NHL Power Rankings Ahead of Regular Season Start
The NHL preseason is in full swing, and regular season games will be played later this week. With those on the horizon, it’s time to take a look at where teams stand coming into the 2022-2023 season.
ESPN and TNT won’t broadcast their NHL doubleheaders until next week, but the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will play the first games that count this season when they play overseas on Friday and Saturday.
Coming into this campaign, the Sharks and Predators seem poised to trend in very different directions. With that said where do they rank among the NHL’s other 30 teams?
Who comes in at number one in the preseason NHL power rankings?
The Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers were among the league’s best teams a year ago. Despite each team losing some key contributors, all three figure to be strong clubs again this season.
Upcoming teams have been a big story this offseason, especially in the Atlantic Division. Both the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators made some big splashes over the summer and have playoff aspirations as a result. Where do they stand in the preseason rankings?
Other teams trending up in advance of the NHL’s opening week include the Columbus Blue Jackets and newly-acquired Johnny Gaudreau, as well as the Calgary Flames with Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and MacKenzie Weegar now in the mix.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Chicago Blackhawks are entering a rebuild, while the San Jose Sharks also seem poised to contend for a last-place finish in their division.
There are also plenty of teams with questions to answer as soon as their first games of the new season. The Arizona Coyotes will be embarking upon a six-game road trip to kick things off, while the Boston Bruins will be attempting to overcome injuries to Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy.
No matter what last season held, the NHL’s 32 franchises will all enter this year with optimism, but they can’t all be at the top of the standings. Without further ado, here are the NHL power rankings ahead of the 2022-2023 season.