Super 16: Avalanche enter season No. 1, Lightning No. 2

The regular season began Friday and one of the two teams in action is ranked in NHL.com's final preseason Super 16.

The Nashville Predators, who are No. 12, won 4-1 and 3-2 on Friday and Saturday respectively in the 2022 NHL Global Series at O2 Arena in Prague.against the San Jose Sharks, unranked and without a single voting point from the staff members who participated in the weekly Super 16 power rankings.
But the Predators are the fourth-ranked team from the Central Division behind the Colorado Avalanche (No. 1), St. Louis Blues (No. 9) and Minnesota Wild (No. 10). The Dallas Stars are also in the Super 16 at No. 14, making the Central the only division with five teams ranked.
The Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions each have four teams ranked. The Pacific Division has three.
The 13 NHL.com and LNH.com staff members who make up the panel that ultimately decides which team is ranked where will be offering their thoughts on why they ranked a certain team where they did.
Each of the members puts together his or her version of what they think the Super 16 should look like. Those are submitted and a point total assigned to each. The team that is selected first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third 14, and so on down to No. 16, who gets one point.
Here is the Super 16 as the NHL season is about to get underway, with thoughts from the staff members whose individual rankings are below:

1. Colorado Avalanche

Total points: 207
"The Avalanche are the defending Stanley Cup champions, which is why they are No. 1. They return 10 forwards and five defensemen who were regulars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They're also getting defenseman Samuel Girard back after he missed most off the Stanley Cup run with a broken sternum. They have all the ingredients to repeat, including a championship pedigree and the experience of winning, two things they did not have at this point last season. With both, they should be better equipped for a championship run. Alexandar Georgiev has to prove he can be a No. 1 goalie. He replaces Darcy Kuemper, who was 10-4 with a 2.57 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in the playoffs last season. Georgiev is the Avalanche's biggest question mark, but they're not a team that relies on getting A-plus goaltending to win. They just need Georgiev to be good as Kuemper was, and the talent can do the rest." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Total points: 188
"The Lightning return most of the core of the team that reached the Stanley Cup Final the past three seasons, including forwards Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, defenseman Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Losing defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward Ondrej Palat will hurt, but they'll have full seasons with forwards Nicholas Paul and Brandon Hagel, and defenseman Philippe Myers has a ton of potential. They now have the one thing they lacked the past two seasons: the anger that comes with losing. The Lightning came up two wins short of something no team had done since the New York Islanders won the Cup four straight years (1980-83). Now you're taking a talented team and giving them more motivation? To me, that's a championship recipe." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Total points: 176
"Carolina is a good candidate to win the Stanley Cup because it has upgraded around an already strong group of forwards in Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, and defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes solidified their top six among forwards with the acquisition of Max Pacioretty and top four among defensemen with the addition of Brent Burns. Pacioretty is recovering from an Achilles injury, but he should be back for the playoffs. Carolina was without its most consistent regular-season goalie during the playoffs last spring when Frederik Andersen was out with a knee injury, so his return is a key to any success. When healthy, the power play will be bolstered by the additions of Pacioretty and Burns. Forward Seth Jarvis will be expected to follow up a sensational rookie season. Carolina also has one of the most respected coaches in the NHL in Rod Brind'Amour. The Hurricanes make it happen this season." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

4. Florida Panthers

Total points: 158
"The Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy last season and are likely to be one of the top teams in the NHL again this season. True, they lost forward Jonathan Huberdeau, but acquiring forward Matthew Tkachuk, who brings offense as well as physicality, will bring an element that the team was missing. Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight form one of the better goalie tandems and most of the defensemen return from last season. Combine that with the addition of new coach Paul Maurice, who ranks seventh in NHL history in wins (775), and the Panthers have all the ingredients necessary to rebound with a big playoff run after getting swept by the Lightning in the second round. They're good enough to win the Stanley Cup."-- David Satriano, staff writer

5. New York Rangers

Total points: 152
"The Rangers can win the Stanley Cup this season because they have elite goaltending with Igor Shesterkin, an abundance of skill up front led by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, a top-four on defense with Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba and K'Andre Miller that rivals any top four in the NHL, excellent coaching and plenty of experience gained from a long run in the playoffs last season. Their biggest area of concern is who will play the left side opposite Braden Schneider on their third defense pair. You know you're entering the season in a good place when one spot on your third defense pair is your biggest concern. It's why I ranked them third behind Colorado and Tampa Bay, and why they're in Stanley Cup-or-bust mode." -- Rosen

