During the regular season, theScore's NHL Power Rankings will be published every two weeks. This first edition looks ahead to the 2018-19 campaign. It was compiled by editors Josh Gold-Smith, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman.

1. Washington Capitals

The Stanley Cup champions return with the core intact and with largely the same supporting cast - minus their former head coach and backup goaltender. Barry Trotz's departure was stunning, but new bench boss Todd Reirden was a vital part of the championship team and gives Washington some additional continuity in his new role.

Other contenders have undoubtedly improved, but the Capitals get the benefit of the doubt as the top dog until they prove unworthy. -- Gold-Smith

2. Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights lost James Neal and David Perron in free agency after their improbable Cup Final run, but adding Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny bolstered a Vegas club that was already well positioned to make another extended foray into the playoffs. They won't take anyone by surprise this season, but it might not matter. -- Gold-Smith

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Steve Yzerman's exit sent shockwaves throughout the league, but new GM Julien BriseBois was the longtime heir apparent and, like Reirden, brings a similar sense of continuity to the Lightning. Tampa Bay didn't lose anyone else this summer, and this team still has an incredibly deep and balanced roster. -- Gold-Smith

4. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets remain a powerhouse, especially after GM Kevin Cheveldayoff locked up Connor Hellebuyck, Blake Wheeler, and a couple of key defensemen in the offseason. Another trip to the Western Conference Final wouldn't be a shocking development. -- Gold-Smith

5. San Jose Sharks

The addition of Erik Karlsson transformed the Sharks from a likely playoff squad to a team with a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup. Doug Wilson got Logan Couture, Evander Kane, and Tomas Hertl signed to extensions while keeping Joe Thornton in the fold, too. San Jose should challenge Vegas for the division and conference crowns. -- Gold-Smith

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

John Tavares is a Toronto Maple Leaf, and that has fans dreaming of Lord Stanley's mug, but the club still has a lot to prove. Toronto's new loaded power-play unit is a nightmare for opponents, though, and this club appears ready to take the next step. The William Nylander saga hangs overhead, but both the present and future look bright in Toronto. -- Gold-Smith

7. Nashville Predators

Last season's Presidents' Trophy winners had a fine offseason, but they must be disappointed that Eeli Tolvanen will start out in the AHL. More importantly for the Predators, the spotlight is on Pekka Rinne, who's 36 next month and is entering a contract year. Will he be Vezina-worthy again? -- Gold-Smith

8. Boston Bruins

The Bruins still have an explosive top line, a keeper on defense in Charlie McAvoy, and a steady goaltender in Tuukka Rask. But they may be hard-pressed to keep up with the Lightning and the Leafs in the Atlantic Division, especially now that Torey Krug is out for at least three weeks. -- Gold-Smith

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

After finally being vanquished by the Capitals in last spring's playoffs, the Penguins had a pretty lackluster offseason in which a surprising long-term deal for Jack Johnson was their biggest move. Pittsburgh remains stacked up front, but depth might once again be a concern. -- Gold-Smith

10. St. Louis Blues

The Blues had a terrific summer. They landed versatile center Ryan O'Reilly in a trade, brought back David Perron, and added Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak to bolster their forward group. St. Louis is also set on the back end, so as usual, Jake Allen's play will likely determine whether they can hang with the league's truly elite teams. -- Gold-Smith

11. Los Angeles Kings

Even with the news that Dustin Brown will be out indefinitely with a broken finger, the Kings are still one of the league's most complete teams. Keep in mind, this club recorded 98 points despite missing Jeff Carter for most of last year. Plus they added Ilya Kovalchuk this offseason for an extra scoring punch. -- Wegman

12. Minnesota Wild

The Wild are constantly pegged as a team that's good, but not good enough. Well, a 101-point season is pretty good, considering they accomplished that feat in the competitive Central Divison, which contains two of the league's best teams. They may not be anyone's Stanley Cup pick, but they're certainly an above-average squad, and a near lock to make the postseason. -- Wegman

13. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks may be old and slightly banged up already, but they have some of the league's best center depth, a top-four defense core, and a premier goaltender - factors always conducive to success. -- Wegman

14. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers added to their already prolific offense in the offseason by inking James van Riemsdyk to a five-year, $35-million contract. However, even with Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov patrolling the blue line, there are holes on the back end. And, as it has been for the last few decades, the goaltending is a major question mark. -- Wegman

15. Florida Panthers

The Panthers possess one of the league's most lethal top-six forward groups, but can it be enough to carry them to the postseason? The bottom-six is lacking, there are holes on defense, and Roberto Luongo's durability between the pipes is worrisome as he approaches the age of 40. -- Wegman

