This is the sixth edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2020-21 season. Check back for updated rankings every second Monday during the regular season.
In this edition, we pick every team's MVP for the first half of the season.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (23-6-2)
Previous rank: 1st
The defending champs have a few worthy options, but goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy continues to play out of his mind. The 26-year-old is 20-3-1 on the season with a .933 save percentage and 17.4 goals saved above average.
It's close between Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad, but the former gets the nod. Barkov could be in line for his first Selke Trophy, as he leads the league in expected goals percentage. He also paces the Panthers with 37 points in 31 games.
4. Colorado Avalanche (19-8-2)
Previous rank: 10th
Even with Nathan MacKinnon sidelined on separate ocassions, Mikko Rantanen has delivered for the Avalanche. He ranks fifth in the NHL with 17 goals, and paces Colorado with 35 points in 29 games.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (20-7-3)
Previous rank: 4th
Sebastian Aho deserves an honorable mention, but Dougie Hamilton has been Carolina's MVP this season. The pending UFA blue-liner is tied for second on the team with 24 points and his underlying metrics are some of the best in the entire league among defensemen.
6. New York Islanders (20-8-4)
Previous rank: 6th
Mathew Barzal is the only player on the Islanders that opponents need to focus on shutting down. He leads the team with 25 points, and without him, their offense wouldn't strike fear into anybody.
7. Washington Capitals (20-7-4)
Patrick McDermott / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 7th
Nicklas Backstrom continues to quietly produce outstanding numbers. The silky-smooth veteran pivot leads the Capitals with 34 points in 31 games, and is quickly closing in on 1,000 for his career.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (20-10-2)
Previous rank: 3rd
Mitch Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 40 points, but there's no debating Auston Matthews is their MVP. The 6-foot-3 center is a goal-scoring machine and has vastly improved his defensive game.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins (19-11-2)
Previous rank: 15th
Sidney Crosby continues to be a steadying presence for a Penguins team mired by injuries yet again. The star pivot leads the team in both assists (20) and points (32) through 31 games this season.
Brad Marchand is seemingly improving with age. The 32-year-old leads the Bruins in points (34) in 28 games and has continued to play a critical role on both the club's power play and penalty kill.
12. Winnipeg Jets (18-11-2)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Previous rank: 11th
There's a strong case for Connor Hellebuyck, given how much Winnipeg relies on its goaltender, but Mark Scheifele has been too good to ignore this season. The top-line center paces the club with 37 points in 31 games.
13. St. Louis Blues (16-10-5)
Previous rank: 12th
It's time the hockey world shines some light on David Perron. The unheralded Blues forward leads the club in scoring in 2021, and over the past three-plus seasons, he ranks 10th among all left wingers with 205 points in 229 games.
14. Montreal Canadiens (14-8-9)
Previous rank: 14th
Jeff Petry is having the best season of his career at age 33 and has been absolutely paramount to the Canadiens' success. The veteran sits first among all blue-liners in goals (11) and fourth in points (27). Montreal owns a 57.92% share of expected goals at five-on-five with Petry patrolling the ice.
15. Minnesota Wild (18-10-1)
Previous rank: 13th
Kirill Kaprizov has injected energy and life into a Wild team that's lacked it for years. The Russian dynamo has mid-season MVP wrapped up, and is the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year as well.
16. Philadelphia Flyers (15-11-3)
Len Redkoles / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 9th
Who saw this season coming from James van Riemsdyk? The veteran winger has been the Flyers' most consistent presence, leading the team in both goals (13) and points (29) over 29 outings. Of van Riemsdyk's 16 assists, 15 have come at even strength, which is good for eighth among all players.
17. Calgary Flames (15-14-3)
Previous rank: 22nd
Elias Lindholm could be the Flames' best all-around talent, and the 26-year-old is putting it to the test this season. He leads the team with 28 points and plays a major role on both the penalty kill and power play. Lindholm's also versatile, and his ability to seize his full-time role at center this season has made the Flames that much deeper.
