Super 16: Bruins remain No. 1, Lightning in top 3 of power rankings

The Tampa Bay Lightning improved by 35 voting points from last week to this week to jump into the top three of the Super 16.

The Lightning are in at No. 3 this week behind the Boston Bruins, again the unanimous No. 1, and the Carolina Hurricanes, who were ranked No. 2 by 12 of the 13 voting staff members.
The Seattle Kraken moved up three spots to No. 9, and the New Jersey Devils (No. 5) and Minnesota Wild (No. 11) each jumped two.
All the movers in the Super 16 on a weekly basis are led by some star power that is backed by a group of unheralded players. It's the unheralded players that get the focus in the Super 16 this week.
As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 13 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like. A point total assigned to each with the team selected first is given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on down the line.
Here is the Super 16 for this week, with a select member of the voting panel offering his or her thought on the unsung player for each ranked team.

1. Boston Bruins (35-5-4)

Total points: 208
Last week: No. 1
"When you have 35 wins in 44 games, it's likely that everyone is contributing. The Bruins have nine players who haven't missed a game this season, including center Pavel Zacha, who has done a little bit of everything. He has 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists), on pace to break his NHL career high of 36 set last season with the Devils. He's averaged more than a minute of ice time per game on the power play and penalty kill and has taken only four minor penalties playing big minutes for the Bruins (15:47 average ice time). Zacha was rewarded with a four-year, $19 million contract Saturday and has been an unsung player with Boston this season." -- David Satriano, staff writer

2. Carolina Hurricanes (27-9-8)

Total points: 193
Last week: No. 2
"We all know the big names on the Hurricanes, from defensemen Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin to forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, but my unsung hero on the best team in the NHL (non-Bruins division) is Jordan Martinook. The forward started the season on waivers but has emerged as a consistent contributor. He plays 15:27 per game, is tied for fifth on Carolina with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 44 games and three points from tying his NHL career high of 25 set in 2016-17 and 2018-19." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (28-13-1)

Total points: 164
Last week: No. 6
"Not many would have considered forward Brandon Hagel as the fill-in for the departed Ondrej Palat (in free agency to the Devils on July 14). He's gotten it done without much fanfare. The 24-year-old, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 18, 2022, is having his finest NHL season after primarily playing a checking role upon his arrival last season for the Lightning, who I have No. 3 this week. He's with center Brayden Point and right wing Nikita Kucherov and has become one of coach Jon Cooper's hardest-working offensive weapons. Hagel is top-five in goals and points on Tampa Bay and dedicated to playing a 200-foot game and a key role on the penalty kill. He already has more blocked shots (33) in 42 games than he did in 55 with Chicago last season (25) and ranks first in the NHL among all forwards with 54 takeaways." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (27-11-7)

Total points: 158
Last week: No. 3
"Michael Bunting often is overshadowed by the Maple Leafs' big names such as forwards Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander, and defenseman Morgan Rielly. After being a finalist for the Calder Trophy given to the NHL rookie of the year last season, the 27-year-old forward has flown under the radar while having a solid second season with Toronto. Bunting is fifth on the Maple Leafs with 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 45 games despite playing limited minutes on the power play (2:02 per game). He can fit in seamlessly on the top line with Matthews and Nylander or play down the lineup if needed and still contribute. He's sound defensively at plus-18, which is tied with Matthews for second on the Maple Leafs behind defenseman Timothy Liljegren (plus-19)." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

5. New Jersey Devils (29-12-3)

Total points: 157
Last week: No. 7
"Ryan Graves fits the mold of unsung hero. The defenseman doesn't get a lot of accolades, but he's a consistent and positive presence on a team that has been near the top of the NHL standings all season. Graves has been on the ice for 46 even-strength goals for and 17 against, a team-best plus-29. He averages 2:03 of shorthanded ice time per game and is minus-3 on the penalty kill (two goals for, five goals against). He leads Devils regulars in blocked shots per 60 minutes (5.81). Graves doesn't get any power-play ice time, but he is still second among New Jersey defensemen with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) and 65 shots on goal." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

6. Dallas Stars (26-13-7)

Total points: 151
Last week: No. 4
"At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Esa Lindell usually stands out in a crowd. But on a team with a Hart Trophy candidate (forward Jason Robertson), a Vezina Trophy candidate (goalie Jake Oettinger), a Norris Trophy candidate (defenseman Miro Heiskanen), and forwards Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, Lindell easily can be overlooked. But without Lindell's contributions, it's unlikely the Stars are having the same level of success this season. The defenseman averages an NHL-high 4:03 in shorthanded ice time per game (minimum 20 games) and leads the Stars with 84 blocked shots. He's also been on the ice for 43 even-strength goals, tied with Heiskanen for the most among Dallas defensemen. Though Lindell might not jump off the score sheet or be the first name checked in voting for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game, he is a vital, unsung hero for the Stars." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

7. Winnipeg Jets (29-15-1)

Total points: 121
Last week: No. 8
Cole Perfetti is a rookie in the NHL, but Winnipeg's unsung hero hasn't played like one. The 21-year-old is third in rookie scoring with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists), trailing Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers by 10 and Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish by one. But it's his responsibility in the defensive zone that has pleasantly raised eyebrows. He's tied with defenseman Josh Morrissey with a team-best plus-10. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

