NHL Super 16: Why Jordan Staal Was Picked As Hurricanes' Most Indispensable Player

NHL.com Super 16 power rankings have 16 teams in the second preseason edition. The Carolina Hurricanes remain No. 1 with 230 points, followed by the Colorado Avalanche with 225 and the Dallas Stars with 187. The 15 NHL.com voters each picked the most indispensable player on their assigned team and explained their choice. Jordan Staal was picked for Carolina, Nathan MacKinnon for Colorado, Wyatt Johnston for Dallas and Aleksander Barkov for Florida. Nick Suzuki was named for Montreal, Mitch Marner for Vegas and Joel Eriksson Ek for Minnesota. The list also includes players from Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Washington and San Jose.

Why Jordan Staal, Andrei Vasilevskiy And Others Were Chosen 

Dan Rosen selected Jordan Staal for Carolina after the forward won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Staal scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final and played a key role for the Hurricanes during their run to the championship.

For Colorado, senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke selected MacKinnon. He called the forward the Avalanche's “tone-setter” and highlighted the skill and drive he brings every night. Dallas staff writer Tracey Myers chose Johnston after his 45 goal, 86 point and 41 assist last season. Florida's Aleksander Barkov was selected by senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale because of his work as a scorer, playmaker, defensive forward and face-off player.

Montreal captain Nick Suzuki was selected by Jean-Francois Chaumont after reaching 101 points and winning the Selke Trophy last season. Chaumont also noted that Suzuki has played every Canadiens game since entering the NHL in 2019-20. 

Which Other Players Were Chosen As Most Indispensable For Their Teams? 

Andrei Vasilevskiy was selected for Tampa Bay by Rosen, and pointed to his numbers during the Lightning's nine consecutive playoff appearances. Logan Thompson was named for Washington, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected for Edmonton because of his ability to play in all situations. 

Nicholas J. Cotsonika selected Mitch Marner for Vegas. Marner had 80 points in 81 games last season and led the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 29 points in 22 games. Jon Lane selected Joel Eriksson Ek for Minnesota, while Mike Zeisberger chose Rasmus Dahlin for Buffalo. 

For San Jose, Paul Strizhevsky selected Macklin Celebrini. The forward had 115 points last season, with 45 goals and 70 assists. Celebrini's total was one more point than the combined totals of the Sharks' next two leading scorers, Will Smith and Alexander Wennberg.