By week 3 of the NHL season, I was expecting to have some clarity for these Power Rankings, even if just a little bit. Yes, it is still very early, but you can usually start seeing trends as the good teams separate themselves from the rest of the pack while the bad teams flounder against stronger opponents.
However, that really hasn’t happened yet. Every time I think that a team is great, they go on a losing streak, or when I think a team is going to be in the running for the first-overall pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, they put together an impressive win that makes me think they have greater aspirations than a tank.
This has made the Week 3 Rankings fairly difficult, as I really don’t have a strong feeling about which teams are good and which are bad yet. Last week I made a number of large changes and thought that would be the end of those big swings, but here we are, with another round of shifts that I might question in a few days.
Related: NHL 2023-24 Power Rankings: Week 2
So, all this is to say, forgive me if I seem a bit perplexed this week. Last season, you could really tell which teams were competitive and which teams weren’t after a few games. Based on the outcomes so far, I get the feeling we won’t have a real idea of how strong a team is until at least November.
For now, though, here’s my best attempt at Week 3 of the NHL Power Rankings.
32 – 28: These Teams Might Be Bad?
32. San Jose Sharks (Previously 32nd)
31. Anaheim Ducks (Previously 30th)
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously 31st)
29. Washington Capitals (Previously 27th)
28. Seattle Kraken (Previously 21st)
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If there’s one thing I can say with confidence, it’s that the Sharks are not going to be a playoff team. That’s not saying a lot, all told, since they are the last winless team in the league, and they only have one point in five games to their name. While their cross-state rivals haven’t looked much better, at least the Ducks have been competitive in most of their games, even if wins aren’t following.
Continuing down the Rankings, the Blackhawks and Capitals have both played spirited games this season, but neither have been particularly impressive. For Chicago, this is part of the plan since they are a rebuilding franchise that’s looking to take a step this season. For Washington, this could be a big issue, since they have an aging superstar in Alexander Ovechkin who simply can’t waste his remaining time in the league on a team that’s not great. However, if he can get back on the goalscoring wagon, things will at least be fun as he chases the record books.
For the Kraken, it feels like all of the luck they had in 2022-23 simply ran out. Without anything going their way offensively, and a starting goaltender who is struggling to find his game, that leaves you with a team that has one win and three points in six games played. Call it a market correction, but this could be a long season in Seattle if things don’t get back on track quickly.
27 – 10: I Don’t Know What These Teams Are
27. Montreal Canadiens (Previously 29th)
26. Florida Panthers (Previously 25th)
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously 26th)
24. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously 24th)
23. Edmonton Oilers (Previously 12th)
22. Winnipeg Jets (Previously 19th)
21. Calgary Flames (Previously 13th)
20. Buffalo Sabres (Previously 18th)
19. Arizona Coyotes (Previously 23rd)
18. Vancouver Canucks (Previously 16th)
17. Nashville Predators (Previously 20th)
16. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously 8th)
15. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously 28th)
14. Ottawa Senators (Previously 17th)
13. New York Islanders (Previously 14th)
12. St. Louis Blues (Previously 15th)
11. Los Angeles Kings (Previously 11th)
10. Minnesota Wild (Previously 7th)
Instead of splitting the middle part of the Rankings like I predicted last week, in Week 3 I actually expanded it… which isn’t a good sign for the teams here. Right now, if you told me that any team listed here would go on to reach the 2024 NHL Playoffs, my response would be an unenthusiastic “Sure, why not?” No team listed here has looked particularly good, but they’ve also had a solid win or two that makes me think they will at least be competitive for the next handful of weeks, barring injury.
For starters, I was expecting more out of the Kings and Wild, but neither team has been particularly exciting, and their records are very middle of the road. I’m also starting to think that the Panthers and Lightning might be bad teams because they’ve struggled to adapt to their injuries in their first five to six games. While either is more than capable of going on a winning streak, missing points early in the season can come back to haunt you once everyone gets healthy.
Also, you can’t talk about disappointing and not highlight the Oilers with a big, bold marker. Edmonton has been an absolute mess to start the season, and their one win so far is a far cry from the Stanley Cup contender we were all expecting. With injury striking Connor McDavid, they will have to regroup on the fly to keep their season from going too far off the rails so they can get back in contention as they were expected to be.
For teams that have performed well to start the season, the Blues, Flyers, Coyotes, and Senators have played solid hockey so far, and I think they are heading in the right direction again. Sure, five games isn’t much to judge them on, and they may regress as the season moves along, but I like the energy they are bringing to the ice. If they can build upon that and keep finding ways to win, they will be in good shape.
9 – 1: These Teams Might Be Good?
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously 3rd)
8. New Jersey Devils (Previously 9th)
7. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously 5th)
6. New York Rangers (Previously 10th)
5. Detroit Red Wings (Previously 22nd)
4. Dallas Stars (Previously 4th)
3. Boston Bruins (Previously 6th)
2. Colorado Avalanche (Previously 2nd)
1. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously 1st)
Last season, I was slow to respond to the Devils’ rise to prominence, which led me to have them under-ranked despite what I saw on the ice. I’m not going to make that same mistake with the Red Wings. This is the hot, young team of 2023-24, and their five straight wins will be just the start. Alex DeBrincat might be the best player in the NHL right now, and Detroit is playing with a passion we haven’t seen out of the storied franchise in close to a decade. Simply put, this is a dangerous team that has the potential to win the Atlantic Division.
Speaking of the Atlantic Division, I thought the Bruins were supposed to take a step back after their historic 2022-23 regular season? So far they have looked like the same world-beaters despite their offseason losses, which should frustrate the rest of the NHL.
Going the other direction, both the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs had rough weeks, where they lost to weaker opponents but managed to salvage things with a win. While I’m not feeling very bullish about either franchise right now, I expect them to find their game in the coming weeks and start putting together winning streaks.
The 2023-24 NHL Season Has Been Madness
I think we can all agree that the start to the 2023-24 NHL Season has been a bit of an adventure, in the best way possible. So far, no one has followed their expected storyline, outside of the Avalanche and Golden Knights, who just keep winning.
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This means anything is possible in the coming weeks, which is refreshing after the 2022-23 season felt predictable at times. In fact, I feel like clarity would be the biggest surprise of the season, so I expect the madness to continue for a few more weeks.
