NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands 1 Day Before the Trade Deadline
The NHL trade deadline is an annual point of reckoning. Some teams decide they're worthy of a title chase, some cross their fingers for a deep playoff run, and some put out the "For Sale" signs as a means of pressing the organizational reset button for the future.
The highest-profile domino fell on Tuesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks dealt three-time Stanley Cup winner and franchise cornerstone Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers.
The Rangers have added Kane and former St. Louis Blues sniper Vladimir Tarasenko as they chase their first title since 1994. The transactions have made New York +1100 to win this year's championship, according to DraftKings, behind only the Boston Bruins (+475), Colorado Avalanche (+600), Carolina Hurricanes (+650) and Toronto Maple Leafs (+850).
The Bruins are riding yet another hot streak—having won eight straight games and nine of their last 10—which helped them keep their place atop the B/R Power Rankings for the 16th consecutive week.
The Hurricanes are right behind them at No. 2 for the third straight week. The New Jersey Devils, Toronto and the Tampa Bay Lightning round out the top five.
The B/R voting panel awarded 32 points for first place and one point for 32nd to come up with the weekly list. Teams' last rankings and how they moved are shown alongside each updated placement. Scroll through to see where your favorites landed, and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.
32. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 31/Move: -1)
The Blue Jackets won two of three and then shipped Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo to Los Angeles for Jonathan Quick and two picks, including a conditional first-rounder this year.
31. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 32/Move: +1)
Defensemen John Klingberg, Dmitry Kulikov and Kevin Shattenkirk are approaching free agency. If the Ducks deal any of them, they could add to their cache of six picks in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 30/Move: 0)
An era ended when the Blackhawks traded Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers. Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson continued to stock the team's future cupboards with two picks and an AHL defenseman in return.
29. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 28/Move: -1)
General manager Mike Grier has been working the phones regarding defenseman Erik Karlsson, but he managed to offload Timo Meier to New Jersey for a package that included four players and three picks.
28. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 29/Move: +1)
General manager Bill Armstrong sent Jakob Chychrun to Ottawa for three picks, and he's been active in helping other teams finalize big deals, too. He netted draft picks from Chicago and Vegas in exchanging for taking on salary.
27. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 27/Move: 0)
The exodus out of British Columbia has included Bo Horvat and now Luke Schenn, whom the Canucks dealt to Toronto for a third-round pick. Whether J.T. Miller moves as well is the final big pre-deadline question.
26. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 25/Move: -1)
Veteran James van Riemsdyk is likely to be moved amid a youth infusion, but All-Star forward Kevin Hayes could be gone as well. "It will depend on market and opportunity and fit," general manager Chuck Fletcher said.
25. Montréal Canadiens (Last Week: 26/Move: +1)
The Canadiens will try to get something consistent out of 2015 No. 12 overall pick Denis Gurianov, whom they acquired from Dallas for Evgenii Dadonov. He has 46 goals in 257 NHL games.
24. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 24/Move: 0)
The Blues have lost six straight since dealing Ryan O'Reilly to Toronto, a week after they sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers. The good news: They now have $6-plus million in cap space.
23. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 22/Move: -1)
Residing on the cusp of an Eastern playoff spot hasn't stopped the Capitals from entering the market as sellers with deals that have jettisoned veterans in favor of stockpiling prospects and draft picks.
22. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 15/Move: -7)
The Red Wings were outscored 15-3 in three straight losses and fell five points off the Eastern Conference playoff pace. TSN's Darren Dreger suggested Tyler Bertuzzi and/or Nick Bjugstad could be on the block.
21. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 21/Move: 0)
Soon-to-be departing Predators general manager David Poile set successor Barry Trotz up with two future-focused deals, getting two players and two picks for Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton) and a player and five picks for Tanner Jeannot (Tampa Bay).
20. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 23/Move: +3)
The Senators are within five points of the Eastern Conference playoff cutline and turned into buyers with the deal for Jacob Chychrun. "I honestly think that we've earned the right—maybe for [general manager] Pierre [Dorion] to add a player," forward Derick Brassard said.
19. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 20/Move: +1)
The Panthers are three points off the Eastern cutline, but head coach Paul Maurice isn't conceding. "You are either buyers or sellers at the trade deadline," he told Florida Hockey Now, "and we're not sellers."
18. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 17/Move: -1)
Calgary is only five points off the playoff cutline in the West but could sell. "The Flames are trending towards doing moves that they weren't going to do before the season began," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on The Jeff Marek Show.
17. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 18/Move: +1)
The Sabres won three straight before losing to Columbus and sit three points off the Eastern playoff pace. They added defensive depth by getting Riley Stillman from Vancouver for prospect Josh Bloom.
16. New York Islanders (Last Week: 19/Move: +3)
The Islanders added Bo Horvat, got forward Pierre Engvall from Toronto for a pick and now sit in an Eastern playoff spot. "It's my job to give our group the best chance to have success," general manager Lou Lamoriello said Tuesday.
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 16/Move: +1)
A three-game win streak has the Penguins in the East's eighth playoff spot and may move the needle toward retooling with talents like Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller potentially available for moves.
14. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 8/Move: -6)
A 6-10-1 stretch hasn't come at a good time for a team tied for the final Western playoff spot. Winger Nino Niederreiter arrives from Nashville to bolster an attack that's scored only 39 goals in the past 17 games.
13. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 12/Move: -1)
The Kraken are currently sitting in playoff position, but general manager Ron Francis won't go overboard to add additional pieces. "You start messing with your chemistry," he told Seattle's 93.3 KJR, "it can mess it up, too."
12. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 14/Move: +2)
General manager Ken Holland cleared enough salary to finally add a shutdown defenseman in Nashville's Mattias Ekholm, just a day after Connor McDavid reached 50 goals for the first time in a loss to Boston.
11. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 9/Move: -2)
The Stars went to the wall to get Patrick Kane from Chicago before the Rangers pulled the trigger and forced Dallas to settle, at least for now, for the addition of veteran forward Evgenii Dadonov from Montreal.
10. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 13/Move: +3)
The Wild are two points out of first overall in the West, and general manager Bill Guerin swung deals to add secondary scoring in Marcus Johansson and Gustav Nyquist. "We won't waver from our plan," he said.
9. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 10/Move: +1)
The defending champs haven't been a blur of pre-deadline activity, but they did enhance their blue line corps with a deal that brought Jack Johnson back after he left to Chicago as a free agent last summer.
8. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 11/Move: +3)
The Kings said goodbye to an era with a trade that sent two-time Cup winner Jonathan Quick to Columbus for Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo. A 6-2-2 stretch has them tied with Vegas for the top overall spot in the West.
7. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 7/Move: 0)
Prying forward Ivan Barbashev from St. Louis for a prospect is among the ways the Golden Knights are trying to compensate for the long-term loss of Mark Stone, who had back surgery in late January.
6. New York Rangers (Last Week: 5/Move: -1)
It's hard to be more all-in than the Rangers, who had already moved the offensive needle by getting Vladimir Tarasenko three weeks ago. They went ahead and buried it by landing Patrick Kane from Chicago.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 6/Move: +1)
Tanner Jeannot was coming off a 24-goal season with Nashville but hadn't regained his scoring touch in 2022-23. He played with Nick Paul and Ross Colton in his Lightning debut and played 11:49 at even strength.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 3/Move: -1)
General manager Kyle Dubas declared war on the ghosts of 1967 with a deadline makeover that had already yielded Ryan O'Reilly and continued Tuesday with Luke Schenn, Erik Gustafsson and a first-round pick arriving.
3. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 4/Move: +1)
The Devils have been the league's biggest surprise all season long, and they dug in on Cup contention by snatching Timo Meier from San Jose, though his $10 million qualifying offer for 2023-24 is a steep climb.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 2/Move: 0)
Maybe a reunion with countrymen will be the ticket for Jesse Puljujärvi, the 2016 No. 4 overall pick who came from Edmonton after an unsatisfying 317-game stint. Carolina has four Finns on its roster.
1. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 1/Move: 0)
Defenseman Dmitry Orlov came over from the Capitals and has made an instant impact with a still-streaking Bruins team. He scored twice and added three assists in his first three games with Boston.
Statistics accurate through Tuesday, February 28.
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