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Ranking every NHL team's best active drafted player

10. Anze Kopitar, Kings, C

• 1st round (#11), 2005 | Age: 28 
• A two-time Stanley Cup winner, a three-time All-Star, a three-time Selke Trophy finalist (including this season) and now the new captain of the Kings, Kopitar is firmly established as one of the most dominant two-way centers in the game. He's been named the team MVP five times in the past nine seasons, including 2015-16. He's also been honored as the Kings' top defensive player four times and led them in scoring in each of the past nine seasons.

13. Joe Pavelski, Sharks, C

• 7th round (#205), 2003 | Age: 31
• Stardom came late for Pavelski, who emerged as one of the league's most dangerous snipers at 29. Since then, he's tallied 163 goals (only Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos have scored more) and is coming off a postseason run that saw him lead all skaters with 14 tallies. Maybe just as important, he's stabilized the Sharks' leadership group since being given the C ahead of the 2014-15 season—a key factor behind San Jose's run to the Cup final this spring. He could probably be higher on this list.

17. Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks, C

• 1st round (#19), 2003 | Age: 31
• A standout in a draft class that is widely regarded as the best of the past 30 years, Getzlaf ranks first among his peers in assists (520) and second in points (741). He won the Cup with the Ducks in 2007, was a runner-up for the Hart in 2014 and has finished among the top seven vote-getters for the All-Star team six times. All that success has established Getzlaf as a modern archetype: the big, skilled No. 1 center who can impose his will through force or talent.

Complete list (SI.com)

Expect The Sharks & Preds Serious To Be A Good Fight

Second-round preview: San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators

How they win

San Jose:

• An NHL coach after the Sharks beat the Kings in the opening round told me, "They're the best team in the NHL right now." He said if you looked at how the Sharks have been playing in the final month of the regular season in games that mattered, it was a telltale sign of where their game was headed right before the playoffs. Boy, did the Kings ever find that out. And what killed the Kings was the Sharks' foot speed -- they were a step ahead of L.A. all series long in getting to loose pucks and open space. Another key factor is that the Sharks have been home and cooled since last Friday night after eliminating the Kings, while the Preds had to slug it out over seven games to get by Anaheim. That's no small factor at this time of year to enter a series with full energy and healthy bodies.

How they lose

San Jose:

• Truth be told, as poised and confident and ultimately successful Martin Jones was in goal for the Sharks against his former team in the opening round, he was rarely ever tested on a consistent basis. The Sharks' blue-line corps did such a great job limiting time and space and rebounds on L.A. But my question is whether the Predators can muster more traffic and shot attempts at Jones, and if so just how the youngster will react. He might react just fine. But in his first season as a No. 1 goalie, we've yet to see him truly have to steal a game in the NHL playoffs.

(ESPN.com)

Power Rankings: Attack of the hobbling Penguins! - ESPN.com

7. Anaheim Ducks

• The Ducks are dealing with significant injury issues, including ones to Freddie Andersen and David Perron, as they continue to fight the Kings for top spot in the Pacific. A nice win over the Stars sees them a point up on the Kings with four to play.

8. Los Angeles Kings 

• The Kings have gone a bit sideways, but three of their last four games are against weak sisters in the West. Mark Thursday's clash with the Ducks at the Staples Center as a key moment in the final days of the regular schedule.

10. San Jose Sharks

• The Sharks theoretically could still grab home ice in the first round but that's not likely to happen. And given how well they play on road (27 wins is tops in the NHL), it's probably just as well they'll be traveling to Los Angeles or Anaheim to start. Brent Burns is in the thick of Norris Trophy discussion.

Complete list (ESPN.com)

NHL Power Rankings: Surging Blues challenge Capitals - SI.com

6. Anaheim Ducks

• last week: 6
• record: 42-23-10
• Monday's 2–1 win in Edmonton lifted the Ducks to a 3-1-1 mark on their five-game Canadian road swing and pulled them to within a single point of Los Angeles for the top spot in the Pacific. Brandon Pirri chipped in four points on the trip, including the game-winning goal against the Oilers. Just another genius pick-up by GM Bob Murray.

7. San Jose Sharks

• last week: 5
• record: 42-28-6
• The Sharks pulled out of their three-game home-losing skid at the most opportune moment, knocking off the Kings on Monday night to secure their return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. With four of their final six games featuring a non-qualifying opponent, they still have a shot at earning home ice for the first round.

