NHL power rankings: Leafs returning to form, but can they survive their goalie injuries?

Dec 8, 2025, 09:44 EST

Toronto Maple Leafs players celebrate their victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.

Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

With Hunter Crowther

This massive slog of teams in the middle of the playoff hunt continues to be a uniquely fascinating experience. We seem to be witnessing a rare point in history where every contender from the last five or so years (except for four or five of them) is taking a step back at the same time, all while most of the teams that have consistently been out of the playoffs in that same span are seeing their young talent take the next step and becoming serious threats. It’s made for some incredible hockey on some nights, and some mediocre hockey on others, but at least we likely won’t have the playoff spots decided by the Olympic break!

Hunter Crowther and I navigate through the season with another year of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six stats (points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. On the other hand, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 21-2-6, +49
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: It took almost two months of hockey, but the Avalanche have finally lost a second game in regulation, and it was a sizable defeat, falling 6-3 to the Islanders of all teams. Interestingly enough, the Avs actually came out as third in my model before the five-point rule brought them back up to first, but that’s largely due to their power play, which has been shockingly horrendous. Not only are they only 23rd in the league in power play percentage (a measly 16%), they’re also 28th in PP xGF/60 at 7.58. It feels weird to see a team with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar at their absolute peaks struggle this much on the man advantage, but there are many teams with great 5v5 offense that haven’t seen that success translate to the power play.

2. Dallas Stars

Record: 20-5-5, +28
Last Week: 2nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: The Stars were solved by a hungry Rangers group last Tuesday, giving up a late lead and losing in overtime, their first defeat since Nov. 22. But the Stars responded with three straight wins against the Devils, Sharks and Penguins, the last being a low-event shootout victory over Pittsburgh. The likely season-ending injury of Tyler Seguin is a major blow, especially when you consider he missed most of last season, too. Dallas will try to replace Seguin’s production with his $9.5-million cap hit now available with long-term injured reserve.

Scott: With all due respect to Seguin, that cap space could be a game-changer for a Stars team looking to replenish their depth. I’m excited to see what they try this time.

3. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 14-6-8, +5
Last Week: 5th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: Jack Eichel’s overtime-winning goal against the Rangers may be what he needs to spark some desperately needed offense; the 2015 No. 2 overall pick had just three goals in his previous 17 games. Carter Hart won each of his games and looked quite capable in both appearances, making key stops when his team needed him to. If last week was any indication, the hockey gods we spoke of in our previous edition of the power rankings are real, and they mock the hockey pundits that question their methods. It doesn’t make them any less cruel.

4. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 17-9-2, +12
Last Week: 3rd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Scott: It was another week of inconsistency for the Hurricanes. While they took care of business against a struggling Predators team with ease, that win was bookended by two losses. The Leafs and Sharks are better teams than Nashville, but Carolina is far better than both of them, and yet they were outscored 9-2 despite dominating possession. I can’t even blame the lack of Pyotr Kochetkov, because he was in net for the Sharks loss. I still back this team strongly, but they’ve been experiencing a lot of these hiccups lately.

Hunter: You don’t have to blame Kochetkov, but I won’t pass up an opportunity to blame Frederik Andersen for a loss, as the former Leaf gave up four goals on 23 shots to Toronto. Typically when I watch Carolina, there’s a moment when they’re behind but score a late goal in the first or second frame that completely tilts the ice for the next period, but after Seth Jarvis scored with four minutes to go in the first, the Hurricanes didn’t follow up. Still, it was nice to see Jackson Blake score twice on Saturday, as he had just three goals in his previous 16 games.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 16-10-2, +15
Last Week: 4th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: Apparently Hunter and I got a lot of flak from Lightning fans last week for *checks notes* not giving the Lightning enough attention, even though we ranked them in fourth. Well, just for that, we’re dropping them one spot just to spite you guys. Be nice, and we’ll move them back up. That said, I don’t expect a reaction to this because, based on your comments, you didn’t actually read our article.

In all seriousness, this team is insanely good. They and the Hurricanes are the class of the Eastern Conference for me, and the Bolts have been doing that despite deploying a blueline of randomly generated EA NHL players (although shoutout to Darren Raddysh for putting together 15 points in 10 games before Victor Hedman’s return). The Lightning are getting healthier (assuming that Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy’s injuries aren’t long term), and it feels like they’ll run away with the Atlantic Division when they do.

6. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 18-10-1, +12
Last Week: 7th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Hunter: Joel Quenneville’s old team, the Blackhawks, came into town Sunday night and he handed them the type of loss that will make Chicago’s four-hour flight to New York dead silent, as the Ducks defeated Chicago 7-1. With three wins in their last four games, Anaheim is second in the Pacific Division and all signs point to Quenneville winning his first Jack Adams Award since 2000. Also, now with 987 career wins, expect the Ducks bench boss to become just the second coach in NHL history to record 1,000 wins sometime in January.

7. Washington Capitals

Record: 18-9-3, +28
Last Week: 12th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Hunter: In last week’s edition of the power rankings, I said the Capitals were riding a hot hand but at some point, they were going to face a losing streak that would chop down their place in the Metropolitan Division. I went into 2025-26 thinking they overperformed the previous season, and their 8-8-2 start through Nov. 15 made me wonder if there was value in betting them to miss the playoffs. But like an election night pundit, I’ve seen enough: they’re a legitimate playoff team. Having won 10 of their last 12, including a 2-0 win over the Blue Jackets Sunday night, Washington is led by a rejuvenated Tom Wilson*, Logan Thompson’s 19.7 goals saved above expected — second in the NHL — and, oh yeah, the greatest goal scorer in the history of the sport. With a last name like Crowther, I know when to eat crow, and this is one of those times.

*Who will make the Olympic roster

Scott: You know how to eat crow, and yet I hear nothing about how I was right once again?

Hunter: We get it, everything is about you, Scott!!!!!

8. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 13-8-7, +1
Last Week: 6th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Hunter: The Kings had played ugly hockey in their three games before Saturday, scoring just once in regulation in each of those contests. That’s why their 6-0 ass whooping of the Blackhawks over the weekend must have felt invigorating, especially for Warren Foegele, who has only scored five goals this season after a 24-goal debut with the Kings in 2024-25 (I know, injuries, but still). Here’s a fact you can tell everyone at the water cooler on Monday: Darcy Kuemper has only given up more than two goals in two of his last 11 starts, which dates back to Nov. 4.

9. New York Rangers

Record: 15-12-4, +2
Last Week: 10th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Hunter: The Rangers started the week with two wins over the Stars and Senators, gave the first-place Avs a helluva fight in a losing effort, including a late-tying goal to force overtime, then lost in OT to the Golden Knights. With points in their four games since Adam Fox was ruled out for at least a few weeks, their recent results are all the more impressive. Don’t overlook Artemi Panarim, who after taking a “step back” last season with 89 points (ha!), now has five goals and 13 points in his last nine games.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 14-7-6, +8
Last Week: 11th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Scott: I think the league needs a liberation of the glorious turnaround that Dan Muse has undertaken with this Pens team. Maybe success this season was unintended by Kyle Dubas considering the situation he was forced into, but he shouldn’t be ashamed of this start. Muse has been a guiding light for a core whose time was running out. Sidney Crosby seemed agitated to not be winning, fans were dead inside, and this core looked to be on the dark side, but this franchise’s uprising has been bliss. The vets have found a way to dig down and overcome the pressure of missing the playoffs in recent seasons. Malkin is newborn, Crosby is feeling good and has looked like an assassin again, and Pens fans can be sober watching this team again.

I know Joel Quenneville is easily the frontrunner for the Jack Adams and there may be some resistance to this take, but Muse should also get some consideration. Maybe it’s unsustainable. Maybe there’s a point where they start unraveling and are falling down the standings as the season drones on and on, but until the Pens lose the groove and cave, this isn’t propaganda, the hysteria surrounding this team is real. They almost feel invincible. It’s been madness watching the playoffs without Crosby and Malkin, so a return feels overdue. It’d be a crying shame not to see them back in the big dance. Take a bow, Dan Muse.

(If anyone gets what I did here, I have a lot of respect for you).

