NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands After the Stanley Cup Final
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the NHL offseason.
The league finally ended its 2022-23 run on Tuesday night in the Nevada desert when the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers, 9-3, to capture the first Stanley Cup in the organization's uber-successful six-year run.
Vegas made the final round in its inaugural season before losing to the Washington Capitals but maintained playoff-caliber performance for four more years before missing for the first time despite amassing 92 points amid a barrage of injuries in 2021-22.
The Golden Knights regained form with 111 points this season and toppled the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars on the way to the series final against the Panthers, who had upset the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to get there.
The B/R hockey team convened one last time to officially bid "adieu" to the season by voting to rank each of the 32 teams, awarding 32 points for a first-place vote all the way down to a single point for a 32nd-place ballot.
Take a look at how the numbers added up and where your favorite team landed and drop a thought in the comments to let us know how we did.
Nos. 32-26: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Ducks, Flyers, Coyotes, Blackhawks, Canadiens
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32. Columbus Blue Jackets (Preseason Ranking: 22nd)
The Blue Jackets were optimistic after landing Johnny Gaudreau as a free agent last summer, but it quickly fell apart in middle Ohio. An anemic offense, a porous defense and a raft of injuries added up to a disheartening 31st-overall finish.
31. San Jose Sharks (Preseason Ranking: 25th)
New general manager Mike Grier was up against it as the season started and he declared his roster open for transaction business. The Sharks clearly didn't get enough help and stumbled to 29th overall after winning just eight of 41 home games.
30. Anaheim Ducks (Preseason Ranking: 24th)
It's getting harder to remember the Ducks were in contention midway through 2021-22 before a second-half bottoming out that continued all the way through 2022-23. Worst of all, the last-overall finish didn't get them the winning ticket in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
29. Philadelphia Flyers (Preseason Ranking: 30th)
Coach John Tortorella got his team off to a decent start, and there were some respectable stretches on the way to a 26th-overall finish that yielded a 14-point improvement from 2021-22. The buzz these days is that leading scorer Travis Konecny could be on the block.
28. Arizona Coyotes (Preseason Ranking: 32nd)
It was hard to find anyone optimistic about the Coyotes last fall as they moved into their cosy new confines at Arizona State and talked about dealing Jakob Chychrun. That trade was ultimately made, and now the team could be on the move after an arena deal fell through.
27. Chicago Blackhawks (Preseason Ranking: 29th)
No Patrick Kane. No Jonathan Toews. No sniff of the playoffs after an ugly season in which they won just 26 of 82 games. No problem for the Blackhawks, who turned a 30th-place finish into a future bonanza when they won the right to select Connor Bedard in the draft.
26. Montreal Canadiens (Preseason Ranking: 28th)
The Canadiens had a new full-time coach in Martin St. Louis, and he brought nine more victories and 13 more points, though it was not enough to contend. On the plus side, sparkplug Cole Caufield will be around awhile after signing an eight-year, $62.8 million deal.
Nos. 25-21: Canucks, Senators, Blues, Red Wings, Capitals
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25. Vancouver Canucks (Preseason Ranking: 19th)
The Canucks were flush with optimism after Bruce Boudreau was brought in to rescue the back half of the 2021-22 season, but his magic fizzled and he was let go after 18 wins in 46 games. Rick Tocchet replaced him and has the 11th pick in the draft to start the retool.
24. Ottawa Senators (Preseason Ranking: 20th)
It was easy to find optimism about the Senators as the season began thanks to the adds of Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat, among others. But it didn't yield more than another playoff miss. The team is now in line to be under new ownership after Michael Andlauer reached a record deal with the Sens' board of directors.
23. St. Louis Blues (Preseason Ranking: 10th)
The Blues are the first truly disappointing team on the list thanks to a 13-place drop from their poll ranking before the opening puck was dropped. Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly were dealt at the deadline, and the team has a top-10 draft pick for the sixth time in 35 years.
22. Detroit Red Wings (Preseason Ranking: 18th)
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman got a lot done in the preseason before 2022-23, but it didn't yield so much when the games began as Detroit missed the playoffs for the seventh straight time. They'll pick ninth in the upcoming draft, and Yzerman always finds a way to stay active.
21. Washington Capitals (Preseason Ranking: 14th)
The Capitals' run of consecutive playoff berths ended at eight, and it may be time to clean away some of the holdover veterans, namely Tom Wilson, whose name is coming up in trade chatter. Alex Ovechkin did score 42 goals and sits 72 away from tying Wayne Gretzky, though.
Nos. 20-16: Flames, Predators, Penguins, Sabres, Jets
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20. Calgary Flames (Preseason Ranking: 5th)
The Flames lost Gaudreau and dealt Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, leaving many to think they'd be just fine in 2022-23. Didn't happen. Instead, they missed the playoffs and will start next season with a new GM (Craig Conroy) and coach (Ryan Huska).
19. Nashville Predators (Preseason Ranking: 16th)
The Predators were forecast as a middle-of-the-road team, and they played to script, missing the playoffs with an 18th-overall finish. Longtime coach Barry Trotz is back in town to replace the retiring David Poile as GM, and he's looking to put an entertaining product on the ice.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins (Preseason Ranking: 12th)
GM Ron Hextall went the nostalgic route and kept Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang together with Sidney Crosby. And all it cost him was his job after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. In comes Kyle Dubas from Toronto to try to reinvent things.
