NHL power rankings: When will the Senators’ nightmare end?
With Hunter Crowther
Who opened the gates to hell last week? Several teams had weeks straight out of the realm below, so the NHL was not lacking in the storyline department. The Rangers gave up a 10-spot to the Bruins, and the Ducks have lost nine in a row, yet they’re only duking it out for the top three! The Devils are trying to run one defenseman out of town while the fans are trying to run another one out, and then the Senators may have had one of the worst 24-hour stretches in NHL history.
And the Sabres have won 13 of their last 14 games? Yeah, all hell has broke loose.
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: 33-4-7, +80
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st
Scott: Woah, woah, woah. A fourth regulation loss. Avalanche fans barely had time to grieve the third, and the fourth hit them just like that. Not to mention they didn’t even get to use football as a distraction because their Denver Broncos are too good and had a bye this week. Not to mention the Denver Nuggets have had five of their 13 losses occur in the last nine games. When will the suffering end for the poor people of Denver, Colorado.
I’m glad the Colorado Rockies exist. This city deserves at least 2-3 months where their best sports option is to watch a bad team.
Hunter: This year’s NFL postseason feels like one of those weird years where a team like the Broncos or the Houston Texans wins it all. At least the Philadelphia Eagles lost Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. There’s no team whose fanbase deserves 50 years of pain more than them. More like “Die, Eagles Die,” am I right?
Scott: I detect some bias in that opinion. Not to worry, my football biases definitely won’t show later in this power ranking. Nope, not at all.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Record: 27-13-3, +39
Last Week: 2nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 3rd
Hunter: The Lightning played just two games last week, one of which was a 4-2 win over the Avalanche, giving Colorado just their fourth regulation loss of the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 of 33 shots faced and has at times looked like the 2021 postseason version of himself that won the Conn Smythe Trophy and led Tampa to their second-straight Stanley Cup championship. In his last 15 starts, Vasilevskiy is 13-2-0 with a .928 save percentage and has only once given up more than three goals in a game.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
Record: 28-14-3, +20
Last Week: 3rd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd
Hunter: Last week, I shared my worries over the Hurricanes’ goaltending situation, but clearly Rod Brind’Amour and the rest of the team decided the best way to avoid any issues in the crease is to simply not allow the other team to have the puck. In Carolina’s three wins last week, the shot totals against them were 23, 13 and 12, a combined total of 47 giving Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen easy work. Their defensive play will be even better going forward with the return of elite defender Jaccob Slavin, who has missed 39 games in 2025-26 due to injury.
4. Dallas Stars
Record: 26-10-9, +28
Last Week: 4th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 4th
Hunter: Since the Stars defeated the Leafs on Dec. 21, they have dropped seven of their last eight games, capped off with a 5-4 OT loss to the Sharks on Saturday that saw Dallas blow two separate two-goal leads. Every team goes through hot and cold streaks, and this recent stretch follows a period where Dallas went 18-3-2 over a 23-game span.
However, the Stars are 17th in expected goals percentage with 49.5% and 29th in the league in Corsi with 45.8%. When you look at individual numbers, no one beyond their top power-play unit has 20 points. Dallas may currently be near the top of the league standings, but this next stretch could determine how much of a contender they really are.
5. Detroit Red Wings
Record: 27-15-4, +3
Last Week: 7th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 5th
Scott: It’s amazing what a really good power play can do. The Red Wings are an otherwise good, not great team, but they just know how to generate chances on the power play and capitalize on it. To be fair, they have five players tailor-made for the power play, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. And then there’s the play of Moritz Seider, who, in his first season when he’s not drowning in the toughest minutes in the league, is not only a top Norris candidate but may even get some consideration for the Hart if the Red Wings keep this up.
Hunter: I know we constantly have the “Will a defenseman ever win the Hart Trophy?” argument, but will a defender even finish as a top-three finalist? We’ve only had two blueliners in the last 25 years finish in the top five for Hart Trophy voting, with Brent Burns placing fourth in 2016-17 and Nicklas Lidstrom doing the same in 2007-08. In what world could you say one of Lidstrom, Cale Makar, Scott Niedermayer, Zdeno Chara or Quinn Hughes weren’t at any point one of the top three most valuable players in the game?
