San Jose has the best team imo. Playoff performances aside, they have a great roster.
That's the most important part though. San Jose's a fabulous team but i won't even put them ahead of Chicago or Detroit until they can get past the 2nd round.
It may be homerish but it's hard not to give Pittsburgh the benefit of the doubt when healthy. 9-1 start before gonchar went down, defending cup champions, and 34-11-4 regular season record since Bylsma took over. (120 pt pace)
San Jose is atop the league by four points... so it's San Jose. Most talented team in the league? Pittsburgh would narrowly beat out Chicago because of Huet's inconsistency.
There are teams not making the poll who are ahead of teams on the poll. I know you have the "other" option, but this whole thing is flawed.
The Sharks can win the President's Trophy year after year for all I care. They are the least of my worries come playoffs. Wings, Pens, or Hawks. Guess who I voted for.
Their top six is one of the best an deepest in the league - Kane Toews Hossa Sharp Versteeg Byfugilien - and they have good character guys, like Ladd and Burrish.
Their defense is the deepest in the NHL without question, imo. Aside from Sopel, they have 5 potential top-pairing d-men.
The only question mark is in net. If Huet can play like he did a few years back, then no-one can complete.
Honourable mention to the Sharks, whose only real hole imo is in defensive depth, and Philly, who have put together an awesome roster especially with their young guns. Pitts is the defending champion but with the way their stars are playing right now, they just aren't as good... on paper.
Being a Sharks fan, I know that I can potentially get a TON of **** for this, but I honestly can't imagine someone easily picking another team other than SJ. I know they've played several more games than most teams, but they've played 16 of their 25 games thus far on the road, have been without Blake, Mitchell, Setoguchi, and even Pavelski for long periods of time, and they're still #1 in the league. Add having Nabokov in net, and other than defense, I don't see how you can find another team as stacked and deep as them.
Being a Sharks fan, I know that I can potentially get a TON of **** for this, but I honestly can't imagine someone easily picking another team other than SJ. I know they've played several more games than most teams, but they've played 16 of their 25 games thus far on the road, have been without Blake, Mitchell, Setoguchi, and even Pavelski for long periods of time, and they're still #1 in the league. Add having Nabokov in net, and other than defense, I don't see how you can find another team as stacked and deep as them.
The defending Cup champs have two fewer points than the Sharks despite being without Malkin, Gonchar, Goligoski, Orpik, Letang, Kunitz, Kennedy, Talbot, and McKee for long periods of time.
Best team in the league right now is the Sharks. There should be no dispute about that. 1st in standings. 3rd best power play. 2nd best penalty kill. Best goal differential.
This is what the Sharks have done better than a lot of teams in recent years. They dominate the regular season and win games. Sharks are the best team in the league right now but whether it translates into the playoffs is a question only answered from April on.
I think the Penguins are still the best team set up for playoff success when they're healthy. Out west, the Wings are the best team built for playoff success when healthy. I don't think the Hawks with Huet in the playoffs will work. Huet's playing well now but he's got to prove himself there just as much as anyone else.
Best team in the league right now is the Sharks. There should be no dispute about that. 1st in standings. 3rd best power play. 2nd best penalty kill. Best goal differential.
This is what the Sharks have done better than a lot of teams in recent years. They dominate the regular season and win games. Sharks are the best team in the league right now but whether it translates into the playoffs is a question only answered from April on.
I think the Penguins are still the best team set up for playoff success when they're healthy. Out west, the Wings are the best team built for playoff success when healthy. I don't think the Hawks with Huet in the playoffs will work. Huet's playing well now but he's got to prove himself there just as much as anyone else.
Well the the Sharks have 3 games in hand on both the Devils and the Hawks who are 5 and 4 points back. Other than that I agree with everything here. I think this is the year the Sharks make a deep run. They look unstoppable at times.
Straight up. Who is it? Please try to imagine all teams as completely healthy (Franzen, Hossa, etc).
If Stanley Cups mean anything, the answer is obvious until proven otherwise.
Otherwise, one places his own opinion, his own reality, over what actually transpires on the ice.
Eight weeks in October and November do not change a damn thing about what happened last spring.
If they did, San Jose would be a dynasty, what with their "impressive" regular seasons in recent years. As is, they've accomplished nothing, this year or past. Can they change that next spring? Perhaps. But at this point, anyone impressed clearly suffers from acute (and insufferable) short-term memory loss. For we've been down this road multiple seasons before with that franchise.
Top of the PowerPoll on Thanksgiving Eve does not = best team, hard as it is for some to make the distinction.
The defending Cup champs have two fewer points than the Sharks despite being without Malkin, Gonchar, Goligoski, Orpik, Letang, Kunitz, Kennedy, Talbot, and McKee for long periods of time.
So yeah, let's not bring up injuries.
Way to add guys to the list who've played over 19 games and refer to it as a "long period of time" while the season has only been 25 games long for the Pens. Plus, you're seriously including McKee with that group? Give me a break. I can throw in Vesce, Couture, and multiple others if you're gonna bring up ANY injured players on your team. I was only bringing up the Sharks major injuries. Don't hide behind the "defending championship" title either. Whether or not they won last year, it's obvious they have an amazing team given the talent on the roster. Losing Malkin for the Pens is akin to the Sharks losing Thornton, even worse, and I understand that. But you can't possibly tell me that this lineup can't contend with any team in the league:
Every single one of these lines can score, and with Huskins steadily improving his play, the defense will be even better. Teams should be scared ****less the moment this team is 100% healthy
Way to add guys to the list who've played over 19 games and refer to it as a "long period of time" while the season has only been 25 games long for the Pens. Plus, you're seriously including McKee with that group? Give me a break. I can throw in Vesce, Couture, and multiple others if you're gonna bring up ANY injured players on your team. I was only bringing up the Sharks major injuries. Don't hide behind the "defending championship" title either. Whether or not they won last year, it's obvious they have an amazing team given the talent on the roster. Losing Malkin for the Pens is akin to the Sharks losing Thornton, even worse, and I understand that. But you can't possibly tell me that this lineup can't contend with any team in the league:
Every single one of these lines can score, and with Huskins steadily improving his play, the defense will be even better. Teams should be scared ****less the moment this team is 100% healthy
People aren't going to take the Sharks as seriously as the standings suggest, they are a regular season powerhouse who coast to the playoffs and fold under the pressure.
If Stanley Cups mean anything, the answer is obvious until proven otherwise.
Otherwise, one places his own opinion, his own reality, over what actually transpires on the ice.
Eight weeks in October and November do not change a damn thing about what happened last spring.
If they did, San Jose would be a dynasty, what with their "impressive" regular seasons in recent years. As is, they've accomplished nothing, this year or past. Can they change that next spring? Perhaps. But at this point, anyone impressed clearly suffers from acute (and insufferable) short-term memory loss. For we've been down this road multiple seasons before with that franchise.
Top of the PowerPoll on Thanksgiving Eve does not = best team, hard as it is for some to make the distinction.