16. Calgary Flames

The Flames made some big offseason moves, acquiring Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and James Neal, to fill out a deep roster. Like the Panthers, though, the Flames will go as far as an aging, injury-prone netminder can take them, which is never ideal. -- Wegman

17. Dallas Stars

Can Jim Montgomery right the ship in Dallas? He'll be the Stars' sixth head coach since 2008-09. With Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and others, the talent is there, but the results haven't been in the past, with just two playoff berths and one series victory in the last decade. -- Wegman

18. Columbus Blue Jackets

Can the Blue Jackets drown out the background noise of all the Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky rumors? It'll be tough with Seth Jones and Ryan Murray out to begin the season. -- Wegman

19. Colorado Avalanche

The biggest question mark facing the Avalanche this year is scoring depth. Behind the first line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen, who's going to step up? Someone will have to if the Avs are going to return to the playoffs. -- Wegman

20. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers seem to have found Connor McDavid some linemates, as he, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Ty Rattie lit it up this preseason after ending last year on a high note. Cam Talbot, Oscar Klefbom, Milan Lucic, and many others will need bounce-back seasons, but playoff hockey in Edmonton is well within reach. -- Wegman

21. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes underwent numerous changes over the summer and have once again been designated as dark horse playoff candidates. While the moniker hasn't yielded any results in years past, Carolina got better by adding Dougie Hamilton. With decent goaltending, it's not hard to see them competing in the Eastern Conference. -- O'Leary

22. New Jersey Devils

The Devils are out to prove last season wasn't a fluke, but they didn't do much over the offseason to reinforce the roster. That said, the Devils enter the season fully healthy, and do have reigning MVP Taylor Hall leading the way. Let's see if the magic can carry over into a new campaign. -- O'Leary

23. Chicago Blackhawks

It looks like goaltender Corey Crawford is getting closer to full health, and that's a great sign for the Blackhawks, who had their season torpedoed when he went down last year. Still, Chicago needs to be way better in front of him if they want a chance to return to the playoffs. -- O'Leary

24. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have a new starting goalie in Carter Hutton, a new offensive weapon in Jeff Skinner, and added a generational defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin. Perhaps this is the year things finally trend upward in Buffalo. -- O'Leary

25. Arizona Coyotes

Arizona was an afterthought in the playoff picture by November last season thanks to a historically awful start, but created some optimism for the future by finishing surprisingly strong. Can their group of kids carry that over into 2018-19? -- O'Leary

26. New York Islanders

It certainly wasn't a quiet summer on Long Island. No more captain, a new coach, general manager, and plenty of new players are in-house. The Isles' roster certainly doesn't scream playoff threat, but maybe Stanley Cup winner Barry Trotz can find a way to get the most out of his guys. -- O'Leary

27. New York Rangers

Tough times all across New York these days, it seems. After tearing things down last season, the Rangers will begin to try and rebuild this year, emphasizing the development of their youngsters and selling remaining parts for future assets. Poor Henrik Ludnqvist. -- O'Leary

28. Detroit Red Wings

This is Dylan Larkin's team now, and while he's a perfectly good player, those around him don't equate to much. On the bright side, Detroit has 10 total picks for the 2019 draft. -- O'Leary

29. Montreal Canadiens

Early impressions indicate Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a great choice for the Canadiens' future, but as for the present, this is a roster with some major flaws. Hopefully, Carey Price returns to his reliable old self or else Montreal could be falling even farther down our rankings in the future. -- O'Leary

30. Vancouver Canucks

The excitement of mixing Elias Pettersson with Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser is warranted, but it doesn't negate the misguidance of the Canucks spending their summer awarding three bottom-six forwards multi-year contracts. -- O'Leary

31. Ottawa Senators

There's not much left to say about all the Senators have gone through over the past 12 months, but the countdown for decisions on pending unrestricted free agents Mark Stone and Matt Duchene is officially on. -- O'Leary

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The Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending depth just took a hit.

Veteran Curtis McElhinney was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, while fellow netminder Calvin Pickard was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

These moves come in the wake of Toronto's decision to keep 2017-18 AHL goaltender of the year Garret Sparks as the team's backup behind Frederik Andersen this season.

McElhinney, 35, is coming off the best season of his career, posting a .934 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average in 18 games with the Leafs a year ago. He'll likely split duties with Petr Mrazek in the Hurricanes' crease while Scott Darling recovers from a lower-body injury.

