This is the first edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for 2019-20. Check back for updated rankings every second Monday during the regular season.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last year's infamous first-round sweep was a massive disappointment, but the Lightning remain as deep and dangerous as they were during a historically dominant 2018-19 regular season. Tampa Bay still boasts the NHL's most potent roster, and thus begins the season as the prohibitive Stanley Cup favorite.

2. Boston Bruins

The Bruins came within one win of the Stanley Cup in June and return for 2019-20 with the core intact. After extending blue-liners Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, the reigning Eastern Conference champions are well-positioned for another deep run.

3. St. Louis Blues

Though few expect the Blues to repeat, the defending champs also enter the new campaign with virtually the same core that won a title this past spring. The acquisition of Justin Faulk raises some questions, but it does give the team even more defensive depth. St. Louis remains a well-rounded club with strength in all three positional groups.

4. San Jose Sharks

San Jose lost some firepower over the summer but still has plenty of it. With Erik Karlsson now signed for the long haul and Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc both inked at reasonable rates, the Sharks are once again poised to be one of the NHL's top clubs.

5. Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights will be as motivated as any team in 2019-20 after last season's controversial first-round exit. Trading away cap casualties Nikita Gusev and Colin Miller might sting, but Vegas still boasts a dangerous top six, a solid top four on the blue line, and the ever-dependable Marc-Andre Fleury in the crease.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

With Mitch Marner's contract situation resolved, the Maple Leafs again enter the season with one of the league's most talented stables of forwards. Will the defense-bolstering addition of Tyson Barrie and continued development of the young core be enough to get them over the first-round hump this spring?

7. Calgary Flames

The Flames got their own high-profile restricted free agent, Matthew Tkachuk, signed to a new deal last week, but a few questions loom large: Can David Rittich shoulder a starter's workload in net? Can Mark Giordano avoid a big regression? Will Milan Lucic make a positive impact following the worst season of his NHL career?

8. Nashville Predators

Matt Duchene should help improve the league's worst powerplay of 2018-19. P.K. Subban is gone, but Predators general manager David Poile felt comfortable making that trade partly because of what he's seen from Dante Fabbro. Nashville's vaunted blue line likely won't be significantly worse this season.

9. Colorado Avalanche

An utterly fearsome top line, a potential Calder Trophy candidate in Cale Makar, and some new depth up front have the Avalanche poised to take a big step forward in 2019-20. Philipp Grubauer is going to exceed last season's career-high 37 appearances; if he can provide stability over the course of a full schedule, Colorado should be one of the NHL's most dangerous teams.

10. Carolina Hurricanes

There's been some turnover for the Hurricanes following their run to the Eastern Conference Final. The team will still ice one of the NHL's deepest defensive groups, however, as well as a trio of promising young forwards. "Storm Surge" or not, Carolina will be a tough out once again.

11. Washington Capitals

A first-round playoff exit followed by a fairly uneventful offseason in D.C. has cast some doubt on the Capitals' chances of returning to their 2017-2018 championship form. They'll be more intimidating, with Radko Gudas joining a team that already features Tom Wilson, but will that ultimately matter?

12. Dallas Stars

The Stars could be legitimate contenders in 2019-20. If Jamie Benn can get back on track and Miro Heiskanen takes another step forward in his development, Dallas should improve on last season's wild-card finish and make some noise come playoff time.

13. Florida Panthers

What a difference an offseason makes. Sure, the Panthers didn't get Artemi Panarin, but Sergei Bobrovsky and new head coach Joel Quenneville should turn Florida into a quasi-contender before long, especially considering the talent already on the roster.

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

Changes were clearly coming for the Penguins after they were swept out of the first round in the spring, but general manager Jim Rutherford raised eyebrows when he traded Phil Kessel for Alex Galchenyuk and signed Brandon Tanev to a six-year deal. The Penguins' window isn't closed yet, but it's starting to slide shut.

15. New Jersey Devils

The Devils already possessed a solid collection of talent before putting together an incredible offseason. Adding P.K. Subban, Jack Hughes, and Nikita Gusev to a group that includes Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, and Kyle Palmieri all but ensures this New Jersey squad will be much better than the one that finished with the NHL's third-worst record in 2018-19.

