NHL Power Rankings: Fourth Installment (Feb. 1, 2011)

Why read my power rankings? While it may be a tiresome topic, I feel like I bring a unique approach to my rankings.

Rather than simply ranking the teams 1-30, I break them up into six categories:

Cup Favorites: Teams that should surprise no one were they to go all the way. The class of the league.

Cup Contenders: Teams that will surprise many if they go all the way, but shouldn't. Conference powers that are expected to at least make it out of the first round.

Sleepers: Teams that should make the playoffs and are equipped to pull off a surprising playoff run. Last year, the Philadelphia Flyers dominated this section of my rankings.

Bubble Teams: Teams that may or may not make the playoffs. A bubble team is talented enough to make the playoffs, but is not (or is not playing like) a legitimate threat.

Longshots: Teams that are not likely to make the playoffs. If they get hot, they could squeeze in as a No. 7 or 8 seed, but are fringe teams at best.

Bottom Feeders: Teams that are nowhere near contention and almost guaranteed a high draft pick. Even early in the season, landing in this category means that the playoffs are very unlikely.

Given this system, my rankings may not exactly reflect how a team has played to this point. A team may be playing over their heads and land in the Cup Contenders category, even though they have more points than a Cup Favorite.

A team may be placed in the Sleepers category, even if they are barely in playoff position, because, in my opinion, that team has underachieved to this point.

In the end, these rankings are more subjective than many, as there is no formula. But I believe that the only point of this type of writing is to stir up a discussion; formulaic power rankings lull most to sleep. As I'm probably doing right now.

Cup Favorites

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 25: Andrej Meszaros #41 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates during an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Wells Fargo Center on January 25, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Ima

1. Philadelphia Flyers—The Flyers are the NHL's deepest team, and that's only one of two reasons why they're No. 1. While Detroit and Vancouver will have to go through three excellent opponents to reach the finals, Philly should have a yawner first round. 

2. Detroit Red Wings—Although they sit behind the Canucks by seven points, Detroit still will be far and away the most dangerous team out west come playoff time.

3. Vancouver Canucks—The Canucks have been plowing through the league like no other team this season, with a ridiculous 10 regulation losses in their 51 games.

Cup Contenders

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RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 30: Mike Green #52 of Washington Capitals of Team Staal moves the puck in the first period of the 58th NHL All-Star Game at RBC Center on January 30, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

4. Pittsburgh Penguins—As Sidney Crosby has cooled off and battled injuries, the buzz around the Pens has quieted down. Their 32 wins are still second in the NHL.

5. Boston Bruins—The Bruins' defensive prowess goes so far beyond TIm Thomas—as evidenced by their 1-5 SO record. Zdeno Chara should have more than one Norris Trophy at this point, and Boston's forwards are among the league's best defensively.

6. Dallas Stars—One can only sleep through so much noise. As 11 Western Conference teams are swapping position nightly, Dallas has elevated itself into a relatively secure lead in the ultra-competitive Pacific Division.

7. Washington Capitals—While Tampa Bay is on fire and leading the Southeast by five points, get these two teams in a playoff series, and I'd be hard pressed to give TB much of a shot. The Caps don't mind being in fifth this year, they probably will be a better playoff team for it.

Sleepers

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NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 01: Marc Staal #18 (R) of the New York Rangers and Marian Gaborik #10 (L) congratulate teammate Artem Anisimov #42 (C) after his goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on February 1, 2011 in New York City.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning—How is the NHL's second best team points-wise not a cup contender? They remain eighth in the East in +/- at a modest +4. Why does that matter? I challenge you to find the last team with a +/- anywhere close to that to win a cup.

9. New York Rangers—The Rangers are perfectly content to sit around sixth or seventh; a first-round matchup with Tampa Bay isn't their idea of a season-killer.

10. San Jose Sharks—No one is sleeping on San Jose this year; they are simply asleep at the wheel. This team has beaten great team after great team and when they play their game, they are still elite. Points in six straight is nice, but the fact that it's following six straight with no points makes it the least they had to do.

11. Chicago Blackhawks—Much like the Sharks, this talented team has underachieved all year. Unlike the Sharks, they've had a disturbingly bad record against top teams.

