March 11, 2022
By Tab Bamford
POWER RANKINGS
CHICAGO, IL — We’re now close enough to the NHL Trade Deadline that this will be our last Power Rankings before significant changes are made to a number of roster around the NHL. Who will be the biggest name traded? And which team gets the best return for their assets?
And which contender pushes their chips all the way in for a shot at glory?
The trades are going to come fast and furious in the coming week, so get ready for some fan bases to be excited and others to have their hearts broken.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings. As always, feel free to chime in and tell us where we’re terrible wrong and what we’re getting right.
32. Seattle Kraken
Losers of four straight entering Friday, the Kraken have one win in their last ten (1-7-2). The wheels are off in Seattle and it’s time to start swimming in the trade currents to see how they can add assets for their future at their first deadline.
31. Buffalo Sabres
The Jack Eichel return is out of the way and now they’ll head outdoors for a game against the Leafs. They’re 3-7-0 in their last 10 and only four teams have allowed more than their 210 goals against entering Friday.
30. Philadelphia Flyers
One of six teams with the distinction of a goal differential of at least minus-50 entering Friday, Flyers fans are watching every night because it might be the last time they see Claude Giroux in a Flyers sweater.
29. Montreal Canadiens
Thanks to a 7-3-0 stretch, the Habs are now just three points back of the Coyotes to get out of the cellar in the NHL. Their minus-77 goal differential is 15 worse than any team in the league, however.
28. Arizona Coyotes
They’ve won four straight and six of their last ten and Nick Schmaltz has been one of the hottest players on the planet for a week… and they’re still at 40 points in 57 starts. Who stays and who goes before the deadline?
27. Ottawa Senators
The Sens ride a two-game win streak into Friday’s action but they’re just 3-6-1 in their last 10. It’s been a rough season for Ottawa and they’ll be active before the deadline next week.
26. Detroit Red Wings
We still like their future a lot. And their 16-12-4 home record is decent. But they have a minus-48 goal differential and have lost their last four games. We’ll see what Stevie Y does before the deadline.
25. New Jersey Devils
The Devils, like the Red Wings, have some really nice young pieces to build around. The future appears to be bright. But the present has its glaring issues. There will be a few veterans no longer in New Jersey by this time next week – perhaps starting with P.K. Subban.
24. Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago is one of those six teams with a goal differential of at least minus-50 and they’re 3-6-1 in their last 10, which makes their wins against Edmonton and posting a snowman against the Devils that much more notable. GM Kyle Davidson will have a lot of calls coming before the deadline and could be the biggest seller this year.
23. New York Islanders
After back-to-back Eastern Conference Final, the Isles have taken a massive step back this season. And it’s happened with many of the same players who made those deep playoff runs. So what they do in the next week will be fascinating to watch.
22. Columbus Blue Jackets
It looks like the wheels have started sliding off in Columbus. A four-game losing streak has them leaving the playoff picture and moving into the draft lottery again. With 216 goals against, defense has been a concern all year.
21. San Jose Sharks
We say it every week: the Sharks are a .500 team. They’re 13-13-3 at home and 12-12-4 on the road entering Friday. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to get you very far in the NHL – even in the pedestrian Pacific Division.
20. Winnipeg Jets
Just 4-4-2 in their last 10, the Jets are trying to hang around the fringes of the playoff picture. Their ten overtime/shootout losses could come back to haunt them.
19. Anaheim Ducks
How do you get blown out by the Blackhawks? That game – and couple important veterans heading on IR this week – could be the final straws to push the sell movement in Anaheim. They’re 4-6-0 in their last 10.
18. Vegas Golden Knights
With Robin Lehner getting looked at and away from the team, Vegas has some serious issues to deal with before the deadline and not a ton of cap space to help solve them. They’re 4-5-1 in their last 10 and are now looking up at Calgary and Los Angeles.
17. Edmonton Oilers
How do you lose to the Blackhawks? The Oilers’ playoff chase can’t have losses to bad teams included the rest of the way, but they continue to find ways to leave the door open for them to be back in the draft lottery instead of the postseason.