Scott: I may make some changes between now and when we reveal our midseason award selections at Daily Faceoff on Wednesday, but right now, I have Seider second on my Hart ballot. His impact is hard to deny right now.
6. Vegas Golden Knights
Record: 21-11-12, +8
Last Week: 9th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 8th
Scott: Excuse me while I grab the world’s tiniest violin for Carter Hart, who is now out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis. To the people out there who think I’m milking this vendetta too long, and that I should just criticize him for the on-ice product, he doesn’t even deserve to be in the NHL for his play either! His .871 SV% is in a three-way tie for 59th out of 66 goalies with 10 games played, and his -7.75 5v5 goals saved above expected is 62nd! He’s barely a backup goalie!
It’s no coincidence that Vegas beat the Blue Jackets 5-3 after trailing 1-0 at the time of his departure and then won two more games over the weekend (albeit against the Blues and Sharks). Just end the experiment already, it wasn’t worth it! At least Adin Hill appears to be close to a return and the Golden Knights can go back to running Hill and Akira Schmid for the rest of the season.
7. Minnesota Wild
Record: 26-11-9, +21
Last Week: 5th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 7th
Scott: *looks at Hunter’s ranking*
*looks at my ranking*
God dammit.
Anyways, the Wild have had a tough stretch, losing three of their last four games and four of their last six, but despite that, they’re still neck-and-neck with the Stars for second place in the NHL. Just think, the loser of this will not only face the winner of this battle, but also not get home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. What an amazing playoff format you got there Gary!
Hunter: Six-seeeeeeeeeeeeevveeennnnnnn!!!!!!!!
(Ed. Note from Matt Larkin, who has kids aged five and nine): SIX-SEEEEEVVEENNNNN!!!!!!!
And THANK YOU, this is one of the major issues I have with the playoff format. I don’t want to hear the argument that, “Well they would have had to have played them at some point in the playoffs.” OK, then what’s the point of having the regular season? A team could finish with the third-best record in the league and they don’t get home-ice advantage in the first round?
Even if you make the argument that home ice doesn’t amount to much in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, couldn’t the owners make the case that if the series goes to seven games, they should get the extra home-gate revenue?
8. Montreal Canadiens
Record: 25-14-6, +3
Last Week: 13th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 6th
Hunter: I love Canadiens fans because someone like Alexandre Texier, who going into last week had four goals in his first 20 games since being acquired by Montreal, was already a fan favorite, simply because of his name and his background. The Habs faithful make no secret of their love for Quebecois players, but a French player from France? The France?! He was an instant hero. Now tack on him scoring four times last week, including a hat trick in a 6-2 win over the Panthers, and his #85 sweater will be among the league’s highest selling by the time the Olympics roll around (which he’ll be a part of, the lone NHL representative on France’s roster).
Oh, and Jacob Fowler has looked more than adequate in his first nine career NHL starts, going 4-3-2 with a .908 SV% and 3.7 GSAx. Jakub Dobes hasn’t played since giving up five against the Hurricanes on Jan. 1, and at some point, the Canadiens will have to make a decision on who to send down to the AHL.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins
Record: 21-14-9, +5
Last Week: 8th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 9th
Scott: It’s nice having Evgeni Malkin back in the Penguins lineup. This blast to the past for the Penguins as they make a run for the playoffs just hasn’t been the same without him also playing alongside Sidney Crosby, especially when Malkin had such a great start to the season and is possibly in his last season in Pittsburgh. That said, Pittsburgh didn’t exactly benefit from his return, losing two of the three games since he’s been back, and scoring a combined one goal in the two losses.
10. Edmonton Oilers
Record: 22-16-7, 0
Last Week: 14th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 13th
Hunter: Connor McDavid scored his 30th of the season over the weekend in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings, extending his point streak to a career-high 18 games. It’s hard to believe McDavid has only broken the 50-goal mark once in his career, and it was when he finished with a league-leading 64 in 2022-23. Perhaps he and Leon Draisaitl, who has 23 goals, feel like the onus is on them to produce, as no one else on the team has more than 13 (I will concede that Zach Hyman has 13 in just 26 games played, including eight in his last 13).
