Since returning from the 2024 All-Star weekend held in Toronto, it feels like the NHL had its most ‘normal’ week of the season. No coaches were fired, trades completed, or teams moved (despite one franchise’s best efforts).
That’s not to say that there still isn’t a lot to talk about, but it’s more about the on-ice product instead of whatever is happening off it. As teams return from their All-Star breaks, you see a typical dip in productivity that occurs whenever someone has to get back into the flow of things after a few days off. We all have experienced this in our lives, so it should come as no surprise that top athletes also have a post-holiday hangover.
On the ice, we saw an end to the Edmonton Oilers’ winning streak on Tuesday, which abruptly stopped one of the best storylines of the season. 16-straight wins was an incredible run by Edmonton, but now it’s back to reality, which often leads to a letdown and a handful of losses as well.
This has made for some sloppy hockey this week as teams try to figure out if they are contending for the 2024 Stanley Cup, or preparing to sell everything that isn’t nailed down at the deadline. However, I’m going to try and use some discretion when making adjustments to the Rankings this week. Yes, many good teams lost to mediocre opponents, but I’m going to factor in the break when deciding if this is just a blip on the radar or a worrying trend.
So, with this all in mind, let’s take a look at Week 19 of THW’s Power Rankings!
32-24: Arizona Coyotes’ on the Line Once Again
32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously 32nd)
31. San Jose Sharks (Previously 31st)
30. Anaheim Ducks (Previously 30th)
29. Montreal Canadiens (Previously 29th)
28. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously 27th)
27. Buffalo Sabres (Previously 25th)
26. Arizona Coyotes (Previously 18th)
25. Ottawa Senators (Previously 28th)
24. Minnesota Wild (Previously 26th)
I was rooting for the Coyotes this season, I really was. After their stadium plans in Tempe, AZ were rejected by voters back in May, it felt like that would be their low point as a franchise. During the offseason, they touted their emergence from a long rebuild by featuring a young roster capable of competing for the playoffs while searching for a stadium option. Sure, they didn’t have an NHL-caliber building to play in right now, but perhaps a strong season would help everyone forget about this problem.
Instead, all we can do is talk about the continued stadium saga instead of the on-ice product, which has been inconsistent for months at this rate. All of the magic is gone from the start of their season, and they are just back in the losing doldrums that have stricken this franchise for years. They should be better than the five-game losing streak they are on, but they simply aren’t. Unfortunately, this means 2023-24 is another lost season, which will lead to a deadline selling while looking forward to a hopeful future.
Elsewhere in this section, the Wild are playing their way back into the playoff discussion, the Senators are finally starting to win some games (even if it is too little too late to save this season), and the Sharks are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games, which felt impossible a few weeks ago while they were skidding to a 12-game losing streak. Now, this bit of competent play won’t be enough to get back in the postseason hunt, but it’s showing life from a team I expect to be active at the deadline.
23-11: Selling = Success in the NHL’s Basement
23. New Jersey Devils (Previously 20th)
22. Seattle Kraken (Previously 17th)
21. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously 19th)
20. Washington Capitals (Previously 22nd)
19. Calgary Flames (Previously 24th)
18. New York Islanders (Previously 23rd)
17. Los Angeles Kings (Previously 21st)
16. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously 13th)
15. Nashville Predators (Previously 14th)
14. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously 16th)
13. St. Louis Blues (Previously 15th)
12. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously 11th)
11. Detroit Red Wings (Previously 12th)
So I was absolutely ready to leave the Flames for dead after they traded Elias Lindholm last week. This team seemed to be in decline, and it appeared that they were committing to a larger re-tool with so many rumors swirling around them. Instead, they won three straight games, with the newly acquired Andrei Kuzmenko scoring two goals in his first two games in Calgary. While I still don’t think this is a playoff team right now, there’s at least some life in them, which will make the upcoming weeks more exciting for sure.
Speaking of being left for dead, the Flyers and Kings are showing that they should be playoff teams despite some inconsistency in recent weeks. The Flyers are holding strong to third place in the Metropolitan Division, while the Kings have reclaimed the top Wild Card spot in the West and will look to build upon a stellar shutout of the Oilers on Saturday. Both teams still have work to do, but I’m finding it hard to imagine either not buying this deadline.
Heading in the opposite direction are the Kraken, Penguins, Devils, and Capitals. While all of these teams are very much in the playoff hunt, I just don’t believe any of them are consistent enough to gain the ground needed to actually make the postseason. I also can’t see any of them selling yet, either, but realistically they should all consider it with how active the trade market could be this season.
10-1: Rough Weeks for the Avalanche
10. Colorado Avalanche (Previously 3rd)
9. Winnipeg Jets (Previously 4th)
8. Edmonton Oilers (Previously 1st)
7. Florida Panthers (Previously 9th)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously 7th)
5. New York Rangers (Previously 10th)
4. Dallas Stars (Previously 8th)
3. Vancouver Canucks (Previously 2nd)
2. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously 6th)
1. Boston Bruins (Previously 5th)
I sometimes have a bit of a blind spot for the Avalanche, as they are one of those teams I believe is great, so I tend to write off their losses a little more willingly than I should. After their most recent four-game losing streak, however, I can’t ignore their struggles. Sure, they are losing to good teams (three of four losses were against teams at the top of the Rankings), but when you’re making choices based on the details, that’s more than enough for me to knock them down this list. I still think they can win the Stanley Cup, but they just are struggling right now.
Another team that’s looked off has been the Jets, who were on a five-game losing streak before Connor Hellebuyck decided enough was enough Saturday. I think this will just be a blip on their overall great season, but it’s allowed the Stars to reclaim the Central Division lead, which I expect will take until Game 82 to fully decide.
If you’re a fan of the Bruins or Rangers, you had a pretty good time this week. Both of these divisional leaders were down for a bit in recent weeks, but multi-game winning streaks (prior to Boston’s loss Saturday) have pulled them right back to the top of the Rankings. However, I don’t think there’s a clear #1 right now, as there are four to five great teams who haven’t been able to separate themselves quite yet.
NHL’s Slow News Week (For Now)
With a relatively slow news week behind us, it’s impossible to not look forward to the trade deadline. We are less than a month away from the big day, and I expect moves to start coming down the pipeline quickly once decisions are made about each team’s future.
Related: 2024 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
There will be some surprise buyers and sellers in the coming weeks, so it’s just a matter of when they start moving players. Calgary and Montreal kicked off the festivities already, but this certainly won’t be the end of big trades. As more come in, I it will influence the balance of power across the NHL, and subsequently these Rankings.