16. Washington Capitals
We’ve got some concerns about the Caps. They’ll be in the playoffs; we’re pretty clear on the eight teams getting in from the Eastern Conference. But Washington is only 5-4-1 in their last 10 and need to get healthy.
15. Vancouver Canucks
Don’t look now, but the Canucks are rolling again. Winners of three straight and eight in their last ten entering Friday, they’re now two points back of the Oilers and, unlike Edmonton, heading in the right direction. Imagine if they had made the coaching change a month earlier?
14. Minnesota Wild
Minnesota has fallen back a bit, winning just four of their last ten. They’ve been great at home (17-6-1) and could host a playoff series if they can get back on track soon.
13. Nashville Predators
The Preds have won three straight and are one point back of Minnesota; the Wild do have one-game in hand but the Preds are staying right there with the Wild in the playoff mix. What will they do with Filip Forsberg with the playoffs within reach?
12. Dallas Stars
Dallas is three points back of Nashville and four behind Minnesota but they’re 7-2-1 in their last 10 and have now become a fascinating team to watch before the deadline. If they want the playoff, do they move John Klingberg now or wait?
11. Los Angeles Kings
Six months ago, if we told you the Kings would be this close to our top ten a week before the deadline, most fans would have been thrilled. There have been plenty of highs and lows this season, but LA is 7-2-1 in their last 10 and is making a push for home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
10. St. Louis Blues
The Blues are just 5-3-2 in their last 10 and are barely swimming faster than the Stars-Preds-Wild trio that’s fighting for a playoff spot. They’ll need to keep their eye on the rearview mirror because even with a significantly better goal differential (+44) than those other three, they’re not running away from the pack.
9. New York Rangers
A tough week with back-to-back losses comes after Igor Shesterkin was nearly perfect the previous week. They’re 5-4-1 in their last 10 and the rumors are swirling that they will look to add offense in the next week. They’ve scored only 173 goals in 58 games.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pens and Rangers are happily mirroring each other, keeping second and third place in the Metro between them. Pittsburgh is 5-4-1 in their last 10 and, like the Rangers, have lost their last two.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
They have a legitimate crisis in net and other questions to answer before the deadline if they want to have a bona fide shot at getting out of their division, much less the Eastern Conference. Auston Matthews is having a marvelous season, but they need to be more consistent.
6. Boston Bruins
Boston is riding an 8-1-1 stretch into the weekend and have a solid playoff spot. But what do they need to add in the next week to be more interesting in the playoffs? Because just getting in isn’t enough for that team – especially in the final season of Patrice Bergeron’s contract.
5. Calgary Flames
The Flames are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and have sprinted to a nice lead in the Pacific. With a 17-5-5 record on home ice, the rest of that division will have a hard time getting out of Calgary in the postseason. They already made one significant move. Will there be another? And… are they Canada’s best chance at a championship this year?
4. Colorado Avalanche
Wow! The Avs “fall” to four this week after a couple losses and a 5-4-1 run in their last 10. Their placement is a reflection of the recent play of our top three this week; they’re still the team to beat in the entire NHL with a league-best 87 points and ridiculous 23-3-3 record on home ice.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
The two-time defending champs know the drill. Get in, get healthy and then go to work. And they’re in a good spot to do that this season. But they’re looking up in the standings at a team that doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
Now the owners of the best point percentage in the NHL thanks to an 8-1-1 stretch and three straight wins, the Canes are two points back of the Avs for the league’s top mark with two games in-hand. They’ve allowed only 134 goals in 57 games and are 22-4-2 at home.
1. Florida Panthers
Winners of their last five and seven of their last ten, the Panthers look like a team that could win it all again. The job Andrew Brunette has done since the unexpected departure of Joel Quenneville isn’t getting talked about enough, and Jonathan Huberdeau has emerged as a legit Hart candidate. This is a really, really good team.