As for the team as a whole, they beat the Predators and Jets before Saturday’s OT loss, earning five of a possible six points, and are right there with the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. Looking at Edmonton’s goaltending, Connor Ingram has been adequate in the crease, posting a .900 SV% or above in five of his six games. However, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate that Tristan Jarry could play this week. Where will that leave Calvin Pickard?
Scott: Bakersfield for the first time in three years, unless there’s another team that’s in need of any form of goaltending *looks at Ottawa*.
11. Washington Capitals
Record: 23-17-6, +17
Last Week: 10th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 11th
Hunter: The Capitals won two of their four games last week, beating the struggling Ducks and Blackhawks but losing to a desperate Stars group that had lost their previous six games, as well as the Predators on Sunday. As Scott mentioned last week, Logan Thompson remains one of the game’s top netminders, but his recent struggles have had a hand in Washington’s stretch of mediocre play. In his last 10 games, Thompson has a SV% under .900 and an even-strength goals saved above expected of -1.2 goals.
As for their captain, Alex Ovechkin has scored in four straight games after recording just one in his previous 14 contests. He recorded his 20th goal of the season on Sunday, becoming the second player in league history to reach the milestone 21 times.
12. Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 22-13-8, +5
Last Week: 11th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 10th
Scott: I remember when I was making my worst-value contracts piece in the summer, and Christian Dvorak was in second with his one-year, $5.4 million contract. I said, and I quote: “Ultimately, it won’t matter too much for the Flyers. They have the cap space this season to throw money at anything, they don’t plan on contending this season, and the deal will be done at the end of the year.”
Anyways, the Flyers signed him to a cap hit that’s only $250,000 cheaper per year for five more years. I know he’s been better in Philadelphia, and the cap is rising, but you don’t have to sign that contract! There are better players you can get for cheaper! Not to mention that it will impede the extensions to Trevor Zegras, Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov over the next few seasons, not to mention the likes of Jett Luchanko, Porter Martone and other top prospects likely to come into the system over the next few years! Then again, maybe they won’t have to worry about a pricey deal for Michkov, because Rick Tocchet refuses to deploy him properly.
At the very least, the Flyers finally have a player with a vendetta in this newfound Philadelphia-Anaheim rivalry, as Zegras potted two goals in the 5-2 win, and seemed to really enjoy it.
13. Buffalo Sabres
Record: 24-15-4, +6
Last Week: 16th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 12th
Scott: Holy hell, the Sabres are 10th in the NHL? I knew they were on a hot streak, but I didn’t think they were doing this great! Then again, their success has been masked by the fact that every other team in the East is doing similarly well, so they’ve barely made ground. Still, it’s nice to see the Sabres doing well, and hopefully they can finally get into the playoffs again, especially after Josh Allen and the Bills inevitably choke in the playoffs again.
Hunter: I was under the assumption that if the Bills could get past the Jaguars over the weekend, they would win it all. I’m holding onto that assessment. Also, the Sabres got lucky with their schedule last week, following up their first loss in a month with three games against struggling clubs and winning all of them in regulation. But if the true sign of a legitimate playoff team is beating opponents you should beat, then maybe they really have taken that forward step.
Scott: While the Jaguars were one of my top-three teams in the AFC this year, so are the Broncos and Patriots. Also, I like the Seahawks and Rams a lot better too. There’s a good chance the Bills will be the underdog in every single playoff round this year. The path to a Superbowl win is not going to be easy.
Hunter: It feels like the winner of the Seahawks-49ers game will be the representative out of the NFC, as I have little faith in the Rams after barely squeaking past the Panthers, and I feel like a January matchup in Chicago for an L.A.-based team is a recipe for disaster. Seattle has a nasty defense and I’m guessing they’ll suffocate anything the AFC representative throws at them.
14. Florida Panthers
Record: 23-18-3, -7
Last Week: 6th (-8)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 17th
Scott: After Hunter and I had high regards for the Panthers last week (at least for what they were doing on the ice), they went and dropped two of three, losing 4-1 to the Leafs and 6-2 to the Canadiens before barely beating the league’s current punching bag in the Senators. Florida also maybe shouldn’t have even won that game either, as there’s a world where Carter Verhaeghe is out of the game after two periods for his dirty hit on Artem Zub. Verhaeghe also assisted on the game-winning goal to add insult to (almost) injury.
