Welcome back, everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and the hockey action, limited as it may have been. We’re back with some hockey rankings for week 13, and the last couple of weeks have had a few shake-ups in the NHL standings, although a lot of teams are still where you would expect them to be. Enough dilly-dallying, though; let’s get right into it.
Who are the top teams in the NHL power rankings after week 13?
32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous rank: 30)
A lot of the Hawks’ future resided on whether or not they could get Bedard the support he desperately needed last season. The rest of it consisted of how well Bedard would continue to play and develop. The numbers haven’t been what was expected of him, but he is still by far the best producer on the team. That support that was supposed to have been brought in for him just hasn’t been there. This team has Taylor Hall and Teuvo Teravainen, but somehow, no one seems to be able to get Bedard some help.
31. San Jose Sharks (Previous rank: 29)
I really like Macklin Celebrini. He has been so much fun to watch and is a much-needed sign of hope for this team. I’m still not entirely sure what San Jose was thinking by giving up Blackwood, though, as Georgiev continues to play poorly. At least Tyler Toffoli has been panning out for them so far. It’s entirely possible that San Jose is just going for the tank at this point in an attempt to get a high draft pick.
30. Buffalo Sabres (Previous rank: 27)
They may have ended their 13-game losing streak, but they haven’t looked all that good since. Devon Levi hasn’t at all panned out the way they were hoping he would, and they were forced to turn to James Reimer for help in net. The sad thing is, he’s actually been better than both Levi and Luukkonen. It’s time to stop taking this team seriously. They had their chance to prove to us they could end the rebuild and become an NHL contender, and they completely squandered it. Until things change in the front office, I doubt that they will ever change.
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29. Nashville Predators (Previous rank: 31)
The Predators forked over god knows how much money in contracts in the NHL offseason, only to be toward the bottom of the league. They thought the solution to staying relevant would be adding more old-timers to their roster and were hoping they would keep up. Steven Stamkos is a great addition on paper until you realize he’s 34 and doesn’t have his amazing support system in Tampa anymore. He also has had a lot of injuries in the past.
28. Seattle Kraken (Previous rank: 24)
Without Joey Daccord, the Kraken are doomed to fail. It’s just the sad reality of their situation. Grubauer just isn’t going to help this team succeed. Seattle built a team that was meant to win games off of depth, yet with a shallow goalie tandem and a lack of star power, they don’t have anyone on the roster to help them steal games. They’ve been figured out, but they don’t have the firepower to bring it back.
27. Anaheim Ducks (Previous rank: 32)
Most of the Ducks’ success this season has come off the back of some incredible goaltending. The offense still isn’t producing anywhere near the rate that it needs to. However, they managed to get out of Fowler’s contract and sign Frank Vatrano to a three-year deal. To be completely honest, I’m not sure what their plan with Trouba is. That was a large contract to take on, and I’m not entirely sure what he would bring to the team at this point in time.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams After Week 10 Games
26. New York Islanders (Previous rank: 23)
The Islanders are last in the league in both power play and penalty kill. They’re one of the slowest teams in the NHL, and that has a lot to do with the fact that they’re also one of the oldest. It was only a matter of time before they finally got left in the dust. They can’t score; they can’t stop other teams from scoring. What can they do?
25. Detroit Red Wings (Previous rank: 26)
If you had told me that a team with Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, and Alex Debrincat would be struggling with scoring goals, I would’ve called you crazy. Yet here we are. The one thing Detroit truly excelled at last season is nonexistent for them this year. They may have patched the goaltending, at least for now, but they didn’t patch that awful blue line, and now their one strength is falling apart.
24. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous rank: 19)
If the Flyers could get some decent goaltending, they may actually be a decent team right now. Samuel Ersson isn’t bad, but can’t carry this team on his back. He was solid as a backup to Carter Hart, but he’s been forced into a starter role for which he may not have been quite ready. Pair that with the fact that his two backups this year, Fedotov and Kolosov, have not been good this year, and you have to feel for the poor guy.
23. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previous rank: 25)
I’d be lying if I said I thought the Jackets have what it takes to make a playoff push. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want them to. This team deserves it. They’re hard-working and heartbroken, and they need something. Every time they start to have some success, I find myself hoping that it stays and that they will find a way to squeak into the NHL postseason and have some crazy Cinderella run. Is that too much to ask?
