Top indispensable player among teams in Super 16 power rankings

To be an indispensable player is to be so necessary that your team can't win, or at the very least can't win consistently enough to be a championship contender, without you.

The best teams in the NHL, i.e. the 16 teams ranked in the Super 16 power rankings, the same 16 as last week with minor tweaks in order, typically have a handful of players who fit the description of indispensable.

Who is the most indispensable on each team?

That's the challenge presented this week to the voters who contribute each week to determine the Super 16.

Each was assigned at least one team and asked to choose, in their opinion, who is the most indispensable player on that team and why. Some of the answers might surprise you.

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

Here is the second preseason edition of the Super 16, in order of ranking and including the record of each team from last season, total points earned through the voting this week, where they were ranked last week, and the most indispensable player on each team according to the member of the NHL.com editorial staff assigned to that team this week.

1. Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7)

Total points: 230

Last week: No. 1

"Jordan Staal won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, leading the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup last season. He's 38 years old, a veteran of 1,403 NHL regular season games and 181 playoff games, and he is still the heart and soul leader and do-it-all center for the Hurricanes. They would not have won the Stanley Cup without his contributions in the playoffs last season, including his team-high six goals in the Stanley Cup Final. But it goes beyond that for Staal. It goes to his ability to win nearly every key face-off, including in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill. It goes to his skill, still at his age, to shut down the opposition's best line. It goes to his leadership. In Carolina, he is an extension of coach Rod Brind'Amour and the most well-respected player in the dressing room. I could have gone with defenseman Jaccob Slavin as Carolina's most indispensable player and no one would have been able to argue against it, but Staal, for what he did in the playoffs last season and what he still is to the Hurricanes, is the player the defending champs can't live without. The void will be massive when he's gone." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

2. Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11)

Total points: 225

Last week: No. 2

"There are a few indispensable players on the Avalanche who helped them win the Presidents' Trophy in dominant fashion last season, but the list starts with forward Nathan MacKinnon. What, Cale Makar, you say? Good answer, but Devon Toews at least fills some of the hole left by the absence of Makar on the blue line. No other Avalanche player, nor anyone in the League, can bring the package of things MacKinnon brings to the 'Avs' night in and night out. The statistics, as gaudy as they have been, aren't the point here. MacKinnon is the tone-setter with his skill and drive. He puts fear into opposing players and goaltenders." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

3. Dallas Stars (50-20-12)

Total points: 187

Last week: No. 3

"It's hard to pick an indispensable player from a roster as strong as the Stars but here goes: Wyatt Johnston. The forward had career highs in goals (45), points (86) and assists (41) last season. He led the NHL with 27 power-play goals and was tied for fourth in power-play points with 42 in 82 regular-season games. Look at some of the Stars' biggest goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past few seasons, and chances are Johnston has scored them. He's clutch, cool, calm and collected. Johnston is only 23 years old, but he has played like a veteran since he came into the League. Just a complete player for the Stars." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

4. Florida Panthers (40-38-4)

Total points: 181

Last week: No. 4

"When it comes to indispensable players for the Panthers, look no further than center Aleksander Barkov. No one else influences every area of their game so completely. The captain is an elite scorer, playmaker and face-off presence, but his greatest value is his ability to neutralize top opponents while still driving offense. A three-time Selke Trophy winner (2021, 2024, 2025) as the League's best defensive forward, Barkov can anchor both special teams units, protect leads and control difficult matchups. Don't forget, the 31-year-old missed last season due to a knee injury and Florida failed to qualify for the playoffs following two straight Stanley Cup championships." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

5. Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10)

Total points: 176

Last week: No. 6

"Nick Suzuki remains the heart and soul of the Canadiens. Suzuki reached the 100-point mark (101) for the first time while also winning the Selke Trophy last season. He can do it all for Montreal. He is the trusted partner of Cole Caufield, who scored 51 goals last season, but also the center frequently tasked with shutting down the opposition's top line. The Canadiens have never had to deal with their captain's absence; since entering the NHL in 2019–20, Suzuki has played in every one of his team's games (537 consecutive games)." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, LNH.com senior writer

6. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17)