Tempers flare between the Senators and Panthers after Artem Zub takes a hit from Carter Verhaeghe. pic.twitter.com/NvmRYzT7Oq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 11, 2026Wait, give me a minute *googles Panthers management* Oh yup, Gregory Campbell is still an assistant general manager for the team, while his dad is a vice president of the NHL. I wonder how the Panthers keep getting away with this!
Hunter: At what point is a coach or general manager or team president, or hell, an actual team owner that Gary Bettman himself has to answer to, going to make a public statement on the lack of discipline the Panthers receive? Who cares if you get fined or suspended, take the hit and force the league to respond to you calling them out on this. We go on and on about how Florida is currently the league’s golden child and they don’t want to mess with a good thing, but there’s no world where that Verhaeghe hit isn’t worthy of at least a phone call. Even Eetu Luostarinen’s hit on Leafs’ forward Scott Laughton earlier in the week deserved more than a minor penalty.
Scott Laughton was unhappy and confused over the lack of a call on Eetu Luostarinen
🎥: Sportsnet
Read More Here 📰 | https://t.co/hh9OLSAtXo pic.twitter.com/cZXMPi4ns2
One of these is going to result in a catastrophic injury, and only then will the league do somethi- I’m just kidding, they will do nothing, because they don’t want to.
15. New York Islanders
Record: 25-15-5, +9
Last Week: 19th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 16th
Scott: I don’t think Ilya Sorokin is getting nearly enough love for what he’s doing this season. The Islanders haven’t exactly been a great two-way team with a 46.11% 5v5 expected goal share, the worst of any team in the Eastern Conference, and yet they’re fifth in the standings, and second in the division! While Matthew Schaefer has gotten a lot of the attention, and Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat have stepped up their games this season, Sorokin is back at the peak of his powers with a 19.56 5v5 goals saved above expected, second after Logan Thompson.
Speaking of goalies, isn’t it hilarious that, during the Isles’ 9-0 win over the Devils, New Jersey kept Jacob Markstrom in for the whole shebang while Patrick Roy was on the Islanders bench? Markstrom’s nine-GA performance is just the 19th time a goalie has allowed 9+ goals in a game since Roy did it against the Red Wings, leading to his trade out of Montreal.
Hunter: Do you think he looked up at the jumbotron and saw the giant flashing “9” and had a flashback like Vietnam War veterans when they hear “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival?
16. Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: 22-15-7, +8
Last Week: 23rd (+7)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 15th
Scott: For the record, my 15th-place ranking of the Leafs is not me deciding they’re back. They’re only this high because they happen to be better than the Islanders, who saw a significant bump in my list due to the five-point rule taking effect as some teams in the East start to separate. Toronto was actually 22nd. Yes, they’ve gone 7-0-2 in their last nine games, but they’ve only won the score-adjusted expected goals battle in three of those nine games. The Leafs aren’t better, Auston Matthews just remembered how to score again.
Hunter: BRING OUT THE “WE ARE SO BACK O’METER,” FOLKS!
Phew, lemme take a deep breath. OK, they’re not ALL the way back, but that win against the Canucks was about as satisfying for fans as they could hope. Yes Matthews is back, but you’re seeing better efforts and results from the likes of Matthew Knies, Max Domi, and since Brandon Carlo’s return, Morgan Rielly. The addition of a healthy William Nylander will help, especially if he performs like he did in his return against Vancouver.
17. Ottawa Senators
Record: 20-19-5, -7
Last Week: 12th (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 19th
Hunter: The Senators lost all four of their most recent games in regulation, and somehow that’s not anywhere close to the worst thing to come out of last week. An online rumor from an anonymous social media account involving Linus Ullmark — who is currently on a leave of absence for personal reasons — and several other players spread like wildfire, prompting president of hockey operations and GM Steve Staios to release a statement condemning the rumor.
The last few days has seen plenty of armchair quarterbacking from fans and pundits and panelists over whether the team should have put out the statement to begin with, arguing that Ottawa only generated more attention by acknowledging it to begin with. However, once rumors that involve family members of players spread to group chats and watercoolers around the league, a team has no choice but to emphatically put them to rest.