17. Buffalo Sabres (Preseason Ranking: 27th)
It's got to hurt the Buffalo brass just a bit to see Jack Eichel hoisting a Cup, but the hockey fortunes in Western New York are still on the uptick. The Sabres have hit on a number of recent youngsters and might be just a reliable goaltender away from a playoff berth.
16. Winnipeg Jets (Preseason Ranking: 23rd)
The Jets are similar to the Predators in that they were expected to be somewhere in the middle. They played to form, though their run did include a five-game playoff cameo against Vegas. A big rebuild seems likely with a number of core players approaching free agency.
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Nos. 15-11: Islanders, Wild, Rangers, Lightning, Kraken
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15. New York Islanders (Preseason Ranking: 21st)
The Islanders climbed back into the playoffs following a miss in 2021-22, but they couldn't replicate success from their previous two runs, instead falling in six games to Carolina in the first round. The future of free-agent defenseman Scott Mayfield is a big offseason question.
14. Minnesota Wild (Preseason Ranking: 9th)
The Wild were a popular pick to have a successful season in 2022-23, but it ended in another first-round exit after they were 11th overall and third in the Central Division. Goalie Marc-André Fleury is 38 years old and has one year left on a deal paying $3.5 million.
13. New York Rangers (Preseason Ranking: 7th)
It would be difficult to find an Eastern team more disappointed in its 2022-23 than the Rangers, who went all-in on Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko but wound up losing in the first round after reaching the final four in 2021-22. Peter Laviolette inherits the bench in the fall.
12. Tampa Bay Lightning (Preseason Ranking: 3rd)
The drop-off finally happened for the Lightning, who had made three straight Cup finals but bowed out in the first round against Toronto. Brayden Point is a genuine star after a 51-goal, 95-point season, but it's hard not to feel the group's best days have passed.
11. Seattle Kraken (Preseason Ranking: 31st)
It's pretty difficult to be more wrong than we were on the Kraken, who were No. 31 to begin the season but amassed 100 points and eliminated the defending Cup champs from the playoffs. Matty Beniers is the likely Calder winner and franchise anchor for years to come.
Nos. 10-6: Kings, Avalanche, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Oilers
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10. Los Angeles Kings (Preseason Ranking: 13th)
The Kings were ahead of schedule in getting to the 2021-22 playoffs and pushing Edmonton to the seven-game limit, but 2022-23 ended up becoming familiar territory, with another 100-point finish and another first-round loss to the Oilers. Getting Tom Wilson would add grit and production.
9. Colorado Avalanche (Preseason Ranking: 1st)
There were a lot of reasons to like Colorado's chances at a repeat title, given the youth and skill of Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and others. But injuries were a constant issue and the plucky Kraken were too big a playoff hurdle. Expect a bounce-back season in 2023-24.
8. Boston Bruins (Preseason Ranking: 11th)
So, yeah. Thanks for the memories, guys. It'll certainly be a long summer in Boston as the fanbase tries to comprehend how the best regular season in league history turned into a first-round exit. And now, dealing with cap issues and possible retirements is imminent.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs (Preseason Ranking: 4th)
OK, so maybe the Rangers haven't cornered the market on Eastern Conference disappointment. The Maple Leafs finally won a playoff series, but the Cup drought lingers and ex-Calgary GM Brad Treliving arrives to try to finish the job that Kyle Dubas could not.
6. Edmonton Oilers (Preseason Ranking: 8th)
Oh, about that disappointment thing? The Western award surely goes to the Oilers, who finished the season on fire and were the last Cup favorite standing once Boston and Colorado exited. Then, they faced Vegas and saw another Connor McDavid MVP year end.
Nos. 5-1: Devils, Hurricanes, Stars, Panthers, Golden Knights
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5. New Jersey Devils (Preseason Ranking: 26th)
It all came together for GM Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey as the Devils started fast out of the gate and never faltered on the way to a 52-win season. They erased the Rangers in a neighborhood first-round battle and seem poised to stay among the Eastern elite for years.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (Preseason Ranking: 2nd)
The Hurricanes were second only to the Bruins in the regular season and were also optimistic once Boston was eliminated, only to fall to the surprising Panthers in the final four. But they're built for the long haul with smothering defense and sound goaltending.
3. Dallas Stars (Preseason Ranking: 15th)
The Stars get a nudge thanks to their matching run to the final four in the West before they were subdued by the Golden Knights. The core of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski is certainly getting older, but Jason Robertson, at 23, is a young stud.
2. Florida Panthers (Preseason Ranking: 6th)
Florida didn't play like a would-be Eastern playoff champ during the season, but Matthew Tkachuk showed in April, May and June why the Panthers welcomed him in October. The team will have to figure out its goaltending, but nearly all relevant skaters should return.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (Preseason Ranking: 17th)
Everyone assumed Eichel would be a huge healthy addition and he was, but Vegas captured the Cup thanks largely to the unlikely goaltending heroics of Adin Hill. He is set for free agency so the Golden Knights have decisions to make, but they're good and will remain so.
.png?w=480 "Playoff Winners and Losers")
.jpg?w=600 "Coached Stunned by Lawrence Trade")