Total points: 163

Last week: No. 5

"Mitch Marner does everything for Vegas -- center, wing, power play, penalty kill. He played more minutes than any other Golden Knights player last season (1,616:34) while putting up essentially a point per game with 80 points (24 goals, 56 assists) in 81 games. Not only does he produce, but he helps make his teammates better. Marner led the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 22 games -- seven points more than anyone else -- and he was a big reason Brett Howden led the postseason with 14 goals. Marner and Howden are expected to continue their chemistry this season on a line with center William Karlsson. Take Marner out of the lineup, and there would be a huge hole in all situations." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

7. Minnesota Wild (46-24-12)

Total points: 148

Last week: No. 8

"For me, it's Joel Eriksson Ek on a Wild team that last season had two 40-goal scorers (Kirill Kaprizov, 45; Matt Boldy, 42) and a perennial Norris Trophy contender for the League's best defenseman in Quinn Hughes The 29-year-old forward wins face-offs (681, first on the Wild last season), puts in minutes (19:05, third among Minnesota forwards) and was plus-16. He averaged 23:44 and was plus-7 in the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars while scoring five points (three goals, two assists) until missing the remainder of the playoffs with a broken heel bone sustained in the series-clinching 5-2 victory in Game 6. The Wild's fortunes were conspicuous by his absence in their five-game loss to the Avalanche in the Western Conference Second Round. They'll need the two-way player and glue guy he is to complement the skill provided by Kaprizov, Boldy and Hughes for the Wild to get out of the gate quickly." -- Jon Lane, staff writer

8. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6)

Total points: 146

Last week: No. 7

"There's Andrei Vasilevskiy, and well, then there is a steep drop off. That's no offense to Jonas Johansson and Dennis Hildeby, the goalies competing to be Vasilevskiy's backup, but the Lightning are one of the best teams in the regular season and a Stanley Cup contender going into the playoffs every year largely because of Vasilevskiy. Yes, it's because of Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and many others too, but if one of them were to sustain an injury, the Lightning likely would be able to patch things together and stay a contender behind Vasilevskiy. If Vasilevskiy got hurt or became unavailable, the impact of his loss would be immeasurable. Consider this: Tampa Bay has made the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons and in that time Vasilevskiy ranks second in games played (508), first in wins (329), first in save percentage (.917) and goals-against average (2.48) among goalies with at least 200 games played, and second in shutouts (38) among all goalies. He's arguably the most indispensable player in the entire League." -- Rosen

9. Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9)

Total points: 132

Last week: No. 9

"As much as forward Tage Thompson is the offensive spark plug of the Sabres, the heartbeat of the franchise is unquestionably captain Rasmus Dahlin. The No. 1 selection in the 2018 NHL Draft has morphed into one of the top defensemen in the NHL, finishing sixth in the League in scoring among players at his position with 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists) last season. But his value transcends mere statistics. He was the glue that brought the team together en route to Buffalo ending its 15-year playoff drought. Asked down the stretch last spring how the team had become such a unified brotherhood, he replied, 'Drink beers,' which spawned a flurry of T-shirts and hats sporting that phrase to become available for purchase on the Internet. 'You need to be a team off the ice as well as on it,' he said at the time. Spoken like a true leader." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

10. Washington Capitals (43-30-9)

Total points: 94

Last week: No. 10

"Logan Thompson established himself as one of the NHL's top goalies in his first two seasons with the Capitals and he will be pivotal to their hopes of being Stanley Cup contenders this season. With a retooled defense that added Vincent Desharnais and will feature rookie Cole Hutson, but will be without Rasmus Sandin for the start of the season while he recovers from ACL surgery, Washington will rely even more on Thompson. The Capitals will need him to be at least as good as last season when he tied for fourth in the League in wins (31-21-6), was fifth in GAA (2.44), tied for fourth in save percentage (.912) and tied for third in shutouts (four) among goalies who played at least 30 games in an NHL career-high 58 appearances (all starts)." --Tom Gulitti, senior writer

11. Edmonton Oilers (41-30-11)

Total points: 75

Last week: No. 11

"Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been referred to as the 'coach’s favorite' in the Oilers dressing room regardless of who is behind the Edmonton bench. The 33-year-old forward is playing for his 10th Edmonton coach in Mike Babcock and will likely be his go-to player as well because of his versatility. Nugent-Hopkins plays in all situations for Edmonton and has since he was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. Nugent-Hopkins is utilized on the top power-play unit, kills penalties, has developed into an outstanding checking center and provides secondary scoring for the Oilers. He can drive his own line at center or play on the left wing if required. Regardless of whether Edmonton is up a goal or down a goal in the last minute of a game, it’s likely Nugent-Hopkins will be on the ice. His versatility makes him the most indispensable player on the Oilers roster going into the season." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