22. New York Rangers (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Oh, man. What happened, guys? This team won the President’s Trophy last year. They made it all the way to the conference finals and put up a fairly decent fight against Florida, who went on to win the Cup. They started off hot this year. Now they’ve completely fallen out of playoff position, and their GM is causing drama all over the place. Not only did he forcefully move Trouba out, but he’s been threatening to do the same with Chris Kreider. Yikes.
21. Boston Bruins (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Much like the Rangers, the Bruins find themselves in a “what the heck happened” situation. This was a team that was considered a Cup favorite just a couple of years ago. A lot of the problems rest on Jeremy Swayman. I hate blaming goaltenders, but Swayman has been well beneath what he’s expected to be. You don’t have to win the Vezina every single year, but this NHL team expected him to be their guy, and he sank with the team.
20. Montreal Canadiens (Previous rank: 28)
This may be an overrank, but the Habs have looked pretty good recently. They’re 7-3-0 in their last ten, and they’ve looked a bit revitalized. I don’t think they’re going to make some crazy playoff push, but it’s nice to see they’re not just accepting their fate. Part of that stems from the fact that Jakub Dobes has come out of nowhere and put on two stellar performances in his first two NHL games. If he can keep up that level of play and give Montembault a solid backup, the Habs could finally have a place to build from.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previous rank: 20)
The Pens haven’t looked great, but they haven’t looked nearly as terrible either. The real story of the year has to be Tristan Jarry. The man has fallen off a cliff. He even got sent to the minors at one point this year. That’s absolutely insane for a man who is making 5.38 million per year. He still has three years left after this season, too, so what does Pittsburgh even do in this situation?
18. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous rank: 12)
The Bolts have fallen on some hard times as of late. Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov have been a couple of saving graces for this team so far this year, as well as Vasilevsky, of course. It’s probably safe to say their time as a Cup contender is behind them, though. If they do make the NHL playoffs this year, it looks like it’s going to be another squeak-in and possibly another first-round exit.
17. Utah Hockey Club (Previous rank: 16)
Utah has become so meh to me. They really caught my interest when they started off so hot, but now they’ve kind of settled into the exact same place they were in in Arizona. They’re not terrible, but they’re not great either. They’re exactly the middle of the pack. They may make a final playoff push and maybe even almost make it, but that’s probably the extent of their success this season.
16. St Louis Blues (Previous rank: 15)
Cam Fowler has four goals and five assists in eleven games since being traded to this team. Definitely didn’t see that coming. Turns out the GM saw something we didn’t see because Fowler didn’t look anywhere near this good in Anaheim. He looked like another aging vet destined to whittle away into retirement. Now, he’s found a bit of a career revival with his new team.
15. Calgary Flames (Previous rank: 18)
If it wasn’t for Dustin Wolf I’m not sure this team would be where they’re at right now. They can’t score to save their lives, so they’ve been pretty reliant on defense and goaltending, with an emphasis on goaltending. If it works, it works, though, and Wolf has given them a pretty solid backbone to build off of. If he keeps this up, this may be a short rebuild for Calgary, but if he falls off, then it becomes a lot longer than they would like.
14. Ottawa Senators (Previous rank: 17)
Linus Ullmark is laughing right now. He was the one chosen to be shipped out when they could no longer afford the tandem of him and Swayman. Now Swayman is struggling in Boston, whereas Ullmark has been solid for Ottawa. He’s given this team a solid backbone and the confidence they need to start building their way up, and we’re finally seeing results because of it.
13. Vancouver Canucks (Previous rank: 14)
Thatcher Demko returning hasn’t given the Canucks the boost they were hoping for. That being said, they’re still in a fairly good position to make a return to the playoffs, which is what they really needed. They took the hockey world by storm last season, and it would be a pretty massive step backward if they miss the NHL postseason this year. They don’t want that, and for the safety of the city of Vancouver, neither do we.
12. Colorado Avalanche (Previous rank: 13)
The Avs have some footing. They just needed that goaltending, and they’ve gotten it from Blackwood and Wedgewood. Now their stars can go to work without fear of being too aggressive and immediately getting scored on, though some boosting on the blue line definitely wouldn’t hurt them. I won’t call them a Cup contender again just yet, but they’re on their way to being the Colorado team everyone feared.
11. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Without some consistent goaltending, it’s hard to see this team ever achieve the success it craves. Frederik Andersen is good when he’s healthy. The issue is he’s never healthy. Carolina desperately holds onto his contract under the hope that he’ll recover and stay recovered, but it never happens. Kochetkov has tried his best but can’t provide the team with what they need. Spencer Martin and Dustin Tokarski haven’t been much help.
10. Dallas Stars (Previous rank: Unchanged)
So, maybe the Stars aren’t the powerhouse I played them up to be. My bad. They’re still good, though! Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene have been absolutely killing it this season, although some respect needs to be given to Jamie Benn for keeping up despite his miles. This NHL team is deep and has star power. I’m not really sure what the missing piece is at this point, but something is definitely holding them back.
9. Florida Panthers (Previous rank: Unchanged)
I think the Panthers only have one team, which is any real competition in their division. I think it’s safe to say that unless they completely collapse, they should cruise back into the playoffs. Once they’re there, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did some damage again. This team just has a style that’s built for the NHL playoffs. They’re really going to need Bobvrosky to refind his form, though. He’s been lacking this season, and it’s definitely hurting the team a bit.
8. New Jersey Devils (Previous rank: 4)
It’s nice to see the Devils in playoff position again, even if they have slipped a bit lately. It’s also nice to see this once offensive-minded team suddenly playing really good defense. Even if they hadn’t torn apart the goalie tandem, I doubt they would’ve let in as many goals as they did last season with the way the blue line has been playing. That being said, having Jakob Markstrom and Jake Allen playing the way they are certainly hasn’t hurt matters in the slightest.
7. Winnipeg Jets (Previous rank: Unchanged)
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Connor Hellebuyck is competing for the Vezina trophy again this year. That’s all well and good, but what the Jets really need is for him to carry that play over to the playoffs. If they completely fall apart and get destroyed again this season, things are going to have to change. They can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
6. Edmonton Oilers (Previous rank: 8)
It was tough not to put the Oilers in the top five. I’m still just not sold on their depth or their goaltending. The reality is that Stuart Skinner could fall apart at any minute, and this team isn’t good enough defensively to make up for it. On top of that, production really drops off a cliff outside of McDavid and Draisaitl. We’ll see, though; this NHL team knows how to win, and they got a taste of glory last season. They may be hungry for more.
5. Minnesota Wild (Previous rank: 2)
The regression has finally come for Minnesota, though not at all at the level that was expected. They’re still well in the playoff position and winning games that they should win. They have been faltering, though, and the question is whether the team has the confidence or the stamina to stay the course and push through to the postseason. It’s a question that we need answered and will hopefully be answered very soon.
4. Los Angeles Kings (Previous rank: 5)
Darcy Kuemper has been really, really good for the Kings. The blue line is clicking, even without Drew Doughty. Byfield is finally starting to score, and of course, Kopitar continues to defy Father Time and not get the credit he deserves for it. The scary thing is, this team was playing really well at this time last season and then completely imploded. Obviously, we hope that isn’t the case this time around, as LA really wants to make it past the first round of the NHL playoffs.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previous rank: 6)
Toronto has finally gotten something they desperately craved for so many years. Good goaltending. With it, they’ve been able to work their offense without any fear. The entire league is feeling the results. This NHL team is my lock to win the Atlantic Division with relative ease, and their only competition right now is Florida. That being said, it all means nothing if they get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round again.
2. Washington Capitals (Previous rank: 1)
The Caps have been misstepping a bit lately. Don’t let that distract you from the fact that Ovechkin keeps getting closer and closer to that all-time goal record. He’s probably going to get it. With the pace he’s going at this season, it seems impossible that he won’t. The absolute scenes that will happen when he nets the goal that breaks the record for him. What a moment we would all get to witness if he does, in fact, get it done.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (Previous rank: 3)
Despite the regression of Adin Hill, Vegas has returned to the top of the heap. Their defensive and offensive depth is more than enough to make up for the slight dip in goaltending and they haven’t lost any results in the process. This team has the potential to go far year in and year out and it’s that consistency that makes them so dang impressive.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NHL Teams’ After Week 10 Games Of The 2024 Season