16. Winnipeg Jets

Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor are back in the fold, but Dustin Byfuglien's future is still up in the air and the Jets' defense is depleted regardless of whether the hulking blue-liner returns. Winnipeg has the talent to remain competitive, but this team will be in tough keeping pace in the ultra-tight Central Division.

17. Montreal Canadiens

Montreal only missed the playoffs by two points and had incredible underlying numbers throughout the year. An infusion of new young talent in Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling combined with healthy seasons from Carey Price and Shea Weber could be enough to get the Habs over the hump this time around.

18. New York Islanders

The Islanders had a relatively quiet summer - aside from losing their best player from a season ago. Is Semyon Varlamov reliable enough to mask New York's deficiencies as effectively as Robin Lehner did? Time will tell.

19. New York Rangers

Artemi Panarin, Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba, and Adam Fox. How the Rangers' new players impact their playoff chances remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Things just got way more entertaining on Broadway.

20. Philadelphia Flyers

It was a busy offseason in Philly. The Flyers hired a new coach, signed Kevin Hayes to one of the summer's most lucrative free-agent contracts, and made a pair of trades to shore up the blue line. Most importantly, though, goaltender Carter Hart had a .982 save percentage in the preseason and remains this squad's best hope for a postseason appearance.

21. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks will be an interesting team to watch this year. Jeremy Colliton has a full season to make his mark and a few new pieces at his disposal. That said, he has his work cut out for him as this aging roster eyes a playoff berth in the stacked Central.

22. Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes came within four points of the playoffs in 2018-19 despite being ravaged by injuries. With a healthy roster and Phil Kessel in the mix, Arizona might be good enough to squeak in this time.

23. Vancouver Canucks

Expectations are high in Vancouver as the Canucks look to take a step forward this season. The young core is talented, and the front office added J.T. Miller, Micheal Ferland, and Tyler Myers to help build a more complete roster. Anything less than a stake in the wild-card race will be a disappointment.

24. Buffalo Sabres

General manager Jason Botterill has made a series of shrewd moves to bolster the Sabres' blue line, but offensive depth remains a serious concern. It's tough to see how this club makes noise in the Atlantic relying solely on the contributions of Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner.

25. Edmonton Oilers

Speaking of lackluster offensive depth, the Oilers seemed destined to repeat last year's playoff miss unless Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (once again) put together some truly stellar numbers.

26. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota is a team stuck in the middle, but with good health, the Wild could be sneaky. The club's veteran forwards are still quietly productive and the blue line remains solid. The lack of star power might be an issue, though, especially in the Central.

27. Columbus Blue Jackets

If the Blue Jackets are to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, they'll have to do so through hard work and grit. Columbus lost too much talent this summer to be considered a true threat, but it'd be unwise to discount John Tortorella's ability to rally his troops.

28. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are in the midst of a retool but still have a handful of quality pieces. If Dallas Eakins is the right fit behind the bench and John Gibson does what John Gibson does in goal, maybe Anaheim can surprise.

29. Los Angeles Kings

Outside of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, the Kings are running seriously low on talent. Another high draft pick is the best-case scenario in Hollywood this season.

30. Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman's first year back in Motown is likely to be a long one as the Red Wings' rebuild is still in its infancy. At least Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha should be fun to watch.

31. Ottawa Senators

The Senators sold all their veterans last season and enter the 2019-20 campaign in true scorched-earth form. The wins will be few and far between, but there are some nice pieces to develop this year. Brady Tkachuk, Erik Brannstrom, Thomas Chabot, and Drake Batherson comprise a genuinely promising young core in Ottawa.

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Patrik Laine is ready to get back to filling opponents' nets over the next two years.

After settling for a two-year, $13.5-million bridge deal with the Winnipeg Jets last week, the Finnish forward is betting on himself to return to his scoring ways.

"I know I'll be good for the next two years," Laine told reporters Monday. "I'm going to score a lot of goals, that's for sure.