11. Florida Panthers

Record: 14-12-2, -2
Last Week: 16th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Hunter: The only way you could lose to the Leafs and follow it up with an overtime defeat to the last-placed Predators — and not make me panic — is if you had won the Stanley Cup in the previous two seasons. Oh look, it’s the Panthers! They got a win out of a 7-6 OT barnburner against the Blue Jackets, then beat the Islanders on Sunday, so hey, points in three of four games ain’t bad. Still, head coach Paul Maurice will want the group to tighten up defensively before half the team flies to Italy for the Olympics.

Scott: I know I sang Carter Verhaeghe’s praises in the previous edition of the power rankings, but somehow he improved even more last week. After missing the loss to the Leafs due to the birth of his child, he proved the baby bump was real and scored four goals in his next three games. I think he might be back.

12. Ottawa Senators

Record: 13-11-4, -5
Last Week: 9th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Hunter: When it comes to expected goals and possession, the Senators had an exceptional week. They controlled play for the majority of their three games and they came out with … two out of six points. To paraphrase Michael Lewis, hockey is an unfair game. Still, Linus Ullmark looked strong through nearly all of November and through the first two games of December, despite losses filling up his statcard. While the offense may not be bursting at the seams, the underlying numbers suggest the goals will come.

13. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 15-10-3, -7
Last Week: 14th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Hunter: If the Canadiens’ week ended with the 2-1 overtime win over the Leafs, the outlook would be a shade brighter, a team laughing after back-to-back wins over Canadian teams with alleged playoff hopes. But dropping a regulation loss to the bottom-dwelling Blues on Sunday stings far worse than however good a win over a 100-year-old rival would feel. I say this after wanting to compliment Jakub Dobes, who looked strong in Montreal’s wins over Toronto and Winnipeg but gave up four goals on 18 shots against St. Louis.

14. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 15-11-3, -11
Last Week: 17th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Scott: While the Red Wings cooled down from their hot start a while ago, they’re still hanging around in the playoff race, and this time, it feels a bit more legitimate (although their defense is a bit questionable). For the first time in years, they aren’t throwing Moritz Seider to the wolves and it’s actually paying off in their overall game. I know the hockey world wants Quinn Hughes to play with his brothers, but if he can’t, I think he and Seider deserve each other as top-pair partners after what they’ve had to endure in their careers, and we as fans deserve it too.

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 15-9-3, +4
Last Week: 15th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Scott: There was a brief stretch where this year’s Flyers team was looking like the 2023-24 team that fell just short of a playoff spot with how they were playing over their heads while also putting together some excellent defensive hockey. However, those defensive metrics have slipped in recent weeks, so it feels like a matter of when, not if, their record slips with it, especially when their chance generation has been equally weak. They lost two of three games last week; is this the beginning of that?

16. Minnesota Wild

Record: 15-9-5, +1
Last Week: 13th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Scott: Look, I know I may get flamed for ranking Minnesota 22nd considering the run they’ve been on in recent weeks. After all, they had a 12-game point streak before dropping back-to-back games to the Flames and Canucks. But a lot of that was on the back of their goaltending, which my model doesn’t really incorporate outside of whatever it does to their record and goal differential. Otherwise, this is a Wild team that is solid at chance creation (although struggles at it on the power play) and is poor defensively both at even strength and shorthanded. This is far from a Stanley Cup contender, even if Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt want you to think otherwise.

Hunter: There’s a wiiiiiiiiiiide gap between “Stanley Cup contender” and “22nd-ranked team in the league,” and you couldn’t even put them within the gap! There’s no doubt the 11-1-1 stretch of November inflated their place within the league, and yes they’re getting top-notch goaltending from Gustavsson and Wallstedt, but they’re closer to the top 10 than the bottom 10. I’ll concede they need more production beyond Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy (cough Joel Eriksson Ek cough) but having two stars like them paves the road back to the postseason.

Scott: Look man, I don’t decide their ranking, the numbers do. The Wild did this to themselves! It’s their own fault!

Hunter: “I didn’t come up with the ranking, it was the numbers, I tell ya! The numbers!”

Scott: I have the spreadsheets to prove it!