8. Los Angeles Kings

• last week: 3
• record: 45-26-5
• Reuniting the Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli-Milan Lucic line helped the Kings break out of their scoring slump for one game, a 6–4 win over Edmonton, but it was back to scratching around in the dirt in Monday's 5–2 loss to San Jose. LA has now dropped five of six and scored more than twice only once in that span. Just as concerning: The Kings have allowed 20 goals in their past five games. What an inopportune time to go cold at both ends of the ice.

Complete list (SI.com)

Power Rankings: Threats to the Capitals are surfacing - ESPN.com

5. Los Angeles Kings

• Clinched a playoff berth. The Kings have seven games remaining and next face the Sharks on Monday. They are 6-3-1 in the past 10 games. On Saturday, the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 6-4 win over the Oilers. Tyler Toffoli had two goals and two assists in the win. 

9. Anaheim Ducks

• Clinched a playoff berth. The Ducks have eight games remaining and next face the Oilers on Monday. Forward Rickard Rakell has reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his NHL career.

14. San Jose Sharks

• On the verge of clinching a postseason berth. Have seven games remaining and will face the Kings Monday night.  

Complete list (ESPN.com)

Power Rankings: New Kings on the block - ESPN.com

1. Los Angeles Kings

• The Kings extended their points streak to seven games (6-0-1), have won four in a row and have a four-point lead over the Ducks for first in the Pacific. Jonathan Quick is 5-0-1 in his past six starts, including three consecutive wins. Forward Anze Kopitar extended his points streak to five games with four goals and three assists. This team is a serious Cup contender.

4. Anaheim Ducks

• The Ducks moved to within four points of the Kings for the lead in the Pacific. Anaheim began a five-game Canadian road trip with a 3-2 overtime win over the Jets on Sunday. The Ducks will face the Canadiens on Tuesday, Maple Leafs on Thursday, Senators on Saturday and Oilers on Monday.

10. San Jose Sharks

• Joe Thornton scored the winning goal in a 4-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday. It was his 1,328th career point, passing Pierre Turgeon for 31st place in career points. Thornton has recorded at least one point in 37 of his past 42 games. James Reimer posted a 25-save shutout against the Coyotes on Sunday, and the Sharks have four wins in their past five games.  

Complete list (ESPN.com)

Sharks move up in Super 16 - NHL.com

2. Anaheim Ducks (38-22-9)

• Total points: 99
• Last week: No. 2
• Hit: The Ducks had scored a power-play goal in 13 of their past 15 games, going 21-for-54 (38.9 percent), but did not receive a power play in a 2-1 loss against the New York Rangers on Wednesday. They were second in the NHL on the power play at 23.4 percent (48-for-205).
  Miss: Defenseman Sami Vatanen has missed three straight games with an upper-body injury he sustained against the Colorado Avalanche on March 9.

3. Los Angeles Kings (42-22-5)

• Total points: 97
• Last week: No. 6
• Hit: They are 4-0-1 in their past five games and have scored a combined 19 goals in the four wins, including five against the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars.
  Miss: Hard to find flaws after the way they played the past two games with a 5-0 win against the Blackhawks and 5-2 against the Stars with backup Jhonas Enroth in goal.

7. San Jose Sharks (39-24-6)

• Total points: 60
• Last week: No. 13
• Hit: They've won two in a row at home and are 9-3-3 in their past 15 home games after going 5-12-0 in their first 17. They play nine of their last 13 games at home.
  Miss: The Sharks have fed on Eastern Conference teams, going 19-11-1 in 31 games (.629 points percentage). The problem is they have only one game left against the Eastern teams (Saturday against the Rangers). They are 20-13-5 (.592 points percentage) against Western teams.

Complete list (NHL.com)

NHL Power Rankings: Capitals clinging to top spot - SI.com

2. Anaheim Ducks

• record: 38-21-9
• Turns out all the Ducks needed was a little home cooking. After turning in a pair of soft performances in Colorado and St. Louis, Anaheim righted the ship with a 7–1 thrashing of the Devils. The win made it 10 straight with at least a point at home (9-0-1), the longest active streak in the NHL. 

5. Los Angeles Kings

• record: 41-22-5
• Full marks to the Kings, who responded to a late challenge from the Ducks with an 8-2-1 streak of their own. They've tightened up their D, allowing just 17 regulation goals over that stretch. Is it too early to call them the favorites to advance out of the West?  