"I've always trusted myself ... I'm gonna be betting on myself these two years."

Despite scoring 30 goals last season, Laine's year was widely seen as a disappointment. Eighteen of those tallies came in the month of November, and issues with his 200-foot game became more clear during the season.

"You can always be better, always room to improve," Laine added. "Just play better five-on-five and help my team to win."

The 21-year-old has scored 110 goals in 237 games since being taken second overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

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Daniel Sprong, Sam Gagner, and Sven Baertschi were among a slew of NHLers placed on waivers Monday, the penultimate day before the start of the 2019-20 regular season.

Here's the list of all 39 players waived by their respective clubs:

Sprong tallied 14 goals in only 47 games for the Anaheim Ducks last season.

Gagner, the Edmonton Oilers' sixth overall pick in 2007, collected 10 points in 25 contests for the club in 2018-19 after being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks.

Baertschi produced nine goals and 14 points in 26 games with the Canucks in 2018-19. He's spent parts of five seasons with Vancouver after beginning his career with the Calgary Flames.

The New York Islanders raised eyebrows earlier Monday when general manager Lou Lamoriello revealed Josh Ho-Sang and Thomas Hickey would be placed on waivers.

Casey DeSmith was the Pittsburgh Penguins' backup goaltender last season and posted a .916 save percentage in 36 contests.

The Tampa Bay Lightning waived Luke Schenn on Monday after signing him to a one-year, $700,000 contract on July 1.

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Seattle has found a home for its AHL team.

The newest NHL team has been awarded an AHL expansion franchise that will be located in Palm Springs, California, the league announced on Monday.

"Palm Springs has all the makings of an outstanding hockey market, and will further strengthen the growing base of our sport in California," AHL CEO David Andrews said.

The AHL's 32nd team will begin play in fall 2021.

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The NHL is entering a two-year, cross-platform marketing and promotional partnership with the band Green Day, the league announced Monday.

Green Day's new song, "Fire, Ready, Aim," will serve as the opening theme for NBCSN's Wednesday Night Hockey, which debuts on Oct. 9 when the New Jersey Devils take on Philadelphia Flyers.

The song will also be featured on NHL on NBC broadcasts throughout the 2019-20 season.

Green Day will have music from their upcoming album "Father Of All ..." featured throughout the NHL, including game highlights, in-arena content, and on television partners' platforms.

The league also announced that the group will perform at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis on Jan. 25.

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Josh Ho-Sang couldn't crack the New York Islanders' opening-day roster.

The Islanders are placing Ho-Sang, Thomas Hickey, and Tanner Fritz on waivers, general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters Monday.

Ho-Sang, the 28th overall pick in the 2014 draft, made his NHL debut in 2017 and has appeared in just 53 games for the Islanders, recording 24 points.

The 23-year-old has spent the majority of his pro career in the AHL, where he's appeared in 156 games and racked up 26 goals and 110 points.

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San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane made it clear he wasn't happy with how he was treated by the officials in Sunday night's heated preseason contest against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"It's funny how, if you look at the way I get treated out there when it comes to the scrums or whatever it may be, what the other team's trying to do to me, there's a massive difference compared to everybody else on the ice," Kane said postgame, according to the Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka. "I've never seen, I get kicked out of the game for getting jumped from behind by a referee (Kiel Murchison)."

Kane was ejected following an altercation Sunday with Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland and linesman Murchison.

With about eight minutes remaining in the third period, Kane slashed Murchison in an apparent attempt to whack Engelland. Moments later, Murchison skated over to further separate the two players and brought Kane down to the ice.

"I've never seen the refs take five strides and if you look at his face, he's getting all his power and trying to drive me into the ice, which is what he did," Kane said. "That's unbelievable. Talk about abuse of an official, what about abuse of a player? It's an absolute joke."

The San Jose forward added that he wasn't given an adequate explanation for why he was ejected.