Spare me your reasoning that “Twitter is not real life” and or that most hockey fans aren’t “terminally online.” Once a rumor shared via social media or through a Reddit thread reaches a certain level of traffic, it bleeds into real life. Think back to the Corey Perry-Blackhawks situation in November 2023, where only a week passed between the night Perry was healthy scratched by Chicago and when the Blackhawks terminated his contract. The entire NHL media ecosystem — including many of the same talking heads who critiqued Staios and the Sens last week — wondered out loud if the salacious rumors were true, or admitted that they were getting texts from people around the league about the rumor. It took an emotional Kyle Davidson to get in front of a microphone to emphatically deny it.
It’s clear Staios and the Senators didn’t want to deal with a similar issue, so they were proactive and released their statement without hesitation. And credit to them for doing so.
Scott: Not to worry, Optimus Reim is here to save the day! I’m sure he will solve all of Ottawa’s goaltending woes!
18. Boston Bruins
Record: 25-19-2, +6
Last Week: 26th (+8)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 14th
Hunter: The Bruins started the week with a 7-4 loss to the Kraken, capping off an up-and-down road trip which saw them earn five of a possible 10 points. But they returned to Boston and produced two dominant wins over the Flames and Rangers, the latter being a 10-2 beatdown that saw David Pastrnak record six assists, Marat Khusnutdinov score four times and Pavel Zacha finish with a hat trick. After a 1-0 win over the Penguins on Sunday, the Bruins have now won five of their last six. Throw in a New England Patriots victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, and everyone in the city of Boston is happy. I hate it here.
19. Los Angeles Kings
Record: 19-15-10, -6
Last Week: 18th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 18th
Scott: Remember almost two months ago when I said in a previous power rankings that the Adrian Kempe signing was a bad one specifically for the Kings because they were on a downward trajectory, were likely going towards a rebuild, and would have been better off using him as a trade asset? Well, they’re 9-11-5 in their last 25 games, and only have six regulation wins in that span. They’re somehow still in a playoff spot because of how bad the West is beyond Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota, but they’re just as close to first in the Pacific Division as they are to 14th in the Western Conference. Also, Anze Kopitar is injured again. They’re looking more and more like a depreciating asset, and with Kopitar and Drew Doughty almost out the door and the core behind them failing to meet expectations, trading Kempe may have been the right move.
20. Utah Mammoth
Record: 22-20-4, +9
Last Week: 21st (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 20th
Scott: Did you know that Karel Vejmelka was the first goaltender to 20 wins this season? I didn’t until the NHL mentioned it on Friday, largely because wins is a meaningless stat for a goalie, but I was surprised that the goalie on the 21st-ranked team was the first to hit the mark. Sure, only Juuse Saros and Dustin Wolf have played more games than him, but you would expect a goalie on a better team to hit it sooner. To be fair, Scott Wedgewood is one win away from hitting the milestone himself while playing six fewer games, but it was still a surprise to me.
Hunter: Isn’t it amazing that two of the major goalie stats you’d find on a hockey card are considered useless in the modern era? When will Tim Hortons start putting even-strength save percentage on their cards?!
Scott: Maybe hockey fans would stop pretending Marc-Andre Fleury was an elite goaltender if his hockey cards listed his seasonal goals saved above expected instead of his wins and goals against average while playing on elite Penguins and Golden Knights squads!
21. New York Rangers
Record: 20-20-6, -15
Last Week: 15th (-6)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd
Hunter: I had some hope for the Rangers after their Winter Classic victory over the Panthers, only for all that hope to evaporate after Igor Shesterkin was helped off the ice last week against the Mammoth, then placed on Injured Reserve one day later. Jonathan Quick has thrived in a backup role with New York, but at 39 years of age is no longer capable of playing starting minutes, which was apparent after giving up six goals on 20 shots against the Bruins over the weekend. If Shesterkin is out long term, it’s time for the Blueshirts to start selling.
Scott: I’ve loved the Rangers play with Mike Sullivan behind the bench despite the results, but yeah, if Shersterkin is missing significant time, that’s the season. Considering the dry trade market, they could get a haul for Artemi Panarin.
