Top 5 best and top 5 worst NHL teams following December
2022 was an amazing year for the NHL. We saw last season get completed despite some troubles with COVID-19 again. It wasn’t easy but they found a way to get it done. The Tampa Bay Lightning made their way into their third straight Stanley Cup Final which was incredibly entertaining to watch.
It would be the Colorado Avalanche who got it done though as they were able to dethrone the champions finally. It was a long time coming as that team was as elite as you can be all season long. Seeing a different Stanley Cup Champion that we haven’t seen win in a while was very cool.
That brought us to the 2022-23 season which is well underway now. There have been some surprises in both a positive and a negative way but we are really starting to see the standings fall closer to how they are going to finish as the season goes along. The races will be amazing in 2023.
There are good teams and bad teams in the NHL. For the most part, this league has a lot of parity as many teams believe that they can win the Stanley Cup. A lot is yet to be decided in all four divisions which make for some incredible theatre.
The NHL is filled with good teams and it also has some not-so-good teams.
There are some teams that have started to separate themselves as the best and the worst. Some of these teams, as mentioned before, are a bit of a surprise.
They all have different goals but everyone wants to be good enough to win the Stanley Cup in the not-so-distant future. These are the five best and five worst teams in the NHL:
The five best teams in the NHL have some serious potential this season.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are fully back. After a down year (which was largely due to injuries) last year, they seem poised to be in the playoffs once again. Not only are they trying to make the playoffs, but they are also good enough to win the whole thing.
With guys like Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, and Chandler Stephenson amongst other great players, they are very hard to bear. They haven’t all been fully healthy all season long but they are hoping to all be perfectly fine by the time the playoffs come. If that happens, they will be in great shape.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for the third most points in the NHL. That is obviously very impressive. However, it still feels like they have another level that they can get to. They have only lost eight games in regulation but two of them have come to the Arizona Coyotes.
This team is loaded with talent but can’t get out of the first round. This is the year that they should do that otherwise they are going to start making some changes. The players won’t be without blame if they go another year without a series win.
3. Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are an elite team but not many people expected them to be this good. Sure, they have some great players so a lot of people thought they could be a postseason team but they have exceeded all expectations.
Jason Robertson leads the way obviously but they have other amazing players to provide depth. Even guys like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are bouncing back nicely this year which gives them so much depth. As of now, they are to be seen as a power in the Western Conference.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the entire league for a few reasons. For one, their record speaks for itself. However, they play the game incredibly hard in all situations. They are incredibly stingy on defense and have lots of players that can score goals.
The depth there is unlike most teams in the league. They get great goaltending as well which always helps. They will only get better when Max Pacioretty joins the party. This would be a great year for them to make a run once the playoffs start.
1. Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have been the best team in the NHL all season long. They started the year without Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand as they came back from off-season injuries but they have since come back and now the whole team is humming.
Other players like Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, and Hampus Lindholm amongst others have been absolutely incredible as well. All of them bring something so different which helps bring so much balance to the team. Expect big things in 2023.
The 5 worst teams in the NHL all have one thing on their mind going into 2023.
28. Arizona Coyotes
Everyone always expects the Arizona Coyotes to be one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. They are right now but they have been a little bit better than expected up to this point.
However, they would probably like to win a draft lottery so they could make some trades before the deadline. It has been fun seeing them play in a college arena but it is about time they start acting like an NHL team.
29. San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are bad but they have been pretty entertaining so far this season. Erk Karlsson has gotten back to a level that nobody thought he’d be able to again. He could end up winning the Norris Trophy which explains how good he’s been.
He is going to be a hard player to trade because of the amount and the term on his contract but they are going to try. All pending UFAs are likely to be sent away too which will only make them worse.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets made the big free-agent signing this off-season as they landed Johnny Gaudreau. With him and some of the other youngsters that they have, it was estimated that they would at least be a little bit better than this.
At this point, they should be rooting for the lottery while also recognizing that they have been one of the most disappointing NHL teams this season.
31. Anaheim Ducks
Despite Trevor Zegras and some of his teammates being incredibly skilled and fun to watch, it just hasn’t gone well for the Anaheim Ducks so far this season.
They, like everyone else on this list, would love to add a player like Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli in the draft but getting there is going to be a painful process for them as a lot more losing is going to be needed.
32. Chicago Blackhawks
Following December, it is obvious that the Chicago Blackhawks are the worst team in the National Hockey League. They have the least amount of points, the worst goal differential, and the lowest points percentage.
Things are only going to get worse for them when they trade Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Max Domi amongst others to add more assets for the future. All of this is by design. There could be a nice reward for it coming at the end of the year but they need a little bit of luck.
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