Brian Burke's Canadian Team Rankings

[RGM81]

This should spark some lively chat. :)

This past weekend during one of the intermissions, Brian Burke laid out his rankings of the seven Canadian teams, based on performance, organizational depth, prospects, etc. You can watch the full segment here, but here's the snapshot:



Now, other than the obvious pandering in putting the Leafs at #1 (change my mind! LOL) what do you guys think of Burke's rankings? Discuss!

[RGM81]

To me, he's not far off. If you look at this year's final standings, it's pretty on-par with how the seven Canadian squads finished. Now, this doesn't mean that the Habs are objectively bad and the sky is falling, etc.; I mean, this past season was a gong show, but the bubble playoffs showed there's reason for hope. It's also a reflection that for the first time in a long time, almost all the Canadian 7 are actually pretty good hockey clubs!

Another reason for optimism for almost all the teams--they're not yet at their peak and there's room to get even better still. I think maybe Calgary might dip this season, and there's a lot in flux in Winnipeg. They could shift a bit. For the Oilers the sky is always the limit as long as they have the lethal McDavid/Draisaitl combo, and look out if they ever actually get a legit #1 goalie.

[piper1]

Burke\s bread is buttered by the Toronto Media so what did everyone expect him to say.

[30ranfordfan]

IMO, Vancouver & Edmonton are pretty close at the top. Could be #1 or #2 in either order. Toronto is #3, and Ottawa is #7. The teams in the middle? Probably Calgary-Montreal-Winnipeg.....

Edmonton has the best player in the league, and two of the top 5 players. That duo makes them a contender. Would it surprise me if they won a Stanley Cup next year, without any major overhaul of the roster? I little, yes. Not shocking though. Personally, I think they have to put it together... and go on a run where they win 2 rounds. Once they've been to a conference finals, then I'd call them contenders.

Vancouver surprised me this year. They got good, much quicker than I expected. I think that team is real, and they did well in the playoffs this season. I do not think they're as talented as the Leafs.... but Vancouver (and Edmonton) has the advantage of playing in a weak division.

Toronto is up next on my list... because of talent. I really do believe they've got a chance to have a very special group there. They haven't been able to make it work yet, but it could happen.

I think Winnipeg has one of the most over-rated groups of players in the league... and Calgary is close behind. Both clubs 1-though-18 have a better roster than the Habs, but if you put one of them in a winner take all game vs Montreal, I probably pick Montreal: Carey Price can steal games. Enough to win a Cup? I don't think so... but I suppose it's possible.

Ottawa is going to be bad next year, and everyone knows it. They might turn it around quickly.... and be half decent in a couple of years.... but they're going to be bad next season. really bad.

[ravens_creed]

I think he was a lot more moved by what the teams currently look like on paper and not necessarily recent track records. Toronto is #1, sorry to the Habs and Oilers fans above who disagree. :)

[30ranfordfan]

I think he was a lot more moved by what the teams currently look like on paper and not necessarily recent track records. Toronto is #1, sorry to the Habs and Oilers fans above who disagree. :)

That's probably true.... though how teams look on paper right now, we know, is going to be different from how they'll look on paper in a couple of months.

Edmonton, IMO, is much closer to winning a cup right now than Toronto. Both teams are built on the strength of their forwards.... and while Nylander is better than whomever we tag as Edmonton's #4 forward - I think Edmonton's top three is superior to Toronto's. The rest of the group? I'd probably give a small edge to Toronto, but emphasis on small.

I like the Leaf's current goaltending better than the Oilers (by a wide margin), and the defense cores, IMO, are comparable. On paper I would have expected Toronto's to be much better this past season, but it wasn't.

In overall talent, the two might be close - but Edmonton has a much easier path to a finals than Toronto does. Quite frankly: Tampa & Boston are better than anyone in the West.

While I do agree that "track record" is often over-emphasized, it's rare you see anyone win a Cup that hasn't (at least) gone a couple of rounds deep, in recent history.