While the goal of every NHL general manager is to put together a roster that wins the Stanley Cup, the reality is that teams are on different timelines when it comes to their championship contention.
So which teams are in the best shape for the next three seasons? That's where the Future Power Rankings come in.
These rankings consider how teams are set up for success this season as well as the next three seasons. We had a panel of writers and editors rate each team in four categories -- roster (with an emphasis on players 26 and under); prospects; cap situation and contracts; and front office, ownership and coaching -- using this scale:
100: A+ (elite)
90: A (great)
80: B (very good)
70: C (average)
60: D (very bad)
50: F (disastrous)
After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the four categories was weighted to create the overall score: roster (35%), prospects (25%), cap/contracts (20%) and owner/GM/coach (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future, plus insights on every team from Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Rachel Doerrie.