{"id":346,"date":"2025-10-13T10:53:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sfhl.ca\/wordpress\/?p=346"},"modified":"2025-10-13T17:43:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:43:58","slug":"sfhl-2025-26-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sfhl.ca\/wordpress\/sfhl-2025-26-season-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"SFHL 2025-26 Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In our constant attempts at perfection, we continue to use dual sources of information for these ratings: The Forecaster and The Athletic\u2019s Top 150 players list.&nbsp; The Forecaster appears to have decided that they were a little too conservative with the number of players listed last year, as the Total Players has jumped from 45 to 61 (plus a few players we missed acquiring).&nbsp; Reviewing the statistics, probably no surprises this year: the teams you think will be good are good and the teams that you think will be bad are the Sharks.&nbsp; If you need it or care, a reminder of what the Tiers mean for each of the Athletic categories can be found at the very bottom of the page, but the quick summary is:<br>Tier 1: MVP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Franchise<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: All-Star<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Top Line<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Support<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Avalanche<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Barkov<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Wright, Michkov, W. Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Mittlestadt, Barbashev<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: E. Lindholm, McLeod, Landeskog, Merzlikins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Barkov<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Seider<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Sergachev, Horvat, Michkov<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Fiala, Meier<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments: There\u2019s no salary cap on management, and the Avalanche have become the first team to actively expand their management group.&nbsp; It remains a family affair, with GM Peter brining in his son Daniel as Assist GM, overseeing the draft and auction this year.&nbsp; We\u2019ll see if the expanded brain trust pays off.&nbsp; It\u2019s unlikely to this year, but there was some early aggressive moves for future players.&nbsp; Indeed, their only Tier 1\/Elite player is one they traded for but who\u2019s already done for the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Blackhawks<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Point, W. Nylander, Morrissey<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Bedard, Carlsson, Slafkovsky,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Norris, E. Kane, Josi, Gibson, Shesterkin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: P. Kane, Lankinen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Point, Shesterkin, Morrissey, W. Nylander, Slavin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Josi<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Bedard, Weegar, Carlson, Hintz<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Marchand, Carlsson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments: Made a stunningly big move just before the draft\/auction, trading away the best defenseman in the league for a top level prospect (though one who\u2019s now entering his 3<sup>rd<\/sup> year).\u00a0 Top level defenseman are hard to come by, and the Blackhawks have built a solid team, so we\u2019ll see if the gamble pays off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Bruins<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: &nbsp;Hutson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Celebrini, Coronato, Cuylle, Guenther, Mateychuk, Dostal, Knight<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Eriksson Ek, Buchnevich, Sharangovich, Drysdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Boldy, Bratt, Celebrini, Forsling, Larkin, Hutson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Eriksson Ek, Guenther, Konecny<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Buchnevich, Dostal, Hertl<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; The Bruins are in the process of emerging from a quick rebuild, and the statistics back up that the early results are positive.&nbsp; While lacking Tier 1 and 2 players and only having one Elite player (and one who\u2019s very young), they easily lead the league in On The Rise players and Tier 3 (a slew of young players not yet ready to push for a Cup but capable of it in the future).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Canadiens<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Keller<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: W. Eklund, Harley<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Barzal, Stamkos, Mangiapane, E. Karlsson, Saros, Swayman<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Tavares, M. Tkachuk, Hamilton, S. Skinner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: M. Tkachuck<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Harley, Keller, Sorokin, Theodore<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Barzal, Byfield, Swayman, Saros, Tavares<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Hamilton, Caufield, DeBrincat, E. Karlsson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; After remotely participating in the draft and auction this year, the Canadiens enter the season with the highest salaries in the league.&nbsp; But are they any good?&nbsp; The answer is they\u2019ll likely be better, but remain uncompetitive for another Cup.&nbsp; At this time, they lack Elite (only 1) or Tier 1 (zero) players, the kind of players required to win.&nbsp; They also lead the league in On The Rebound players, meaning they\u2019re counting on a bounce back campaign from too many players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Devils<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: MacKinnon, McDavid, Werenski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Edvinsson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Dunn<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Hedman, LaCombe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: McDavid, MacKinnon<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Eichel, Werenski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Hagel, Hedman<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Stone<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Edvinsson, Dunn, LaCombe, Lehkonen, Protas, L. Thompson, Trocheck<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments: After a number of years of banging on the door, the Devils were finally able to make it to a Cup final.&nbsp; Unfortunately, that\u2019s where the wheels immediately fell off, going down meekly to the Flyers.&nbsp; The core of this contending team remains intact.&nbsp; Despite a hefty raise, MacKinnon returns with McDavid, forming one of the best top pairings in the league. They added Werenski last season, bringing their total Elite players up to 3, and mitigated their risk by having some of the lowest levels of On The Rebound and Buyer Beware players in the league.&nbsp; Will it be enough to finally get their first Cup?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Flyers<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Draisaitl, Kucherov, Reinhart, B. Tkachuk, Bouchard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Dorofeyev, Faber, Woll<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Andersen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Couturier, Dach, Duchene, Kopitar, Donato, Letang, Matheson, Kuemper<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Draisaitl, Kucherov<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Reinhart, Bouchard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Thomas, B. Tkachuk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Faber, J.T. Miller<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Kadri, Sanheim, Stolarz, Blackwood, Doughty, Kopitar<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; We\u2019re in to the dying days of a dynasty.