It’s the time that all NHL fans wait for, the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! While the regular season is fun, most will agree that the first few days of the postseason is one of the most special times in sports, as the excitement and quality of games played are unmatched.
Before the puck drops on Game 1, however, we at THW wanted to post one more Power Rankings. Gone are the teams that failed to qualify after 82 long games, so all that remains are the 16 teams who will be taking the ice with dreams to take home the Cup.
Now, unlike the weekly Power Rankings, this list will not be based on just how teams are playing right now, but an encapsulation of a team’s playoff aspirations. The reality is, some franchises may not be the best built for the playoffs despite their regular season success, whereas a Wild Card that just snuck in might have everything it takes to make a run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Related: NHL 2022-23 Power Rankings: Regular Season Finale
With that preface out of the way, let’s jump into THW’s 2023 Playoff Power Rankings!
16: Seattle Kraken – Western Wild Card 1
What the Seattle Kraken have managed to accomplish in just their second NHL season is truly remarkable, as they went from a floundering 60-point expansion team in Year 1 to an exciting, playoff-caliber franchise in Year 2. Despite a rollercoaster of a season, where they had long winning and losing streaks, the Kraken managed to maintain form and lock down the first Wild Card in the West.
Despite all of this positivity surrounding the team, there is a legitimate reason for concern when discussing the Kraken due to their goaltending. In many ways, Seattle’s success was in spite of their goaltending duo of Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer, who often gave up three-plus goals each night but still won due to their team scoring five.
However, it’s worth noting that Seattle feature a strong defensive unit and impressive scoring depth, which is how you win in the playoffs. So, even if they only get mediocre goaltending, they may be able to outscore their problems. It’s not ideal, but it can lead to a series victory if things line up perfectly.
15: Tampa Bay Lightning – Third Place Atlantic Division
The 2022-23 season has been a bit rough for the Tampa Bay Lightning, as their three-straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final appear to be taking its toll on them. Many players with this franchise have played close to 100 playoff games since 2015, and those grueling series will wear down even the best teams.
Since mid-February, the Lightning just haven’t looked right, outside of Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, who are both scoring at nearly a league-leading pace. Everyone else has looked a step behind their opponents, and are giving up five-plus goals each night with concerning regularity. Also, injuries are raking through Tampa Bay, so they simply won’t be able to ice their best players come Game 1 of the playoffs.
Now, this wouldn’t be the first time the hockey world writes off the Lightning as a bust only to see them go on another run to the Stanley Cup. However, it feels different this year, and this might lead to an early exit for this impressive team.
14: Florida Panthers – Eastern Wild Card 2
While it feels like a lifetime ago, just last season the Florida Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy and were considered a favorite for the 2022 Stanely Cup. However, after a flameout in the second round and a franchise-altering trade, the Panthers barely managed to claim a playoff spot and will be facing off against this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winner.
Despite this, I’m still terrified of Florida’s potential to play spoiler this postseason. They are a big, mean team that has elite scoring potential and a goaltending tandem with a proven (but shaky) starter, and a 31-year-old journeyman who is playing some of the best hockey of their career.
You can make the argument that the Panthers should be lower on this list, but I expect them as a better postseason team than what we saw in the playoffs. If they weren’t facing off against a team of destiny in Round 1, I could see them going on a run, but they also have the potential to beat anyone they face if they play their complete game.
13: Winnipeg Jets – Western Wild Card 2
There were stretches of time this season when the Winnipeg Jets were a top-five team who looked like a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup. However, in recent weeks, the Jets hit a wall, as their scoring dried up and their defensive structure faltered. At points, it looked like they wouldn’t even reach the playoffs, yet they managed to find enough form to sneak in by the end of the season.
On paper, the Jets are much better than the second Wild Card. They have a number of all-star talents on both offense and defense and they feature Connor Hellebuyck in net, who is one of the best goaltenders in the world. This alone makes them a real threat to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
So, don’t be surprised if the Jets push the Vegas Golden Knights to their limit, or maybe even knock them off in Round 1. This team has everything needed to make a deep run this postseason, if they can find a way to put everything together for a few weeks.
12: New York Islanders – Eastern Wild Card 1
After failing to qualify for the 2022 Playoffs, the New York Islanders made the difficult decision to move on from their then-head coach, Barry Trotz, despite him leading the team to two-straight Eastern Conference Finals. This move brought with it great concern, but it seems to have worked out well enough, as the Islanders were able to rebound and reach the 2023 Playoffs, even if it was just by the skin of their teeth.
I think the Islanders are one of the most interesting teams in the postseason, as they have some major concerns when it comes to top-end scoring potential, but they also feature a stout defensive structure and Ilya Sorokin, who is a Vezina-caliber goaltender that can steal a game or even a series should he finds his groove.