18. Vancouver Canucks (16-16-3)
Previous rank: 23rd
Brock Boeser's offensive production, J.T. Miller's versatility, and Bo Horvat's leadership all create strong cases, but Thatcher Demko deserves the honor. Vancouver allows the most expected goals against per 60 minutes, but the young netminder still has a .921 save percentage. Demko ranks third in the league in goals saved above expected.
19. Columbus Blue Jackets (13-12-7)
Previous rank: 24th
The Blue Jackets are ripe with underachievers this season, but Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the offensively starved club with 27 points and is having the most productive campaign of his career.
20. New York Rangers (13-13-4)
Previous rank: 18th
Panarin is arguably the answer even though he's missed over a third of the team's games. However, it's hard to imagine where the Rangers would be without Adam Fox this season. The second-year defenseman leads the team in ice time and xGF% at five-on-five.
21. Chicago Blackhawks (14-13-5)
Previous rank: 15th
No need to overthink this one. If it wasn't for Patrick Kane's all-world abilities, the Blackhawks would likely be lottery players rather than playoff contenders at this point of the season.
22. Dallas Stars (10-10-8)
Ben Jackson / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 21st
Joe Pavelski has been Dallas' best player by a landslide. The ageless veteran has six more goals and nine more points than the next most productive Stars skater.
23. Los Angeles Kings (13-11-6)
Previous rank: 19th
Both Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are having a standout campaign, but the Kings' offense would be razor thin if it weren't for the former's brilliance. Kopitar's 37 points are 17 more than the club's next forward, and he ranks fourth among all centers in average ice time.
24. Arizona Coyotes (13-13-5)
Previous rank: 20th
Jakob Chychrun has been exceptional at both ends of the ice this season, leading the Coyotes in ice time while ranking third with 21 points.
25. San Jose Sharks (11-14-4)
Previous rank: 26th
Evander Kane is averaging more minutes (19:40) than any Sharks skater this season and is producing at a career-best 0.9 points per game thus far.
26. Nashville Predators (14-17-1)
Previous rank: 25th
Filip Forsberg's game has continued to blossom. The Swedish sniper leads the team in goals (11) and points (28) and is playing at a career-best 72-point pace over 82 games.
27. New Jersey Devils (11-14-4)
Andy Marlin / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 28th
Jack Hughes' development has been a positive takeaway from a difficult season for the Devils. The 19-year-old has already matched his goal total from 2019-20 in less than half the amount of games. He ranks second on the team in points (16) while leading Devils' forwards in average ice time.
28. Detroit Red Wings (10-18-4)
Previous rank: 31st
Posting a .918 save percentage behind this Red Wings roster deserves plenty of praise. Hats off to Jonathan Bernier for putting together a terrific stat line in a difficult situation.
29. Ottawa Senators (10-20-3)
Previous rank: 30th
Thomas Chabot has been a horse for the Senators this season, leading the team in points per game and ranking third in the league in average ice time.
30. Anaheim Ducks (9-17-6)
Previous rank: 27th
Rickard Rakell leads the team with 21 points even though he's shooting a career low 5.9%. He's one of the few that makes things happen on the Ducks offensively, as his 101 shots are 38 more than second place on the team.
31. Buffalo Sabres (6-19-4)
Previous rank: 29th
The Sabres have just one win without Linus Ullmark between the pipes and have lost 13 straight games since the Swedish puck-stopper was shelved with an injury. If there are any positives to draw from Buffalo's nightmare season, it's that they may already have themselves a future No. 1 in goal.
The 2021 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship bracket was selected Sunday.
North Dakota was selected as the top overall seed. Boston College, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were named the other three No. 1 seeds, in order.
The winner from each of the four regional sites will advance to the Frozen Four at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on April 8 and 10. The entire 16-team tournament uses a single-elimination format.
The 2020 tournament was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Minnesota Duluth won the last two championships in 2018 and 2019.
All times ET:
Fargo Regional
Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D.
1. North Dakota (21-5-1) 4. American International (15-3-0)
Every week, theScore offers a fantasy hockey column detailing a handful of moves you should make. This edition focuses on Week 10. Roster percentages and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.
