NHL Power Rankings: November 2024

NHL Power Rankings: November 2024

It’s been too long since my last NHL power rankings article. To be precise, roughly 21 months too long. Now that a busy senior year of college is over (go Irish forever) and hockey season is back in full swing, there’s nothing I’d rather do than look over the entire NHL landscape every 30 days or so.

The first month of the 2024-25 season has offered the standard chaos. The number of good teams struggling is more notable than the number of bad teams playing, well, not bad, but it’s always difficult but important not to overreact to the first 12% of the season. Some reaction is warranted, though, and that’s exactly what Trey Daubert and I have for you.

32. San Jose Sharks (3-8-2)

Andrew: 32; Trey: 32

This San Jose Sharks season was about only one thing: Macklin Celebrini. A month spent with him largely on the shelf is a wash. But there’s other young talent, with William Eklund scoring at a nice clip. The Jake Walman trade looked great early, but he’s hit his first rough patch in San Jose. Still, Mike Grier should be able to trade him and Mikael Granlund for a nice return in the future.

T-30. Philadelphia Flyers (4-7-1)

Andrew: 30; Trey: 31

Almost everything that could have gone wrong so far has for the Philadelphia Flyers. Matvei Michkov had a solid welcome to the NHL but has work to do at 5-on-5, as does the rest of the team. Philadelphia’s forward core has underwhelmed with the lack of talent down the middle particularly concerning. That led to a brief NHL audition for 2024 draftee Jett Luchanko, and while the 18-year-old didn’t look out of place, the Flyers smartly sent him back to junior to allow him to develop as a scorer.

T-30. Montréal Canadiens (4-7-1)

Andrew: 31; Trey: 30

The big guns have mostly held their own; Cole Caufield is tied for the lead in goals (10) and Juraj Slafkovský was producing nicely before injury. However, the lack of depth and true superstars has left the Montreal Canadiens in the dust at 5-on-5, as they are dead last in expected goal share by a decent margin. Bad goaltending has also been a culprit, although that may be for the best if it allows them to keep accumulating top-end young talent.

T-27. Anaheim Ducks (4-5-2)

Andrew: 29; Trey: 25

If we were ranking goaltending performance, the Anaheim Ducks would be near the top thanks to a breakout showing from Lukáš Dostál. He leads the league in save percentage (.937) and goals saved above expected (+13). The big concern for the Ducks isn’t that they’re not playing well as a team – it’s the underwhelming efforts of youngsters Trevor Zegras, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger. While all except for Zegras are just starting their careers and deserve some slack, they must develop for the Ducks to move forward. So far, let’s say it’s a work in progress.

T-27. Chicago Blackhawks (5-7-1)

Andrew: 28; Trey: 26

It’s been about as good of a start as possible for Connor Bedard, who is playing a much more complete game (50.27% expected goals for percentage, third on the Chicago Blackhawks) and has elevated the Chicago power play. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, especially for Philipp Kurashev. It’s also nice to see Taylor Hall back — his point production has been ok but he’s one of the two Blackhawks ahead of Bedard in xGF% (captain Nick Foligno is the other).

T-27. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-5-1)

Andrew: 26; Trey: 28

It’s great to see the Columbus Blue Jackets off to a solid start after the tragic death of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. That’s even more impressive considering the team has dealt with a rash of injuries. Johnny’s long-time Flames teammate Sean Monahan is leading the charge with many of the team’s top young forwards showing promise around him. It’s probably not sustainable as the team isn’t playing particularly well at 5-on-5 (46.96% xGF, 24th), but the Blue Jackets deserve to enjoy every bit of success they achieve.

T-25. Pittsburgh Penguins (5-7-1)

Andrew: 22; Trey: 29

Things don’t look or feel right for the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Sidney Crosby remains elite and Evgeni Malkin came out of the gates flying, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang aren’t holding up their end of the backend. The team’s depth still isn’t good enough Bryan Rust‘s absence only underscores that. With Michael Bunting a total non-factor (one assist), there’s a Jake Guentzel hole in a roster that was already underwhelming.

T-25. Calgary Flames (6-5-1)

Andrew: 24; Trey: 27

The Calgary Flames were the league’s darlings to begin the season before tailing off with losses in five of their last six. Like Seattle, goaltending is virtually the only thing they have going for them. A .907 save percentage may not seem like much at first glance but it’s well above average this season and having two goalies at that mark is a nice luxury. But the Flames’ roster deficiencies seem to be catching up with them.

24. Buffalo Sabres (4-7-1)

Andrew: 27; Trey: 21

It’s never a good sign when a team supposedly built around a vaunted trio of young defensemen is one of the league’s worst defensive teams. Part of that is goaltending, with neither Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen nor Devon Levi able to take the next step out of the gates. But the onus is on Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram to step up. Same for Dylan Cozens, even though he’s a forward.