Pickard, 26, spent the bulk of the 2017-18 campaign with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, registering a .918 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average in 33 games. The former Colorado Avalanche netminder will likely serve as Brian Elliott's backup in Philadelphia until Michal Neuvirth regains full health.

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Any team can beat any opponent on any given night because of the parity in today's NHL. The league is wide open, but sometimes a tough schedule can trip up a squad.

Lengthy road trips are one of the main disadvantages for a team over the course of a season. Coaches don't have as much control over matchups while trying to manage player fatigue, and multiple long flights across the continent take a toll.

With the season upon us, here are three of the most difficult stretches teams will face away from home in 2018-19.

Washington Captials: Feb. 12th-21st

Opponents: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Ducks, Kings, Maple Leafs, Sabres
Back-to-Backs: 1

The reigning Stanley Cup champs should win a healthy amount of games again this season, but the Capitals will be in tough during a grueling five-game stretch in mid-February.

The 10-day period kicks off in Columbus one night after Washington hosts the Kings, with the Caps traveling west for the always daunting California gauntlet. After taking on the Sharks, the Capitals play the Ducks and Kings on back-to-back nights, then head east to face the loaded Maple Leafs and a Sabres team that could surprise this season.

Vancouver Canucks: Oct. 6th-18th

Opponents: Flames, Hurricanes, Lightning, Panthers, Penguins, Jets
Back-to-Backs: 0

No one's expecting much from the rebuilding Canucks in 2018-19, and a demanding six-game road trip during the first month of the season could derail things early on. Vancouver doesn't have to deal with a back-to-back over that stretch, but the team will take on six top-tier opponents.

After dueling the Flames, the Canucks have a long flight to the east coast, where the Hurricanes will be waiting on a full day of rest. The star-studded Lightning and up-and-coming Panthers each present significant tests before mismatches against the Penguins and Jets, two Stanley Cup contenders.

Boston Bruins: Feb 15th-23rd

Opponents: Ducks, Kings, Sharks, Golden Knights, Blues
Back-to-Backs: 1

The Bruins have the talent to match up well against any opponent, but stiff competition comes their way in five consecutive late-February road games.

Four of those five opponents qualified for the playoffs in 2017-18, and the Blues, a team that only missed the postseason by a single point, added several significant pieces over the offseason. Boston will take on the Ducks and Kings on consecutive nights to start off this daunting road trip, then play three games in six nights against three of the Western Conference's top teams.

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Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Scott Darling will miss two weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Rod Brind'Amour said, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

Darling suffered the injury during Sunday's preseason meeting with the Nashville Predators. After the game, Brind'Amour mentioned it was a hamstring ailment.

The towering 6-foot-6 netminder signed a four-year, $16.6-million contract with the Hurricanes last offseason after he was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks. He struggled in his first year in Raleigh, going 13-21-7 with an .888 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average.

Backup goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was signed to a one-year deal as a free agent this summer, will likely split starting duties with the recently acquired Curtis McElhinney until Darling returns.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Jacob de la Rose suffered a cardiac episode and will not make the trip to Toronto for the team's season opener against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, the club announced Tuesday.

The incident occurred during Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators, according to TSN's John Lu. Team doctors didn't clear de la Rose to travel so he will remain in Montreal for further evaluation.

The 23-year-old Swede tallied 12 points in 55 games with the Habs a year ago. He inked a two-year, $1.8-million contract with the club this past summer.

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Leading up to the start of the 2018-19 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by four of our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every weekday until the top 10 is unveiled on Oct. 3.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

20. Brent Burns, Sharks

Since 2015-16, Burns has the 19th-most points in the NHL, ahead of premier forwards such as Mark Scheifele, Vladimir Tarasenko, Taylor Hall, and Nathan MacKinnon. In that span, only Alex Ovechkin has more shots. Giveaways are his Achilles heel, but when a rugged, 6-foot-5 blue-liner is annually posting forward-like numbers, the turnovers are tolerable. -- Wegman

19. Steven Stamkos, Lightning

After being limited to just 17 games in 2017, Stamkos returned to his elite self in 2018. He tallied 86 points, forming one of the top duos playing alongside Nikita Kucherov. Now healthy, his shot from the half wall is as good as ever and his speed remains a killer. -- Hagerman

18. Tyler Seguin, Stars

Since joining the Stars in 2013-14, Seguin has recorded 384 points in 387 games, while his 173 goals over that span trail only Alex Ovechkin. His production gets somewhat overlooked, but there's no denying that the 26-year-old is one of the best centers in the league and is worth every penny of the $78.8-million extension he signed in September. -- O'Leary