Related: Islanders Sorokin Having Vezina Caliber Season
To put it simply, No one should be surprised if New York makes it out of Round 1, as they have all the pieces to go on a deep run and play a style of game that travels well during the playoffs. Much like the Jets, they embody a true Wild Card for this postseason.
11: Minnesota Wild – Third Place Central Division
Given the Cap hell the Minnesota Wild find themselves in, the fact that they even made the 2023 Playoffs is impressive. This franchise had $12 million of dead cap heading into the season and picked up an additional $3 million by retaining salary to help facilitate trades at the deadline. For most teams, this dead cap would spell doom for any playoff aspirations, yet the Wild found themselves in the thick of the Central Division conversation for most of the season.
There are many reasons why this is the case, but it comes back to superstar talents like Kirill Kaprizov to drive the offense, a deep defensive unit, and a goaltending tandem featuring an emerging star in Filip Gustavsson and a proven commodity in Marc-Andre Fleury.
At some point, you would expect the Wild’s lack of cap space to catch up to them, but for now, they are a solid group that should have big aspirations for the playoffs, if they can remain healthy.
10: Los Angeles Kings – Third Place Pacific Division
While the Los Angeles Kings reached the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, many believed that it was a fluke season where a rebuilding franchise overperformed in a bad division only to be eliminated in First Round. However, the Kings ran things back during the 2022-23 regular season, and look even better than they did one year ago.
Inarguably, L.A.’s biggest weakness was their goaltending, but a mid-season overhaul that brought in Pheonix Copley and Joonas Korpisalo now has this as one of their strengths. This tandem, along with their defensive structure and a deep offensive corps, gives them everything they need to slow down their opponents in the playoffs.
This defensive structure will be put to the test with their First-Round opponent, who averages close to four goals per game, but if they can find a way to slow them down, they could easily pull the upset. Even if they don’t go on a run this year, I expect the Kings to be back in the playoffs for years to come.
9: New Jersey Devils – Second Place Metropolitan Division
I don’t want the New Jersey Devils‘ ranking to be taken as a detraction from what this team has put together after years of struggles while attempting a rebuild. The Devils have now managed to assemble one of the best young cores in the NHL, and their 112-point season feels like it will be just the beginning for this team.
Despite this, I just don’t think that the Devils are there yet. Every season a young team will reach their first playoffs, get knocked out in six to seven games, learn from the experience, and come back a year or two later and dominate. This is where I see New Jersey right now. A good to great team that needs a taste of the postseason before they will unlock their full potential.
8: Carolina Hurricanes – First Place Metropolitan Division
It feels weird having the Carolina Hurricanes this low on the list after they sat second-overall on the Power Rankings for most of the season, but the Hurricanes have slowed down significantly during that timeframe, where the rest of the NHL caught up. Injuries have reshaped this dominant forward core, as the loss of Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty’s torn Achilles has greatly limited what this team’s offense could be.
However, on defense and goaltending, the Hurricanes are still loaded. They have three goalies that could start and win any series and feature some of the best defensemen in the league.
I’m not going to underestimate the Hurricanes, as they still did enough to win the Metropolitan Division, but some concerns are warranted given their injuries heading into the playoffs.
7: Toronto Maple Leafs – Second Place Atlantic Division
There’s nothing I can say here that you don’t already know. The Toronto Maple Leafs are, inarguably, one of the best teams in the NHL once again this regular season. If they went by any other name, I likely would have them ranked higher, yet I just can’t shake the feeling that this franchise will once again fall foul to the ghosts that haunt them.
This team has everything it takes to win a Stanley Cup, not just one series. However, they will need to prove it to themselves and the hockey world before we will believe it.
6: New York Rangers – Third Place Metropolitan Division
When you look at the New York Rangers’ roster, you will wonder how they only finished third in their division. To put it bluntly, I might be underrating the Rangers by putting them sixth on this list, as they have improved upon a core that went to the Eastern Conference Final last season with additions like Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane.
I expect big things from the Rangers once again this postseason, as they should be a favorite to make it to the Eastern Conference Final. In fact, it should surprise no one if they end up representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
5: Dallas Stars – Second Place Central Division
For long stretches of the regular season, the Dallas Stars were the team everyone forgot was not only in the hunt for the playoffs but was the Central Division leader. However, while they rarely looked like the best team in the NHL, they showed glimpses of greatness if everything clicked at once.
Over the last few weeks, the Stars have been clicking in a way that is terrifying. Jason Robertson is a true superstar, who posted 46 goals and 106 points, Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski both had some of their best seasons in years, and Jake Oettinger put together a Vezina-caliber season including a dominant stretch of four games where he gave up one goal or less each start to end the season.
The reason why I have the Stars ranked so highly is that they are built to win in the postseason. They can outscore their opponents in a 12-goal barnburner, or they can crank things down and rely on their defense and goaltending to win a tight 2-1 contest. In short, don’t be surprised if Dallas represents the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final like they did in 2020.
