Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and with it, the end of the second month of the NHL season. Those who were expecting this season to play out like the last have been sorely disappointed, as the landscape is fairly different than it was at this time last year.
Be it the Oilers still struggling to find consistency or the Bruins becoming an absolute laughing stock, there are a few things happening this season for each NHL team that I don’t think could’ve been predicted last season.
Let’s take a look at how the rankings have been shook up.
Who are the top teams in the NHL power rankings after week 7?
32. San Jose Sharks (Previous rank: Unchanged)
While the Sharks may sit at the bottom, much like they did last year, I don’t think they can be called the same team as last year. I made that comparison earlier this year, but I was wrong. This is a much more fun Sharks team. Be it the surprisingly solid goaltending they’ve gotten so far this season or Macklin Celebrini putting on an absolute show, this NHL team is much more entertaining than the dumpster fire they were last year.
31. Montreal Canadiens (Previous rank: Unchanged)
At some point, we’re going to have to look beyond the talent level of this team and start questioning the coaching. I love Martin St Louis. I do. So do his players. But this team continuously has the same bad habits day in and day out. Something has to change, and it needs to change soon if the Habs want to have any hope of ending this rebuild in the next decade.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NHL stories via Google! Follow Us
30. Anaheim Ducks (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Ducks have shown improvement this year. They do seem to be getting development out of the players they hoped they would, such as Leo Carlsson and Lukas Dostal. There also appears to be a return to form from John Gibson. That being said, it may be time to talk about Trevor Zegras. He has been good so far, but he is not what you would expect from the supposed future face of the franchise.
29. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previous rank: 25)
Outside of a few glimpses into their former glory every now and again, this team is an absolute shell of what they used to be, and that’s me being nice. They’ve been a sinking ship for some time now, but due to fans and executives alike trying their best to ignore that, they did absolutely nothing to stop or slow it. Now they’re reaping what has been sowed, and not even Sidney Crosby himself can stop this ship from going down.
28. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous rank: 29)
This team is better than they were last year. That needs to be said. I know it’s hard to have any faith from a team that is very much still in the basement, but we should. They are getting better. They’re young and developing, and they have shown multiple times this season that they want to compete. If they can continue on this path for not only the rest of this season but also in upcoming seasons, we could see Chicago emerge once again.
27. Nashville Predators (Previous rank: 28)
Here, we have yet another sinking ship. Unlike Pittsburgh, this NHL team gives you a feeling that they could possibly patch those holes and get back on the water. The question is, are they going to? Are they going to right the ship and get back on track, or are they going to continue to sink further and further down until they have no choice but to blow everything up and start from scratch? This season will probably give us that answer sooner or later.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams After Week 6 Games
26. Detroit Red Wings (Previous rank: Unchanged)
I’m going to be honest. Detroit blew it. They should’ve jumped on Jim Montgomery when they had the chance. Not only could his defensive system be exactly what Detroit needs right now, but he has experience. He knows how to win. He knows how to make the playoffs. Detroit desperately needs that. They’re on the verge of squandering everything they worked for. They barely missed the playoffs last season, and now, this season, they’re struggling to stay out of the basement.
25. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous rank: 24)
I’m glad that John Tortorella has faith in Travis Sanheim; he’s a really good blue liner. But is he the guy that can play thirty-plus minutes per game? I guess we’ll find out. That being said, there are still a lot of reasons to have confidence in this team moving forward. Sure, they’ve regressed from last season, but they also massively overperformed last season. This season has still shown they’re moving in the right direction.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previous rank: 27)
Don’t look now, but the Jackets are making moves. Not only have they been stringing wins together, but they’ve done so against pretty good competition. If they can continue playing well, they have the opportunity to make something really cool happen, given the storylines heading into this season. We’re all rooting for you, Columbus. Make it happen.
23. St Louis Blues (Previous rank: 20)
It’s been a rough go for the Blues as of late, but they did something right. They hired Jim Montgomery as their new head coach. Jim brings with him a lot of experience and a lot of winning, and I think he can do a lot of good things with this team. The Blues are not ready to give it all up yet, and you can tell. They want to keep being competitive. We’ll see if they can continue being so moving forward.
