Avalanche, Lightning top NHL power rankings as regular season begins

1. Tampa Bay: Despite a few departures, the Lightning advancing to a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup Final isn't a stretch.

2. Florida: Adding Matthew Tkachuk should make the Panthers tougher to play against, especially come playoff time.

3. Washington: Their goaltending is better after signing Stanley Cup champion Darcy Kuemper, but the Capitals are starting without Nicklas Backstrom (hip) and Tom Wilson (knee).

4. N.Y. Rangers: The combination of youth and experience that helped the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals remains a strength.

5. Pittsburgh: No shakeup in Pittsburgh after Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang re-signed.

6. Carolina: Another division title is extremely possible for the Hurricanes.

7. Toronto: Even though their goaltending is questionable, the Maple Leafs do have 60-goal scorer and reigning MVP Auston Matthews.

9. Columbus: After landing the most prized free agent in Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets signed Patrik Laine to a new deal.

10. Detroit: Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman had a productive summer, acquiring Ville Husso, David Perron and Ben Chiarot.

11. N.Y. Islanders: Were last season's struggles a one-off?

12. Ottawa: Scoring goals should get easier for the Senators with Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat now on the team.

13. Montreal: Captain Nick Suzuki is at the helm of the Canadiens' youth movement.

15. New Jersey: Although the team is a work in progress, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are talented scorers.

16. Buffalo: Ending the 11-season playoff drought won't be easy.

1. Colorado: With Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar leading the way, the Avalanche are contenders to repeat as champions.

2. Calgary: Gone are Gaudreau and Tkachuk, but the Flames might be even more competitive with new arrivals Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar.

3. Edmonton: If the Oilers can build off their run to the Western Conference finals, they should battle the Flames for the Pacific Division title.

5. Wild: Will superstar Kirill Kaprizov get to 50 goals after scoring 47 last season?

6. Nashville: Already 2-0 after a pair of wins vs. the Sharks in the NHL Global Series, the Predators had an effective offseason by re-signing Filip Forsberg and bringing in Ryan McDonagh and Nino Niederreiter.

7. Los Angeles: Kevin Fiala is penciled in on the Kings' top line following his trade from the Wild.

8. Dallas: After his stellar performance in the playoffs, Lakeville's Jake Oettinger received a hefty raise with a three-year contract.

9. Vancouver: Most of the lineup that had a torrid second half and finished just shy of a playoff berth is back.

11. Anaheim: Free agent pickups Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano join an up-and-coming nucleus headlined by Trevor Zegras.

12. Winnipeg: Aside from a new coach in Rick Bowness, not much has changed for a Jets team that ended up sixth in the Central Division.

13. San Jose: Another season of growing pains seems likely.

14: Seattle: Rookie Matty Beniers could help the Kraken improve in Year 2.

15: Arizona: The Coyotes' rebuild is moving to a 5,000-seat arena at Arizona State University.