8. San Jose Sharks

• record: 38-24-6 
• A standing O for Jumbo Joe. With a helper in San Jose's 5–2 thumping of the Caps on Saturday, Thornton became just the 16th player in NHL history to record more than 10 seasons with at least 50 assists. The dead-lock Hall of Famer is third in apples this season, trailing only Erik Karlsson and Patrick Kane.

Complete list (SI.com)

NHL Power Rankings: Capitals take back top spot - SI.com

2. Anaheim Ducks

• Their 11-game winning streak came to a cruel end on Monday night, but not before the Ducks took control of the Pacific Division. They've also put at least one point up on the board in 14 straight (12-0-2), the NHL's longest such run since the Bruins went 16 in a row back in 2014.  
• Last week: 3-0-1

7. Los Angeles Kings

• No way around it: that 3–2 loss to the Ducks hurt. As well as the Kings have played of late, winning six of eight and allowing only six goals in those wins, they gave away the Pacific lead by dropping a pair to Anaheim in a span of a week. Their next meeting, on April 7, should be a dandy.  
• Last week: 2-1-0

10. San Jose Sharks

• Attention, Mike Babcock: That Brent Burns kid can play a little defense when he sets his mind to it. The Team Canada hopeful had a –15 rating on Jan. 2. Since then, he's +11, a reflection of his improved all-around play and its impact on the success of his team.  
• Last week: 1-1-0

(SI.com)

 

Power Rankings: Race to the top heating up - ESPN.com

2. Anaheim Ducks

• The Ducks are close to pushing the Capitals for the top spot. Anaheim is 18-1-1 in its past 20 games and has established a franchise record with 11 straight victories. The Ducks host the Capitals on Monday night in Anaheim, which is must-see TV. 

6. Los Angeles Kings

• In the midst of a five-game homestand, the Kings lost 3-2 to the Ducks on Saturday and fell two points behind Anaheim for first place in the Pacific Division.  

13. San Jose Sharks

• Sharks defenseman Brent Burns has set a new career high with 23 goals this season. Newcomer James Reimer made 22 saves in his Sharks debut, but San Jose lost 4-2 to the Canucks on Saturday.

Complete list (ESPN.com)

Surging Ducks keeping moving up - NHL.com

Anaheim climbs to No. 3 in Super 16 rankings

3. Anaheim Ducks (35-19-8)
Total points: 93
Last week: No. 6
Hit: They extended their win streak to nine games with a 3-2 shootout victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Honda Center on Wednesday. Anaheim has an 11-game point streak (10-0-1) and is 18-2-1 in its past 21 games.
Miss: Still nothing.

5. Los Angeles Kings (37-21-4)
Total points: 77
Last week: No. 4
Hit: The four goals they allowed in a 4-2 loss to the Ducks on Sunday stopped a streak of five consecutive games in which they allowed two or fewer goals, including four in a row in which they allowed one or fewer.
Miss: They haven't scored more than two goals in eight straight games.

11. San Jose Sharks (34-22-6)
Total points: 37
Last week: No. 10
Hit: Joe Thornton has six goals in his past 13 games after scoring eight in his first 49. He has 19 points in the past 13 games.
Miss: Patrick Marleau has three points (one goal, two assists) in the past nine games. It hasn't hurt the Sharks, who are 6-2-1 in that span.

Complete list (NHL.com)

NHL Power Rankings: Ducks lead post-trade deadline parade - SI.com

1. Anaheim Ducks

• The Ducks are almost unstoppable with the extra man. They've scored at least one power play goal in eight straight games and are 13-for-28 during that span. No surprise that they’ve won all eight. Adding big winger Jamie McGinn from Buffalo at the deadline was an excellent depth addition that positions this team for a run at the Stanley Cup.  
• Last week: 3-0-0

6. Los Angeles Kings

• What’s up with the offense? The Kings have scored just 12 goals in their past eight games. A stout defense allowed them to win four of them, but that first-to-two approach could be tough to sustain come crunch time.  
• Last week: 3-1-0

8. San Jose Sharks

• The Sharks went 3-8-2 last February, effectively ending a 10-year playoff streak with one horrible month. Things went much better this year. San Jose posted a 6-3-1 record on the road and went 2-1-1 at home to turn the battle for the Pacific Division title into a three-team race.  
• Last week: 2-1-1

