Super 16: Wish lists for teams during holiday season

It's the holiday season, a time supposed to be filled with cheer and being festive, a time for wish lists and unwrapping presents.

NHL teams certainly have their own wish lists, so what are some of the favorite things the top teams in the League this season want right now? If they're struggling in a certain area, what might cheer them up?

The Super 16 this week has some suggestions for what the teams ranked this week might have on their wish lists.

As always, to come up with the Super 16, the 15 voters this week first put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

And with that, we have the holiday gift edition of the Super 16:

1. Colorado Avalanche (24-2-7)

Total points: 240
Last week: No. 1

"What do you get a team that seemingly has everything going for them this season? How about a better power play? Colorado is the best team in the NHL despite the fact it entered Thursday with the 27th-ranked power play. It's hard to see how that is possible considering the Avalanche power play has defenseman Cale Makar at the point and features forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog. But even with all that talent, Colorado has only managed to convert on 15.7 percent of its opportunities through 33 games. So far this season, the Avalanche have not needed to rely on their power play, but when the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around, being productive on the man-advantage can make the difference in winning a series. You have to believe eventually the Avalanche will figure things out on the power play and when they do, they’ll be an even more formidable opponent through the rest of the season." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

2. Dallas Stars (22-7-5)

Total points: 224
Last week: No. 2

"This one is easy for me: re-signing Jason Robertson is high on the Stars' holiday gift wish list. The forward is in the final season of his contract that has an average annual value of $7.75 million, and he can become a restricted free agent on July 1. There's no doubt he's been an incredible value for Dallas. The 26-year-old has 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 34 games this season, second to forward Mikko Rantanen (44 points; 14 goals, 30 assists). Robertson hasn't gone longer than two games without a point this season. It'll be tough for the Stars, who have already doled out some big money to several players, but it would certainly be nice for them to re-sign Robertson." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

3. Carolina Hurricanes (22-9-2)

Total points: 203
Last week: No. 3

"The Hurricanes actually got their holiday wish granted Sunday when defenseman Jaccob Slavin returned to the lineup. Perhaps the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, Slavin had been out since the second game of the season before returning. Keeping him healthy is key, so Carolina’s gift would be for Slavin to return to form as soon as possible. The fact that the Hurricanes have reached the top of the Eastern Conference without him should be viewed as a scary proposition for the rest of the League." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

4. Minnesota Wild (20-9-5)

Total points: 201
Last week: No. 7

"The holiday season arrived early for the Wild in the form of the trade for defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. It addressed so many of their needs, including the ability to exit their zone and enter the attacking zone with speed. But Minnesota must get healthy to fully utilize this gift. Most important among the walking wounded is forward Mats Zuccarello, who has been absent with two separate injuries. The veteran impacts so many parts of the Wild’s game with his smarts and skill." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

5. Vegas Golden Knights (16-6-10)

Total points: 176
Last week: No. 6

"The Golden Knights have already faced plenty of adversity, with injuries to No. 1 goalie Adin Hill, captain Mark Stone, and forwards William Karlsson and Pavel Dorofeyev, among others -- and they've handled it reasonably well. What they could really use help with is better fortune in overtimes and shootouts; they've dropped 10 such games, the most in the League, including seven straight from Oct. 11 to Nov. 26. They had begun to right the ship themselves, winning three of four games that went beyond regulation, until they lost a 2-1 shootout to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. But hey, 'tis the season to ask for presents -- even when you're doing just fine." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

6. Anaheim Ducks (20-12-2)

Total points: 156
Last week: No. 5

"High on the wish list for the Ducks is the need for better play on special teams. Anaheim ranks outside the top 20 in the League on the power play and penalty kill, which is particularly odd for a team having success. What's especially head-scratching is the fact the Ducks rank among the top three in goals per game this season yet are 20-for-113 on the power play (17.7 percent). Just three players (Chris Kreider, Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson) have three or more power-play goals." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

7. Washington Capitals (18-11-4)

Total points: 130
Last week: No. 4

"The Capitals' wish list would probably start with getting forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (abdominal and adductor muscle surgery) and Ryan Leonard (shoulder) healthy. Washington was able to get back and even thrive at times without Dubois, who has been sidelined since Oct. 31. But losing Leonard on a hit by Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba on Dec. 5 seems to have deflated Washington, which has missed the 20-year-old rookie's youthful speed and skill. The Capitals have lost four of five (1-2-2) following a six-game winning streak." --Tom Gulitti, senior writer

8. Detroit Red Wings (19-12-3)

Total points: 124
Last week: No. 14

"How about a custom-made souvenir puck holder for Patrick Kane? He’s going to need something to display the pucks from his upcoming milestones. The forward is two goals from 500, nine points from passing Mike Modano for the NHL record for players born in the United States and 27 assists from passing Phil Housley for the League record for players born in the U.S. The puck holder could be painted red, a color in the scheme of all three of his NHL teams: the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. It would have to be made in the USA, of course." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

9. New York Islanders (19-12-3)

Total points: 119
Last week: No. 9

"The Islanders' biggest need this holiday season is to find a replacement for Alexander Romanov, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season because of a shoulder injury he sustained Nov. 18. The hard-hitting defenseman was averaging more than 19 minutes per game, including 2:04 on the penalty kill, which remains on the cusp on being among the top 10 in the NHL. Should the Seattle Kraken's season continue to spiral (1-8-1 in their past 10 games), could Jamie Oleksiak be a fit?" -- Brian Compton, managing editor

