Buds Board Keepers League

Bruyns wroteCOLON30 - CAR (-) - Still at the bottom and still partially because of low GP, but not having a player with 20pts is rough.

29 - ARI (-) - Low GP hurts again, would help if he dressed Rattie and Fischer this week instead of injured guys.

28 - NJD (-1) - 1 30pt player and 2 20+ guys means he has Paul beat but still pretty bleak offence.

27 NYR (-6) - The 2nd biggest drop since the last rankings, another team struggling to ice a full lineup. Still plenty of high end pieces and looking at the picks he has accumulated it seems like replenishing the minors is going to be a strategy going forward.

26 DAL (-) - Still a lot of dead weight on this roster and a few years away from being competitive, but also still has more futures than he needs and could accelerate the rebuild if he so chooses.

25 CBJ (-) - 29th ranked goaltending from the Blues has kept this team at the bottom of the standings. With how weak the Metro is he actually could have been sniffing a playoff spot if he was getting top 5 goaltending like the 2nd ranked goaltending he received last season.

24 ANA (-9) - Dropping like a stone I think this is what Matthew wants, but he is also playing with fire as he has the lowest skater GP in the league.

23 PIT (-) - This makes 5 out of the bottom 8 from the embarrassing Metro division. At this point it might even make sense to do some realigning of divisions or get back to top 8 playoff teams per conference in future seasons. Nolan Patrick would be a nice boost to this team and with 2 lottery picks they are probably favourites to land him.

22 CHI (+2) - Is it time to start thinking about the P word in Chicago? Colorado and Winnipeg still have a healthy lead, but it's at least a possibility now. NSH seems poised to go on a nice run in the NHL which would help his goaltending.

21 SJS (-1) - Still 30th ranked goaltending and Mrazek has played poorly enough to see Coreau be started ahead of him regularly and even in the outdoor game which shows the coach's confidence in him right now. Rubbing salt in the wound he shipped out Bob for pennies on the dollar.

20 EDM (-2) - Has dropped to 8th in points, but safe to say this team is set for offence going forward its getting the rest of the stats that continue to separate this team from the playoff teams.

19 DET (+9) - Surging up the standings and the power rankings we have the Wings who have endeared months/years of criticism and without his 1st he is making it be known the days of free points when you see DET on the schedule are over. Still a lot of grey beards propping this team up and I worry about goalies for the future, but for now it's good to see this GM taste some success.

18 WPG (+4) - I underestimated this team as they continue to hang around in the playoff picture. Bob and the BJs playing out of their mind has helped of late, but their C strength and having the depth to dress full lineups each week has contributed to their success.

17 COL (-1) - Interested to see if this team does something at the deadline, they know they aren't contenders and have some solid vets on the back end who could be moved to further their youth movement. Stuck in the middle ground right now where they are too good for a high pick, but luckily the future still looks bright other than maybe goaltending.

16 PHI (+1) - I feel like this team should be better than it is. 17th overall in the standings while being 5th in points and 6th in goaltending really shows how important periphs can be. Adding periphs should be much easier than adding offence so with a few shrewd deals this team should be worthy of a playoff spot rather than having one by default.

15 OTT (+4) - Surprisingly to at least me this team boasts the 12th ranked skaters this season. Still a little concerning that they don't have much coming up in the system to replace guys as they retire, but this is a power rankings not a futures ranking or organization ranking. The frustrating part is that despite the successful season he plays in the Atlantic so playoffs are unlikely even though he is likely in the playoffs in any other division.

14 BOS (-4) Seems wrong to have this team outside of the top 10 but the stats don't lie and it's been a bit of a struggle in BOS. Still not a team I'd want to see in a 1st round matchup and could cause havoc if they were to cross into the Metro but they need to jump one of MTL/FLA/TBL to get the chance. Might be time to think about a retool in BOS or it could be the start of a fall from grace.

13 NYI (-1) Goaltending has been a big boost, but the 15th ranked skaters keeps this team from being higher than 12th. Looking forward to the inevitable NYI/PHI playoff matchup where if everything goes the way it should Lee wins offence and Tony wins periphs and it could come down to something like +-

12 VAN (-3) Another team I feel like should be better than this. 26th ranked goaltending isn't a big shock, but I expected better than the 13th ranked skaters when looking at this team on paper. Similar to Boston they are a team that would scare me in a first round matchup.

11 STL (-6) Still elite goaltending, but with skaters dropping to 16th in the rankings it is starting to look like they might not quite be a top team in the West after they looked like one early in the season.

10 TBL (+5) A team that was frequently looked at as one of the best in BBKL in past seasons had been experiencing a decline and had a disappointing year last season and was looking like they might not even make the playoffs this season before waking up and realizing his team sucked for periphs and adding players like Engelland and Orpik which has lined up with a hot streak.

9 MTL (+5) The second straight Atlantic team to see a 5 spot jump into the top 10 surprisingly partly because of the Oilers goaltending. Even with Markstrom bringing the stats down a bit they still have the 5th ranked goaltending and when paired with the 10th ranked skaters you are going to get wins on a consistent basis.

8 FLA (+3) Is this team too high? It feels like it, but with the 8th ranked skaters and the 8th best record despite having to matchup more often with TOR/BOS/BUF/MTL/TBL/OTT says they deserve a top 10 ranking. The roster on paper isn't flashy but it continues to get the job done on the back of 1st ranked FOW and SHTOI and it's not even that close guaranteeing two wins in every matchup.

7 CGY (-1) Similar to Florida this team doesn't even need a good offensive week to be able to rack up the wins. Goaltending is a worry now, but if Saros keeps the backup job he might be OK. (still kicking myself on not pulling the trigger in the offseason to grab him from you)

6 NSH (+1) How has that goalie trade worked out? The thorn in his side keeping him behind LAK and MIN for now even though everyone knows how deep and offensively talented this team is. Wonder if he would try and upgrade his goaltending in a similar trade to the one Monk made ironically for his old goalies.

5 LAK (-1) Adding the King might have been a misstep with the way he has played of late, but this team is still one of the most consistent from top to bottom and shouldn't have much difficulty coming out of the Pacific. Scary that this team is as young as it is too.

4 MIN (+4) Shouldn't come as a shock, but Holtby and the Caps are now giving Hong the top ranked goaltending which is the biggest thing separating him from the other top teams in the West. Might be a step behind Steve and Mik for skaters, but goaltending should often make up for that.

3 BUF (-2) Goaltending has been much improved of late climbing from 24th at the time of the last ranking to 7th now. No Gudbranson/Markov/Nurse for a month+ has hurt the periphs, but still near the top of every stat other than my 29th ranked +-.

2 WSH (+1) You could make the argument that WSH's record is inflated from getting to beat up on the metro, but his 2nd ranked skaters tell a different story. Other than having a Mike Fisher sized hole up front this team is strong from top to bottom and would be a big disappointment if they didn't make the East finals.

1 TOR (+1) Still have some teams within shouting distance in the standings so he isn't running away with first place, but still boasts the top skaters and annoyingly manages to have the 9th best goaltending despite the Kings being mediocre and relying on a guy who is questionable as an NHL talent. D depth is pretty weak this year would be the only weakness. (You're welcome for gifting you Jo. Benn)

Shoalzie wroteCOLONDid you really need to quote that?

Bruyns wroteCOLONComes down to 3 of BOS/FLA/TBL/MTL

2 of WPG/COL/CHI

I'll say CHI + BOS miss.