The New Year is upon us and it’s time to start pushing for the playoffs. The next few weeks will be full of teams biting and clawing as they fight for seeding. Some teams will be prepared for this, others will not. This is sink or swim for every team and we get to start seeing what they’re truly made of. Let’s take a look at how each team performed in the last week of 2023.
Anaheim Ducks: F (Previous grade: D-)
The Ducks haven’t had much to smile about the last few weeks. There were brief glimpses of greatness, but now they find themselves back at the bottom of the barrel. They have another decent chance to win the draft lottery but that’s the only consolation so far.
Arizona Coyotes: B- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Arizona won their only two games this week and still hold onto the second wild card spot in the West. This team came ready to prove themselves this year and so far they’ve shown a pretty good account for themselves. They’ve spent years acquiring draft capital and skimming around the slums, this year they need to go all in. Find that missing piece and go for the playoff push.
Boston Bruins: B- (Previous grade: F)
The Bruins had a good rebound week with a three game winning streak. They hold the Atlantic by four points as they aim to win it for back to back seasons. It’s all for naught if they can’t translate it to postseason success this time around.
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Buffalo Sabres: D- (Previous grade: D)
The Sabres are running out of time. Buffalo has mountains of potential and they’re on the verge of wasting it all. The time is now. They need to gather it together and make a push for the playoffs or they’ll be no better than they were last season.
Calgary Flames: C (Previous grade: B-)
The Flames have no system; coaching changes, GM changes, and the loss of all their star players have crippled this team and they’ve sunk to the bottom of the standings. They still have a chance to make a playoff push, but it seems like a pipe dream at this point.
Carolina Hurricanes: A- (Previous grade: D-)
The Canes gathered themselves some momentum at the end of the year, winning three in a row. It’s do or die time. The Canes were a Cup contender heading in and now they’re fighting for playoffs. This team can’t afford a playoff miss, their window won’t last that long.
Chicago Blackhawks: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Hawks might as well hope for another draft lottery win so they can add in someone to help Bedard. Their playoff hopes are pretty much gone and there’s not a lot of hope elsewhere.
Colorado Avalanche: B (Previous grade: B-)
The Avs are clinging onto the division title by a thread. Dallas and Winnipeg are nipping at their heels, but weeks like this last one are what’s keeping them ahead. They went 2-0-1, getting at least a point in every game this week. They lead the division by one point at this moment in time.
Columbus Blue Jackets: D- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
It was another 1-2 week for the Jackets. Despite some really good play from rookie Adam Fanteilli, this team is in a pretty bleak spot. Hopefully some good draft selection and the resurgence of their stars will help them out next season.
Dallas Stars: A- (Previous grade: B-)
Despite a loss to the Blues the Stars carried decent momentum into the new year. They’ve won four of their last five games and are just a single point away from Colorado in the race for the Central division title. Winnipeg is right there with them though, so they have to be careful.
Detroit Red Wings: D- (Previous grade: F)
Detroit went 1-2 this week which isn’t helping their case at all. They’ve fallen out of playoff position and are watching all of the other teams slowly pass them by. If they want to end their drought and make themselves relevant again, they will have to turn things around this new year.
Edmonton Oilers: A+ (Previous grade: B-)
The Oilers are once again in the midst of a five game winning streak. They’re getting hot at the exact right time. They’re three points out from the second wild card spot, and eight points out from the third spot in the Pacific. If they can keep this up, they’ll carry the perfect amount of momentum into the playoffs.
Florida Panthers: A- (Previous grade: D-)
The Panthers have won four in a row. They’ve bumped past Toronto to claim the second spot in the Atlantic division. They’re only four points behind Boston for the top spot, which would be their second Atlantic title in three years if they managed to claim it.
Los Angeles Kings: B- (Previous grade: B)
The Kings lost their last two games of the week to the Oilers and the Knights, which is a gut punch for a team trying to climb up the rankings. That doesn’t change how good they’ve been though and it’s hard to picture this team finishing outside of the top three of the division.
Minnesota Wild: B- (Previous grade: A)
The Wild have lost two in a row, both to the Jets, which probably didn’t feel super good. Outside of that they’ve been fairly solid except for the fact that they have the second worst penalty kill in the league. The obvious solution would be to take less penalties, but Minnesota also takes the second most penalties in the league.
Montreal Canadiens: D- (Previous grade: C+)
The Habs have lost three in a row and it looks like their playoff hopes are starting to fade as they just can’t gather the momentum they need for very long. They’re making steps in the right direction, but this year might not be the year for the Habs.
