Dating back to their entry into the National Hockey League in the fall of 2001, the Columbus Blue Jackets have been, for the most part, a laughingstock. They have never accumulated more than 74 points in a single season, and despite the fact that they continuously finish near the bottom of the league standings, the Blue Jackets’ top prospects routinely fail to live up to advance billing. As a result, it came as no huge surprise when original GM Doug MacLean was finally let go after five years of futility.

Ironically, it seems that perhaps MacLean only needed more time for his vision to take hold. This season, the Blue Jackets find themselves fourth overall in the Power Rankings, by far the highest position they’ve ever attained, and it’s largely due to the strong performances of the prospects MacLean assembled.

With 10 goals and 16 points through the first 13 games, power forward Rick Nash has officially taken the mantle as Columbus’ go-to scoring threat. Nash broke out with 41 goals during the 2003–04 season (an accomplishment muted somewhat by his atrocious minus-35 rating), but his career plateaued after that, and he never managed to crack the 60-point barrier in a single season.

Pascal Leclaire’s emergence has been even more impressive. He showed great promise during the 2005–06 season, but injuries had severely derailed his progress … until now. In only nine games, he has already posted a league-leading five shutouts and has stopped over 95% of the shots he’s faced in posting a league-best 1.12 goals against average.

Rookie Kris Russell, selected in the third round of the 2005 draft, has made a smooth transition to the NHL, his speed and sound decision-making and positioning more than making up for his lack of size (5 feet 10 inches, 177 pounds). And much-maligned forward Nikolai Zherdev, heretofore considered a bust, has finally started to play with the consistency the Blue Jackets were hoping for when they selected him fourth overall in the incredibly deep 2003 draft.

Benefiting tremendously from a defensive system orchestrated by head coach Ken Hitchcock, the Blue Jackets are finally playing strong team hockey. From the battle-worn veterans (like Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote) to the aforementioned youngsters, Hitchcock is extracting an all-hands-on-deck effort from the Blue Jackets for the first time, and the results are impressive.

Here are this week’s rankings. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by won-loss record, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty-killing success. Please note that the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night, and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1. OTTAWA SENATORS (1): Since the summer, the Senators have committed $115 million in contracts to Mike Fisher, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza, leading one to wonder whether defenseman Wade Redden (a UFA-to-be) is playing his final season with Ottawa.

13–1–0 26 49 27 19.05% 95.38%

2. DETROIT RED WINGS (2): With 24 points in 14 games, Henrik Zetterberg is the NHL’s leading scorer. The stellar Swede has also posted a plus-9 rating, making him an early candidate to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP.

11–2–1 23 48 30 17.46% 89.04%

3. CAROLINA HURRICANES (3): Veteran forward Cory Stillman has scored points in all but one of the 12 games in which he’s played and is a key reason why the ‘Canes have the NHL’s most productive offense.

9–3–3 21 58 36 25.00% 74.67%

4. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (7): A critical reason for the Blue Jackets’ success has been their stellar penalty killing. They’ve surrendered only four power play goals, while managing to score three shorthanded markers for a league-best 98.51% efficiency rating.

8–3–2 18 36 21 14.29% 98.51%

5. MONTREAL CANADIENS (5): Captain Saku Koivu is off to a great start, and he — along with veteran forward Alexei Kovalev and underrated point man Andrei Markov — is a key reason why the Habs’ power play is by a wide margin the league’s most efficient.

8–3–3 19 45 33 30.14% 84.13%

6. MINNESOTA WILD ( 6 ) : Plagued again by groin injuries to both Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra, the Wild have held onto their Northwest Division lead largely because of the stellar play of netminders Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding.

9–4–2 20 41 32 14.93% 87.14%

7. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13): Led by the stellar goaltending of Rick DiPietro — who returned to the lineup only three days after suffering a minor eye injury — the Isles came from behind to defeat the Rangers on Tuesday and take the Atlantic Division lead.

8–4–0 16 36 37 21.82% 86.44%

8. COLORADO AVALANCHE (8): He came into this season as the NHL’s most highly paid backup netminder, but José Théodore has outplayed Peter Budaj thus far and is battling his way back into the starter’s role.

9–5–0 18 45 38 15.94% 83.87%

9. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (4): After a decade-plus of instability between the pipes, Martin Biron (acquired from the Sabres for a second-round pick) is providing the Flyers with the top-tier goaltending (.942 SV%, 2.10 GAA) they’d been lacking.

8–5–0 16 40 31 18.18% 81.67%

10. BOSTON BRUINS (10): Thirty-three-year-old netminder Tim Thomas’s story is one of the NHL’s best. After a decade of shuffling from Houston to Helsinki, the once-journeyman has established himself as one of the NHL’s top goalies (1.65 GAA, .949 SV%).

7–5–1 15 31 31 13.73% 77.78%

11. ST. LOUIS BLUES (11): Skilled forward Brad Boyes, acquired from the Bruins at the trade deadline last season, has flourished on a line with Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk, tallying a team-leading nine goals in 13 games.

