Islanders: Why the NHL Super 16 List Does Not Mean Anything

The New York Islanders got ranked ninth overall in the NHL Super Sixteen Rankings. Here’s why you should not get worried about the ranking.

Yesterday the talk of the town on our website was whether the New York Islanders ranking at number nine on the NHL.com Super 16: Top teams through start of free agency was a fair placement for the Isles or that the Islanders were disrespected by this ranking.

Both articles made compelling arguments as to why they felt the Islanders were treated fairly or disrespected by their spot on the list. To add to this debate, here is a third view on the subject matter. This view takes the route of saying at the end of the day these rankings do not mean anything.

Last take a look at the same rankings, but from last years offseason. It was no surprise that the Tampa Bay Lightning were at number one. They were one team that was a favorite to win the cup in the upcoming season and did exactly that.

As we go down the July 2019 list, our good friends the Toronto Maple Leafs were ranked fifth overall. What did this high ranking get them? The answer to this question is, Absolutely nothing! They may have had a great offseason on paper, but it definitely did not show on the ice. They did not even make it out of the qualifying round of the postseason.

Coming in at the bottom of the 2019 list at number 16 overall was the Islanders. The article said the Islanders miss was:

"They chose Varlamov instead of Robin Lehner. Center Valtteri Filppula left to sign with the Detroit Red Wings."

Looking back Semyon Varlamov played really well last year for the Islanders and Robin Lehner had a tough time playing with the struggling Blackhawks. Lehner then got traded to Vegas and he played absolutely outstanding for the Golden Knights. Both the Islanders and Vegas benefited from having each goalie and I would not say letting Lehner go and bringing in Varlamov was entirely a “miss.”

Letting Valtteri Filppula walk was definitely not a miss by the Islanders. Filppula got a huge pay day in Detroit on a two-year six million dollar contract. Not for one second did the Islanders miss Filppula last year and it saved the Islanders a huge chunk of change by not re-signing the at the time 35 year old.

A trip to the eastern conference finals is not so bad for the 16th ranked team in last July’s ranking.

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Just shown by the same rankings from years prior, where a team falls does not get you any extra points and this is just a mere prediction based on free agency signings and trades. There is no reason to get all of your hopes up or be upset by the NHL Super 16. Once the next season starts, only time will tell which teams have had the best offseason.