8. Vegas Golden Knights (28-15-2)

Total points: 106
Last week: No. 5
"Can a team's leading scorer also be its unsung hero? Look no further because Chandler Stephenson is exactly that guy for the Golden Knights. For the five years Stephenson played for the Washington Capitals he neither dug himself out of the fourth-line role nor had more than 18 points. After Stephenson was traded to Vegas on Dec. 3, 2019 for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, he quickly proved that all he needed to shine was the change of environment and a bit of trust. On a well-balanced team featuring forwards Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault, and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore, the 28-year-old forward has never been perceived as a star player but has contributed like one. Stephenson leads the Golden Knights with 29 assists and 40 points in his well-deserved role of top-line center and is one of five Vegas players to have played every game." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

9. Seattle Kraken (26-14-4)

Total points: 101
Last week: No. 12
"There are a few unsung heroes in Seattle, but I see Adam Larsson as the leading one. The 30-year-old defenseman leads the Kraken at plus-29, which is tied for third in the NHL with Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Larsson is 18th at the position in average ice time per game at 24:06. He's elevated his game lately (11 points, plus-21 in his past 15 games) and is at 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) for the fourth time in his NHL career." -- Robert Laflamme, LNH.com senior writer

10. New York Rangers (25-13-7)

Total points: 93
Last week: No. 10
"He doesn't receive the amount of fanfare when compared to Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, but Ryan Lindgren is once again providing a steady presence on the Rangers blue line. He is averaging nearly 19 minutes per game (18:50), is a major contributor on the penalty kill and is among their leaders in plus/minus (plus-16). Lindgren is still looking for his first goal of the season, but his importance is impossible to ignore." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

11. Minnesota Wild (25-14-4)

Total points: 79
Last week: No. 13
"Nobody expected Calen Addison to be the Wild's second-highest scoring defenseman and tied for fifth among all skaters, yet that is where the 22-year-old sits with 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) in 41 games. Not bad for a player who had 18 games of NHL experience in his first two seasons. Addison has been particularly potent on the power play, where he has 16 assists and trails only forwards Kirill Kaprizov (21 points) and Mats Zuccarello (17 points) for points with the man-advantage." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

12. Los Angeles Kings (25-15-6)

Total points: 69
Last week: No. 9
"The Kings have been able to count on several players, but their unsung hero is center Phillip Danault, and he's found new life since signing a six-year contract July 28, 2021. He has 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists), third on the Kings behind forwards Kevin Fiala (47 points) and Anze Kopitar (35). He has helped them in the face-off circle, winning 54.1 percent of his draws. Danault was primarily known as a defensive forward with the Montreal Canadiens, and that part of his game is still strong. Now he's getting the production." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

13. Washington Capitals (24-17-6)

Total points: 56
Last week: No. 11
"Nic Dowd averages more shorthanded ice time per game (2:13) than any other forward on the Capitals, who have a top-10 penalty-killing unit (81.1 percent). But he averages only 12:53 per game overall, 10th among forwards who have played at least five games, and yet he's scored 10 goals, fourth behind Alex Ovechkin (30), Conor Sheary (11) and Marcus Johansson (11). All of his goals have come at even strength, putting him second in that category behind Ovechkin's 21." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

14. Colorado Avalanche (23-17-3)

Total points: 31
Last week: No. 15
"Evan Rodrigues has picked up in Colorado where he left off with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The forward had 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) with 92 shots on goal in 31 games while averaging 19:22 of ice time entering Wednesday. He was fifth among Avalanche forwards in points and tied for second in power-play goals (five). The 29-year-old gave similar value to the Penguins last season, when he played all 82 games and had NHL-bests across the board with 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points. Rodrigues was surrounded by superstars in Pittsburgh, just like he is in Colorado, and yet he's shining on his own." -- Rosen

15. Edmonton Oilers (25-18-3)

Total points: 30
Last week: Unranked
"We all know the Oilers are a top-heavy team with forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way, but stability matters and consistency from the back end is essential to being a Stanley Cup Playoff team. There are probably a dozen players on the Oilers that anyone would think of before they got to Cody Ceci, but he's been one of their steadiest players all season, consistently reliable in the defensive end and on the penalty kill. Ceci plays more than 20 minutes per game (20:29) and he's typically starting his shifts in the defensive zone or neutral zone. He doesn't score much, but he doesn't give up much, and the Oilers give up less when he's out there."-- Rosen

16. Pittsburgh Penguins (22-15-7)

Total points: 29
Last week: No. 14
"Jason Zucker has played 40 of the Penguins' 44 games this season, one short of how many he played all of last season. The difference with the forward in the lineup is noticeable. With Zucker, the Penguins have a top-six group they can rely on, filtering Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel, Rickard Rakell and Zucker around centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Zucker entered Wednesday fifth on Pittsburgh with 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 39 games. He had 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 41 games last season and 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 38 games in 2020-21. Without Zucker, the Penguins would be searching for a fit on the wing in their top six. With him, they can focus their attention instead to issues in the bottom six, which are more easily solved in-season than top-six scoring. For what it's worth, Zucker was also the Penguins' leader in hits with 115." -- Rosen
Others receiving points:Calgary Flames 16, Buffalo Sabres 6
Dropped out:Sabres (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Colorado Avalanche; 16. Buffalo Sabres
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Seattle Kraken; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Calgary Flames
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Calgary Flames
TOM GULITTI
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Colorado Avalanche
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Seattle Kraken; 13. Buffalo Sabres; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Los Angeles Kings
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Colorado Avalanche; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Edmonton Oilers
TRACEY MYERS
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Seattle Kraken; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. New York Rangers; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Buffalo Sabres
DAN ROSEN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Seattle Kraken; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Colorado Avalanche; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Calgary Flames
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Colorado Avalanche
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Colorado Avalanche
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. New York Rangers; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Seattle Kraken; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Edmonton Oilers
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