"I have no idea, and then I got kicked out of the game," he said. "I was just skating up the ice. Whistle went, minding my own business, and next thing you know, I'm driven into the ice by the official for doing nothing. I wasn't even engaged with one of their players. So you have to explain that to me how that makes any sense, how I get kicked out of the game for that. Baffling."

Kane's abuse of official penalty generally carries an automatic 10-game suspension, but that would need to be enforced by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who's unlikely to do so before Tuesday, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.

Sunday's 5-1 win by the Golden Knights featured 114 penalty minutes.

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Talk of this summer's star-studded horde of restricted free agents was inescapable. There were rumblings of historically rich contracts, offer sheets, and extended holdouts. In actuality, it was a whole lot of waiting around until a flurry of deals came to fruition once training camps started.

The drama finally ended Sept. 28 when Mikko Rantanen and Kyle Connor became the final members of an unfathomably deep group of young phenoms to put pen to paper. With the biggest story of the offseason finally settled, let's take one last look at each RFA deal and hand out some grades before these players take the ice to do what they do best.

Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes

What we projected: 8 years, $82 million ($10.25M AAV)
What he signed for: 5 years, $42.27 million ($8.54M AAV)

Aho was the lone recipient of the vaunted offer sheet as the Montreal Canadiens attempted to poach him with a contract the Hurricanes quickly matched. Aho reportedly wasn't getting the offers he wanted from Carolina, so he leveraged his way to a richer deal while leaving the door open for another lucrative contract before his age-27 season.

One could easily make the case Aho is worth much more than $8.54 million per season, and he'll almost certainly be considered a bargain as this deal progresses. We can't give the Hurricanes full marks, though, since it was technically Montreal that created his very reasonable cap hit.

Grade: B+

Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks

What we projected: 7 years, $51.45 million ($7.35M AAV)
What he signed for: 3 years, $17.625 million ($5.875M AAV)

We figured Boeser would get a long-term deal, but the Canucks didn't have the cap room to swing a big-ticket extension without moving bodies. So, the two sides agreed on a feasible bridge settlement as negotiations lingered into September.

Paying a 30-plus-goal player less than $6 million per year is a win for the team, but there's a good chance the Canucks face some serious financial headaches when it's time to re-sign Boeser. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes will need new contracts before his next deal, while presumptive captain Bo Horvat will be eligible for an extension come 2022.

Grade: B-

Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets

What we projected: 6 years, $43 million, ($7.167M AAV)
What he signed for: 7 years, $50 million, ($7.14M AAV)

Connor earned one more year than we anticipated, but the cap hit is nearly the same. The seventh year is a big positive for the Jets, who bought three UFA seasons for a player who's emerged as a major piece of their future.

The 22-year-old has scored 30-plus goals in each of the past two seasons and has a good opportunity to hit another level of production if he keeps his spot beside Mark Scheifele. At just over $7 million a season, this one could age very nicely for Winnipeg.

Grade: A-

Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets

What we projected: 7 years, $54.6 million, ($7.8M AAV)
What he signed for: 2 years, $13.5 million, ($6.75M AAV)

A stronger contract year from Laine might have seen the Jets back up the Brinks truck for the Finnish sniper. But inconsistency down the stretch last season made a bridge deal the only sensible resolution for each side.

Make no mistake: Laine's 50-goal potential is still there, and betting on himself with a two-year pact could make him a very rich man in the summer of 2021. That said, Winnipeg did the right thing in making him prove it.

Grade: B+

Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs

What we projected: 6 years, $55.5 million, ($9.25M AAV)
What he signed for: 6 years, $65.358 million, ($10.893 AAV)

This negotiation was easily the most talked about, and once Marner put pen to paper, the rest of the class quickly followed suit. Marner came in considerably higher than we projected, but he wanted to be paid like teammates Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and he earned that right after leading the club in scoring two years in a row.

The Maple Leafs may have overpaid, but it's better to reward stars than depth pieces, and the six-year term ensures all the club's big forwards are locked in long-term. If Marner goes out and puts up another 90-point season, complaints about his cap hit will quickly fade. They're sure to reappear in future offseasons, however, as Kyle Dubas delicately maneuvers around a salary-cap structure with minimal wiggle room.