10. Tampa Bay Lightning (18-12-3)

Total points: 111
Last week: No. 8

"One of the secondary jerseys worn by the Lightning features the dominant colors of black and blue. Fitting, given the battered and bruised state of this team since the start of the season. Start with captain Victor Hedman, who is scheduled to have elbow surgery and will be out more than a month. Franchise goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has battled a variety of ailments and was activated from IR on Tuesday. Forwards Nick Paul, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli have all missed time too. That's a lot of sidelined talent through the first two and a half months of the season. As a result, it's easy to figure out what gift Tampa Bay would like to receive for the holidays – health." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

11. Philadelphia Flyers (17-9-6)

Total points: 107
Last week: No. 11

"If I could gift the Flyers anything, it would be a more consistent power play. It was 19th in the NHL (19.4 percent) through Nov. 1, but in 21 games since then it's been 30th (13.5 percent). But it's really struggled in the seven games since forward Tyson Foerster, who is second on the team with three power-play goals, sustained an upper-body injury Dec. 1, going 2-for-18 (11.1 percent). That they have points in six of those seven games (3-1-3) without much help from the power play is good, but at some point they'll need the extra help a dependable man-advantage unit can provide. The coaching staff has mixed and matched players hoping to find consistency, but with Foerster likely out for the rest of the season after having arm surgery Monday, they're going to have to keep scouring the stores for a gift that can keep giving on the power play." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

12. Boston Bruins (20-14-0)

Total points: 71
Last week: No. 13

"I think if Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and coach Marco Sturm were making up a holiday wish list, they'd start with continued good health for Charlie McAvoy. The defenseman has experienced an insane 2025, starting with the AC joint separation that turned into a rare staph infection that cost him the rest of the 2024-25 season. This season hasn't been much easier -- on Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens, McAvoy took a puck to his face that resulted in surgery, the loss of 20 pounds and a month of recovery. With Boston contending for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, it would like nothing more than to keep McAvoy on the ice and out of the hospital." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

13. Los Angeles Kings (14-10-9)

Total points: 46
Last week: No. 12

"The Kings' wish list likely includes a scorer and some power-play help. They rank in the bottom five in goals per game and in the bottom three in power-play percentage. Depth scoring is nice, but a 30-40 goal-scorer would be nicer, since they can't bank on winning every game 2-1." -- David Satriano, staff writer

14. Edmonton Oilers (16-12-6)

Total points: 43
Last week: Not ranked

"The Oilers got an early holiday present in the form of a new goalie, ushering in Tristan Jarry and bringing an end to the Stuart Skinner era. Skinner backstopped Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, but general manager Stan Bowman felt a change was needed to try and get over the hump and made a trade with Pittsburgh. Jarry returns to the city where he won the Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014. Now the focus turns to the next item on the wish list -- a reliable bottom-six forward who can chip in offensively. The Oilers are getting most of their offense this season from their first and second lines led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who are both back near the top of the NHL scoring race. But Edmonton is receiving little production from its third and fourth lines and may need to bring someone in to help pick up their end of the couch now and then." -- Van Diest

15. Florida Panthers (18-13-2)

Total points: 29
Last week: Not ranked

"Wouldn't it be the most special of holiday presents if the Panthers can unwrap a freshly rehabbed, energetic and raring to go Matthew Tkachuk on or before they play in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic against the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2 (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE, TVAS)? Tkachuk is skating on his own and getting closer, but he is still technically recovering from surgery he had to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia on Aug. 22. Florida is starting to make some headway, winning six of seven games after Wednesday's 3-2 win against the Kings, but we all know how much Tkachuk means to this team and getting him back would be the gift that keeps on giving the whole year." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

16. Montreal Canadiens (17-12-4)

Total points: 24
Last week: No. 16

"For the holidays, the Canadiens are hoping to receive a rare gift, the formula for stability at the goaltending position. Jacob Fowler, the best goaltending prospect in the organization, was called up from Laval of the American Hockey League last week. He started three of four games, winning his first against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in Pittsburgh. General manager Kent Hughes and president Jeff Gorton have assigned Sam Montembeault to the AHL on a conditioning assignment. Montembeault, who won 31 games last season, should be back with Montreal on Sunday in Pittsburgh." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, LNH.com journalist principal

Dropped out from last week: Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 10), New Jersey Devils (No. 15)

Others receiving points: Penguins 20, Devils 9, San Jose Sharks 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 2

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Montreal Canadiens

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Montreal Canadiens

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Edmonton Oilers

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Florida Panthers

TOM GULITTI

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Anaheim Ducks; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Florida Panthers; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Los Angeles Kings

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Boston Bruins

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New Jersey Devils

TRACEY MYERS

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. San Jose Sharks

BILL PRICE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Los Angeles Kings

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Florida Panthers

DAN ROSEN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. San Jose Sharks

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Los Angeles Kings

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Anaheim Ducks; 7. Philadelphia Flyers; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Montreal Canadiens

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Anaheim Ducks; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Edmonton Oilers

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Anaheim Ducks; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Boston Bruins