22. Nashville Predators
Record: 21-20-4, -23
Last Week: 24th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 21st
Scott: Somehow, the Predators are just one win away from a playoff spot. After the start they had this season (along with the collective trauma from last season), this predator looked more like prey, but maybe they have a bit of life left in them. They’ve beaten some good teams in this recent stretch too, including the Capitals, Golden Knights, Wild and the Avalanche (not in regulation though).
23. Anaheim Ducks
Record: 21-21-3, -18
Last Week: 17th (-6)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 24th
Scott: I was genuinely shocked when I pulled up the standings while putting together this week’s power rankings and saw the Ducks in 27th in the league. I know a regression was due, but I was not expecting one nearly this bad. They’ve lost nine games in a row (only five in a row according to the NHL’s website though!), and plummeted from first in the Pacific to three points out of a playoff spot with one and two more games than the current Wildcard holders in the Kraken and Kings. If this keeps up towards the Olympic break, I might be ready to call it a season for this group, considering their defensive struggles and how Lukas Dostal hasn’t been able to mask them this season.
Hunter: I, uh, would like to rescind my previous vote for Joel Quenneville for the Jack Adams Award. At this rate, he might not make my top three choices.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 19-19-7, -18
Last Week: 20th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 22nd
Hunter: I recently said the Blue Jackets should give serious consideration to waiving the white flag on the season and start selling assets. After seeing Columbus lose three of four games last week, with all their losses coming in regulation and the one win coming in overtime, it only strengthened my argument. As of the publishing of this article, only four teams have worse records than the Blue Jackets, and none of is in the Eastern Conference.
General manager Don Waddell was widely considered one of hockey’s best executives during his time with the Hurricanes. If he wants to recreate or surpass the success he achieved in Carolina, then it’s time to start the rebuild and start moving valuable assets with expiring contracts, which include, but are not limited to: Boone Jenner, Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment. If we’re talking about a full-blown, tear-it-all-down rebuild, what could you get for two seasons of Zach Werenski, with the Blue Jackets eating a chunk of his $9.58-million salary?
You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!!!
25. New Jersey Devils
Record: 22-21-2, -23
Last Week: 22nd (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 25th
Hunter: With losses in four straight games and eight of their last 10, the Devils are in a bad place. Head coach Sheldon Keefe left Jacob Markstrom in for nine goals against the Islanders in a 9-0 loss, and Jake Allen fared no better, losing both of his starts last week and giving up four in each of them. Dougie Hamilton was a healthy scratch Sunday and his agent shared with Pierre LeBrun over the weekend their wishes for a trade, going so far as to say they’d be willing to increase their 10-team list of approved destinations.
Look, the Devils are only a handful of points out of a Wildcard spot in the East, and beyond the Hurricanes, I don’t really trust anyone in the Metropolitan Division. But unless Jesper Bratt remembers he’s a point-per-game player, or Jack Hughes scores more than one goal in his last 10 games since returning from injury, or Keefe gets his players to turn up their “give a s–t” meter,” then the Devils will remain on the outside looking in for the remainder of the season. The clock’s ticking.
26. Seattle Kraken
Record: 20-15-8, -7
Last Week: 27th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 26th
Hunter: After starting their week with two wins over the Flames and Bruins, the Kraken were third in the Pacific Division before dropping two to the Wild and Hurricanes, and now they go into this week in possession of one of the Wildcard spots in the West. Their goaltending duo of Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord are a big reason for their success: In each of their last 10 appearances, Grubauer has posted a 10.9 GSAx and Daccord has a 7.7 GSAx, ranking second and fifth among all NHL goaltenders, respectively. Their four road games this week will be a good test for where they stack up against the rest of the mushy middle of the Western Conference.
27. San Jose Sharks
Record: 23-19-3, -7
Last Week: 29th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 27th
Scott: I continue to laugh at mine and Hunter’s refusal to acknowledge the Sharks as a threat, even though we are more than halfway through the season and they sit in third in the Pacific Division. Don’t get me wrong, this team is fun to watch and the hockey fan in me wants to see them make it, but that doesn’t change the fact that they do get outplayed more often than not.