Nashville Predators: D (Previous grade: C)
The Preds won their last game of the year, but they’ve lost three of their last four. This won’t help their playoff chances as they battle to hold on to their wild card spot. Seattle is two points out from their spot now, they need to gather their momentum now.
New Jersey Devils: A- (Previous grade: D-)
The Devils lost to the Bruins to end the year, but they’ve won three of their last four. They’re only one point out of a wild card spot and they’re finally starting to showcase the talent that they have. They still need to do more if they want to not only make the playoffs, but make a run as well.
New York Islanders: D (Previous grade: C+)
The Islanders lost two of three this week and both those losses came to Pittsburgh. Not at all what you want to happen when you’re trying to prevent that team from catching up and taking your playoff spot. They’re still in good position for now, but they have a long ways to go until April.
New York Rangers: B- (Previous grade: A-)
Rangers won two of three this week, losing only to the Panthers. They continue to hold the Metro division in a choke hold. They’re the number one ranked team in the east and playoffs seem pretty much a certainty at this point. Now they just need to avoid another disappointing exit.
Ottawa Senators: B- (Previous grade: F)
The Sens went 2-1 this week, and have won three of their last four. That being said, unless they put together a spectacular run, playoffs seem pretty far fetched. It seems like a wasted season, as they had so much hope and potential coming in.
Philadelphia Flyers: D- (Previous grade: C-)
Philly beat the Canucks, but then dropped their next two which means they’ve lost 4 of their last five games. Flyers currently rank third in the Metro division, but they’re not that far ahead of the other teams and will need to get their spark back if they want to hold onto their playoff hopes.
Pittsburgh Penguins: A (Previous grade: C)
The Pens have won three in a row. You should expect a veteran squad such as this to know how to fight back, but even so the recent resurgence has been quite surprising. It’s the start of the new year and the Pens are only one point away from a playoff spot. It’s one thing to make the playoffs though, it’s a whole other battle to make a run.
San Jose Sharks: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Sharks’ season is all but over. At this point they’re just hoping to win the draft lottery so they can continue their rebuild. I would expect some pretty big changes at the deadline as well. This team needs to be completely overhauled.
Seattle Kraken: A (Previous grade: B-)
The Kraken are 7-0-2 in their last nine games. They’ve quickly positioned themselves to be right in the middle of the playoff hunt. Joey Daccord is playing great in net and the power play has finally found itself. All they need is some more consistency in five on five play.
St. Louis Blues: D (Previous grade: B-)
The Blues lost two of three this week and are watching their playoff hopes drift away. They just don’t have the coaching to keep up with other teams and they don’t have the talent to coast off that alone. There are some positives to be had, but this team definitely has some work to do.
Tampa Bay Lightning: D+ (Previous grade: B)
The Bolts lost two of three this week, but despite the obvious decline of players like Hedman, they still find themselves battling for a playoff spot. It’s left to be seen whether or not they have enough in the tank to make that final push, but they certainly refuse to go away.
Toronto Maple Leafs: F (Previous grade: C-)
The Leafs have lost three in a row and given up thirteen goals in the process. The defense has been nothing to brag home about and they don’t have the depth scoring to keep up with other offensive power houses. They’ve dropped to third place in the Atlantic and a deep playoff run seems unlikely.
Vancouver Canucks: C+ (Previous grade: B-)
Canucks only played one game this week and it was a 4-1 loss to the Flyers. That being said, this team has been a spectacle to watch and hopefully they can keep that up in the new year. They currently hold the first place spot in the division and the number one spot in the West.
Vegas Golden Knights: D- (Previous grade: D)
Despite a 3-2 win over the Kings, the Knights didn’t have much momentum going into the new year and losing the Winter Classic is not how they wanted to start it either. The Knights find themselves in a rough spot right now and have already given up first place in the Pacific. It’s hard to see this team struggling for long though.
Washington Capitals: F (Previous grade: B)
The Caps have lost four in a row. Ovechkin is not producing numbers and the offense is fairly nonexistent. This team has coasted on decent defense and terrific goaltending and it’s no longer enough. They’ve dropped out of playoff position and better find a way to turn it around fast.
Winnipeg Jets: A- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Jets are part of a three way battle for the Central Division title that is shaping up to be an absolutely wild one. They’ve moved to second place in the division, winning two of three this week, and are only one point away from the first place spot. Expect a solid push from this team in the new year.