23. St. Louis Blues (6-6-0)

Andrew: 23; Trey: 23

Jordan Binnington has picked up where he left off last season but the St. Louis Blues remain a flawed team. St. Louis needs to outscore their defensive shortcomings, but doing that with Robert Thomas on the shelf is a steep hill. Torey Krug‘s presence is sorely missed on their power play (28th in success rate and 26th in chance creation).

22. Detroit Red Wings (5-5-1)

Andrew: 28; Trey: 26

Many teams below the Detroit Red Wings aren’t good but are perhaps slightly overachieving thanks to one common strength: goaltending. The Red Wings are higher than them because they have an additional positive: a power play in the league’s top 10 success rate and first in expected goals per 60. Vladimir Tarasenko has been a non-factor and Patrick Kane is the empty-calorie scorer he was at the end of his time in Chicago. Concern surrounding the Yzerplan has never been higher.

21. New York Islanders (4-6-2)

Andrew: 21; Trey: 22

The New York Islanders are what we thought they were, for better and worse. Their defensive structure remains solid even without Adam Pelech and Ilya Sorokin is as dominant as ever. However, injuries to Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal (Barzal wasn’t scoring much before going down) have severely limited their offensive ceiling. By the time they get healthy, the Islanders could be too far out of the race to get back in it.

20. Seattle Kraken (5-7-1)

Andrew: 16; Trey: 24

The Seattle Kraken made two big free-agent additions in the offseason and got two very different first months from them. Brandon Montour has been as advertised — he’s currently tied for second on the team in scoring and he’s one of only two Seattle defensemen with a 5-on-5 goal differential above even (12-10). While Chandler Stephenson has eight points, only one is a goal, and he’s at the opposite of the play-driving spectrum with a team-worst 36.44% xGF. Seattle should be very thankful for Joey Daccord‘s sparkling start because they have been underwhelming in almost every other area.

19. Nashville Predators (4-7-1)

Andrew: 19; Trey: 19

They were winless and “fragile” to start, but now the Nashville Predators seem ok. A shutout loss on Monday soured a 4-1-1 run since a nightmare start left them as the league’s second-last winless team, but the Predators appear to be figuring things out. The big returning players up front have been just fine. It’s up to the new additions and young guns to follow suit.

18. Utah Hockey Club (5-4-3)

Andrew: 20; Trey: 17

The NHL’s new franchise rode that fresh start boost to a 3-0-0 start. However, long-term injuries to Sean Durzi and John Marino mean the team is purely in survival mode. There’s a lot of young talent here, and most of those players are showing promise (although top scorers Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are struggling to drive play). However, the Central Division looks stronger than expected, and those injuries could be too much for Utah to overcome.

17. Ottawa Senators (6-5-0)

Andrew: 14; Trey: 18

Don’t look now, but the Ottawa Senators may finally have a team capable of being a legitimate playoff threat. The Senators are in the top 10 in goals and shots for and against with a top-three power play. Tim Stützle is having a bounceback beginning and looking like a true first-line center. Linus Ullmark has been good (and has been extended) but Anton Forsberg has been even better. It’s only a month, but keep an eye out on the Sens.

16. Boston Bruins (6-6-1)

Andrew: 18; Trey: 13

Give the Boston Bruins credit for rebounding from an ugly 8-2 Halloween loss to the Carolina Hurricanes (their fifth loss in six games) with back-to-back shutouts. The Bruins have been all over the place so far and are still struggling to score, with the depth showing up (shoutout to Cole Koepke) while the stars are a bit more up and down. David Pastrňák, Brad Marchand, and Elias Lindholm have been scoring (Marchand has been hot lately after a tough start, although Jim Montgomery has been harsh on him and Pastrnak) but they need their overall play to pick up a bit.

15. Los Angeles Kings (7-3-3)

Andrew: 11; Trey: 16

It’s fair to be skeptical about the Los Angeles Kings long-term given their lack of a true No. 1 goalie and a goal-less opening 13 games from Quinton Byfield, who appeared to be developing nicely last year. However, Jim Hiller deserves credit for turning his team into a play-driving machine (57.42% xGF, 2nd) in his first full season as head coach.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs (6-5-2)

Andrew: 13; Trey: 12

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ start is hard to figure out. They should be off to a better beginning by the numbers, especially since their oft-maligned power play is top-10 at chance creation. Mitch Marner skeptics say he won’t shoot, but he’s leading the team in points. Anthony Stolarz has looked sensational and now that Joseph Woll is healthy the Leafs should have reliable netminding.

13. Colorado Avalanche (5-7-0)

Andrew: 15; Trey: 9

There are two major reasons why the Colorado Avalanche don’t have a record that matches their expected status as Cup contenders. The first is due to a litany of unavailable players, which should resolve itself in time especially with Valeri Nichushkin back with the team (though he’s still in the NHL Players Association Assistance Program). The other is more concerning. You don’t want to overreact to a small sample size but Alexandar Georgiev has looked lost this season. If he can’t figure things out, Colorado’s hopes of a high seed fly out the window, just like nearly 18% of the shots fired at Georgiev have flown past him.

