morgan Geekie and Ryan Donato as well as defenseman Carson Soucy and goalie Martin Jones in free agency, but added forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and defenseman Brian Dumoulin. I would expect their depth to carry them again after having 18 different players score at least one goal in the playoffs on their way to advancing to the Western Conference Second Round. If Philipp Grubauer can replicate his success from the postseason, there's no reason the Kraken can't compete for the Pacific Division title. The big question they need to figure out is where forward Shane Wright will be playing this season." -- David Satriano, staff writer

13. Pittsburgh Penguins

Total points: 60

"Are they better? That's the recurring question I have received about the Penguins for my weekly NHL.com mailbag, Over the Boards, and Shawn Roarke and I have been discussing at times on the "NHL @TheRink" podcast. The Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson, who had 101 points with the San Jose Sharks last season and won the Norris Trophy as the League's best defenseman for the third time in his potential Hall of Fame career. They got Reilly Smith from the Golden Knights. He had 56 points last season and won the Stanley Cup. He's a top-six forward. They also signed Ryan Graves, a rugged top-four defenseman who was a key player for the Devils last season. Kris Letang could be his defense partner with Karlsson playing with Marcus Pettersson. So, yes, they're better. On paper, the Penguins are way better than last season, when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. But Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Letang, Karlsson and everyone still have to rely on goalie Tristan Jarry. If he's healthy he can be a top NHL goalie. But he has to prove it and until he does, I will have that question regardless of who they added. They are a better team. Jarry has to make them a playoff team." -- Rosen

14. Tampa Bay Lightning

Total points: 47

"No disrespect to Jonas Johansson, who's been dynamite for the Lightning thus far in the preseason, but I wonder what the Andrei Vasilevskiy injury means for their playoff hopes. Yes, it's probably crazy to think Tampa Bay could miss the postseason, but two months without arguably the top goalie in the sport when several teams are banging on the door could make it awfully difficult for the Lightning to keep pace. This may require Jon Cooper's best coaching job yet." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

15. Minnesota Wild

Total points: 40

"I don't see why the Wild would look much different from the team we saw last season; one of the staunchest defenses in the NHL but limited offensive capabilities. They have the personnel to defend against the rush, to limit opponents' Grade 'A' chances, and to make their goalies look like superstars. But outside of Kirill Kaprizov, a world-class winger who might surpass 45 goals and 100 points for the second time in his career, their scoring options are still somewhat scarce. Sure, having Matt Boldy, a 22-year-old sniper coming off a breakout 31-goal season is nice, but how much better can he get? To be fair, I do expect Minnesota to make the playoffs with points to spare. What the Wild haven't done since 2015, however, is advance past the first round, and I would not necessarily bet on it happening in 2023-24." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

16. Buffalo Sabres

Total points: 31

"It's been 12 years since the Sabres last reached the playoffs. The expectation in Western New York is that this is the season the drought ends. The Sabres have been building and taking steps for the past few seasons to the point that they missed the playoffs by one point last season. They have a core in place led by forwards Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch, and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. The question is in goal, where they're most vulnerable because of their lack of experience. The top three candidates have played in a combined 100 NHL games; Eric Comrie (47), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (46) and 21-year-old rookie Devon Levi (seven). But the Sabres are high on all three goalies and do not mind the fact that they're inexperienced at the position. If it doesn't bite them, the Sabres have the tools to be in the playoffs this season. I am picking them to make it." -- Rosen

Others receiving points: Calgary Flames 9, Ottawa Senators 7, Winnipeg Jets 7, Vancouver Canucks 6, Nashville Predators 4, New York Islanders 3, Detroit Red Wings 2, Washington Capitals 2, Arizona Coyotes 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED ’EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. Buffalo Sabres

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Seattle Kraken; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Buffalo Sabres; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Winnipeg Jets; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Calgary Flames

TOM GULITTI

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Vancouver Canucks; 13. Buffalo Sabres; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Nashville Predators

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. New York Islanders

TRACEY MYERS

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Seattle Kraken; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Arizona Coyotes

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Buffalo Sabres; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. Seattle Kraken; 16. Nashville Predators

DAN ROSEN

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Seattle Kraken; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Vancouver Canucks

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Buffalo Sabres; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Ottawa Senators

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Seattle Kraken; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Buffalo Sabres

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Edmonton Oilers; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Seattle Kraken; 14. Colorado Avalanche; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Minnesota Wild

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Ottawa Senators