12. Utah Mammoth (43-33-6)

Total points: 69

Last week: No. 12

"Clayton Keller is the captain of the Mammoth and face of the franchise, and for good reason. He's their all-time leading scorer with 178 points (56 goals, 122 assists) and 64 power-play points in 163 games, and tied for the team lead with five points (one goal, four assists) when they qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time last season. He has missed one game over the past two seasons, and just five games over the past four seasons (including his time with the Arizona Coyotes), which is good news for the Mammoth because they would be far worse off without him." -- David Satriano, staff writer

13. Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12)

Total points: 50

Last week: No. 13

"Dan Vladar went from a questionable signing last summer to the most important reason the Flyers ended their five-season playoff drought last season. The goalie set personal bests across the board, including a 2.42 GAA that was third in the NHL (minimum 20 games) and a .923 even-strength save percentage that was tied for second. With expectations raised after reaching the Eastern Conference Second Round of the postseason, the Flyers won't be able to surprise teams like they did last season, meaning they'll need Vladar to at least match, or be even better, this season." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

14. Anaheim Ducks (43-33-6)

Total points: 49

Last week: No. 14

"When considering the Ducks' most indispensable player, Leo Carlsson is the first player that came to mind, but a deeper look at the roster points to defenseman Jackson LaCombe. The Ducks were forced to make significant changes to their blue line this offseason after losing veterans John Carlson and Radko Gudas (trade), and Jacob Trouba (free agency). LaCombe, who was already logging heavy minutes, may need to take on an even larger workload than the 24:15 per game he averaged last season. Coming off a career year, LaCombe must continue his development into one of the League's top defensemen if the Ducks hope to build on last season's success and their run to the Western Conference Second Round of the playoffs." -- Antonio Graziuso, junior producer

15. Boston Bruins (45-27-10)

Total points: 46

Last week: No. 15

"To me, there are two options for the most indispensable Bruins player. It's either David Pastrnak or it's Jeremy Swayman. You could absolutely make an argument for either player, but I’m going to go with Swayman. It was his turnaround from the worst season of his NHL career to the best season of his NHL career that brought the Bruins from finishing second-to-last in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25 to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, when he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the League's top goaltender. He cleaned up more than his share of defensive lapses for the Bruins and turned a team with a middling offense into one that lasted six games in the playoffs. Pastrnak is the team’s engine, but I'm not sure they go anywhere without Swayman at his best." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

16. San Jose Sharks (39-35-8)

Total points: 32

Last week: No. 16

"Well, this one should keep us up at night. Who could possibly be the most indispensable player on the Sharks? After an exhaustive two-second investigation, the answer is Macklin Celebrini, and everyone else is playing for a very distant second. The 20-year-old erupted for a franchise-record 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) last season, remarkably one more point than San Jose's next two leading scorers combined (Will Smith, 59 points; Alexander Wennberg, 55 points). Celebrini has already become the engine of the Sharks' offense, the player opponents game plan around and the centerpiece of San Jose's future. The Sharks made major upgrades around him this offseason and have legitimate hopes of ending a seven-year playoff drought, but all of it starts with No. 71. Any extended absence would change the complexion of the entire team and severely dent San Jose's chances of taking another meaningful step forward." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

Others receiving points: Pittsburgh Penguins 15, Toronto Maple Leafs 9, New Jersey Devils 8, New York Islanders 3, Ottawa Senators 2

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Utah Mammoth; 10. Buffalo Sabres; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. San Jose Sharks

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Utah Mammoth; 11. Buffalo Sabres; 12. San Jose Sharks; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. New York Islanders

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Florida Panthers; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Ottawa Senators

TOM GULITTI

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Utah Mammoth; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Ottawa Senators

ANTONIO GRAZIUSO

1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Philadelphia Flyers

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Utah Mammoth; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Anaheim Ducks

JON LANE

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Boston Bruins

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. New Jersey Devils

TRACEY MYERS

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Buffalo Sabres; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Edmonton Oilers

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Buffalo Sabres; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. San Jose Sharks

DAN ROSEN

1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Utah Mammoth; 11. Buffalo Sabres; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. San Jose Sharks

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Utah Mammoth

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Buffalo Sabres; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Utah Mammoth; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Buffalo Sabres; 13. San Jose Sharks; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Boston Bruins