&nbsp; They Flyers are still good \u2013 they\u2019re tied for the most Elite (5) and Tier 1 (2) players in the league, while having the most Total Players per the Forecaster.&nbsp; But they\u2019ve also go the most Buyer Beware players in the league as well, meaning they\u2019re gambling on a number of high risk players to help propel them to one more Cup.&nbsp; Will it be enough?&nbsp; We\u2019ll find out in April, though expect the Flyers GM to harass you during the year with trade offers of 2 or 3 \u201cTier 5\u201d players in exchange for your Tier 1 superstar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Golden Knights<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Kaprizov, Hellebuyck<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Wolf<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: W. Karlsson, Tippett, S. Jones<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Dubois, Lee, Ovechkin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Kaprizov<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Hellebuyck<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Kempe, Scheifele, Svechnikov, Marchenko, S. Jones, Parayko, Wolf<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Dubois, Chabot, Nugent-Hopkins, Ovechkin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; The Golden Knight have been going \u201cAll In\u201d the last few years, and while they\u2019ve certainly been good they haven\u2019t quite been able to push through to true contender status. &nbsp;Both sources agree that they have 2 top end players: Kaprizov and Hellebuyck, and both sources agree that it\u2019s a drop off after that.&nbsp; They have the most Tier 4 players, and a strong contingent of Tier 5, but this is generally supporting player areas.&nbsp; Expect more of the same, good but not a contender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Lightning<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Rantanen, T. Thompson, Q. Hughes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Gauthier, Chychrun, Clarke<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Beniers, Cozens, Pettersson, Fox, Heiskanen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Grubauer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Q. Hughes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Heiskanen, Rantanen, Fox<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Suzuki, Pettersson, T. Thompson, Raymond<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Wilson, Ullmark, Necas<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Montembeault, Vilardi, Broberg<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments: The Lightning continue their slow slide in to irrelevance.&nbsp; After being a contender for multiple years and winning once, the Lightning were bounced in the first round last year.&nbsp; They\u2019re certainly not a bad team, but the statistics point to them being closer to an average one.&nbsp; Do they regret not trading away more of their future to win in the present?&nbsp; Or, after a slightly down year, do they think they\u2019re ready to rebound quickly and contend again?&nbsp; We\u2019ll find out as the new season unfolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Penguins<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Connor, Vasilevskiy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Cooley, Knies, L. Hughes, Sanderson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Stutzle, Zegras, Boeser, Kreider, Laine, Demko<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Dobson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Crosby<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: Hischier, Vasilevskiy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Sanderson, Stutzle, Connor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Dobson, Ehlers, W. Johnston, Knies, Cooley<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Demko, Ekblad, Monahan, Markstrom<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; The Penguins look to be a solid team, with few elite players but incredible depth down the line up. Indeed, the Athletic ranks them as having the 2<sup>nd<\/sup> most total players, and the Forecaster has them with a solid number of Total Players while counting on the most players to Rebound.&nbsp; As usual, they enter the season as a team that might not win but that you do not want to meet in the first round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Red Wings<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite: Matthews, Dahlin, Makar, Bobrovsky, Oettinger<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the Rise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: J. Hughes, McAvoy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Bennett, Chytil, Cirelli, Marner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Makar, Matthews<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2: &nbsp;Dahlin, J Hughes, Marner, Aho, Panarin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: McAvoy, Bobrovsky, Oettinger<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Cirelli, Bennett, Ekholm, Hyman, Kyrou<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Fantilli, Garland, Rust<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments: It\u2019s important to note that I do not put the players in each category, because\u2026Marner as a \u201cBuyer Beware\u201d?&nbsp; It would be understandable for him to have a point drop, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019d be a major concern on a roster.&nbsp; With that being said, the Red Wings should absolutely be a contender this year.&nbsp; Tied for the most Elite players per the Forecaster and a step ahead of virtually every team in the total number of top players they have per The Athletic, anything less than a Cup should come as a huge disappointment to the Red Wings this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Sharks<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Kulich, Evans, Schneider, Hofer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Rielly<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Rossi<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1: Pastrnak<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Rielly<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; The Athletic lists the top 150 players in the NHL, and the Sharks have\u20262.&nbsp; I didn\u2019t even know that was possible.&nbsp; The Forecaster is a little kinder, acknowledging that they have some emerging talent at least.&nbsp; But this is a team clearly hoping to improve their Athletic ranking not through the auction or trades, but by drafting McKenna next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Stars<\/u><\/strong><strong><u><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Kasper, Bolduc, Holloway, Greaves<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rebound: Malkin. Lafreniere, Durzi, Hronek<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyer Beware: Benn, Drouin, M. Geekie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3: Guentzel, Jarvis, Robertson, Forsberg, Toews<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4: Hanifin, Verhaeghe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: D. Strome, Holloway<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comments:&nbsp; A team with lots of depth players but absolutely no top end talent right now.&nbsp; Robertson has taken a step back and Lafreniere wasn\u2019t taken the step forward yet, and it\u2019s left the Stars caught in a bind.