If there’s a reason to be optimistic about the Sharks, it’s this: Tankathon currently projects San Jose’s remaining schedule to be the easiest in the league based on the points percentage of their opponents. They’ve made it through the tough part and have done this well; they just need to win the winnable games and they can pull it off.
Hunter: Walk with me on this one: Let’s say the Sharks somehow manage to stay competitive towards the start of March … If you’re GM Mike Grier, do you trade away the pending unrestricted free agents like John Klingberg and Mario Ferraro? Do you even think about adding someone if you’re still in the top three in the Pacific Division? The smart answer is yes, but never underestimate an owner’s lust for playoff gate revenue.
Scott: Now hear me out: if the Sharks are going to buy at the deadline, they should target a player like Jordan Kyrou. A history of scoring, great defensively, and currently a depreciated asset in St. Louis. The Sharks have more than enough cap space for his contract and could get him for nickels and dimes on the dollar right now.
28. Calgary Flames
Record: 19-22-4, -19
Last Week: 25th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 28th
Scott: I feel bad for Flames fans (and not just because I work with one). The team has never drafted higher than fourth-overall in their history (Sam Bennett too, that one worked out well for them), and after a horrendous start, it looked like fans would finally get at least a top-three pick in a loaded top three. But that was merely a tease, as Calgary has now been just good enough to stay out of the top three. Only time will tell if they actually sell off some assets, maybe even in the coming days, but the Flames can’t keep putting the people of Calgary through this state of mediocrity.
29. Chicago Blackhawks
Record: 19-19-7, -13
Last Week: 30th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 30th
Hunter: I used to complain about the NHL’s point system. I still do, but I used to, too. Any system that allows a team with a 19-19-7 record to be within three points of a playoff spot is flawed, but that’s where the Blackhawks find themselves, having won five of their last six games. Connor Bedard made his return last week after a 12-game absence, recording two assists in Chicago’s 3-0 win over the Predators on Saturday. If you’re the Blackhawks, do you stay the course? Or do you look for a trade in hopes of making a late-season playoff push?
30. St. Louis Blues
Record: 17-21-8, -47
Last Week: 28th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 29th
Hunter: The Blues continue to drop further in the Western Conference standings, with three regulation losses and little hope of catching up in the Wildcard race. Doug Armstrong has made no secret about being willing to listen to offers, and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported Friday that Robert Thomas’ name has come up in trade discussions. A trade involving their 26-year-old franchise center would bring a significant return and help kickstart a desperately needed rebuild.
Speaking of high-priced forwards, Buchnevich is in the first season of a six-year, $48-million contract and hasn’t scored in 14 of his last 16 games. With just eight goals on the season, the Russian winger needs to give the Blues more, regardless of whether they’re sellers ahead of the deadline.
31. Winnipeg Jets
Record: 17-22-5, -8
Last Week: 32nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st
Hunter: I mean, at least the Jets were able to snap their 11-game losing streak with two wins over the weekend. But when you look at where Winnipeg is in the standings and how they’re 5-15-5 in their last 25 games, it’s clear their season is over. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff should start looking at moving some of his expiring contracts: Could Luke Schenn fetch you some draft picks? Do you have any appetite to re-sign Logan Stanley? Might I tempt you with a 36-year-old Gustav Nyquist or 33-year-old Tanner Pearson?
32. Vancouver Canucks
Record: 16-23-5, -37
Last Week: 31st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd
Hunter: After losing six straight games — giving up at least five goals in four of those losses — the Canucks are a mess. GM Patrik Allvin said in a video shared on the team’s social media Sunday that Vancouver is “transitioning into a rebuild,” so expect the Canucks to sell anything and everything ahead of the Trade Deadline in March. Kiefer Sherwood, Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger are just a few of the names mentioned on the latest edition of Matt Larkin’s NHL Trade Board, and don’t sleep on the likes of David Kampf and Lukas Reichel getting some attention.
Scott: I named Reichel as a smaller name to keep an eye on at the Olympics in my piece last week, largely because he’ll likely play with one of Leon Draisaitl or Tim Stutzle and has usually played well on the German team (22 points in 22 games at the World Championship). Reichel hasn’t clicked with the Canucks, but a good tournament in Milan may help the Canucks a lot there.
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