17. Brad Marchand, Bruins

When he's not licking or elbowing opponents, Marchand is one of the NHL's best left-wingers. The talented pest trailed only Connor McDavid, MacKinnon, and Evgeni Malkin among qualified players in points per game last season, pouring in 85 over 68 contests. He plays on the edge at times, but there's no denying his offensive skills. -- Gold-Smith

16. Mark Scheifele, Jets

Scheifele has been a point-per-game player over the past two seasons and showed he has the ability to elevate his game when it matters most by burying 14 goals in 17 playoff contests over the spring. The 25-year-old has entered his prime as a player, and he's cemented his name as one of the league's best players. -- O'Leary

15. John Tavares, Maple Leafs

Tavares is already firing on all cylinders with his new team, and he has Toronto Maple Leafs fans salivating thinking about what he'll accomplish when the games count. The superstar forward averaged 34 goals and 76 points over his final four seasons with the New York Islanders, and he could top that playing on a loaded Leafs power-play unit. -- Gold-Smith

14. Patrick Kane, Blackhawks

His numbers might have dropped last season, but there is no getting around the fact that few NHLers possess the skill set of Kane. He can stick handle in a phone booth, appears at times to have eyes in the back of his head, and has a wicked release to boot. He's still a wizard with the puck. -- Hagerman

13. Drew Doughty, Kings

Doughty's natural offensive abilities are well documented, but what he has that some of the league's other top defensemen lack is a mean streak. He'll hack, whack, dish out physical punishment, and play with a chip on his shoulder. This drives opponents up a wall and makes him very unpleasant to play against. -- Wegman

12. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins

There isn't a thing Bergeron can't do. He centers what is arguably the best line in the NHL, alongside Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, he's a wizard in the faceoff dot, and last season put up 63 points in 64 games, good enough for the best points-per-game mark of his career. He's everything you could want in a centerman. -- Hagerman

11. Victor Hedman, Lightning

Hedman's mobility, high-end skill, and instincts are just simply unfair when you remember he's 6-foot-6, 223 lbs. He has the ability to take control of a game the same way some of the best blue-liners of all time have. Despite Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Andrei Vasilevskiy's importance, Hedman is the Lightning's most valuable player. -- Wegman

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Guy Boucher isn't focusing on his contract situation entering the 2018-19 season.

The Ottawa Senators' bench boss will be on the final year of the three-year contract he inked in 2016. But he isn't concerned about his uncertain future.

"I've had that before and I won a championship," Boucher told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "Ask Barry Trotz how he liked his year (in Washington)? I don't do things in life for money, I never have. I don't do things for contracts. I do things because I like being there and I want to do them.

"I put my name at the bottom of that contract for three years and that's what I plan to do and to do it well, and that's exactly what's happening."

In two seasons with the Senators, Boucher has posted a 72-71-21 record, but with wildly different outcomes. In 2016-17, he led the Senators to within one goal of the Stanley Cup Final, only to follow up with a 30th-place finish last season.

After a disastrous 2017-18 season, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion put Boucher through a review period and stressed that, in order to return behind the bench, he must play more young players and hold more practices. That meeting seemingly went well, as Boucher remains in Ottawa.

Boucher is the Senators' seventh coach since 2007.

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One surprise deserves another.

After the Arizona Coyotes made an off-the-board pick in this summer's draft by selecting Barrett Hayton fifth overall, the young center will begin the upcoming season in the NHL.

"Everything we thought and expected (about Hayton) has come true," Coyotes general manager John Chayka told theScore's John Matisz. "He's one of those guys who you think will keep getting better and better every single day. He does a lot of good things, makes his teammates better, and came into camp and did a nice job. He's going to start off on our opening day roster and we're just going to take it day by day here."

Many pundits projected the Desert Dogs selecting a prospect like Filip Zadina or Quinn Hughes during the 2018 draft. However, the franchise felt Hayton checked many of its boxes, as Chayka told The Athletic's Craig Morgan following the selection.

"He's a premium person, (a) premium player, playing a premium position," Chayka said. "He's a foundational piece for us. We think he's a complete 200-foot center."

Hayton was held scoreless in two preseason appearances. He could see some regular-season ice time with fellow centers Christian Dvorak and Alex Galchenyuk both sidelined to start the season.

Arizona could choose to give the 18-year-old a nine-game trial before sending him to the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. A longer stint, however, would burn the first year of his entry-level contract.

Hayton recorded 60 points in 63 games with the Greyhounds in 2017-18.

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