4: Vegas Golden Knights – First Place Pacific Division
When the Vegas Golden Knights missed their first postseason in franchise history in 2022, many were ready to write off the franchise as a bloated, cap-strapped team destined for a long and painful rebuild brought on by their own hubris. Instead, the Golden Knights responded by not only winning the Pacific Division but claiming the top seed in the Western Conference.
If Vegas can stay healthy, they have one of the deepest rosters in the playoffs, with playoff veterans like Shea Theodore, Jonathan Marchessault, and William Karlsson who can shift a series to their will, along with Jack Eichel making his playoff debut after eight seasons. Oh, and they expect their captain, Mark Stone, to return for Round 1 as well, which will be a huge addition for the franchise.
Now, you can argue that the Golden Knights have a weakness in net due to injuries and uncertainty, but I’m not going to write them off due to that. I expect one of their starters to take over during this series, and provide consistent enough goaltending to get them out of Round 1.
3: Colorado Avalanche – First Place Central Division
After claiming the 2023 Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche experienced a bit of a post-Cup hangover for a large portion of the 2022-23 regular season. Due to numerous injuries and fatigue, there was a brief moment where it looked like the Avalanche might not be able to defend their championship, but by the All-Star break, they started to get healthy and find their game once again.
The few players that remained healthy all season like Alexander Georgiev and Mikko Rantanen had career seasons. Georgiev posted 40 wins, which tied him for first place in the league overall, whereas Rantanen scored 50 goals and 103 points, which are both career highs.
When healthy, Colorado is easily capable of repeating as Stanley Cup Champions. However, the team isn’t healthy, and are dealing with significant injuries still, including the loss of their Captain and a hobbled Cale Makar. Despite this, you can’t overlook them, as no one would be surprised if they reach the Western Conference Final, at a minimum.
2: Edmonton Oilers – Second Place Pacific Division
Throughout the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers often looked like a video game that was being played with cheat codes enabled. Not only did Connor McDavid become the sixth player in NHL history to score 150 points, but two of his teammates scored at least 100 points as well, giving the franchise three 100-plus point scorers.
If that wasn’t enough, since the addition of Mattias Ekholm at the trade deadline and Stuart Skinners’ return to stabilize the net, this team has looked borderline unstoppable. They can outscore all of their problems, and as long as they get decent goaltending and defense, they should win a lot of postseason games.
I believe that it is time for McDavid to showcase why he is the best hockey player in the world, and the only way to do that is to win a Cup. Special players find ways to carry their teams past any of their issues, and he looks to be the type of player who can win a series on his own if needed.
1: Boston Bruins – First Place Atlantic Division – Presidents’ Trophy Winner
It should come as no surprise that the Boston Bruins are the Stanley Cup favorites. This team has set NHL records all season long, and they look like a team of destiny that is ready to roll through the playoffs.
Betting against them feels silly, yet there will be some apprehension towards them due to the Presidents’ Trophy curse. While this is overstated, I don’t think the Bruins ever really took a night off this season despite them being so far ahead in the standings. They looked at the history in front of them and skated towards it at full force for the entire season, and will bring that same passion to the playoffs.
So, believe in the curse at your own peril. Right now, I’ll believe in the Bruins.
THW’s Power Ranking Round 1 Predictions
If you made it this far, then it’s time to have some fun and make everyone angry by predicting the Round 1 winners! Let’s start in the West, where I have the Oilers defeating the Kings in six games behind a motivated McDavid, the Golden Knights rolling the Jets 4-1, the Avalanche sending the Kraken home without their first postseason victory in a 4-0 sweep, and the Stars overpowering the Wild in a tight six-game series.
In the East, things get more interesting. First, while the Bruins will beat the Panthers, I don’t think it will be a blowout, and I expect them to win the series 4-1. For the only major upset, I’m taking the Islanders over the Hurricanes in seven games, and following suit the Maple Leafs over the Lightning in another seven-game classic. Finally, while the Devils are an incredible story, I think the Rangers just have too much depth to lose in Round 1, and they will win their series 4-2.
Related: Top 15 NHL Power Forwards
So, that leaves us with a Round 2 matchup of the Bruins-Maple Leafs, Rangers-Islanders, Avalanche-Stars, and Oilers-Golden Knights. Following these matchups, I’m taking the Bruins-Rangers for the Eastern Conference Final, and the Oilers-Stars for the Western Conference Final, with the Bruins and Oilers ultimately reaching the Stanley Cup.
Finally, in another classic Stanley Cup Final, I’m taking the Oilers to beat the Bruins in seven games to break the Canadian Stanley Cup drought. It is time for McDavid to ascend to the mythical levels of hockey lore, and adding a Conn Smythe Trophy to his collection will be his first step in this process.
