It's honestly silly to be surprised by that kind of stuff like power rankings. We should know by now the rest of the league and media are going to jump on the Oilers bandwagon a hundred times before they hop on Calgary's because of the McDavid factor, and because of the "something special" aura that's surrounded that team for years because of the constant influx of top picks, and cause of delusional people surrounding (and atop of) that club. People want to buy into hype more than substance, even though that's what they preach. They don't give a #### that Edmonton's defence core is probably still bottom 7 or 8 in the league, or that they're actually extremely mediocre up front if McDavid is removed, or that there's very little in the system. As soon as Edmonton went on any kind of run, even if it was for a quarter or third of a season like has happened here, people were cocked and ready to jump up and say "See? I told you! Gonna be great!" even though if you look back as far as 3-4 seasons, there's evidence that nothing is a shoe in whatsoever, even with this kind of start, for that team. It doesn't matter that they've fallen back to a below playoff trajectory since starting 7-1 when they had a very easy/forgiving schedule without leaving the country (if I recall correctly). Just as much as it doesn't matter that since the Flames have shored up the goaltending issues and players have come around that it's looking like a team that can win consistently (and is), Without it's star player to boot. But people don't give a #### cause Edmonton still has the hype factor. Just how it is.
It's gonna be just like 14-15 where the Flames were not in power rankings ("top 16") even until after they qualified for the playoffs. And the team they eliminated (LA), reigning cup champs, were still there. The media will always have a hype bias. Just have to let the results actually speak for themselves. Lol it's a waste of time to act surprised at this point. The 8 goal Flames game with McDavid talk in the intermission was your first clue.
Edmonton is the special kid on the block, that gets the special treatment, and they're gonna be until McDavid dons another team's sweater.
Still doesn't mean they're actually any good though...