17. Utah Mammoth

Record: 14-13-3, +5
Last Week: 18th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Hunter: I had circled Anaheim-Utah on my “must watch” schedule last week as both teams have a number of young players that are fast, highly skilled and entertaining. While there were plenty of goals, I wasn’t expecting all seven to be scored by a Mammoth group starved for a victory. Credit to JJ Peterka for getting the offense going, as he had been held to just one goal in his previous six games, and Clayton Keller is getting back to the production that alluded him for most of November, but this Utah group still isn’t consistent enough to make any noise in a Central Division that’s just begging someone to steal the No. 3 spot from the Wild.

18. New Jersey Devils

Record: 16-12-1, -5
Last Week: 8th (-10)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Scott: It’s incredible just how much the Devils have fallen off since Jack Hughes’ injury. This team should still be a good one without him, and yet they look nothing like who we saw in October. I even watched them three times this week, and it felt like they couldn’t create anything. It’s weird, as they skate fast, but they don’t play fast, you know? If there was ever a team worthy of a reactionary trade, it’s New Jersey. I know their big connection with Nashville is Steven Stamkos, but I actually think Ryan O’Reilly is a much better fit for them. The team has one glaring hole in their top six, and that’s in that left wing spot currently occupied by Ondrej Palat, which O’Reilly would do a much better job in, and he could fill the center gap while Hughes is out. It’s a match made in heaven!

19. New York Islanders

Record: 16-11-3, +2
Last Week: 20th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: I feel like we aren’t talking enough about how the Islanders are tied for seventh in the league right now. It’s still early, and their games played total plays a role in that (they’re only 13th in points percentage), but that’s still a crazy turnaround from last season. Matthew Schaefer has been huge for them, but there’s more to it than that: a healthy Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat becoming an elite sniper again, Ilya Sorokin returning to form, among a few other things. The underlying numbers aren’t great, so they’ll probably slip eventually, but they’ve still made for a great watch.

Hunter: I remember seeing Patrick Roy’s name on a lot of “Which team will fire their head coach first?” lists in the offseason, with some wondering if he should be the one steering the ship with Schaefer’s arrival. But this team is giving a complete effort nearly every night and the odds are better than not that a game involving them will be one of the more entertaining ones on any given night.

20. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 13-11-4, +2
Last Week: 27th (+7)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Hunter: It’s time for just the second edition of the “We Are So Back O-Meter” in 2025-26, starring the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sure, Scott and I argued over who the bigger hater was last week, like the old Chappelle sketch, minus the veneers and bad suits. But with commanding victories over two of the Eastern Conference’s best overall teams in the Hurricanes and Panthers (yes, Florida is still there), the Leafs actually looked like a confident team this past week. Sure, the Canadiens outplayed them for chunks of time Saturday, but Toronto still came away with a point. Their goaltending situation is still in the air, and it’s hard to imagine Joseph Woll making any type of comeback before Christmas, but at least fans are breathing a little easier as we enter the holiday season.

Scott: The Leafs’ win over the Panthers was one of their best games of the season, but there were still a few too many inconsistencies in their game against Carolina and Montreal for me to be super confident in this team. At the very least, Dennis Hildeby won’t be the problem. With a .927 save percentage and 5.22 5v5 GSAx, he’s probably been their most consistent goalie this season, both in terms of play and availability. It makes the waiver claim of Caiden Primeau even more confusing, especially with the lack of confidence in actually playing him leading to them overplaying Anthony Stolarz and getting him hurt. Speaking of which, if Hildeby was playing this well, why wasn’t he getting more starts? Why did they have to run Woll into the ground?

Ah okay good, I’m still a hater.

Hunter: Yeah but I’m the biggest hater!

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 13-10-6, -9
Last Week: 23rd (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Hunter: Games like the Blue Jackets’ 6-5 shootout win over the Red Wings and 7-6 overtime loss against the Panthers are the type that fans will remember fondly but after which coaches will make you stand on the goal line and skate until you puke. It feels impossible to blow a three-goal lead in a five-minute span and still end a period with the lead, but Columbus found a way against Florida. Five out of a possible eight points ain’t bad, but they’ll need more if they want to prove Bill Simmons wrong.

22. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 13-11-5, -6
Last Week: 22nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Scott: I think the Oilers got sick of all the “could have had Wallstedt” jokes after he blanked them on Tuesday, because the rest of the week, they were playing angry hockey. They looked like the Oilers of old by scoring 15 goals in two wins over the Kraken and Jets, and while Connor McDavid (three goals, six points), Leon Draisaitl (two goals, six points) and Evan Bouchard (one goal, five points) were a driving force there, they also got a lot of depth scoring. Maybe, just maybe, the Oilers are finally turning things around.

Hunter: Why don’t the Oilers, the team with two of the best players in the world, not simply score more than the other team every night?

23. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 14-13-1, 0
Last Week: 21st (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: If I had a time machine, I’d go back to this time last year and let past me know that his pain will soon be over. Vindication will finally come for exposing the Jets as frauds; we just needed to see them without their mask (a.k.a. Connor Hellebuyck). Even then, I didn’t think things would be this bad. They have two wins in nine games since Hellebuyck went down and despite the fact that they’ve allowed 3.67 goals per game in that span, it’s not even on Eric Comrie, as he has a 1.04 5v5 GSAx. This team is just that bad, and Hellebuyck isn’t around to cover it up right now.

Hunter: Complete side note: All the credit in the world to Adam Lowry for taking on Arber Xhekaj after delivering a huge hit on Alex Carrier last Wednesday. The game isn’t what it used to be, but for a capable middle-six forward to square up with one of the game’s toughest fighters takes guts. The Jets aren’t in a good spot right now, and Scott’s right in that those underlying numbers from last season are catching up, so anything this group can do to muster up points is desperately needed.

Scott: The funny thing is that their underlying numbers actually improved and justified their performance (mostly) last season, they just completely forgot all of that progress and have been even worse this season.

24. Boston Bruins

Record: 17-13-0, +2
Last Week: 26th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Scott: I love Hunter and my coordinated refusal to accept the Bruins as for real. This team has held down a division spot for a while, and yet we just don’t care. Fake team. I will say, Morgan Geekie has been an incredible story for them. Sure, he’s riding shotgun with David Pastrnak for the most part, but he’s chasing down MacKinnon for the Rocket Richard. Geekie’s likely in his Jonathan Cheechoo era, but let’s enjoy it for now.

Hunter: If this Bruins squad trips into a playoff spot, I will max out the credit card and buy a ticket to Vegas to personally hand the Hart Trophy to David Pastrnak*, because unless he turns into a turbo-charged version of 2011 Corey Perry, there’s no way Boston does anything worth writing about.

*Yes, Vegas. I would rather bring back obstruction and the two-line pass then watch some awkward, rehearsed sketch where they hand the player the trophy. Make them put the damn tuxedos on and attend an award show, damn it.

25. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 11-13-4, -12
Last Week: 25th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Hunter: The Sabres had some good mojo in the previous week after a win over the streaking Wild, then followed it with a decisive 5-1 win against the Jets last Monday. But back-to-back road losses wiped out any forward movement for a Buffalo team that’s last in the Atlantic Division. That’s just not good enough for a fanbase that’s putting too much hope into Josh Allen’s hands.

Scott: It’s going to be funny when Allen finally gets gifted an AFC playoff picture without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, only to either a) have Drake Maye and the Patriots reclaim the AFC East title or b) have the Bills finally make the Super Bowl only to lose for a fifth-straight time in their history.

Hunter: I have fully accepted that the Denver Broncos will somehow make it to the Super Bowl and get trounced by the Eagles or the Rams.

26. St. Louis Blues

Record: 11-12-7, -27
Last Week: 28th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Hunter: I think part of me wants to see the Blues succeed because it would serve as some sort of proof that offer-sheeting restricted free agents works. Instead, the Blues are among the league’s worst teams, seventh in the Central Division and owners of the second-worst goal differential at minus-25. If you’re Doug Armstrong, at what point do you fully focus on Hockey Canada and let Alex Steen start making trades?

27. Calgary Flames

Record: 11-15-4, -16
Last Week: 31st (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Scott: I feel like every season presents a couple examples of teams that have strong underlying numbers, but just lack the talent to keep up with that. Still, I don’t think I’ve seen a team with this much of a gap between performance and talent. They’re sixth in 5v5 expected goals share, and yet have the seventh-worst 5v5 goals share, and while that would normally scream regression, that doesn’t feel like something that will happen to Calgary outside of Dustin Wolf playing a bit better. This team just doesn’t have the scoring talent, and should ownership finally use their heads and start selling, the Flames will have even less talent.