T-11 Tampa Bay Lightning (7-5-0)

Andrew: 17; Trey: 6

Picking Guentzel over Steven Stamkos has played out well for the Tampa Bay Lightning, at least so far. Their scoring depth is impressive — seven players have already cleared 10 points. But they’ve relied on Andrei Vasilevskiy more than they’d like, especially on the penalty kill, which has been the team’s main weakness.

T-11. Washington Capitals (8-3-0)

Andrew: 8; Trey: 15

While the Washington Capitals overachieved last year, they made up for it with an offseason of intriguing additions, with the Capitals looking like more than first-round fodder. Plus, Alex Ovechkin has more goals in 11 games this year than he did in 43 to begin a season ago.

10. Minnesota Wild (8-1-2)

Andrew: 7; Trey: 14

I don’t think anyone had the Minnesota Wild tied for the fewest regulation losses at this point in the year — or any point. Kirill Kaprizov has gone under the radar the last two seasons with the Wild outside the playoffs and seems determined to change that by himself if he has to. Fortunately, thanks to the evolution of Brock Faber and a return to form for Filip Gustavsson, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

9. Vancouver Canucks (5-2-3)

Andrew: 12; Trey: 8

The Vancouver Canucks have done a great job generating and suppressing shots, ranking top-10 in both, although quality has been an issue. But surviving a month without Thatcher Demko, who is trending in the right direction, deserves props. Just imagine where the Canucks would be if they can get Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk going.

8. Edmonton Oilers (6-6-1)

Andrew: 6; Trey: 5

We’ve seen this movie before. The Edmonton Oilers have mostly gotten their defense under control, allowing six goals over their last three games. Leon Draisaitl has picked up the slack with Connor McDavid injured, but he needs more help from his supporting cast, especially Zach Hyman and Adam Henrique (combined three goals).

7. Winnipeg Jets (11-1-0)

Andrew: 8; Trey: 15

The Winnipeg Jets have played much more like last year’s dominant regular season club than the one that unraveled in the first round. The Jets offense has been scary good, with eight players in double figures in points and a power play operating at an absurd 44% rate. The latter stat will regress (the Jets are only 17th in expected goal creation on the PP) but the Jets look capable of finally offering a worthy successor to their 2018 Western Conference Final run.

6. Carolina Hurricanes (8-2-0)

Andrew: 1; Trey: 11

It’s fair to be in “believe it when you see it” territory with the Carolina Hurricanes when it comes to the playoffs. But there’s almost nothing else they could be doing right now as the league leaders in shots for, shots against, and expected goals with top goal-scoring and prevention numbers. Couple that with strong special teams and good goaltending and you’ve got a team that hasn’t missed a beat to begin the year and is riding a six-game winning streak.

5. Vegas Golden Knights (8-3-1)

Andrew: 10; Trey: 2

Only the Capitals have a higher 5-on-5 shooting percentage (13.77%) than the Vegas Golden Knights (13.61%). Only two teams cleared 10% last season (Vancouver led the way at 10.6%), so it’s fair to expect some regression. Mark Stone heard all the concerns about Vegas’ winger group and decided to deliver an entire top-six worth of production himself. The biggest win for Vegas came off the ice, though, in the form of a team-friendly extension for Shea Theodore.

4. New Jersey Devils (8-5-2)

Andrew: 6; Trey: 5

It’s hard to find a lot not to like about the New Jersey Devils. Though Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are still looking to find their stride after returning from injury, the rest of the team has picked up the slack. Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter won’t shoot above 20% forever (Nico Hischier probably won’t either, but this could be the start of his breakthrough in the Selke Trophy race).

3. New York Rangers (8-2-1)

Andrew: 3; Trey: 4

Those advocating for the New York Rangers to overhaul their defense in the offseason should feel vindicated. The Rangers allowed the fourth most shots per game and the fifth most expected goals per 60 minutes. That they’re first in goals against is exactly why Igor Shesterkin demands the sun and the moon in contract negotiations. That extension will take time, but it was wise not to wait around as Alexis Lafrenière continues his better-late-than-never ascension toward stardom and lock him up. And don’t forget — he’s still just 23 years old.

T-1. Dallas Stars (7-4-0)

Andrew: 4; Trey: 1

A tie at the top spot is a bit anti-climactic, but both teams deserve their flowers. Like the Rangers, the Dallas Stars’ defense hasn’t been as lockdown as last season, which is somewhat concerning after unpopular turnover on their blue line in the offseason. However, Jake Oettinger is back on the star trajectory after an average 2023-24 season. The Stars still have one of the league’s deepest forward cores, which should make them a force throughout the year.

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T-1. Florida Panthers (9-3-1)

Andrew: 2; Trey: 3

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Panthers have been closer to good than truly elite thus far at 5-on-5, but that’s with Aleksander Barkov absent for eight games. Without him, both special teams units are in the league’s top 10, and “baby Barkov” (Anton Lundell) is building on last year’s playoffs breakout. It’s also great to see Spencer Knight back in the NHL for the first time since February 2023 and playing well, too.

Advanced Stats via Natural Stat Trick and MoneyPuck.com