Earlier this week, The Hockey News’ Dominik Luszczyszyn published the results of a survey of 200 people to see where all 30 NHL front offices stand on a “confident index,” and it’s a highly entertaining read.
Sure, there aren’t a ton of surprises, as most people would likely agree with the positions of many franchises after a wave of big off-season moves.
Still, it’s interesting to see where your own views and the views of others link up.
Maybe the least surprising thing: the Vancouver Canucks and GM Jim Benning seem pretty miserable as of the summer of 2016.
The results are in.
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 12, 2016
NHL Front Office Confidence Rankings (as voted by you!): https://t.co/TbWyrTX530 pic.twitter.com/XWaiUfXGPG
Yikes.
Here are the bottom five:
30. Canucks - 2.91
29. Canadiens - 3.68
28. Bruins - 3.69
27. Oilers - 3.90
26. Rangers - 4.15
Seems a little harsh for the Rangers, even if it’s reasonable to criticize their direction. Is this regular playoff contender really doing worse than the teams that immediately follow them in Columbus (4.31) and Colorado (4.37)?
That’s the fun thing about lists like these, though.
The Tampa Bay Lightning clocked in at No. 1, although apparently GM Steve Yzerman still believes he has work to do.
So we showed him this story & he quipped, "I guess I need to work on my trades." Classic #GoBolts #InYzermanWeTrust
— Eric Blankenship (@eblankenship) July 13, 2016
While the Rangers are interestingly low, the Panthers’ polarizing off-season seems more like a smash-hit on this list; they’re ranked No. 2 behind the Lightning, besting the Penguins (who come in at fourth after winning the Stanley Cup).
There are some remarkable steps up and down in perception on this list, particularly when you consider things like the changing viewpoints on the league’s three California teams.
Note: Some take issue with the sample size of the survey, as you can see from the Vancouver Province’s own poll.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s a fun read as long as you take everything with a grain of salt.
87 days until hockey is back!!! #NHLonNBC pic.twitter.com/6Z7j4aqYbC
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) July 17, 2016
Perhaps perceptions will shift even more in three months?