Friday Four: Panthers surging into 2016

Each Friday throughout the season Kevin Weekes will be bringing you his Friday Four. He will be blogging about four players, teams, plays or trends that have caught his eye.

1. Florida Panthers

As of Friday, they are sitting atop the Atlantic Division. Who would have seen that coming, especially with the way the Montreal Canadiens started the season? Look at Aleksander Barkov and how well he has played. This guy should be and has a chance to be a top-10 player in the NHL, and he'll get that. Unique skill, ability and hockey sense. He's a perfect 5-for-5 in the shootout with three game-deciding goals. He is a big body, a smart player, and I think that's coincided with Jaromir Jagr playing the way he still can. The emergence of Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau rediscovering his offensive game from a couple of years ago have been keys for the Panthers. And Aaron Ekblad is Aaron Ekblad. Goalie Roberto Luongo, 36, gives them a chance to win every night.

Overall, the Panthers are a real tough team to play against and are serving notice to the League that they are way ahead of where we thought they would be. And they've won seven games in a row as we head into the New Year.

2. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres went tooth-and-nail with the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 19 in a 3-2 shootout loss in which they held a late lead before Patrick Kane scored in the shootout. Forward Ryan O'Reilly and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen have been excellent all season long. Their goaltending for the most part has been good. Linus Ullmark had only played two American Hockey League games but has come in and taken over for injured Robin Lehner and played well.

All things being equal, Jack Eichel, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, has started to crank his game up. He had four points against the Boston Bruins on Saturday and has two goals and eight points in five games. Evander Kane looks better and has looked more like the way he can play, and I just think, in talking to players around the League, they are a team that can't be taken lightly. You have to respect them. They are so far ahead of where they were last season and are a much improved team.

3. Los Angeles Kings

I loved the play of Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis and Dwight King in a 5-2 win in Edmonton on Tuesday. Those guys were awesome. The Kings went in there, they played their heavy game but still played their skill game. The Oilers started countering a little bit, but every time the Oilers scored, the Kings came back. Right now, the Kings look faster than they had been, but they are still playing their heavy game.

Everybody is healthy, everybody is in better shape. A long summer because of not qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season was a positive heading into this season. Coach Darryl Sutter and the staff have done a great job. And let's not forget Jonathan Quick, who got his 40th career shutout Monday, tying him for first among American-born goalies. He has been great this season.

In watching that Oilers game, Anze Kopitar made some amazing plays. He is a full-value 200-foot center. He plays well in all zones and sacrifices so much for them. There aren't many power centers in the NHL, but Kopitar is one.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Not much was expected with the Maple Leafs this season, in what was thought to be another rebuilding year. After starting out with one win in 10 games and two in 14 games, they have started to show signs of improvement. Mike Babcock has done a wonderful job with a shallow roster. The fact they are much better defensively than they have been has been huge.

A lot of the talk has been about how well James Reimer has played, and rightly so, but Jonathan Bernier has played better as of late too. He started the season 0-8-3 but has gone 4-2-0 since and went on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins and made 39 saves in a 3-2 shootout win.

HONORABLE MENTION

Keep an eye on Connor Hellebuyck and what he is doing with the Winnipeg Jets. Another good U.S. goalie, this guy looks amazing to me so far. I think he is their No. 1 goalie right now. We talked to him earlier in the week on NHL Live and he was very mature, very composed. And people in Winnipeg feel the same way about him.

Hellebuyck is 7-4-0 in 11 starts this season with a 2.11 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. He has started nine of the past 11 games, and has helped the Jets climb back into the Stanley Cup Playoff picture.