It only took one week for drama to return to the NHL. Last Monday, seemingly out of nowhere, the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks pulled off a true blockbuster trade that saw two recent top-ten draft picks swapped. In this deal, the Flyers acquired defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round selection for forward Cutter Gauthier.
On paper, this trade was odd but could be justified for both franchises. Anaheim has a young and stacked defensive core after hitting on a number of draft selections in recent years, so they could trade from a position of strength to acquire one of the best offensive prospects in the world. Philadelphia, on the other hand, acquired a 21-year-old right-shot defenseman who has top-pairing potential if he is able to stay healthy along with a second-round pick. So just a good ol’ hockey trade, right?
Well, it turns out there was a lot more going on behind the scenes for Philadelphia in this trade. The short version of the story is a player decided they weren’t going to play for the franchise that drafted them, feeling were hurt, and then things got absolutely out of hand online. If you would like a more thorough breakdown of the deal, give Alex Chauvency’s article a read, which I will link below. This season, even the trades have so much drama behind them…
Related: Grading Ducks’ Shocking Trade for Cutter Gauthier
On the ice, we saw an incredible stretch of hockey from four teams come to fruition at once. The Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, and Seattle Kraken had winning streaks of at least eight games going at the same time, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished before in NHL history. While the Jets and Panthers saw their streaks end at nine games on Saturday, the Oilers and Kraken pushed their winning ways to ten and nine games, respectfully.
Needless to say, in order for teams to win that many games in a row, there must be other teams that are losing a lot. Indeed this is the case, which means we are seeing a major separation between the best teams in the NHL and the worst, with a number of contenders appearing vulnerable as early season magic fades away.
So, all this to say, it’s time to start shuffling my Rankings around. This week, expect more movement between sections than normal, as I start to separate the contenders and deadline dealers from everyone else. So, with all the big news caught up, let’s take a look at THW’s Power Rankings for Week 15!
32-25: Playoff Dreams Are Likely Done
32. San Jose Sharks (Previously 32nd)
31. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously 31st)
30. Anaheim Ducks (Previously 30th)
29. Ottawa Senators (Previously 29th)
28. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously 28th)
27. Minnesota Wild (Previously 18th)
26. Montreal Canadiens (Previously 27th)
25. Buffalo Sabres (Previously 25th)
You’ll notice a relatively small amount of movement towards the bottom of the Rankings this week, which makes sense given where we are at in the season. January tends to be a bad month for teams that are, for all intents and purposes, no longer in the playoff hunt.
Sure they won’t be officially eliminated for a long time, but I doubt anyone from Rank 25 back has a real shot at making the postseason. Only the Sabres have five wins or more in their last ten games, and most of these teams have two or fewer wins in their last ten games played. Needless to say, that’s not going to do it. So, I’m separating this group into its own section moving forward.
It’s not that there still isn’t a lot of talent on these rosters (even if injuries are tearing some teams apart), it’s just that all of these games feel like an audition for the trade deadline unless players are already signed to a long-term deal that simply can’t be traded. Expect rumors to fly in the coming weeks for any team listed here, even if trades are a bit slow to materialize.
21-11: Hanging On to the NHL Postseason Hunt
24. Calgary Flames (Previously 26th)
23. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously 22nd)
22. Washington Capitals (Previously 20th)
21. New York Islanders (Previously 16th)
20. Arizona Coyotes (Previously 19th)
19. St. Louis Blues (Previously 23rd)
18. Detroit Red Wings (Previously 24th)
17. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously 21st)
16. New Jersey Devils (Previously 17th)
15. Los Angeles Kings (Previously 9th)
14. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously 10th)
13. Nashville Predators (Previously 13th)
12. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously 14th)
11. Seattle Kraken (Previously 15th)
If you like movement and drama, then the middle of the Rankings are for you. I’ve really struggled to separate the teams in this section from each other, and if I’m being honest the difference between 11th and 24th is far smaller than it should be. Anyone here could still have Stanley Cup aspirations. Most, honestly, shouldn’t be that bullish.
On the downward trend, the L.A. Kings have largely fallen flat in recent weeks. It wasn’t that long ago that they were in my top five with a healthy lead on fourth place in the Pacific Division. Now, they are riding an eight-game losing streak and find themselves just one point above the playoff line with the Kraken and Oilers surging. To make matters worse, their huge offseason trade has done nothing for them, and all of their star players have gone ice-cold at once. I still believe the Kings are better than this, but being better on paper doesn’t make you a good enough team to win when it matters most.
When it comes to winning, you absolutely have to mention the Kraken again, who have saved their season with a 13-game point streak. However, the Flyers are often overlooked because they weren’t supposed to be good this season. Philadelphia has been keeping up in their division, and a big shutout win over the Winnipeg Jets was a reminder that they aren’t beating bad teams. With the Islanders and Capitals fading, they could be primed for the playoffs after a strong first half of the season.
10-1: Losing in the NHL Is Optional, Sometimes
10. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously 6th)
9. Dallas Stars (Previously 8th)
8. New York Rangers (Previously 4th)
7. Edmonton Oilers (Previously 11th)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously 12th)
5. Boston Bruins (Previously 5th)
4. Colorado Avalanche (Previously 7th)
3. Vancouver Canucks (Previously 3rd)
2. Florida Panthers (Previously 2nd)
1. Winnipeg Jets (Previously 1st)
The top of the Rankings is absolutely stacked again, with the Oilers making their triumphant return after 10-straight wins, the Avalanche regaining their form by going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games played, and the Jets, Panthers, and Canucks all ripping off big winning streaks of their own. You also can’t overlook the Hurricanes, who are back to where they should be after a slow start to the season. All of these teams could easily win their divisions and even claim the President’s Trophy.
Speaking of which, the Rangers and Golden Knights have struggled since the calendar flipped to 2024. While both teams managed to stop the bleeding by claiming a victory this week, neither has looked good and they are starting to fade after incredible starts to the season. This isn’t a shock, as there are ebbs and flows throughout 82 long regular season games, but it’s just a matter of whether they can recover before things spiral too far.
Dramatic 2023-24 NHL Season Continues
Well, I certainly didn’t have a massive prospect trade taking place in the first few days of 2024, but I probably should have. This season has been wild so far, and it feels like everyone is ready to either win the Stanley Cup or make a desperate change so they can put themselves back in the hunt.
Related: The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Rankings
I was expecting things to be relatively slow until the All-Star break, but at this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if an All-Star player was traded from a struggling roster by the end of the month. Given how much has happened already this season, that would barely register as shocking. Let’s see if it happens.
