NHL 2022-23 Season Weekly Power Rankings: Monday 2/27
By the time next week’s power rankings come out, not only will it be March, but the NHL trade deadline will finally have passed. We will know more about where Patrick Kane will be, as well as Vladislav Gavrikov.
Next week’s rankings could look a little different compared to where things are now. That just has to do with how teams improve and bulk up at the deadline. However, there are already a ton of deals out there, like Timo Meier heading to New Jersey and the Tampa Bay Lightning adding Tanner Jeannot. So, let’s dive in with this week’s power rankings.
NHL 2022-23 Season Weekly Power Rankings: Monday, 2/27
32. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets sit in last place currently. They are 4-3-3 in their last ten games and find themselves back in the bottom spot after rising a few positions last week. With Boston apparently out on Gavirkov, it will be interesting to see where the Blue Jackets do end up trading the 27-year-old defenseman.
31. Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks were not supposed to be this bad this season. The Ducks roster looked like they were ready to take a step forward after some strong performances last season, yet here we are less than a week from the deadline. The Ducks have six unrestricted free agents on their roster currently, including defensemen John Klingberg and Kevin Shattenkirk. Time will tell if the Ducks move out any of their veteran players.
30. San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks finally traded Timo Meier Sunday afternoon. The trade was announced early in the day but it took more than a couple of hours to finally learn what the Sharks were getting in return for Meier.
You can see the entire return for Meier below:
6:00pm - we have officially made a trade pic.twitter.com/m3DbRYmHeE
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) February 27, 2023
29. Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are 3-5-2 in their last ten games. The team did recently add Vitali Kravtsov from the New York Rangers, which does fit Jim Rutherford’s plan to add young players looking for a restart to help speed up the retooling of the organization. Kravtsov is going to get an opportunity in Vancouver, but whether or not he stays there after this season is up in the air.
28. Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes set a bad trend earlier this month when they scratched defenseman Jakob Chychrun almost three weeks before the trade deadline. Now the main thing to wait for out of Arizona is what the Coyotes get in return for the defenseman. The Coyotes are in full rebuild mode, and you have to imagine some major trades are on the horizon this week – especially with Carolina missing out on Meier and the link between them and Nick Schmaltz.
27. Philadelphia Flyers
Not a lot is going right for the Flyers this year. They are not bad enough to be in a position to secure the best odds for the number one overall draft pick, but they are not good enough to be competitive this season. The Flyers have lost three straight games, with their most recent being a seven-to-zero stomping against the New Jersey Devils.
26. Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot going on right now. Jonathan Toews was placed on IR this past week after dealing with long COVID-19 symptoms. Patrick Kane sat out the team’s most recent game against the San Jose Sharks. The team has won five straight games, and in their most recent win, 29-year-old rookie Dave Gust scored his first-ever NHL goal on his first shift in the game.
The Hawks are on a five-game win streak, which is great for everyone except for Blackhawks fans who want the first overall pick, as the Hawks now have 47 points, three above the last-place Blue Jackets, who have played two more games.
Kane sitting out is not surprising, but it does come along with many suspecting him to join the New York Rangers. Check out this jersey a Rangers fan had on Sunday evening.
Rangers fans are more than ready for Patrick Kane 😂
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 27, 2023
(🎥 @pickledotcom) pic.twitter.com/3f3B4QfGqo
25. St. Louis Blues
The Blues have three first-round picks this upcoming summer potentially, as well as an additional second and fourth in 2024 as well as a third this upcoming summer. They worked hard to work on acquiring assets the past few weeks, and now they are positioned well to retool this team on the fly, especially if they go out and add someone like Chychrun.
24. Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are 5-5-0 in their last ten games. The Canadiens furthered their rebuild when they dealt Evgenii Dadonov to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Denis Gurianov. While Gurianov might not be the best return some other trades are warranting, he is still a younger player who has potential.
23. Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers might just be three points back from the final wild-card spot in the NHL right now, but it sure feels like a lot further away than that. They sit behind both the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres in the playoff race and losing to the Sabres this past week definitely does not help with the playoff push in the next few months.
22. Washington Capitals
The Capitals did something they have not done a lot of during the Alex Ovechkin era. They sold a few players ahead of the deadline. Washington made conference rival Boston a little bit better when they traded Orlov and Hathaway to the Bruins. Now in return, they did get a first, second and third-round pick, as well as Craig Smith.
21. Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators could do anything at the trade deadline Friday. They traded Zaitsev and a few picks to the Blackhawks in order to clear up some cap space, and now the team is positioned to make a few moves in the coming days. Ottawa has won just one of their last three games and have just 60 points on the year.
20. Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames currently sit right outside the playoffs with 66 points on the season. They have not been playing great, with just three wins in their last ten games. The good news for them, though, is the fact that the Seattle Kraken are also struggling, the current team in the final wild-card spot.
19. Nashville Predators
Nashville made a few trades the past few days, including a whopper from the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the big news has to be David Poile announcing he will retire at the end of the season.
David Poile, the only general manager in the history of the Nashville Predators, announced today he is going to retire.
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 26, 2023
Barry Trotz, the franchise’s first-ever and winningest head coach, takes the reins as general manager on July 1, 2023.https://t.co/ExhxARX9OA
With that announcement comes the end of the Barry Trotz coaching rumors, as he will be the new GM of the team.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is currently holding on to the final wild-card spot, but they might not have it for much longer, with three teams all pushing hard to get into the playoffs. The Penguins have won two straight, but they are going to have to do some major moves this week to help secure a playoff spot.
17. Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are still in the playoff conversation. With 64 points, just three back of Pittsburgh, anything can happen for the Red Wings. The main thing now has to be figuring out the Dylan Larkin situation in Detroit. Getting a contract done ahead of the deadline would be great, or it could be time for the Wings to move on from their captain.
16. Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a lot of fun to watch. They sit just one point behind the Penguins with a game in hand. If there is any one team I want to see in the playoffs this year, it has to be the Sabres.
Not to look too far down the line, but with this team trending up and potentially hitting their stride within the next few years, doesn’t a homecoming for Buffalo native Patrick Kane next season just make sense?
15. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are falling, having lost three straight games as of late. They are not losing them close either, as they lost 4-0 at home against the New York Islanders on Sunday.
14. New York Islanders
On the flip side of last night’s Jets/Islanders game, the Islanders looked great last night, beating the Jets 4-0 on the road. The Islanders are doing what they can to win games right now, currently with 69 points in 63 games to give them the top wild-card spot. The only issue for this team is the fact that Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Detroit all have four to five games in hand on the Islanders, and are all five or fewer points behind them.
13. Edmonton Oilers
For how great Connor McDavid is, the Edmonton Oilers are really mediocre, with just four wins in their last ten games, Edmonton is falling behind Vegas and LA in the Pacific Division race. The good thing for them is the fact that Seattle and Calgary are also struggling. What the Oilers do at the deadline could determine how the next few years go for McDavid and Draisaitl.
12. Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are 6-2-2 in their last ten games. They have been doing a little bit of everything as of late. They are going to be buyers at the deadline in some capacity, and they have been using their cap space to their advantage, adding picks for the future by helping out teams as the third party in a trade.
11. Seattle Kraken
Seattle has lost three straight games and are going to have some tough decisions to make at the deadline. They lost 4-0 to the Sharks, then 6-5 to the Bruins and finally 5-1 to the Maple Leafs last night. Seattle has been a streaky team this season, and they are going to need another winning streak to bump them back into the top three in the Pacific.
10. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are another team with a lot on the line this week. They have not really made any moves yet, but have long been linked to Chychrun from the Coyotes. Sitting just two points behind Vegas for the top spot in the Pacific makes the Kings an obvious choice to buy at the deadline. The West is wide open for a playoff run, and LA could be one of the last teams standing.
9. New York Rangers
The Rangers snapped a four-game losing skid by beating the LA Kings on Sunday night. While the Rangers lost four games, a lot of positives can be found in the Rangers’ play. Plus, with the potential addition of Patrick Kane coming by the end of the week, this team could be poised to make a run. The only problem for the Rangers now has to be the fact that so many other eastern conference teams are bulking up big time.
Beauty, brought to you by Laf, Kakko + Fil Inc. pic.twitter.com/niuSEQ6bWB
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 26, 2023
8. Dallas Stars
The Stars have just three wins in their last ten games, and while they currently sit atop the Central Division, they could very well lose that top spot in the coming days if Colorado keeps playing as well as they have. Dallas added Dadonov from the Canadiens, but there has to be more coming from the Stars in the coming days.
7. Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights traded for Ivan Barbashev this past week, but they might not be done just yet. The Golden Knights are one of a few strong teams in the western conference, and as the presumed top team in the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights could be adding more ahead of the trade deadline.
6. Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are on a five-game win streak and are 13-2-2 in their last 17 games entering their matchup on Monday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Colorad has put up the most points then any other team in the entire NHL since Jan. 14, 2023, and only one team has a better record point percentage-wise during that time span: the Carolina Hurricanes are 13-2-1.
Colorado is only going to get better as well. They made their first minor trade ahead of the deadline on Sunday, re-acquiring Jack Johnson from the Chicago Blackhawks.
TRADE UPDATE ➡️#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/t5E8t2jPXr
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 26, 2023
The Avalanche are doing what championship teams always do at this time, start to hit their stride ahead of the playoffs. The sky is the limit for the defending champs.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are 5-2-3 in their last ten games and are just four points behind the Leafs for home ice in round one, and they just made their trade by adding Tanner Jeannot from the Predators. Now, people thought the Lightning paid a premium last season for Brandon Hagel, the price the Lightning paid for Jeannot is somehow even more mind-boggling, but I am not going to doubt the Lightning.
Only one of the four teams below can make it to the Stanley Cup Final.
4. New Jersey Devils
The Devils made their big splash on Sunday, adding Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks. Honestly, it did not cost the Devils as much as many expected, and now the young competitive team gets that much better. New Jersey is 7-2-1 in their last ten games and have won two straight.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are starting to hit their stride after adding Ryan O’Reilly from the Blues. Toronto is riding a three-game win streak, and I have to admit, I am starting to believe that this could be the year to get out of round one.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
The Ducks beat the Carolina Hurricanes this past weekend to end the Hurricanes’ five-game win streak. With Meier off the board and going to a divisional rival, it will be interesting to see what the Hurricanes do to bolster their lineup for a playoff run.
1. Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are really good. They have won six straight games, made a stellar trade this past week and now have their goalies scoring goals.
What more needs to be said about this team? I cannot wait to see how they perform once the Stanley Cup Playoffs kick-off. It is only February, and they are just five points away from 100 points.
There are some really good teams in the top 16 of the power rankings, but only one of them are going to end their summer with the Stanley Cup. This has the potential to be one of the most competitive and exciting playoffs in recent history.