Complete list (SI.com)  

2016 World Cup of Hockey Rosters Announced

Five Players from Ducks Named to World Cup of Hockey 2016 Rosters

The Ducks today had five players named to rosters for the World Cup of Hockey 2016. Among the announcements made today by participating countries, Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf was named to Team Canada; center Ryan Kesler was named to Team USA; goaltender John Gibson was named to Team North America; defenseman Sami Vatanen was named to Team Finland; and goaltender Frederik Andersen was named to Team Europe. The best-on-best international hockey tournament will be held in Toronto, Canada from Sept. 17-Oct. 1, 2016.

(Ducks.NHL.com)


Kings To Participate In 2016 World Cup

LOS ANGELES – The following Los Angeles Kings players were today named as participants for the World Cup of Hockey 2016 -- the best-on-best international hockey championship from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, 2016 -- in Toronto:

Anze Kopitar (Team Europe)

Jonathan Quick (Team USA)

Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty (Team Canada)

The announcements came from the National Hockey League and the National Hockey Leagues Players’ Association.

In addition, Kings trainers Darren Granger (Canada) and Chris Kingsley (U.S.) will be on the bench for each of their respective countries.  Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi is the General Manager for the U.S. Team and Rob Blake, the Kings Vice President and Assistant General Manager, is part of Team Canada’s management team.

(Kings.NHL.com)

Five Sharks Named to 2016 World Cup Rosters 

SAN JOSE - The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) announced today that forward Joe Pavelski, defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (@Vlasic44), forward Tomas Hertl (@tomashertl48), defenseman Roman Polak, and forward Joonas Donskoi have been named to their respective countries rosters for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The tournament will be held from Sept. 17-Oct. 1 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

(Sharks.NHL.com)

Power Rankings: Trades shaking things up - ESPN.com

2. Anaheim Ducks

• The Ducks received a hat trick from Corey Perry en route to a 4-2 victory over the Kings on Sunday. Anaheim has won eight straight and has a 12-1-1 record in February. Since December the Ducks have been outstanding.

5. Los Angeles Kings

• The Kings lost a Pacific Division battle to the Ducks on Sunday but acquired Stanley Cup-winning forward Kris Versteeg from Carolina as they gear up for the stretch run.  

12. San Jose Sharks

• The Sharks posted a 4-1 win over the Canucks on Sunday. San Jose landed goalie James Reimer and forward Jeremy Morin in a deal with the Maple Leafs late last week. 

Complete list (ESPN.com)

NHL Power Rankings: Ducks rise from dead to No. 1 - SI.com

1. Anaheim Ducks

• record: 31-19-8
• Maybe the pundits were right about the Ducks after all. The preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup have reeled off five straight wins and are 12-1-1 in their past 14. The change? An offense that’s finally living up to its paper. Anaheim has scored 68 goals in its last 17 games (4.0 per game), including five-or-more in four straight.  
• Last week: 3-0-0

6. Los Angeles Kings

• record: 34-20-4
• No Anze Kopitar. No Marian Gaborik. No wonder the Kings are having trouble scoring. Los Angeles has mustered just three regulation goals over the past four games, heightening expectations that GM Dean Lombardi will be a busy shopper ahead of the deadline. 
• Last week: 1-1-1

8. San Jose Sharks

• record: 32-21-5
• How about a little love for Joe Thornton? With a four-point night in Monday’s win over the Blues, Jumbo has gotten on the board in 25 of his past 28 games. He now has 41 assists, fourth-most in the league, and 55 points, good for 10th in the scoring race. Not bad for a guy who’s supposed to be on his last legs at the ripe old age of 36.  
• Last week: 3-1-0

(SI.com)

 

Power Rankings: Caps, Ducks taking charge - ESPN.com

2. Anaheim Ducks

• So how about this: Could Bruce Boudreau go from the coach everyone thought would be fired in the first half of the season to a Jack Adams Award nominee by the end of the second half? He certainly deserves consideration for helping turn around this season.

4. Los Angeles Kings

• The Kings' offense is suddenly sputtering with just four goals in their past four games. The Flames, Oilers and Sabres visit Staples Center this week.