7–6–0 14 33 30 8.06% 91.23%

12. SAN JOSE SHARKS (16): After winning the Rocket Richard Trophy two years ago, forward Jonathan Cheechoo has had surprising difficulty lighting the lamp. Last season, his total dipped to 37 from 56, and he’s on pace to score only 18 times this year.

7–6–1 15 34 34 17.39% 90.63%

13. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (12): Free agent signee Petr Sykora’s seven goals is second-best on the Penguins, but it’s important to remember that he also got off to a fast start last year for the Oilers (25 points in 24 games) before completely fizzling out down the stretch.

7–6–1 15 42 40 22.86% 87.88%

14. NEW YORK RANGERS (18): Making Brandon Dubinsky the center on Jaromir Jagr’s line looks like it’s going to pay big dividends. By dividing the Rangers’ scoring among three lines, they will be difficult to contain once they gain momentum.

7–7–1 15 26 25 12.99% 89.55%

15. DALLAS STARS (15): With 11 points in 14 games, 37-year year old Sergei Zubov amongst the NHL’s leading scorers from the blue line. Few rearguards, if any, are as consistently excellent with their outlet passing.

6–6–2 14 38 38 19.30% 93.44%

16. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (28): It’s clear to this point that it’s been netminder Dan Ellis who’s saved the Predators’ bacon. He’s posted an impressive 4–0 record (including two shutouts), while expected starter Chris Mason has struggled mightily.

7–7–0 14 38 41 12.90% 81.54%

17. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (20): With 17 points in 14 games, Patrick Kane is the prohibitive favorite to win the Calder Trophy. At just 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds, the 18-year-old Buffalo native gets by with his blazing speed and tremendous on-ice vision.

7–7–0 14 38 43 15.94% 83.82%

18. CALGARY FLAMES (9): After a tumultuous couple of seasons in Chicago, blueliner Adrian Aucoin has rebounded nicely under Mike Keenan in Calgary, tallying eight points while earning a solid plus-5 rating through his first 15 games with the Flames.

6–6–3 15 45 48 15.71% 75.61%

19. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19): Kazakh forward Nik Antropov is healthy and productive, leading the team with nine goals and serving as a rare bright spot in what has been a frustrating start for the Leafs.

6–7–3 15 53 61 6.58% 81.32%

20. F LO R I DA PA N T H E RS (27): Finnish forward Olli Jokinen (18 points in 15 games) is one of the league’s most consistently solid players, and perhaps even more important, has served as an excellent mentor to budding power forward Nathan Horton.

7–8–0 14 40 45 22.54% 81.69%

21. LOS ANGELES KINGS (23): Last season, goaltending was without question the Kings’ Achilles’ heel; now freed from waiver-wire limbo, former Rangers prospect Jason LaBarbera has emerged as a surprisingly reliable starter for Marc Crawford’s crew.

7–8–0 14 45 47 16.00% 84.85%

22. ANAHEIM DUCKS (24): A key reason for the Ducks’ struggles this season has been their ailing power play, but with Mathieu Schneider (three points in three games) now healthy and manning the point, things are bound to improve.

6–8–2 14 33 41 8.70% 82.93%

23. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (22): A lack of offensive production continues to plague the Canucks, who are now also dealing with injuries to three key defensemen: Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo, and Lukas Krajicek. Life between the pipes won’t get any easier any time soon for Roberto Luongo.

6–8–0 12 36 43 16.00% 81.08%

24. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (29): Both Patrik Elias (seven points, minus-6 rating) and Brian Gionta (six points, minus-6 rating) have struggled, no doubt affected adversely by the off-season departure of former linemate Scott Gomez.

5–7–2 12 32 43 13.85% 74.14%

25. BUFFALO SABRES (17): If things weren’t difficult enough following the losses of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere via free agency, now the Sabres must make do without their reasonably effective replacements, Tim Connolly (abdominal strain) and Adam Mair (sprained ankle).

5–7–1 11 41 44 21.54% 86.89%

26. PHOENIX COYOTES (25): With only four goals, second-year forward Daniel Carcillo is tied for the team lead; perhaps more impressive, his 73 penalty minutes are the most in the NHL and his five fighting majors have him tied for the NHL lead.

5–7–0 10 29 34 3.70% 84.31%

27. ATLANTA THRASHERS (30): Star forward Marian Hossa seems oddly disinterested this season. With only six points and a minus-2 rating, the UFA-to-be isn’t making a very strong case for a huge payday.

6–9–0 12 37 58 8.96% 73.42%

28. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (14): Brad Richards’s offensive production (15 points in 14 games) is more than offset by his atrocious minus-11 rating (second worst in the entire NHL), and he’s a good bet to be dealt, perhaps for a much-needed goaltending upgrade.

5–8–1 11 41 50 21.05% 83.05%

29. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (21): Alexander Ovechkin and Olaf Kolzig have been solid, as has former Ranger Michael Nylander, but the continued absence of Alexander Semin has curtailed the Caps’ progress.

5–9–1 11 34 42 14.29% 81.25%

30. EDMONTON OILERS (26): The Oilers’ fall from grace precipitous painful; just 17 months removed from their appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, they find themselves at the very bottom of these power rankings.

5–10–0 10 30 51 5.00% 84.13%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.