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.

32. Arizona Coyotes

As I alluded to in the opening slide, the Coyotes will be fighting an uphill battle throughout the 2022-2023 season. It’s been a long time since the Yotes were relevant, and this will be another season where this team will be forgotten about.

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Years of playoff appearances and Stanley Cup victories have finally caught up with the Blackhawks. Any team in the NHL would take some bad years if it meant winning championships, but unfortunately for the Hawks, they’ve reached the ugly part of that trade-off.

30. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are lacking talent and now have a head coach whose coaching methods come straight from 2004. Nothing about this team seems competitive, especially in an Eastern Conference that has only gotten better since the end of last season.

29. Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens did re-sign Jake Allen to man the crease, but with no Carey Price, this team is missing its backbone. Montreal followed up its 2021 Stanley Cup Final appearance with a last-place finish in 2022, and this time around, I’m expecting a repeat performance.

28. San Jose Sharks

To me, the Sharks are clearly the bottom feeder in the Pacific Division. While their division rivals have either elite talent or rising stars, San Jose is aging out of its championship window and will struggle mightily this year.

27. Buffalo Sabres

Every year I want to see the Sabres improve, but this year feels like one for most of their division rivals to thrive instead. Buffalo got left behind this offseason, and it’ll be another disappointing season in western New York as a result.

26. New Jersey Devils

Like the Sabres, the Devils should be taking steps forward, and maybe this will be the season that they do, but I’m skeptical. Things in the Metropolitan Division could get interesting, and the Devils could hang around, but until I actually see that, they’ll stay closer to the bottom of this list.

25. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets had an opportunity this summer to improve upon their weaknesses and become a contender once again in the Western Conference. Instead, this is a team with no direction and major flaws that should come into this year with average-at-best expectations.

24. Seattle Kraken

Seattle had a tough time during its inaugural campaign, but the Kraken had a strong offseason. With multiple Stanley Cup champions entering the mix in 2022, I see this as a team that could surprise some people.

23. New York Islanders

The Islanders said goodbye to head coach Barry Trotz, promoting from within to find his replacement. Without their Stanley Cup-winning coach and without any injection of offensive firepower, the Islanders won’t be competitive in the Eastern Conference.

22. Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver is the ultimate wild card. The talent is there to make the Canucks a team that you have to watch out for, yet the lack of success is evident. In a weak Pacific Division, Vancouver can’t be counted out, but has this team given us any reason to count them in?

21. Dallas Stars

It’s a new year but the same story for Dallas. Unless the newly signed Mason Marchment can provide an offensive boost for the Stars, this is an aged-out team that won’t be able to score enough goals to make the playoffs.

20. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets made the signing of the summer when they inked Johnny Gaudreau. Add in a new deal for Patrik Laine, and this is a team with some serious star power. Does Columbus have enough depth and/or experience to make things interesting in the Metro?

19. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks feel poised to take a leap forward this year after signing a trio of high-quality players in free agency. Several playoff spots in the West are open for the taking, so is Anaheim ready to pounce and claim one of those spots?

18. Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights are in shambles. They have no number one goaltender, no depth, and the once fun expansion team is now one of the most disliked franchises in the NHL. The talent is there to make the playoffs, but Vegas has a lot of obstacles to overcome to get there.

17. Boston Bruins

The Bruins have been a competitive team for years, and this year should be no different. However, the B’s are dealing with some major injuries, and with the upgrades made during the offseason by other Atlantic teams, Boston may not reach its peak until it’s too late.

16. Ottawa Senators

As one of those teams that made major upgrades, the Senators have the playoffs in their sights. Cam Talbot will be in goal (eventually), Claude Giroux will help guide this inexperienced team, and Ottawa’s young stars are only going to get better. Don’t sleep on the Sens this season.

15. Detroit Red Wings

Similar to the Senators, the Red Wings added a host of new players in free agency. It’s been several years since Detroit was a perennial contender in the NHL, but general manager Steve Yzerman is working his magic, and the Wings should be a serious threat to make the playoffs.

14. Washington Capitals

The Capitals are in a similar position to the Bruins. Washington has an aging core and some key injuries, but what puts the Caps higher on this list is the addition of Darcy Kuemper.

This team addressed its biggest need over the summer, it’s just a matter of how much the veterans on the roster still have to give and whether or not they can overcome some major absences.

13. Nashville Predators

Last year, the Predators were swept out of the playoffs in round one by the Avalanche. Since then, Nashville has added players like Ryan McDonagh and Nino Niederreiter to help bolster a group that surprised some people last year.

This may be a high opening spot for the Preds, but I think this squad has a lot of potential and one of the top defenses in the NHL. Keep an eye on the Predators this season.

12. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings returned to the postseason last spring by virtue of young players improving and veteran players remaining relevant.

This year, LA will hope for Drew Doughty and Viktor Arvidsson to stay healthy to give the club a boost. Los Angeles will also get a boost from the recently acquired Kevin Fiala as it hopes to take advantage of an underwhelming Pacific Division.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh was able to bring back key players like Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and more this summer, keeping the team’s championship window open. Of course, the Pens will have to prove that having not won a playoff series since 2018, they are capable of doing so in 2023.

The second and third positions in the Metro feel attainable for a number of teams, and with their core intact once again, the Penguins should be in contention once again for the postseason.

10. New York Rangers

The fact that the Rangers eliminated the Penguins last year is the only reason that they’re higher on this list. The reality for New York is that this offseason did not go well, as they lost more players than they added.

Still, the talent is there for the Blueshirts, and if the “Kid Line” can progress this season, fans can expect 2022 to be the first of many deep playoff runs for this group.

9. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers made a trip to the Western Conference Final last season after otherworldly performances by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. With Jack Campbell now in goal, Edmonton has to feel confident coming into the new season.

This team has every reason to make the postseason again, but is there enough depth on the roster to help it find sustained success?

8. Minnesota Wild

Without question, the Wild are talented. However, nothing about this version of the team feels any different than previous versions.

Minnesota did well to bring Marc-Andre Fleury back, but will that be enough to propel this team beyond round one? For now, with the focus on the regular season, the Wild will be just fine and will be a playoff again, as we’ve come to expect.

7. Florida Panthers

Last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners look different and a lot less deep this season.

The Panthers scored over four goals per game during the 2021-2022 season, but don’t expect that to be the case again this year. There may also be a goaltending controversy in Sunrise worth keeping an eye on.

All in all, Florida lost ground over the summer, but just how much ground did they lose?

6. St. Louis Blues

St. Louis proved last season that it was capable of scoring goals, and now this season, the questions are about goaltender Jordan Binnington.

With a roster in place that is similar to that of last season, the Blues should be favored to finish in the top three in the Central. If Binnington can bounce back from a difficult 2021-2022 campaign, this team could find itself higher than sixth sooner than later.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

The playoffs don’t treat the Maple Leafs well, but that’s not the stage of the season for which we’re preparing.

Toronto has been a great regular season team for years, and I see no reason that that will change now. Yes, Matt Murray has a lot to prove, but the pure talent on this team will be enough to keep them in a good position for the next several months.

4. Calgary Flames

No team had a crazier offseason than the Flames.

After losing both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the Flames managed to still come out of the summer as a winner. Huberdeau signed a long-term contract, Andrew Mangiapane re-signed with the team, and Kadri came over from Colorado in free agency.

In a Pacific Division that has very few impressive teams, the Flames may cruise to a second straight division title and could be in Presidents’ Trophy contention as well.