Drama, drama, drama. The first few months of the 2023-24 season have been filled with nothing but drama. Before the end of the calendar year, we have our third head coach change (fourth if you count the preseason) after the St. Louis Blues relieved Craig Berube of his duties this week and promoted Drew Bannister from their American Hockey League affiliate to take over as interim head coach. It’s incredible to think that the coach who led St. Louis to their first Stanley Cup is now out of a job, but the NHL is a what have you done for me now league, and the Blues have been a bit of a disaster so far this season.
If you would like to learn more about the Blues’ coaching change, I suggest reading this article from THW’s own Mike Meyer about the move and St. Louis’ expectations under their new coach.
Related: Expectations for Drew Bannister After Blues Fire Berube
Of course, after this firing St. Louis went on to win two straight games, further proving that the dead cat bounce we discussed a few weeks ago may well be true to the NHL as it is in the world of economics. So far, all three teams that fired their head coaches mid-season have followed the move with wins, but it’s hard to tell if those improvements came after the damage was already done.
Throughout the rest of the league, it felt like scoring was up this week. We saw a four-goal game from Steven Stamkos, a handful of hat tricks, and a lot of goaltenders with less-than-stellar save percentages. That’s the nature of the season as injuries set in and teams have to make it work with the pieces they have left, but it’s still interesting to see how everything comes together sometimes.
Well, with those notes out of the way, let’s get on with Week 11 of THW’s NHL Power Rankings!
32-23: Improvements and Struggles At Rock Bottom
32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously 31st)
31. Anaheim Ducks (Previously 30th)
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously 28th)
29. San Jose Sharks (Previously 29th)
28. Seattle Kraken (Previously 32nd)
27. Ottawa Senators (Previously 20th)
26. Buffalo Sabres (Previously 26th)
25. Montreal Canadiens (Previously 25th)
24. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously 24th)
23. Minnesota Wild (Previously 27th)
I was betting on the Senators taking a big step this week, but they responded in kind with a four-game losing streak. While a fluke in their scheduling has left Ottawa with just 26 games played so far this season, which is the least in the league, they have done nothing with those games in hand so far. This is quickly putting them out of the playoff picture, as most nights they are simply getting outplayed in all aspects of the game. I would suggest that change needs to be made in the organization, but their general manager has already been fired this season, so that may be coming even if they were winning.
On the positive end of the spectrum, the Wild keep winning, and they are forcing their way back into the postseason picture. In the coming weeks, they will be moving out of the bottom of the Rankings if this continues. Also, the Kraken may have found their next starting goaltender, as Joey Daccord put together one of the best weeks in net in the young franchise’s history after Philipp Grubauer suffered a long-term injury. While you hate seeing an injury forcing a change, Daccord is showcasing that he could be Seattle’s future after developing alongside the fledgling franchise since being selected at the expansion draft.
That’s about it for positives this week. Most of the teams at the bottom of the Rankings are still well below average in terms of the standings and their on-ice production. They may win one or even two games, but that will be sandwiched between long-losing streaks that kill any momentum they may have gained. There’s still time for things to change, of course, but it gets very difficult as the new year approaches
22-11: Overwhelming Mediocrity Keeping Hopes Alive
22. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously 21st)
21. Calgary Flames (Previously 22nd)
20. St. Louis Blues (Previously 23rd)
19. Edmonton Oilers (Previously 18th)
18. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously 16th)
17. Washington Capitals (Previously 19th)
16. New Jersey Devils (Previously 15th)
15. Detroit Red Wings (Previously 12th)
14. New York Islanders (Previously 14th)
13. Nashville Predators (Previously 17th)
12. Arizona Coyotes (Previously 13th)
11. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously 11th)
I wish I felt something other than indifference when discussing the middle section of the Rankings, but once again we find ourselves at a time when none of these teams are necessarily bad, but they also just aren’t good either. The Oilers saw their eight-game winning streak end in dramatic fashion to the Lightning, and with two losses in a row, this raises concerns about Edmonton’s postseason comeback. Tampa Bay then went on to underperform against the Flames, who had lost their previous four games. Oh, and the Hurricanes have also lost two straight and waived one of their expected starting goaltenders this week. Just a normal week in the NHL…
As mentioned earlier, the Blues fired their coach and won a few games, but I simply don’t believe that this is a sign that they have found their magic once again. I also really wanted to move the Islanders and Red Wings up this week into the contenders section of the Rankings, but both teams dropped back-to-back games and forced me to keep them in the middle of the pack as a result.
If not for the Predators, Coyotes, and Flyers, I would have lost all faith in this middle section of the Rankings. However, all three of these teams have remained pesky, tough outs and they are quickly proving themselves as more than just competitive. I wouldn’t bet against any of them making the postseason, especially as they fight through adversity and keep winning. They are fun to watch and bring needed victories to this section of the Rankings.
10-1: Have Your Father Say Something, Apparently
10. Colorado Avalanche (Previously 10th)
9. Dallas Stars (Previously 9th)
8. Florida Panthers (Previously 8th)
7. Boston Bruins (Previously 4th)
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously 6th)
5. Winnipeg Jets (Previously 5th)
4. Los Angeles Kings (Previously 3rd)
3. New York Rangers (Previously 2nd)
2. Vancouver Canucks (Previously 7th)
1. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously 1st)
To continue the theme of drama, I almost missed everything swirling around Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen and teammate Artturi Lehkonen’s father, who is a Finnish hockey analyst. Long story short, he said Rantanen was showing “frustration and pain” in his game, among other things, in reference to the Avalanche forward not scoring a goal in seven-straight games and performing a step behind the 55-goal-scoring, 105-point campaign the superstar mustered last season.
Well, Rantanen took these words to heart by posting three goals and eight points this week, so perhaps this fatherly call-out was all it took to get him out of that funk? Either way, I’m not going to bet against him for the rest of this season, because he truly is one of the league’s best scorers.
Elsewhere, the Canucks just keep winning. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who was expecting them to come back to reality after their incredible start to the season, yet they haven’t. As of Dec. 16th, they have the second-best record in the NHL, and would easily be the leader of their division if they didn’t share the Pacific with the Golden Knights.
Also, for the first time in more than a year, the Bruins look human in the regular season. This is a rare occurrence for the dominant franchise, as they are 5-3-2 in their last ten games played, and they are giving up points to the Maple Leafs after starting the season at a record pace. While I still think they are one of the best teams in the NHL, it’s worth keeping track of this regression as the season progresses.
NHL’s Drama Factory During the 2023-24 Season
Well, I certainly didn’t expect all of this drama when the 2023-24 NHL season kicked off back in October. However, it feels like every week we find ourselves discussing the most recent firing or December trade rumors. That’s unusual for the time of the year, and it makes me wonder if things will start to slow down or speed up as the new year approaches.
Related: 4 NHL Backup Goalies Who Should Be Starters
You can’t argue with the results, however, as it’s been hard to ignore the NHL’s headlines this season. Given everything happening already, I expect there to be at least one more big news pop before the holiday break kicks in. If that happens, I’ll make sure to cover in our next Rankings. As always, thank you for reading this week.