6. Calgary Flames

Total points: 136
"The Flames can win the Stanley Cup this season because they have a star goalie who can handle a heavy workload in Jacob Markstrom, a fresh look offensively with the additions of forwards Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, a defense that now includes MacKenzie Weegar, an outstanding coach in Darryl Sutter and an attitude fueled by the loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Second Round after winning the Pacific Division last season. They have a lot to overcome following the departures of their top two scorers (forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Tkachuk), but Huberdeau and Kadri should ease the blow. It's why I ranked them behind Colorado and Edmonton in the West, but I think the Flames are driven to prove they have a roster that can be tops in the NHL." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

7. Edmonton Oilers

Total points: 132
"The Oilers can win the Stanley Cup this season because they learned from the experience of reaching the Western Conference Final last season and are ready to take the next step. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl got a taste of success in the playoffs last season and the forwards are hungry for more. More consistency in net with the addition of goalie Jack Campbell, who signed a five-year contract as an unrestricted free agent, will also help. Edmonton was 26-9-3 in 38 games after Jay Woodcroft replaced Dave Tippett as coach last season and will continue to improve over a full season with Woodcroft behind the bench. This is why I ranked Edmonton sixth in our preseason poll." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

8. Toronto Maple Leafs

Total points: 120
"The biggest foe between the Maple Leafs and their first Stanley Cup championship since 1967 is the person each player sees looking back at them in the mirror every day. In other words, the main obstacle the Maple Leafs must overcome is themselves. This team has a generational talent in center Auston Matthews, legitimate all-star forwards in Mitchell Marner and William Nylander, a point-per-game No. 2 center in John Tavares, a No. 1 defenseman in Morgan Rielly, and established NHL goalies in Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov. What it doesn't have is a postseason series win since 2004. If the Maple Leafs can get over the mental hurdle of winning that first round, they have the talent to go all the way. But that's a big if." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

9. St. Louis Blues

Total points: 109
"The Blues can win the Stanley Cup because many of the players who helped them win the first in franchise history in 2019 are still there. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko went from asking a trade to leading the Blues with 82 points last season. He and fellow forwards Robert Thomas and Ryan O'Reilly should be productive again this season. Forward Jordan Kyrou brings excellent skating and production. Goalie Jordan Binnington can be hit and miss, but he's buoyed by a defense that includes Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, Nick Leddy and Justin Faulk. Getting through the Avalanche isn't the easiest task, as the Blues know (they lost to them in the Western Conference First Round in 2020-21 and the second round last season), but if they can top the Avalanche, another title could be theirs." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

10. Minnesota Wild

Total points: 89
"The Wild can win the Stanley Cup this season because they have one of the best players on the planet in Kirill Kaprizov. At 25, the forward will reach new heights in his third NHL season. Kevin Fiala is gone, but the Wild have a promising crop of young forwards in the likes of Matt Boldy and
Marco Rossi
. Boldy, 21, had a great NHL start with 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 47 games last season and Rossi will be a factor on the power play in his first season after dealing with serious health issue in early 2021. On defense, veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will be an even better version of the 32-year-old goaltender he was in his first season in Vegas in 2017-18. He'll have great support by a group of solid defensemen like Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon and
Calen Addison
."-- Robert Laflamme, LNH.com senior writer

11. Pittsburgh Penguins

Total points: 73
"The Penguins can win the Stanley Cup because, despite the fact the core of forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang are in their mid-30s, they're still the straws that stir the drink. Crosby had 84 points, tied for the Penguins lead with forward Jake Guentzel. Letang was third with 68 points. Malkin missed half the season but still had 42 points in 41 games. When there are injuries, coach Mike Sullivan has a knack for getting the most out of the Penguins; approximately 300-man games lost last season, yet Pittsburgh finished third in the Metropolitan Division. And goalie Tristan Jarry has been steady. The Penguins aren't as strong as those I ranked ahead of them, but come playoff time they've got the necessary experience." -- Myers