12. Nashville Predators—A five- and eight-game winning streak is a great way to sandwich five straight losses, and a ton of home games down the stretch could help Nashville hold on to their current home-ice-in-the-first-round position.

Bubble Teams

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings skates against the San Jose Sharks during their NHL game at Staples Center on January 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Kings defeated the Sharks 3-2 in shootout overtime. (P

13. Phoenix Coyotes—The 'Yotes sit at sixth in the west right now, but when you realize that they are only 25-27, that position becomes more insecure than it already is.

14. Montreal Canadiens—The Habs are a much better team than Atlanta or Carolina, but a second straight season of lingering at the bottom of the playoff picture raises some questions.

15. Anaheim Ducks—The Ducks are currently in fifth, but are 11th in the west with a +/- of -6. As with Phoenix, this pace will not be sustainable if and when the sleeping giants wake up.

16. Colorado Avalanche—The Avs are too good offensively to disappear and too bad defensively to gain much ground. If this organization is serious, they should shop for a top four defenseman this deadline as aggressively as SJ or Dallas.

17. Carolina Hurricanes—With two games in hand and only a one-point deficit, Carolina is in the driver's seat in terms of getting into playoff position. If they get there, they have no chance of making any noise, but it'd be a step in the right direction.

18. Los Angeles Kings—The Kings' offensive woes are for real, and to not trade for Jarome Iginla at the deadline would be a huge mistake.

19. Atlanta Thrashers—The nice story that are the Thrashers is losing steam. Big Buff and Tobias Enstrom's All-Star campaigns mask Atlanta's weak defense: They are shallow on D, have soft forwards (especially after a perplexing trade of Ben Eager) and are awful on the PK

20. Minnesota Wild—Although the Wild, like LA and Colorado, are lingering a point or two outside of the top eight in the west, they are not in as good of a position to be buyers this deadline and as a result, they will have a tougher time getting in.

Longshots

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UNIONDALE, NY - JANUARY 23: Paul Byron #24 of the Buffalo Sabres skates in his first NHL game against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum on January 23, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. The Sabres defeated the Islanders 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennet

21. Buffalo Sabres—With four games in hand and a mere six points to make up in order to gain a playoff spot, Buffalo appears to have a decent outside chance, although still an outside one with two teams ahead of them.

22. Calgary Flames—The Flames are the hottest team out west and have played themselves into a playoff logjam so ugly that it may, in the end, hurt them. If they are convinced that they are contenders, they may hold on to Jarome Iginla rather than beginning to rebuild ahead of the curve.

23. St. Louis Blues—The Blues have taken a head-first dive out of contention in the West. A sizzling finish could put them back into a bottom playoff spot, but a sizzling finish is hardly a possibility with so many of their opponents in desperation mode.

24. Florida Panthers—It's truly remarkable that a team with so little on paper can be a -1 this deep into the season. However, Florida has played their best hockey all year, and given that and their current 11th place position, the playoffs are not worth thinking about.

25. Columbus Blue Jackets—Like St. Louis, the Jackets have fallen far and fast. Unlike St. Louis, there is nowhere near enough talent on this roster for a late season surge through such a dense field.

Bottom Feeders

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Mike Fisher #12 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 20, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

26. Toronto Maple Leafs—The Leafs are the only team in the league this year that's too good to be a bottom feeder, but too bad to contend. Whether or not this bodes well for them compared to the teams below or if it makes them a more flawed franchise remains to be determined.

27. Edmonton Oilers—The Oil are poised for the future, and it's almost nice for the fans that they aren't a member of the clump of humanity that is the 11 teams directly above them out west.

28. New York Islanders—The Islanders likely have the NHL's worst roster, but they have battled all season and, sadly, couldn't do much more than they have.

29. New Jersey Devils—Five wins in their last six is great for everyone involved, until they look at their payroll and the standings and realize how hilariously tragic they still are.

30. Ottawa Senators—How this team made the playoffs last year is anybody's guess, but it doesn't matter now—they are a -51 and will likely end this season with the fewest points in the NHL.