With only a little over 20 games to play and 9 days away from the trading deadline, it's time for another set of rankings for the NHL Top 15.

As always, it was an exciting week of hockey. The Sharks returned home and returned to their winning ways. Unless they go on another extended losing streak, they are the front runners for the President's Trophy over Boston or Detroit. I don't know how they will do in the playoffs facing off against Detroit, but that will be an entertaining series for sure (assuming they play each other). The Hurricanes are coming along and challenging for a playoff spot while Pittsburgh continues to toil around in the 10^th spot. Lucky for them some injuries are happening to other teams that could improve their chances. And the Canadiens… well I don't know what to say about them. They were already free falling and now are facing allegations of being involved with organized crime. They seemed to rally around that on Saturday but we'll see if that keeps up or if this is just too much to handle.

1. San Jose Sharks (4) – Like I said above, the Sharks went back West and got back on a roll. The President's Trophy is theirs to lose when you consider the amount of games in hand that they have on the others in the race. Upcoming games: Dallas, Detroit, Ottawa and Montreal.

2. Boston Bruins (1) – I'd like to thank the Bruins for screwing up my streak for the cash on ESPN. Anyways, when they screwed that up they also got shut out by Florida in a huge game for both teams. If Florida were to squeak into the playoffs and face Boston in the first round, they would have to like their chances. Upcoming games: Florida, Anaheim and Washington.

3. Detroit Red Wings (3) – With a week until the trade deadline, we'll see if the Wings make a move to shore up their goaltending. Since last week's rankings, they have given Chris Osgood a little rest to see if he can re-gain some momentum heading into the stretch run. I haven't seen a ton of Red Wings games this year, but I would think Ty Conklin is a solid choice in net. Upcoming games: San Jose, Los Angeles and Nashville.

4. Washington Capitals (5) – The Caps got a fairly easy win in Hype Fest yesterday when they beat Sidney Crybaby and the Pens 5-2. As if there was any doubt to my article a few weeks about whether or not Ovechkin should be the face of the NHL, someone should watch his goal against Montreal from last week. Upcoming games: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston and Florida.

5. New Jersey Devils (2) – The Devils have dropped a little in the rankings, but it could only be temporary. Martin Brodeur is expected back this week and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. The Devils have been extremely hot this season without him and it could either screw up the team chemistry or make them that much better. Upcoming games: Colorado, Florida and Philadelphia.

6. Chicago Blackhawks (6) – Chicago and Calgary continue to do battle in the Western Conference standings and in the rankings. Just like the past few weeks, the teams stay put for this week. Neither has done anything amazing, just been solid and consistent. Upcoming

games: Nashville, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

7. Calgary Flames (7) – Speaking of amazing highlights, did anyone else see the stick save by Miika Kiprusoff last week? This guy is a great goalie and I don't think he always gets the credit he deserves. He could be a deciding factor in the playoffs, assuming he isn't worn out from playing so many games. Upcoming games: Columbus, Minnesota and Tampa Bay.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (8) – The Flyers are holding on to the 4^th spot in the East, but it's far from over. They got a big win over Buffalo on Thursday, despite the goaltending of Martin Biron. They should be getting Danny Briere back soon which should bolster the team a little more. Upcoming games: Washington, Los Angeles, Montreal and New Jersey.

9. Florida Panthers (9) – The Panthers got a very big win against Boston on Saturday night. Since we're hitting the final days before the trade deadline, expect a TON of trade rumors involving Jay Bouwmeester, none of which should be taken seriously (if you're getting them from hockey's "best" rumor site). Upcoming games: Boston, NY Rangers, New Jersey and Washington.

10. Vancouver Canucks (NR) – The Canucks vault into the rankings going from unranked to the 10^th spot. They have been on a tear as of late and led by goalie Roberto Luongo. I look at them in a similar way to Calgary, where they are a good team but the goaltending could really push them further than expected. Upcoming games: Montreal, Tampa Bay and Columbus.

11. Buffalo Sabres (10) – Buffalo suffered a big loss against Philly and an even bigger loss Saturday night when Scott Gomez took out Ryan Miller on a very questionable play. I'm sure he'll be getting thank you cards from the other Eastern Conference teams this week. The Sabres will now have to depend on Patrick Lalime if they plan on making the playoffs. Upcoming games: Anaheim, Carolina and NY Islanders.

12. Carolina Hurricanes (15) – Carolina continues to push for that playoff spot in the East. The injury to Ryan Miller mentioned above should increase their chances. They will have a chance to face Buffalo this week which will either put them ahead or push them further behind. Look for Buffalo to bring it in that game after the embarrassment they had on home ice a week ago. Upcoming games: Ottawa, Buffalo and Atlanta.

13. Dallas Stars (13) – The Stars stay put in the West, but only by a strand. They have been one of the hotter teams since the All-Star Break but suffered an injury to Brad Richards which will hurt the team. Look for them to make at least one deal at the deadline to alleviate the loss of Richards. Upcoming games: San Jose, St Louis, Anaheim and Pittsburgh.

14. Montreal Canadiens (12) – Montreal rebounded on Saturday against Ottawa but it will take

more than one game to bring them back into the picture. They sent star Alex Kovalev home early last week and he responded well on Saturday, but now Montreal is facing the allegations of being involved in organized crime. The NHL sent officials to Montreal to investigate so we'll see how this affects the team. Upcoming games: Vancouver, Philadelphia and San Jose.

15. New York Rangers (15) – The Rangers should be embarrassed. They put together a star studded line-up and they play like a minor league team most of the time. The Sabres beat them again on Saturday to move to 3-0 this season against the Rangers. I could go on and on about what happened last Saturday night, but I'll choose my words wisely. I'd say it would be interesting to see those two teams play again this season, but chances are Buffalo won't respond the way they should've on Saturday. Upcoming games: Toronto, Florida and Colorado.