&nbsp; Reports also indicate that the Stars GM was under the weather at the draft\/auction this year, and it\u2019s impossible to say if that may have impacted some outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bonus content:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>No Roster \u2013 Players listed in good categories but not on any team:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On The Rise: Raty, Andrae, Mukhamadullin, A. Vlasic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5: Lindell, McDonagh, Mikey Anderson, D. Samberg, Tanev<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pre-Season Rankings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>12) Sharks<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>11) Avalanche<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>10) Stars<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>9) Canadiens<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>8) Bruins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>7) Golden Knights<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>6) Blackhawks<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5) Penguins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4) Devils<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3) Lightning<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2) Flyers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1) Red Wings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2025-26 Stats:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Forecaster:<\/strong><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Elite<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>OT Rise<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Total Players<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>OT Rebound<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Buyer Beware<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Avalanche<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>4<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Blackhawks<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bruins<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>8<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canadiens<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>4<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Devils<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Flyers<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>8<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>8<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Golden Knights<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lightning<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>1<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Penguins<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>1<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Red Wings<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>4<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sharks<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stars<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>3<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total<\/td><td>26<\/td><td>35<\/td><td>61<\/td><td>40<\/td><td>33<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Athletic:<\/strong><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Tier 1<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Tier 2<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Tier 3<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Tier 4<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Tier 5<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Total<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Avalanche<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Blackhawks<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>12<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bruins<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>12<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canadiens<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>14<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Devils<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>14<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Flyers<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>14<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Golden Knights<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>13<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lightning<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>14<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Penguins<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>15<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Red Wings<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>18<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sharks<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stars<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>9<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total<\/td><td>11<\/td><td>21<\/td><td>31<\/td><td>40<\/td><td>41<\/td><td>144<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Athletic Tier Descriptions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 1 \u2014 MVP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A top 10 skater. Someone who is very likely to get serious trophy consideration at season\u2019s end and whom championship-caliber teams are built around. The best player on almost any team in the league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 2 \u2014 Franchise<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A top 30 player. Someone who is the best player on a contending team or second best on a championship-caliber team. An unquestionably elite player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 3 \u2014 All-Star<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A top 60 player. Someone who wouldn\u2019t be the best player on a contender, but would be an important part of any contending or championship core. A strong top-line forward, above average No. 1 defenseman, or borderline top five goalie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 4 \u2014 Top Line<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A top 100 player. Someone who would be a strong piece within a contending or championship core, but not a go-to option. An average top line forward, below average number one defenseman, or top 10 goalie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tier 5 \u2013 Support<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A top 150 player. Someone who would offer strong support to a contending or championship core, but who wouldn\u2019t be an integral piece within it. A below average top-line forward, a strong No. 2 defenseman, or an above average starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, I think the Forecaster and Athletic do two different things.&nbsp; The Forecaster is perhaps better at demonstrating what a team is doing (more On The Rise might indicate more of a rebuild) or how much risk their team is taking on (with the On the Rebound and Buyer Beware categories) but the Athletic does a better job of demonstrating how much depth a team has to contend this year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In our constant attempts at perfection, we continue to use dual sources of information for these ratings: The Forecaster and The Athletic\u2019s Top 150 players list.&nbsp; The Forecaster appears to have decided that they were a little too conservative with the number of players listed last year, as the Total Players has jumped from 45 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sns_share_botton_hide":"","vkExUnit_sns_title":"","_vk_print_noindex":"","sitemap_hide":"","_veu_custom_css":"","veu_display_promotion_alert":"common","vkexunit_cta_each_option":"","_lightning_design_setting":{"layout":"default"},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"veu_head_title_object":{"title":"","add_site_title":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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