Grade: B-

Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

What we projected: 7 years, $54.6 million, ($7.8M AAV)
What he signed for: 3 years, $14.9 million, ($4.9M AAV)

Death, taxes, and the Bruins paying their star players peanuts. McAvoy has missed significant time in each of his first two seasons, which likely made Boston wary of committing big dollars long-term, but $4.9 million per season for a player of his caliber is a steal.

At only 21 years old, McAvoy is already the complete blue-line package, and the sky is the limit over the duration of this deal. He's the Bruins' No. 1 defenseman of the future and Boston will have plenty of room to compensate him adequately when it's time to pay him again in 2022. It's hard to find any flaws in this contract.

Grade: A

Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks

What we projected: 6 years, $37.8M, ($6.3M AAV)
What he signed for: 4 years, $24 million ($6M AAV)

Meier quietly signed a nice extension amid the free-agent flurry of July 1, coming in at only $6 million a year following a breakout season in which he posted 30 goals and 36 assists as a 22-year-old.

The Sharks were right up against the cap this summer and succeeded in keeping Meier's number stomachable. The young winger will still be an RFA when this deal expires, but San Jose should be in good shape to hand him a considerable raise should he maintain his superstar trajectory.

Grade: A

Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning

What we projected: 5 years, $42.5 million, ($8.5M AAV)
What he signed for: 3 years, $20.25 million, ($6.75M AAV)

Point is arguably the best player of the bunch - a two-way stud fresh off a 41-goal, 92-point season in the final year of his entry-level contract. We figured he'd earn a five-year deal, but the Lightning have a ton of long-term money tied up already, and a lengthier pact likely would have put Point in the same cap-hit stratosphere as teammates Steven Stamkos ($8.5 million per year) and Nikita Kucherov ($9.5 million annually).

That wouldn't work within the confines of the Bolts' books, and a bridge doesn't hurt Tampa in the slightest. The Lightning are still Stanley Cup favorites, and a three-year window in which their top-line pivot earns less than $7 million a season is a successful outcome any way you slice it.

Grade: A-

Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche

What we projected: 8 years, $80 million, ($10M AAV)
What he signed for: 6 years, $55.5 million ($9.25M AAV)

The Avalanche needed term and security on Rantanen's deal, and they got both by locking him in for six years. Colorado is a young, exciting squad on the rise, but it won't have cap room forever; Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Gabriel Landeskog will all need fresh contracts over the course of Rantanen's new pact.

A $10-million cap hit makes Rantanen the 16th-highest-paid forward in the league, but he's proved he's worth the dough after seasons of 84 and 87 points on the Avs' top line. Colorado is widely expected to grow into a contender quickly, and Rantanen will be a huge part of that.

Grade: A-

Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

What we projected: 6 years, $51 million, ($8.5M AAV)
What he signed for: 3 years, $21 million, ($7M AAV)

Tkachuk's contract is the richest three-year bridge ever signed, surpassing the deal Point inked two days prior. We projected Tkachuk would get a long-term pact, but the cap-strapped Flames opted for a shorter agreement with the gritty winger in order to keep their current roster intact.

Getting Tkachuk under contract before the start of the campaign was an undeniably huge priority for Calgary, but moving a body to lock him up for a few more seasons might have been the better course of action in the grand scheme of things. Tkachuk's new deal expires in 2022, the same year Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano are scheduled to hit free agency. The Flames better make the most of their current window.

Grade: B-

Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

What we projected: 8 years, $66 million, ($8.25M AAV)
What he signed for: 3 years, $15 million, ($5M AAV)

After the summer's mass exodus of star players, we figured the Blue Jackets would pony up big for a long-term commitment from Werenski - one of the game's most promising young defenders.

They opted instead for a three-year bridge, with Werenski's $5-million annual cap hit providing Columbus a nice temporary discount for his services. Werenski has been a staple on the Jackets' blue line since entering the league as a 19-year-old in 2016, and he's only going to get better. Given the club's current salary-cap picture, there should be no issues locking him down long-term on his next deal.

Grade: B

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