Well, if you thought things were going to calm down off the ice around the NHL as we approached the holiday season, you might have been a bit optimistic. Mere hours after THW’s last power rankings article was posted, the Colorado Avalanche decided to make the next big move of the season, when they traded their 2024 All-Star goaltender Alexander Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks after he simply was unplayable for the better part of the 2024-25 season so far. This was another big deal, that saw Colorado acquire goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (arguably the best goalie available on the market), a 2027 fifth-round pick, and Givani Smith for Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
It’s rare to see a team with expectations as high as the Avalanche completely revamp their goaltending tandem, let alone to do so well before the halfway point of the season. However, as we’ve said many times in this series, NHL general managers have no appetite for patience or mediocrity, especially when you need to win now. Goaltending was costing Colorado games every time they took the ice, and with their new tandem of Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, they seem to be in a better place this week compared to last.
This wasn’t the only big trade of the week, as the Anaheim Ducks sent franchise face and 15-year veteran defenseman Cam Fowler along with a 2027 fourth-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round draft pick. This trade wasn’t a real surprise, as a change of scenery was rumored for Fowler (especially after the Ducks acquired Jacob Trouba last week) but still, it’s going to be strange seeing him in a different jersey, especially since he was just nine games away from playing his 1,000th with one franchise. However, such is business.
With all this off-ice drama taking hold of the headlines, let’s turn to the on-ice product to see where teams stand in Week 10 of THW’s Power Rankings!
32-18: Sabres Hit New Low… Again
32. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 27)
31. Nashville Predators (Previously: 32)
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 31)
29. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 29)
28. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 28)
27. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 30)
26. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 26)
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 24)
24. New York Islanders (Previously: 23)
23. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 19)
22. New York Rangers (Previously: 15)
21. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 22)
20. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 20)
19. Utah Hockey Club (Previously: 21)
18. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 25)
A few weeks ago, I made the mistake of believing in the Sabres. They had a strong road trip out West which seemed to put them right in the middle of the fight for the Atlantic Division. For that brief moment, I looked at the much-maligned franchise and thought… they will finally break through. They have to eventually, after all, as there was just too much talent and potential on this roster to be a bottom-feeder forever.
How wrong I was. Since that brief moment of praise, the Sabres have been, inarguably, the worst team in the NHL. On Sunday they cemented a 10-game losing streak, which included numerous embarrassing games that set the franchise back years. Now the team is preparing for another lost season as high-value prospects look for a change of scenery that will, inevitably, end with another playoff miss. For any readers from Buffalo, I really do feel bad that this is the hockey you’ve been treated to for the last 15 years.
Really there are a lot of embarrassing results at the bottom of the Rankings, so this week I’m going to take a moment to discuss the Senators who are pulling themselves out of the gutter. A few weeks ago I left them for dead, but after going 7-2-1 over their last 10 games, Ottawa has brought themselves back into playoff contention. This is in no small part due to the stellar play of Linus Ullmark, who is riding a five-game winning streak. If they can keep this up, they could become a real threat to push an established Atlantic team out of the playoff picture.
Also, yes I have moved the Rangers out of the middle of the Rankings. This has been a stark free-fall for the storied franchise, and I’m not sure where it ends. I wouldn’t be surprised if a coaching change happens soon if play doesn’t improve.
17-12: Lightning May Be a Good Bad Team
17. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 17)
16. Calgary Flames (Previously: 16)
15. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 11)
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 18)
13. Boston Bruins (Previously: 12)
12. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 14)
Anyone who has watched hockey knows that there are many statistics that are unreliable, especially things like goal differential and plus/minus. However, when things get extreme, they can be worth looking into further, which leads me to my confusion about the Lightning. This week is a perfect microcosm of Tampa Bay’s season, as they went 3-1-0 on a tough road trip across Western Canada and Seattle where they outscored their opponents 18 to 8. Overall, they sit third in the league with a +30 goal differential, mostly on the back of incredible scoring performances by Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Brayden Point.
Yet, whenever I watch their games, I can’t help but think that their run-and-gun offense isn’t sustainable. Sure, they can score, but they are lacking in other areas of the ice that could sink them later in the season when scoring starts slowing down. That’s still a ways down the road, but it’s one of the reasons why I’m a bit hesitant to move them up the Rankings as I simply don’t know how good they actually are when they can’t score five-plus goals a game.
Speaking of scoring, if you haven’t seen it already, this goal by Nazem Kadri of the Flames against the Lightning from last Thursday is, easily, my favorite of the year.
Another team I’m just not sure about are the Canucks, who keep playing very middle-of-the-road hockey. Sure, they shut out the Panthers this week, but they also lost three of their last four games and just can’t seem to find the consistent form needed to win each night. Thatcher Demko has also struggled since returning from injury, whereas Kevin Lankinen has looked like a Vezina candidate at times this season. I guess this is why you need to have a great backup goaltender if you see yourself as a contender.
11-1: Oilers Surging Back to Contention
11. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 7)
10. Dallas Stars (Previously: 9)
9. Florida Panthers (Previously: 6)
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 8)
7. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 13)
6. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 10)
5. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 5)
4. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 4)
3. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 3)
2. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 2)
1. Washington Capitals (Previously: 1)
Well, in case you doubted them, the Oilers are back in the top part of the Rankings. After a relatively poor stretch where injuries marred their best players, Edmonton has been surging in recent weeks to five straight wins and an 8-2-0 record over their last 10 games played. This team is heating up like they did last season, and if they were in a lesser Division I would have them as a lock to win the Pacific. However, the Golden Knights and Kings are no slouches either, so I expect a real fight over the coming weeks as these top teams fight for playoff positioning.
Now, for another Atlantic team that I’m just not sure about, the Maple Leafs have been a bit perplexing at times this season. Toronto keeps finding ways to win games, but they seem to just barely beat their opponents (outside of the Lightning) by relying on otherworldly goaltending from their top-tier tandem. Now, this may just be me not being used to this franchise having good goaltending, but I don’t know if this is a sustainable way to win, or if this will catch up to them if they can’t clean up their play. Also, an injury to Anthony Stolarz should raise a concern.
Could a Coaching Change Come Next Week?
With two more big trades this week, I feel like we are past due for the next panicked coaching change. We have a lot of teams that are in an absolute tailspin, after all, and good teams rarely take meltdowns well. This leads me to think that a team like the Rangers could be the next franchise to make a change before the league goes on winter holiday, but they also may ride things out through the new year.
Related: Steve Yzerman’s Red Wings Rebuild Has Succeeded So Far
Either way, expect another stacked week of hockey as teams fight it out for every point. Perhaps there will even be another big trade before the roster freeze starts on December 20th?