2021 Analysis
|
Team |
Average Ranking |
#1 Rankings |
Highest Ranking |
Lowest Ranking |
Standard Deviation |
Commentary |
|
The Favourites |
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| Colorado Avalanche | 3.67 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 2.35 | The President's Trophy winners have the most picks to win the Cup and the top average ranking, so they're pretty clear favourites...they also have the lowest standard deviation and top lowest ranking, so there's quite a bit of consensus that they'll at least win some games... |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 3.75 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 2.53 | The second-best average ranking (not far behind Colorado) and second-most picks to win the Cup are pretty much undeniably a result of a homer bonus, but the Leafs did win the North division, and obviously have a lot to prove... |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 4.50 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 2.96 | Finishing a narrow second overall was only good enough for the third-best average ranking and third-most picks to win the Cup...although perhaps having to go through the first-place overall team just to get out of their division is also a factor... |
|
The
Dark Horses |
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| Carolina Hurricanes | 5.22 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2.55 | The Hurricanes surged late in the season to finish first in the Central division, and come away with the fourth-highest average ranking, although only one entry picked them to win it all... |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 5.81 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3.70 | The defending Cup champions are only picked by two entries to repeat, but they are one of the two consensus underdog picks in the first round... |
| Boston Bruins | 6.47 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 3.83 | With the highest standard deviation this year, the Bruins will have an impact on the pool one way or another... |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 6.67 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.03 | Despite finishing first in the East division, the Penguins end up with only the third-highest average ranking of East division teams, and only one pick to win the Cup... |
|
The
Longshots |
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| Edmonton Oilers | 7.97 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3.19 | The Oilers' recent history seems to have dampened enthusiasm for them in the pool, despite McDavid's awesome year and a strong second-place finish in the North division... |
| Washington Capitals | 8.53 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 3.50 | Despite just winning just three years ago and retaining several of those players, and finishing a strong second in the East, the consensus is that the Caps will not make it past the first round...although two entries did pick them to win the Cup again! |
| Florida Panthers | 9.03 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.44 | The Panthers were first place in the league with just a couple weeks to go, but faded late in the season, and face the rejuvenated defending Cup champions in the first round, which perhaps explains their relatively low average ranking... |
|
The
Faint Hopes |
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| New York Islanders | 10.28 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3.16 | The Islanders are picked by one entry to win the Cup, but it's an outlier, as most entries evidently don't expect them to make it beyond the first round... |
| Minnesota Wild | 12.00 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 2.58 | The Wild face an uphill battle in the first round against the second-overall Golden Knights, but with a relatively low standard deviation, many entries seem to be hedging with them toward the third quartile... |
| Winnipeg Jets | 12.17 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 3.05 | The Jets don't get much of a Canadian bonus, with a strong majority of entries ranking them in the bottom five... |
| St Louis Blues | 13.00 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 3.14 | The Blues are the only team besides the basement-dwelling Predators not be be picked by anyone to make the semifinals... |
| Montreal Canadiens | 13.25 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.48 | Fewer Habs fans were willing to go all-in than Leafs fans, although finishing fourth in the division is surely part of the reason...still, I'm a little surprised they ended up with the second-lowest average ranking... |
| Nashville Predators | 13.69 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 2.56 | The Predators languish in the basement with the lowest average ranking and a low standard deviation, making them a consensus pick not to win many games... |