10. San Jose Sharks

• The Sharks win the Roman Polak sweepstakes with Monday's trade. And I'm serious, there were a number of contenders interested in the veteran, rental D-man. Nice pickup by the Sharks. Nick Spaling will be a useful add-on too.

(ESPN.com)

Power Rankings: Ducks mighty - ESPN.com

3. Anaheim Ducks

• last week: 3
• record: 28-19-8
• If they are thinking of selling goalie Frederik Andersen ahead of the deadline, they should probably put him on the market ASAP. The Danish Destroyer is 8-0-1 in his past nine decisions. Captain Ryan Getzlaf is heating up, too, with 15 points in his past 11 games. 

5. Los Angeles Kings

• last week: 7
• record: 33-19-3
• Have to think GM Dean Lombardi will be busy working the phones for the next two weeks after waiving defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and losing forward Marian Gaborik to a lower body injury. The Kings are close enough to contending for the Stanley Cup that Lombardi can't afford to leave anything to chance. 

9. San Jose Sharks

• last week: 8
• record: 29-20-5 
•  They couldn't buy a win at home earlier this season. Now they can't lose in the Shark Tank. San Jose picked banked three of four points to improve to 6-0-3 in its past nine games at SAP Center. More impressive though was that 2-0 win in Chicago. The Sharks may not be serious Cup contenders, but if they keep playing like this they might just knock one off.

(SI.com)

Edmonton Oilers in sell-off mode in the Pacific Division - ESPN.com

Los Angeles Kings

• Like a punch to the gut early in a boxing match, the Kings were stung by Dustin Byfuglien's re-signing with the Jets. They would have loved to have made the Winnipeg Jets a trade offer. Now they need to recover and look at other options on defense in the rental trade market. None compare to what Byfuglien could have provided, but it's time to move on. Pending unrestricted free agents Dan Hamhuis (if he's willing to waive his no-trade clause), Kris Russell (if he doesn't re-sign with the Flames) and, to a lesser degree, Roman Polak could all be options. The waiving of Christian Ehrhoff this week underlines L.A.'s need to add depth on the blue line.

San Jose Sharks

• The Sharks aren't desperate, but adding another body for depth to their blue-line corps remains the priority. Insurance is needed because any injury to their top four would leave a youthful group needing to step up. A veteran rental add-on makes sense.

Anaheim Ducks

• My sense is that Ducks general manager Bob Murray wanted to see how the first two to three weeks after the All-Star break went before he decided how he was going to proceed ahead of the trade deadline. The Ducks have continued their winning ways. They've already made a few moves this season, so nothing is forcing Murray to do anything. But he'd get depth on defense and could use one of those trade chips to beef up the forward ranks if he sees something he likes.

(ESPN.com)

Power Rankings: Watch out for the Ducks - ESPN.com

3. Anaheim Ducks

• Last Week: 4
• Ryan Getzlaf is playing his best hockey of the season and the Ducks are taking on all comers.

4. Los Angeles Kings

• Last Week: 6
• The waiving of Christian Ehrhoff underlines the Kings' need to bolster the bottom half of that blue line before Feb. 29.

12. San Jose Sharks

• Last Week: 14
• Can the Sharks hold off the Ducks for second place in the Pacific? Home ice in the first round between the two clubs is on the line.

(ESPN.com)

Ducks make move in Super 16 rankings - NHL.com

4. Los Angeles Kings (32-17-3)
Total points: 88

• Last week: No. 3
• Hit: Marian Gaborik has three goals in the past five games after scoring once in his previous 16.
• Miss: They defeated the Boston Bruins 9-2 on Tuesday, but the Kings haven't won two games in a row since Jan. 17-19 and they're 7-6-1 since their five-game winning streak from Dec. 26-Jan.2.

10. Anaheim Ducks (26-19-7)

• Total points: 49
• Last week: No. 13
• Hit: They lead the NHL in penalty kill percentage (89.0 percent). They're 61-for-66 on the PK since Dec. 27.
• Miss: Not much here. Outside of a 6-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday, it's been pretty good for the Ducks since the Christmas break. They are 14-4-1 in 19 games since Dec. 27.

12. San Jose Sharks (28-20-4)

• Total points: 36
• Last week: No. 12
• Hit: They are 23-2-1 when scoring first for a .885 winning percentage, second in the League behind the Capitals (.964).
• Miss: Fifteen teams have scored the first goal in a game more often than the Sharks.

Complete list (NHL.com)