Well, it’s officially that time of the year… welcome back to THW’s weekly Power Rankings as the 2023-24 NHL season kicks off on Tuesday! After a long postseason, and even longer offseason, the hockey world is ready to play games that count in mere hours. Before we dive into an all-you-can-eat buffet of the best sport in the world for the next nine months, let’s take a long look at the pre-season rankings and discuss what we think we know.
It’s important to remember that pre-season speculation rarely comes true, as you will almost always overvalue what happened last season, for better and for worse. While you can get a feel for the season based on what we saw previously, expect to make changes rapidly when everything falls apart by week three. So, I think there are three tiers of teams heading into the 2023-24 season: those who are rebuilding, those who will be playoff contenders, and those who I expect will be competing for the President’s Trophy.
With that in mind, I plan to break the Week 1 Power Rankings into three groups and discuss those teams together. It’s also worth noting that this is purely a regular-season ranking, which means the top 16 teams won’t reflect the best eight teams in each conference.
Related: THW’s NHL Season Previews
Now, with that out of the way, let’s dive into THW’s first Power Rankings of the 2023-24 season, starting at 32 and working our way up to Number 1.
32 – 27: Still Rebuilding, But Not Tanking
32. Anaheim Ducks
31. Chicago Blackhawks
30. San Jose Sharks
29. Montreal Canadiens
28. Philadelphia Flyers
27. Arizona Coyotes
For the first group in the Rankings, I see six teams that are either developing a core of young players who simply aren’t ready to take that next step yet to postseason contention or who are retooling their rosters after leadership changes during the offseason. While I’m not expecting any of these teams to take huge steps when compared to how things ended in April, I also don’t expect there to be an open goal of tanking for the first-overall pick in the draft all season since there isn’t a Connor Bedard waiting for you at the end of the tunnel.
Also, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see one of these teams get off to a hot start, as they have young, potential superstar talent that may hit the ground running for the first 15-20 games before the rigors of an 82-game season wear them down. Time will tell, but I expect at least five of the six teams listed here are preparing to sell at the trade deadline come February, which isn’t a bad thing if you have talented veteran players on expiring contracts who can bring back a decent package of future assets.
26 – 13: Playoff Contenders, With Issues
26. Vancouver Canucks
25. Columbus Blue Jackets
24. Detroit Red Wings
23. Winnipeg Jets
22: Ottawa Senators
21: Washington Capitals
20. New York Islanders
19. St. Louis Blues
18. Florida Panthers
17. Tampa Bay Lightning
16. Calgary Flames
15. Boston Bruins
14. Nashville Predators
13. Buffalo Sabres
I find it very difficult to differentiate the teams in this section of the list, so I describe them as the “Mushy Middle” of the NHL. If you told me any of them made a run to the 2024 postseason, I wouldn’t be surprised at all, as they all should have those aspirations. Despite this, they also feature a number of significant issues that could hold them back.
For example, the Lightning and Panthers are dealing with significant injuries that make them hard to judge right now, since they are missing key players for the first few weeks to months of the season. You can also add the Bruins to this list as well, since they saw many franchise-defining players depart the team this offseason, yet they still have a core that should be good enough to win games despite these losses. Any of these teams could start the season 2-6-2 through their first 10 games, but still turn things around once players return or new chemistry is formed.
On the other hand, the Sabres, Predators, and Flames all ended the last season just a few points short of the playoffs, so I could see them building on that momentum and starting hot out of the gate before slowing down as the season progresses.
Really, it’s the Canucks, Senators, Red Wings, Islanders and Blue Jackets that I’m most concerned about. All of these franchises feel like they are at a breaking point, as they had high expectations last season that simply weren’t met. A slow start could spell disaster for their management and core players, whereas a few early wins would make everyone forget their worries from the previous calendar year.
It may take a few weeks before we are able to see the full picture, but I expect there to be a lot of action in the middle part of the NHL this season, which could lead to some franchise-altering trades early in the season should things go well or poorly.
12 – 1: The Presidents’ Trophy Contenders
12: Seattle Kraken
11. Minnesota Wild
10. New York Rangers
9. Toronto Maple Leafs
8. Pittsburgh Penguins
7. Los Angeles Kings
6. Dallas Stars
5. New Jersey Devils
4. Edmonton Oilers
3. Vegas Golden Knights
2. Carolina Hurricanes
1. Colorado Avalanche
Finally, we have the 12 teams that I’m calling the Presidents’ Trophy hopefuls. These are the cream of the crop when it comes to the NHL, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to see any of them here.
At the very top, I have the Avalanche and Hurricanes, which were two of the best teams last regular season, and if they stay healthy I think will dominate once again. Next, I have the Golden Knights, Oilers, and Devils rounding out the top five, and I expect the Presidents Trophy winner to be one of these five teams at the end of the season. To put it simply, the talent here is outstanding, with league-defining superstars and depth to spare up and down their lineups.
Outside of the top five, I have a mix of teams that I expect to be in the conversation all year, even if they aren’t in the Presidents’ Trophy hunt. However, the Penguins and Rangers have assembled an aging roster of superstar talents that could tear the league limb from limb like the Bruins last year, should they stay healthy.
As for teams that I believe could underperform, the Kraken and Wild feel like the biggest candidates to regress this season. While I still think they will be in playoff contention, it does feel like they are one injury or underperforming player away from disaster. However, for now, I’ll leave them in the top category of the Rankings.
Predicting the 2023-24 NHL Season
With the first Rankings done, let’s take a look forward to the rest of the season. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d take my top two teams and say that the Stanley Cup Final will feature the Avalanche and Hurricanes. Of those two teams, I’m going to say that Carolina will get over the hump and win the 2024 Stanley Cup after assembling a top-tier roster over the last few seasons.
Related: “Welcome to the NHL, Kid.” Fleury Dumps Bedard During Shootout
Now, will this prediction be correct? Likely not, but it’s always fun to look back and laugh at these rankings at the end of the season. For now, let’s all kick back and enjoy the start of another exciting NHL season.
