NOvember 29, 2022
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — With this being the final Power Rankings in November and with Thanksgiving in the U.S. in the rearview mirror, maybe we can turn our attention to some trade buzz?

There are teams with needs, teams ready to sell and teams making runs to make things a little more interesting in their divisions. And it’s time for conversations to begin between front offices and players who might be leaving.

Which big name player will be the first to move? And will we see it before Christmas? Time will tell.

Let’s jump into this week’s November finale of our rankings. As always, let us know what’s right and where we’re terribly wrong.

32. Chicago Blackhawks

By virtue of losing seven straight and 13 of their last 15, the Blackhawks have sprinted to the top (bottom?) of our Power Rankings this week. They’re now well positioned in the Bad for Bedard Sweepstakes, which was the point all along. Their minus-26 goal differential is tied for the second worst in the league.

31. Anaheim Ducks

Not so mighty, amirite? They have a minus-36 goal differential in 22 starts and are 2-8-0 in their last 10. The 2-9-1 record on the road is especially ugly.

30. Philadelphia Flyers

They’re keeping the Blackhawks from having the worst/longest losing streak in the NHL; Philly has dropped ten straight. They’re 0-7-3 in those ten games and have a minus-21 goal differential this season. Like Chicago, the good start faded quickly.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets have one win away from Columbus this season (one win more than Ohio State’s football team had at home this weekend). Their minus-26 goal differential is tied with Chicago for second-worst in the league.

28. Arizona Coyotes

The road warriors are struggling; they’re 4-4-2 in their last 10 and have a minus-16 goal differential. Not all that bad when you consider they’ve played four of 20 games at home thus far.

27. Buffalo Sabres

The offense is there; they have a plus-three goal differential this year. But they’re 2-8-0 in their last 10 and their 18 points in 21 games isn’t making them a playoff contender right now.

26. Ottawa Senators

Congrats to the Sens for jumping all the way up to 26 this week. They’ve won two in a row and... that’s really all I’ve got for them. They’re under .500 at home and have a minus-five goal differential in 21 starts.

25. San Jose Sharks

Congrats to their new front office for having some trade talk about the previously untradeable contract of Erik Karlsson.

24. Nashville Predators

I was going to say something about them taking on water in the Central Division but that wouldn’t be appropriate given their two suspended games this weekend because of a flood at the arena.

23. Calgary Flames

At some point their new-look roster is going to click, right? They’re 4-5-1 in their last 10 and have a minus-seven goal differential. The 3-5-2 record on the road has been the struggle thus far.

22. Washington Capitals

Ovi can’t do it alone all year. They have a minus-12 goal differential and are just 4-5-1 in their last 10. The 2-7-2 road record stands out as being surprisingly bad to date.

21. Montreal Canadiens

Kirby Dach silenced the boos in Chicago over the weekend with a Hollywood ending to his return to the United Center. But the Habs are still looking at a minus-eight goal differential.

20. Vancouver Canucks

The ship has turned in the right direction after an ugly start. They’ve won three straight and are 6-4-0 in their last 10. The Canucks have played 14 of 22 away from home.

19. Edmonton Oilers

I’m going to continue pointing to their negative goal differential as a problem until they stop giving up more goals than their elite offense can score. They’re 4-6-0 in their last 10.

18. Minnesota Wild

The acquisition of Ryan Reaves is an intriguing one for a team trying to get back into the mix in the Central. They’re 5-4-1 in their last 10 and they have a break-even goal differential.

17. Florida Panthers

They’re 4-4-2 in their last 10 and, like Calgary, the big summer trade hasn’t clicked yet. They desperately need Mr. Barkov to get healthy.

16. New York Rangers

It’s easy to love their back end and goaltending, yet they’re 4-4-2 in their last 10 and have lost their last two. The Blue Shirts have just a plus-four goal differential.

15. Carolina Hurricanes

At just 3-3-4 in their last 10 with a break-even goal differential, the Canes are confounding. Carolina has scored and allowed only 61 goals in 22 games, which feels good defensively and leaves a lot to be desired offensively.

14. Dallas Stars

The Stars are leaving the door open for the rest of the Central Division to make life interesting. They’re 4-3-3 in their last 10 and have lost their last two.

13. Los Angeles Kings

With apologies to Dennis Bernstein, the Kings’ minus-four goal differential and 5-3-2 record in their last 10 have us concerned.

12. Tampa Bay Lightning

You do not want to play them in Tampa; the Bolts are 7-3-1 on home ice to start the season. They’ve won six of their last ten and are starting to remind us that all they need is to get into the playoffs to make a move.

11. Detroit Red Wings

Winners of their last four and six of their last ten, the Wings have found a groove. Dylan Larkin broke out the maize and blue hat over the weekend to celebrate a win on the gridiron for his alma mater.

10. St. Louis Blues

Even with a minus-12 goal differential, I couldn’t leave the Blues out of my top ten this week. They’ve won eight of their last ten and have been on a steady climb in November.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and have played only eight of 22 at home to date. Sid wants another playoff run.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

The Knights slide this week with two straight losses and a 5-4-1 record in their last 10. This is still a good team, but they aren’t as hot as others right now.

7. Colorado Avalanche

Here come the defending champs! With eight wins in their last ten and a plus-21 goal differential, they’ve found the groove they had last year. Look out above!

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

They’re still sorting out their blue line situation but have a 6-1-3 record in their last 10 and a plus-ten goal differential in 23 starts. I love their 7-2-3 record in Toronto.

5. New York Islanders

Remember when people said this team wasn’t going to be good enough to make a legit run at Patrick Kane before the trade deadline? (checks standings) Whelp… winners of four straight and seven of their last ten make this team interesting all of a sudden.

4. Winnipeg Jets

Don’t bet against the Jets right now. They’re 7-3-0 in their last ten and hung a seven-spot on the Blackhawks on Sunday night. They now have a plus-ten goal differential and are 7-2-0 at home.

3. Seattle Kraken

How about Seattle?!? They’re 8-1-1 in their last 10 and have the longest win streak in the NHL (five) entering the new week. I’m most impressed by their 7-1-1 record away from home. Matty Beniers is legit.

2. Boston Bruins

At 8-2-0 in their last 10 and still without a loss in 12 home starts, the Bruins are the best team in the Eastern Conference. They also boast the best goal differential in the game (plus-38).

1. New Jersey Devils

They stay on top of our rankings this week. The Devils are checking all the boxes right now. They’re 9-1-0 on the road, 9-1-0 in their last 10 and have a plus-34 goal differential.