March 25, 2022
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — We’re now a few days past the NHL Trade Deadline and we’ve started to see some old faces in new places. We won’t know for a few weeks/months who ultimately “won” the trade deadline, but it’s clear that the teams at the top of the Eastern Conference are all going for it.

As we get ready to turn the page to April, we no longer have buying and selling to discuss – just wins and losses and players staying healthy. Teams are fighting for playoff spots, home-ice in the first round and, for a few, odds in the draft lottery.

Let’s jump into this week’s Power Rankings. As always, share your thoughts and concerns with our rankings.

[View the Power Rankings from Week 19]

32. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs own the worst goal differential in the league (minus-79), and theirs is 15 worse than any other team in the league. This has been an awful year and the season can’t end soon enough in Montreal.

31. Arizona Coyotes

They’re tied with Montreal for the cellar in the league with 44 points, but Arizona has won six of their last ten so we’re giving them a bump “up” to 31 in this week’s power rankings.

30. Detroit Red Wings

The Wings are 2-7-1 in their last 10 and have sunk to a minus-54 goal differential. Only Philly, Seattle, Arizona and Montreal have a worse goal differential entering Friday.

29. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have lost eight straight and have only one win in their last ten. A team that wants a playoff berth can’t lose a home game to the Blackhawks at this point. And they were burned by a non-trade at the deadline.

28. Seattle Kraken

Seattle’s minus-60 goal differential is better than only the Habs and Yotes at this point, and they’re one of only two teams in the league with 20 regulation road losses entering Friday.

27. New Jersey Devils

The youth movement may prove to be special in Jersey, but it’s hard to rationalize a road record of 8-22-2 entering the weekend. Their fans should keep an eye on Michigan in the NCAA tournament because they’ll get a glimpse of the future.

26. Ottawa Senators

The Sens are 12-19-2 at home, but their 19 regulation wins are better than nine teams entering Friday. Their offense needs serious help in the offseason.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

It was strange seeing Claude Giroux in a different sweater and might never feel right. But the Flyers needed to look to their future and gave their captain a chance to chase a championship.

24. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are just 4-4-2 in their last 10 and have some expensive veterans who aren’t producing. Their fans should be thrilled that Tomas Hertl isn’t going anywhere, however.

23. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas is 3-7-0 in their last 10 and had a debacle of a trade deadline. The trade that didn’t happen paid dividends in their game Thursday night, but their pending financial crisis with the cap next year is still very real.

22. Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo is 7-3-0 in their last 10. But they’re still one of six teams in the league with a goal differential that’s at least 50 in the red.

21. Chicago Blackhawks

The fire sale has turned a page for the Blackhawks, and comments from Jonathan Toews have opened the questions about whether or not he – or Patrick Kane – will finish their careers in Chicago. We’ll now wait to see how GM Kyle Davidson utilizes his newly-acquired draft capital.

20. New York Islanders

The Isles have run to a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 and, interestingly, stayed put at the trade deadline. They opted to extend Parise and Clutterbuck instead of moving on from some of their veterans.

19. Columbus Blue Jackets

Just 4-4-2 in their last ten, the Blue Jackets have a minus-28 goal differential on the season. Only 22 of their 32 wins have come in regulation.

18. Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have slumped to a 4-3-3 record in their last 10 and we aren’t thrilled with their 14-13-5 home record.

17. Winnipeg Jets

Like the Stars, the Jets have a break-even goal differential. They are, as we have said almost every week, the definition of an average team.

16. St. Louis Blues

The Blues are slumping at a bad time. They’re 3-4-3 in their last 10 and will be without Torey Krug for a while.

15. Dallas Stars

For a team with a 21-8-1 home record, a break-even goal differential doesn’t feel as good as it maybe should. But the Stars have won their last three and are making things more interesting in the middle of their divisional race.

14. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are the highest-ranked team in our power rankings that has allowed 200 goals this season. And they’re 16-12-5 away from home. We’re not sold they have a roster that can make a deep playoff run, but if the right guys get hot...

13. Nashville Predators

Winners of six of their last ten, Nashville is still stuck in the muddy middle of their division race. They’re only two points behind Minnesota but Dallas is in their rearview mirror.

12. Los Angeles Kings

A home loss to the Blackhawks on Thursday night doesn’t help their standing in the Western Conference playoff chase, but they’ve been able to stay in the mix while some of their key offensive pieces have been noticeably absent for a lengthy stretch.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa had another strong deadline, which feels like an annual statement at this point. They’re only 4-6-0 in their last 10, however, so they slide a little this week in our power rankings.

10. Minnesota Wild

Entering Friday, the Wild’s four-game win streak is the longest active run in the NHL. The addition of an elite netminder could change everything for the Wild. They went big, but will it pay off with a lengthy postseason run?

9. Washington Capitals

Washington has lost their last two entering Friday, but they’re 7-2-1 in their last 10. We have some concerns about their 15-13-5 home record, however. They need to be better protecting their ice.

8. Calgary Flames

The Flames’ plus-65 goal differential ranks third in the NHL and they’re clearly running away with the underwhelming Pacific Division.

7. New York Rangers

The Rangers are tied with the Bruins, but we give Boston the nod in our Power Rankings because they’ve been better in their last ten than the Rangers who are 6-4-0 over that span. We love the additions they made at the deadline. Now we wait to see how the roster comes together.

6. Boston Bruins

Boston has sprinted to an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 and have an impressive 21-9-3 road record. They’re in a fight with the Rangers for home ice in the first round.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

The addition of Mark Giordano makes great sense for the roster on the ice and the emotions of fans who are rooting for another guy who cheered for the team growing up. Once they comfortably integrate the new faces, we’ll see how they can compete in the postseason.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens didn’t go big at the deadline, but they were surgical in adding pieces to a team that is playing well right now. They’re 6-2-2 in their last 10 and their 88 points now rank fourth in the NHL.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes are just 5-3-2 in their last 10 but, as one of three teams to have reached the 90-point plateau already, are in “stay healthy” mode. Only three teams in the NHL have a better goal differential than Carolina’s plus-55.

2. Colorado Avalanche

The Avs still have the best record in the NHL and their 95 points are three ahead of Florida, but they weren’t as bold at the deadline as some of the others in our top ten. Maybe that’s because they’re running away with the Western Conference’s top seed.

1. Florida Panthers

The Panthers were well positioned to make a deep run before the trade deadline and then they executed a brilliant plan, adding Giroux to an offense that has a league-leading plus-75 goal differential entering Friday. Oh, and they’re 26-6-0 at home.