22. Buffalo Sabres (Previous rank: 23)
The Sabres are very streaky this season, week by week. Despite being hot and cold, they’re still in a position to secure a playoff spot if they can maintain any semblance of consistency. The Atlantic is in a very weak spot right now, and that third-place spot is right there for the taking. They’ll either manage to grab it or somehow pull a Buffalo and disappoint us all. It could still go either way at this point.
21. Ottawa Senators (Previous rank: 17)
Ottawa has slowly and surely downgraded back into the team we saw in the last few years. That’s disappointing, to say the least. Every time you think they’re about to pull themselves up and start moving forward, they fall right back into the mud and get dragged right back down. At some point, they may just have to give up and blow it all up once again. Something clearly isn’t working.
20. Seattle Kraken (Previous rank: 18)
Despite Joey Daccord sneakily putting together a Vezina-caliber season, Seattle is still struggling. It just feels like something is missing from this NHL team. Some “it” factors can push them over the edge. Maybe it’s a pipe dream, and they also need to start from scratch. Maybe they just need that one superstar player. We won’t know until something is tried, but who knows if they will take any sort of leap.
19. Utah Hockey Club (Previous rank: Unchanged)
I think any hope that we had in Utah has been effectively squandered. Every now and then, they can beat a good team on an off day, but for the most part, this team has struggled to put wins together. Every week, they drop further and further down the standings, and it’ll most likely be the same for these power rankings moving forward.
18. New York Islanders (Previous rank: 21)
The Islanders record pretty accurately represents this team I think. They’re hovering around .500 which pretty much sums up this team. They’re not terrible, but they’re not elite either. They’re stuck in a limbo that they can’t seem to get out of and I’m not sure if that’s a better fate than a rebuild or a worse one. How long before Ilya Sorokin wants to move on as well?
17. Boston Bruins (Previous rank: 22)
The Bruins have decided to move on from Jim Montgomery. It’s yet to be seen whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing. One thing is for sure, though: big change is coming to Boston. You can feel the storm brewing around the Bruins. It will either push this team forward or tear it apart until there’s nothing left.
16. Edmonton Oilers (Previous rank: 14)
When do we start becoming worried about the Oilers? Yes, they started slowly last season, but at this point, last season was when they started getting hot. They haven’t gotten hot yet. They haven’t been terrible, but they’ve been human, and that’s what’s been so weird. This just doesn’t look like the team that made the Finals last year. Heck, this barely looks like the team that’s been so dominant through regular seasons the last couple of years.
15. Colorado Avalanche (Previous rank: 16)
Finally, we start getting some actual life from the Avalanche. They’ve got some ground to make up, but I’m sure they already knew that. There are still some pretty serious red flags that I think need to be addressed, goaltending being the major one. It’s hard to see this NHL team winning a Cup again with their current goalie tandem.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous rank: 12)
Tampa has fallen on dark times and out of a playoff spot. They’re still in it, though, and they still have a chance. Of course, it helps that Nikita Kucherov is still producing at superhuman levels. Seriously, what is that guy made of? It’s like any time the puck leaves his stick, it’s finding the back of the net.
13. Vancouver Canucks (Previous rank: Unchanged)
So, this is definitely not the team we saw last year. They’ve definitely regressed. But, hey, we expected regression, right? This is still a good team. That being said, they do seem to be struggling against the upper-tier teams. Plus, Thatcher Demko’s inability to stay healthy is a huge red flag. They need a true number-one goalie that they can rely on, and we thought Demko was that guy. But he can’t stay healthy, and Vancouver has had to rely on other options.
12. Calgary Flames (Previous rank: 15)
Calgary continues to impress. The most impressive part of this season so far, though, is by far the play of Dustin Wolf. He is currently second in the league with a save percentage of .926. That’s well beyond the level I expected him to be playing at this season. He has surpassed Dan Vladar as Calgary’s starter, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep up this level of play or if he’ll burn out.
