An early summer power ranking of the 32 NHL teams

15. Washington Capitals - 2023-24 Result: Lost in First Round

For the Washington Capitals, it is all about getting Alexander Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky on the all-time goal-scoring list.

The day he does it, if he does it, will be one of the greatest days in the history of the NHL in terms of attention to the league.

Although it looked like the Caps were going to be terrible while he chased that number, they decided to try and win in the meantime. That surely will make goal-scoring easier on Ovechkin too.

16. Minnesota Wild - 2023-24 Result: Missed Playoffs

The Minnesota Wild have Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Erikson Ek, and Brock Faber amongst many other great players. They will be in the mix but they are kept from taking the next step because of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter's buyouts. Those only have one year left so they are free to make a big move next summer.

Minnesota also landed the steal of the draft with Zeev Buium of Denver. When he is ready to join them, it might be go-time for the Wild. This very well could be the lowest they are ranked (to start a season) for a long time.