Add Jack Campbell
Team: Maple Leafs Position: G Rostered: 33%
Last week, I recommended stashing Campbell while he was injured; those who listened would've reaped the rewards after he recorded a 31-save shutout in his first game back Saturday against the Calgary Flames.
Campbell has only played four games this season due to injury but has been lights out over the small sample size, sporting a .965 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average.
The 29-year-old is going to come down to earth at some point, but with Frederik Andersen struggling (.897 save percentage in 23 games) and playing through an injury, Campbell will likely get a run of starts moving forward and could easily claim the No. 1 job. He needs to be rostered in all leagues.
Drop Carter Hart
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Team: Flyers Position: G Rostered: 84%
Hart's season has been a nightmare. The 22-year-old owns an .875 save percentage and 3.83 goals-against average in 20 appearances. He's been especially bad lately, recording an .821 save percentage over his last eight games.
The young netminder has clearly lost his confidence and seems unlikely to get it back anytime soon. You're better off adding someone like Campbell or streaming goalies rather than hoping Hart turns it around.
Trade Chris Kreider
Team: Rangers Position: LW Rostered: 73%
Kreider is scoring at the best pace of his career, averaging 0.47 goals per contest. He's managing this despite taking just 2.07 shots per game, his lowest mark since 2015-16.
The 29-year-old's goal-scoring success stems from his unsustainable 22.6 shooting percentage. That's over 9% higher than his 13.4% career mark entering the season. He's bound to hit a slump soon, so trade him now while he still has value.
Add Jonathan Drouin
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Team: Canadiens Position: C/LW Rostered: 21%
There are a whopping 20 teams with four games this week. The Canadiens are one of them, but they play Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, avoiding the busiest game nights of the week. This allows for maximum lineup optimization, as you should have room for Drouin all four nights.
Drouin has been a great playmaker this season but is snakebit with just two goals (3.8 shooting percentage). His career shooting percentage entering the campaign was 9.7%, so he's bound to see some pucks go in eventually.
The Ducks also play four times this week, but like Montreal, none fall on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, creating ideal lineup optimization.
Rakell has been streaky this season. He managed only seven points over his first 20 games but got hot with 12 points in the following six contests. He's gone cold again with just two points in his last six.
The Swede is more than capable of going on another hot streak. Not only is he a highly skilled player who plays top-line minutes, but he also ranks eighth in the NHL in individual scoring chances, meaning he's due to heat up again at some point.
The Los Angeles Kings inked defenseman Matt Roy to a three-year extension with an average annual value of $3.15-million, the team announced Sunday.
Roy, 26, was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
The 6-foot-1 defenseman has contributed seven assists while averaging a career-high 19:16 of ice time over 24 games this season.
Roy isn't the flashiest blue-liner, but he makes a strong impact at both ends. He's improved at limiting his opponents defensively since his rookie season, and Roy also helps the Kings drive offense at five-on-five, according to HockeyViz's isolated impact tool.
Red (positive) is good in the offensive zone while blue (negative) is good in the defensive zone.
Los Angeles selected Roy during the seventh round in 2015. The Detroit native has amassed six goals and 31 points over 119 career contests.
Toronto's decision to waive Boyd is primarily focused on preserving cap space ahead of the April 12 trade deadline, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Boyd can be shifted to the Maple Leafs' taxi squad if he goes unclaimed, which would allow the team to accrue daily cap space while carrying a 20-man roster, notes Johnson.
Boyd, 27, signed a one-year deal with Toronto this past offseason. He's been a quality depth piece on the Maple Leafs' fourth line, chipping in eight points in 20 games.
Van Riemsdyk, 29, inked a one-year deal worth $800,000 with the Capitals in October, and he was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
The 6-foot-2 blue-liner has appeared in just nine games this season, contributing one goal while averaging 15:07 of ice time.
Van Riemsdyk has recorded 16 goals and 70 points over 373 career contests. He was on the Chicago Blackhawks team that captured the Stanley Cup during his rookie campaign in 2015.