11. Los Angeles Kings (Previous rank: Unchanged)
If the Kings could stop playing down to their competition, they would probably be in a much better position than they are now. That being said, they’re not in a horrible position right now. Adrian Kempe seems to have refound his spark and is on pace to have a pretty good season. We need to talk about Kevin Fiala, though. The man cannot stay out of the penalty box. It’s often in the offensive zone, too, and it has absolutely hurt LA.
10. Florida Panthers (Previous rank: 6)
Florida has fallen on some hard times again recently. That being said, they still hold the number three spot in the division, although they’ve been passed by Toronto and Buffalo. This division is suddenly wide open, and it’s making these rankings hard because I have to judge based on actual team skill and not just the fact that most of the division is playing like a stick in the mud.
9. Vegas Golden Knights (Previous rank: 10)
Vegas has hit the slow zone. They do it every year. The question is whether they’ll break out of it in a timely manner or if they’ll let it cost them playoff positioning again. Also, can someone tell me what happened to Adin Hill? How is he getting outplayed by Ilya Samsonov, of all people?
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previous rank: 9)
The most impressive feat from Toronto this season is their ability to find a way to win. Even without Auston Matthews, they are finding ways to win. Maybe not quite at the pace they would like, but they have the top spot in the Atlantic right now. They look good. They look deep for once. The only thing standing in their way is the fact that they are the Maple Leafs, and they’re their own worst enemy.
7. New York Rangers (Previous rank: 5)
The biggest difference between the Rangers this season and the Rangers last season is the fact that New York is struggling heavily against top-caliber NHL teams. They can beat up and bully lower tier teams all day long, it’s not going to do them any good if they can’t compete with the best. They have to start winning those high-caliber games, or they’re in for another bitter disappointment.
6. Dallas Stars (Previous rank: 7)
I still really like watching Dallas play. The increased competition in the Central (who really thought the Wild and Jets would be this good) has certainly added some hurdles in their way, but they seem to be handling it in stride. They’re beating the teams they should beat and competing with the elites, if not beating them, too. Matt Duchene has seemingly come alive early this year, too.
5. Washington Capitals (Previous rank: 4)
With Ovechkin out to injury, the Caps have slowed down a bit. A bit is the keyword there. At least you hope it’s just a brief skid and not the sign of an impending collapse, which, let’s be honest, we’ve all been waiting for. Nobody believed this team would be good, and I think many of us are still expecting them to collapse horribly.
4. New Jersey Devils (Previous rank: 8)
It’s really nice to see the Devils be good again. Last year was so sad to watch. This year, they’re healthy, and they finally addressed the glaring issues that needed to be addressed before the trade deadline last season. While Jakob Markstrom hasn’t been as elite as they would’ve hoped him to be, he’s been leaps and bounds better than Vitek Vanecek was. And Jake Allen has THRIVED under this NHL team. This was the goalie that he was hoping to be when he was in St Louis.
3. Minnesota Wild (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Much like the Capitals, I feel like a lot of us are holding our breath, waiting for the Wild to collapse. I don’t know if it’s coming. I don’t think I’d be willing to watch. They’ve been so good and so clean that if they were to collapse now, then it would be devastating to watch. It would probably solidify a rebuild as well.
2. Winnipeg Jets (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Jets may look more mortal than they did earlier, but they still look impressively solid. Connor Hellebuyck is just unfair as well. No goalie should play this well this often. That being said, it’ll all be for naught unless they can translate it into the playoffs. They need every piece to keep moving, and they just haven’t gotten that in the postseason in recent years.
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous rank: Unchanged)
It was a more middling week for the Canes this week, but they still secured the number one spot again. That’s because this team is an absolute wagon. They just keep chugging along no matter what comes their way. Maybe they’ll slow down, or maybe they’ll keep chugging right into the postseason, but right now, they are so much fun to watch.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NHL Teams’ After Week 6 Games Of The 2024 Season