28. Seattle Kraken

Record: 11-9-6, -13
Last Week: 19th (-9)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Hunter: An open letter to Ron Francis, president of hockey operations for the Seattle Kraken:

Hi Ron, hope you’re doing well. Is it snowing out west in Seattle? Toronto saw some over the weekend. We’ve made the transition from fall to winter jackets. I think I’m going to ask for new gloves for Christmas.

When it comes to the Kraken, I have one request: trade Shane Wright. Yes, that Wright, the one you selected No. 4 overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft while you served as general manager of the club. I know he hasn’t developed at the rate you may have expected, but it’s clear through his first two professional seasons in 2023-24 and 2024-25 that he is an exceptional talent and you are not utilizing him to his full potential.

Despite averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time per game, including just 11:24 in a 4-3 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday, he’s tied for second in even-strength points and fourth on the teams in 5-on-5 expected goals. Also, for a team that’s so desperate for offense, why you and the revolving door of a coaching staff you employ would choose to stunt the development of a 21-year-old top-five draft pick who recorded 44 points in his first full NHL campaign doesn’t make sense to me, but here we are.

Please do hockey fans a favor, especially those of us who had the pleasure of watching him thrive in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs and Windsor Spitfires, and move him somewhere he can get more ice time, play with other skilled forwards and blossom into the 60-plus forward we all know he can be.

You can reach out to me if you have any questions or comments. Thank you for your time.

Hunter Crowther – Daily Faceoff

29. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 12-11-6, -5
Last Week: 24th (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: When’s the last time you’ve seen a team go on a three-game road trip through California, but not play all three teams? Well, the Blackhawks just did that, playing back-to-back games in Los Angeles before finishing things up with the Ducks. I don’t think I’ve seen a back-to-back in the same building since the COVID season.

Overall, it was a forgettable road trip for Chicago. They now bear the ugly distinction of being Carter Hart’s first win since his return to the league, and after winning 2-1 in the first L.A. game, they followed it up by dropping the next two games by a combined score of 13-1. Oof. I think regression may be kicking in here.

30. San Jose Sharks

Record: 14-13-3, -13
Last Week: 29th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: Yesterday, Formula 1 saw what could have potentially been an exciting three-way title race in Abu Dhabi go out with a simmer, and the race felt like it was lacking something. Like the last time we saw a title race in Abu Dhabi, this one was in desperate need of an appearance from the infamous FIA director Michael Masi to create drama and controversy like in 2021.

In unrelated news, Sharks top prospect Michael Misa may be close to making a return to the NHL (or maybe the World Juniors), as he’s down in the AHL on a conditioning stint.

(Was that too much of a stretch? I don’t know what else to say, the Sharks were kind of meh last week.)

Hunter: Who the hell is Michael Masi?

Scott: The infamous FIA director whose decision during Abu Dhabi 2021 created drama and controversy. Did you even read what I said?

31. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 11-15-3, -19
Last Week: 30th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: I keep forgetting that the Canucks have been doing this badly. Like, I know it’s not going well, but then I look at the standings and I’m surprised they’re bunched up with the Calgarys and Nashvilles. Of course, a lot of that falls on the injuries the Canucks have had to deal with. David Kampf was their first-line center on Saturday, for Pete’s sake! He wasn’t even the first-line center on the Toronto Marlies! I do wonder how much better the Canucks will get once they get healthier, but will they have already started selling enough pieces by then that it won’t matter?

32. Nashville Predators

Record: 10-14-4, -26
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Hunter: I can’t explain it, but I feel like if the Predators eat half of Michael Bunting’s $4.5-million cap hit, that’s a really attractive acquisition. Save your letters to the editor (sorry Matt), I’m not saying they’re going to get a first-round pick for him. But a 20-goal winger who can be a rat and isn’t afraid to give or take a hit? Every team in the league would pay a deadline premium for that.

Scott: He may only have one goal per playoff run in his two appearances, but let’s be honest, that was with the Leafs. Zach Hyman did that for five years here, was still beloved and then somehow figured out how to score in the playoffs once he left. Because of course he did.

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