The NHL's more elite free agents have either moved on or re-signed with their home team, trades have been made and the draft has come and gone, so it’s time for RealGM to evaluate all of the wheeling and dealing, and present our NHL offseason Power Rankings.
1. Blackhawks: The defending Stanley Cup champions remain the NHL’s elite team. They lost Brandon Saad, but added Artem Anisimov and Viktor Tikhonov to what is a quality returning core of player’s.
2. Lightning: The young Stanley Cup finalists should only get better in 15-16. The team has added a quality forward in Erik Condra. A new contract for star Steven Stamkos should get done before the end of the summer.Another chance to faceoff with Chicago in the finals is a real possibility.
3. Blues: This team is capable of much more in the playoffs next season. The addition of Troy Brouwer is a positive step in that direction.
4. Ducks: The Ducks lost in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals and have added some roster depth at forward and on defense, and are posed to make another run at the title. Will they find a way to defeat the Blackhawks at crunch time?
5. Predators: The playoffs should be a given for the Predators, who suffered the injury bug last season losing to the Blackhawks. The team has added Cody Hodgson and Barret Jackman to the mix.
6. Capitals: The team had made a couple of nice moves, with the addition of Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie. Will their team chemistry get them past the second round this season?
7. Wild: The Wild have locked-up goaltender Devan Dubnyk for the next six seasons. The team will compete for one of the top spots in their division.
8. Flames: Calgary fans expect their team to make a playoff run this coming season. Which of their goaltenders will step-up to make this team a title contender?
9. Blue Jackets: The impact of Brandon Saad should be huge for the Jackets, who were one of the NHL’s best second-half teams last season.
10. Canadiens: Elite goaltender Carey Price covered up the team’s mistakes for much of the past season. A top-ten team, that has added Zack Kassian.
11. Rangers
12. Penguins
13. Red Wings
14. Islanders
15. Kings
16. Jets
17. Senators
18. Bruins
19. Sharks
20. Panthers
21. Stars
22. Avalanche
23. Oilers
24. Devils
25. Canucks
26. Flyers
27. Maple Leafs
28. Sabres
29. Hurricanes
30. Coyotes