12. Nashville Predators

Total points: 62
"The No. 1 reason Nashville can win the Cup is that Juuse Saros is healthy. The goalie was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season but missed the Western Conference First Round with a lower-body injury, and the Predators were swept by the eventual champions, Colorado. But Nashville also is a better team with the additions of McDonagh and forward Nino Niederreiter. McDonagh is a stout, experienced defender who has won the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Niederreiter plays well defensively, goes to the hard areas offensively and can add scoring at the toughest time of year." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

13. Los Angeles Kings

Total points: 34
"The Kings took the Oilers, the Western Conference finalist, to seven games in the first round last season in their first postseason appearance in four seasons. Why can't they be better this season? They still have forward Anze Kopitar, goalie Jonathan Quick and defenseman Drew Doughty as key cogs from their not-too-distant championship past. Doughty is healthy after being limited to 39 games last season because of a wrist injury. Phillip Danault, a free-agent addition last season, had a career season (27 goals) in 2021-22 and remains one of the best shutdown centers in the League. The biggest issue for the Kings has been an inability to score, finishing with 235 goals, which was 20th in the League. In the offseason, the Kings traded for Fiala from the Wild and the forward should help. He had a career-best 33 goals last season." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

14. Dallas Stars

Total points: 31
"The Stars were one goal away from defeating the Flames in the playoffs last season and proved they can play with the big boys. Jake Oettinger was outstanding in that series and is one of the best younger goalies in the League. The issue for them has always been offensive depth, but the free agent signing of Mason Marchment, who had 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) with the Panthers last season, should help. New coach Peter DeBoer has had a history of getting the most out of his teams. With restricted free agent forward
Jason Robertson
now signed, they should be a contender well into spring." -- Satriano

15. Boston Bruins

Total points: 27
"The Bruins can win the Stanley Cup because, well, it could be their last shot for a while. With center Patrice Bergeron back and a return to the NHL for center David Krejci, the Bruins have likely one more chance to win for their captain and the veterans of the 2011 Stanley Cup team. When healthy, they have a pretty darn strong top six and an excellent defense with a very good tandem in goal in Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. But the issue will be health; not only are they without forward Brad Marchand until at least late November, No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy until December and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk until November, but forward Taylor Hall is week to week with an upper-body injury. If they can keep pace with the top of the Atlantic Division until reinforcements arrive, they can swing into form just in time for a lengthy run in the playoffs."-- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

16. Washington Capitals

Total points: 22
"The Capitals can win the Stanley Cup this season because their 2018 championship nucleus is still mostly intact and is arguably the most experienced leadership group in the NHL. Washington will have to start this campaign without two of their key forwards, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson, but it still has plenty of firepower in forwards Alex Ovechkin,
Evgeny Kuznetsov
, T.J. Oshie and Anthony Mantha, and defenseman John Carlson to make the playoffs, which they haven't missed the past eight seasons. Kuemper, a Stanley Cup champion goalie, should provide a huge confidence boost to the team, which it seemed to lack at times last season with Vitek Vanecek and Samsonov splitting the time in net. For the 37-year-old Ovechkin, age still hasn't become a factor as he had 50 goals last season. The important question is whether the Capitals are more focused on helping their captain in his historic chase for Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record or on making another run at the Cup. Keep in mind that the only championship they ever won came in a season when almost no one predicted them to do so." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer
Others receiving points:Columbus Blue Jackets 16, Vegas Golden Knights 15, Vancouver Canucks 14, New York Islanders 5, New Jersey Devils 1, Ottawa Senators 1
HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Calgary Flames; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. New York Rangers; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Ottawa Senators
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. Nashville Predators; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Vancouver Canucks; 16. New York Islanders
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. New York Rangers; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Boston Bruins
TOM GULITTI
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Calgary Flames; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. New York Rangers; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Dallas Stars
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Calgary Flames; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. New Jersey Devils
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Calgary Flames; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Vancouver Canucks; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Vegas Golden Knights
TRACEY MYERS
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. Calgary Flames; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Nashville Predators
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. New York Islanders
DAN ROSEN
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Los Angeles Kings
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Vegas Golden Knights
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Calgary Flames; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Los Angeles Kings
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Calgary Flames; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Vancouver Canucks; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets