As the NFL season wraps up another season with Super Bowl LIX taking place on Sunday, the NHL is ready to try and grab some headlines with some big games of their own. After much discussion and waiting, best-on-best hockey officially returns this week with the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off, the first time we’ve seen NHL players participate in an International tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Admittedly, this event feels like a bit of a placeholder for something bigger, as we know NHL players will be participating in the 2026 Olympics and the league is reportedly working to bring back the World Cup of Hockey in 2028. However, that doesn’t mean that the Four Nations Face-Off will be meaningless, especially to the young stars who haven’t been able to represent their countries since they last played in the World Juniors Championship.
This makes me think that players like Matthew Tkachuk truly are “Jacked Up” for the event, even if it is nothing more than a few exhibition games with pride on the line. This will hopefully be a return to form for hockey, as these tournaments bring out the best the sport has to offer for the masses, especially at a time with high political tensions across the world.
Due to this event and the mid-season break that follows, the NHL will be off for roughly two weeks. That means this will be the final Rankings until late February, but we will certainly return once the hockey schedule returns later this month. For now, let’s wrap up a busy week with Week 18 of THW’s Power Rankings!
32-22: Sabres Winning More Meaningless Games
32. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 32)
31. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 31)
30. Nashville Predators (Previously: 30)
29. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 26)
28. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 22)
27. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 21)
26. Utah Hockey Club (Previously: 28)
25. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 27)
24. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 29)
23. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 24)
22. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 25)
There’s no team in the NHL more frustrating year in and out than the Sabres. Every time it looks like they are about to take off, the team collapses into a record-setting losing streak, before pulling out of their tailspin to win games when it really doesn’t matter anymore. Yes, they can still technically go on a run and make the playoffs, but they currently sit last in the Eastern Conference and it would take a seven-game winning streak just to get themselves back into the conversation again.
Despite their improving play on the ice in recent weeks, the team got embarrassed both on and off the ice this week after Tage Thompson took a nasty hit from Stefan Noesen, the team failed to respond, and everyone left feeling miserable despite Buffalo winning the game. Now there’s talk of selling budding talent like Dylan Cozens, and you can’t help but feel like the franchise is trapped in purgatory.
I also decided that it was time to move the Flyers and Canadiens back into the bottom section of the Rankings. Neither team has played well in recent weeks, and while I was holding out hope that they could get back on track again, that is looking less and less likely. However, with a seller’s market expected for the upcoming trade deadline, they could look to turn their best players into big assets to push their rebuilds forward.
21-11: Canucks Back in Playoff Contention
21. Calgary Flames (Previously: 17)
20. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 12)
19. New York Rangers (Previously: 19)
18. Boston Bruins (Previously: 14)
17. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 15)
16. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 11)
15. New York Islanders (Previously: 13)
14. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 18)
13. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 23)
12. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 16)
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 20)
For all the noise made about the Cancucks no good, miserable 2024-25 season, they managed to do enough through 56 games to be in a playoff spot at the midseason break. Now this isn’t by much, but with a three-game winning streak propping them up, the Vancouver have looked better after last week’s blockbuster trade. Perhaps this shakeup will be enough to kick this team into high gear for the remainder of the season?
In general, the middle of the Rankings is separated by very little. The Blue Jackets had a rough week after losing four straight games, the Rangers, Senators, and Bruins lost a lot of momentum with a few bad games, the Kings and Lightning got back on track with short winning streaks of their own, and the Devils continue to tread water with a 5-5-0 record in their last 10.
Overall, it feels like every team at this point of the Rankings is one good or bad week from contention or disaster, and we are starting to see some of these weeks coming to fruition. For many dealing with injuries, the break could not come at a better time.
10-1: Hurricanes Feeling Concern After Blockbuster Trade
10. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 10)
9. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 9)
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 8)
7. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 7)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 6)
5. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 5)
4. Dallas Stars (Previously: 3)
3. Florida Panthers (Previously: 4)
2. Washington Capitals (Previously: 2)
1. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 1)
Whenever teams make an Earth-shattering trade like what we saw between the Hurricanes and Avalanche two weeks ago, one assumes this kind of move is made with a long-term goal in mind. However, things have not gone as planned for Carolina, as Mikko Rantanen has played well below expectations since he was acquired. Now, with rumors of contract talks breaking down and a questionable fit, one has to wonder what route the team will take if things don’t start looking better in the near future.
Outside big trades, I have to give the NHL world a bad report… the Panthers are back to playing the kind of hockey that won the 2024 Stanley Cup. With a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games, the team is looking primed for another deep run in order to defend their 2024 Stanley Cup Championship. It feels like the rest of the regular season will just be a formality at this point.
Overall, I feel like the top 10 teams in my Rankings are very settled in their positions. Only the Golden Knights have a record below .500 in their last 10 games, while the Jets have rattled off eight straight wins to show that their midseason slump was just that, a slump. There’s still a long way to go in the regular season, but these teams look locked in for a postseason run.
Enjoy the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off
While it feels a little bit odd taking nearly two weeks off in the middle of the season for any event other than the Olympics, I am excited to see how the Four Nations Face-Off goes over both on the ice and with fans. There’s a chance the event flops as key players pull out of the event with injuries, but I think it will be exciting if people give it a chance and the players commit to the games.
Related: Top 10 Highest-Scoring NHL Games of the Modern Era
As you may expect, THW’s Power Rankings will be taking a break during this time. With no counting games taking place for the NHL, we will have to wait until late February to pick back up. It’s hard to tell if any exciting news will go down during the break, but if it does, we will make sure to break it all down once the league is back at full capacity.
