An early summer power ranking of the 32 NHL teams

17. Los Angeles Kings - 2023-24 Result: Lost in First Round

The Los Angeles Kings got Pierre-Luc Dubois out of there. It was clear that he brought down the mood of a lot of players in that locker room.

It is hard to predict how things will go for guys like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty as they get older but there is no doubt that the team is still good.

How good can they be with their current goaltending? Only time will tell but for now, they come in at number 17.

18. New York Islanders - 2023-24 Result: Lost in First Round

The New York Islanders probably deserve to be higher on this list. They are consistently a playoff team that is hard to play against.

However, their star power just seems to be missing something. They defend well, play a good system, and can be fun to watch but it doesn't feel like this group can get over the hump anymore.