As we predicted would happen soon, the first NHL head coach was relieved of their duties this week, just 20 games into the 2024-25 season. Despite being behind the bench for the greatest regular season ever in terms of points and winning the 2023 Jack Adams, the Boston Bruins decided it was time to move on from Jim Montgomery after two and a half seasons.
During the regular season, the Bruins were one of the best teams in the NHL throughout Montgomery’s relatively short tenure. However, two catastrophically short playoff runs pushed what should have been a safe coach onto the hot season. He likely would have been fired back in May had Boston not pulled out a Game 7 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs after blowing another 3-1 lead.
After a weak 8-9-3 record and a series of poor performances, it was clear that the Bruins simply weren’t hearing Montgomery’s message anymore, so this change felt necessary. Boston was right in the middle of the playoff hunt, so it’s possible they made this change early enough in the season to get themselves back into the hunt for the Eastern Division title. They won their first two games after the change, after all, so this move might already be paying off (or they could be experiencing a ‘Dead Cat Bounce,’ a term I love discussing after a coaching change).
On the ice, I’m starting to feel concern creeping in for some teams. There’s a clear difference between the top 10 teams and everyone else in the league right now. Many teams are holding on by a thread, and those who are working through injuries are starting to get left behind. So, all this to say, changes are still happening across the Rankings, but the big shifts are slowing down, finally. We largely know the good and bad teams, where the middle section is still a bit tough to sort out. And sort we shall, in Week 6 of THW’s NHL Power Rankings!
32-21: Disappointing Senators Continue Regressing
32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 31)
31. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 26)
30. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 28)
29. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 29)
28. Nashville Predators (Previously: 32)
27. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 22)
26. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 25)
25. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 23)
24. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 30)
23. Utah Hockey Club (Previously: 21)
22. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 24)
21. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 27)
Much like when I discussed the Red Wings last week, I thought the Senators would be one of those teams to take a big step this season and contend for the playoffs after spending years working through a deep rebuild. They even started the 2024-25 season relatively well, as they hovered around the middle of the league (and this Ranking) with decent play and the hint of higher-end upside possible.
Well, drubbing their rival Maple Leafs 3-0 drubbing back on November 13th, the Senators have fallen flat on their faces by losing their next five games. Now Ottawa finds themselves in the three-way tie for 28th place in the NHL, alongside the purposefully rebuilding Sharks and imploding Predators, which isn’t the company you want to keep. While three of these losses were one-goal games, there’s no excuse for this kind of losing streak at any point for a team with postseason aspirations. If things don’t change fast, this could be another lost season for the franchise.
Speaking of lost seasons, the Penguins continued their tailspin with a 0-2-1 week, which included two feats from Sydney Crosby. First, Crosby threw down a rare regular-season superstar fight for the first time in five seasons against Kyle Connor, in a failed attempt to spark his trailing team to victory. In his next game, he scored his 600th career NHL goal in another blowout loss, becoming the 21st player all-time to do so.
Needless to say, no matter how poorly things are going for Pittsburgh, Crosby will still be a shining star on the ice each night. If only the team around him could match his level of intensity most nights, they would still be in the playoff hunt.
20-14: The Sabres May Be Good Now
20. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 14)
19. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 16)
18. New York Islanders (Previously: 18)
17. Boston Bruins (Previously: 19)
16. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 20)
15. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 13)
14. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 17)
While I spent the last section of the Rankings discussing an underperforming Atlantic Division team, it now feels appropriate to discuss an Atlantic Division team that is finally overperforming after years of struggles. 20 games into the season, the Sabres are holding down a top-three position in the Atlantic Division, with a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games played.
Now, no one in Buffalo will celebrate being decent in their first 20 games played (we’ve seen that movie before), but it’s good to see the team winning games on the back of their star players like Rasmus Sandin, Tage Thompson, and heart and soul forward Alex Tuch. By building a point stockpile they can hopefully keep themselves in the hunt all season and make a postseason push for the first time in a decade-plus.
Elsewhere in the middle part of the Rankings, I feel like the Avalanche are officially back. After weeks of struggling, Colorado have knocked out some strong opponents en route to a 6-1-0 record in their last seven games played. Their superstar players are all over the top of the NHL scoring charts, showcasing why they are some of the best players in the world. Overall, if the team can stay healthy, I think they will be back in the top part of the Rankings by next week.
13-1: Flames Proving Resilient Despite Questions
13. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 11)
12. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 12)
11. Florida Panthers (Previously: 2)
10. Washington Capitals (Previously: 8)
9. Calgary Flames (Previously: 15)
8. New York Rangers (Previously: 4)
7. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 9)
6. Dallas Stars (Previously: 6)
5. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 5)
4. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 10)
3. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 3)
2. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 1)
1. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 7)
Heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, I was expecting the Flames to be an average-at-best team. They largely disassembled their franchise by the 2024 Offseason, after all, which made them appear to be in the middle of a deep rebuild after years of coming up short. However, they have been an unexpectedly good team to start the season, leading them to a 12-6-3 record.
Despite their success, teams are still ‘Kicking Tires’ on their players, which makes you wonder if the team believes they are ready for the playoffs or if this is just a hot start before a potential letdown in the coming weeks. Time will tell, but for now, they are solidly in the top part of the Rankings.
For teams at risk of falling out of the top part of the Rankings, the Panthers have hit a wall in recent games. After being a force through their first 15 games or so, they have been getting shellacked in recent weeks, including a 7-4 drubbing by the Avalanche on Saturday. With a 1-5-0 record in their last six games played, the team might finally be experiencing their Stanley Cup hangover.
Also, yes I have the Maple Leafs in first place this week. What can I say, they have been playing great hockey recently against everyone not calling Ottawa their home. I don’t expect them to stay this high for long, but it is a rare occasion when I can have them so high on the Rankings, especially considering concerning news involving Auston Matthews’ injury.
Firings Continue Shaking the NHL
While I was prepping this article, the St. Louis Blues decided they would follow the Bruins and fire head coach Drew Bannister after a slow start to the season. To make this story even more interesting, St. Louis signed Montgomery to a five-year contract to be their next coach, locking him down mere days after Boston said enough was enough. Wild how quickly fortunes can change, right?
Related: Oilers GM Says Player Agents Calling Unsolicited to Talk Trades
While I thought change could be coming for more teams, I wasn’t expecting it so soon. At this rate, we might see more changes before the end of the month as teams try to salvage slow starts to the season. When these moves take place, I’ll make sure to cover them here on THW’s Power Rankings!
