NHL power rankings: Lankinen has filled the Demko-sized hole in Vancouver so far

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen.

Credit: © Bob Frid

With only three weeks of the NHL season complete, a lot of teams still haven’t figured out who they are. Some have been middling with hints of promise, while some have played well with hints of disappointment. Heck, there are currently 11 teams with .500 records, including eight with identical 4-4-1 records.

Regardless, Hunter Crowther and I shall continue to navigate through the results so far with another week of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six stats (points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. On the other hand, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. New York Rangers

Record: 6-1-1, +18
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Scott: In a 2024-25 season when the teams with the best results have question marks under the hood, and the teams with the best underlying numbers have questionable results, the Rangers have appeared to establish themselves as the best of the bunch. The fact that neither myself nor Hunter picked them to be first and they still ended up there shows how divisive this top group is, and while the Rangers have had some issues defensively that have been bailed out by Igor Shesterkin, their offense is actually generating chances at a similar rate to their defense, which is more than I could say about past seasons with this team.

Speaking of questionable things, consider me one of the people not fully sold on that new Alexis Lafreniere extension. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great player, and there’s a better chance than not that he’ll be worth it, but a $7.45 million annual average value (AAV) is a lot for a player who hasn’t even hit 30 goals or 60 points yet, although the fact that most of that production comes at 5v5 gives me a bit more confidence in this deal.

Hunter: I understand the hesitation to sign someone to that number, but I think that’s just the reality of the NHL in 2024 and beyond. The salary cap will continue to go up with each season (barring another catastrophic pandemic that shuts down the world), and that AAV of $7.45 million could seem more like $4.5 million in 2029. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting now, and the Rangers can only hope it doesn’t hamstring them if and when they re-sign Shesterkin, but No. 1 overall picks who start to show some of that offensive flair they had in junior don’t come cheap.

2. Florida Panthers

Record: 6-3-1, 0
Last Week: 6th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Scott: It goes to show how great the Panthers are when they haven’t exactly been clicking at 100 percent, and have also been without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk for most of the season, and they’re still banking points. Sergei Bobrovsky has been struggling to start the season as well (despite becoming the fastest goalie to hit 400 wins earlier this week), but at least Spencer Knight has looked solid in his first NHL games in more than a year.

3. Dallas Stars

Record: 7-2-0, +12
Last Week: 4th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Hunter: Bit of a weird one against the Sabres earlier in the week, but two convincing wins over the Bruins and Blackhawks keep the Stars near the top of the standings. Matt Duchene has five goals and eight points in his last four games. I’m sure the Predators wouldn’t mind some of that production, right about now.

Scott: It’s going to get annoying defending my Stars rankings if they keep this up, but for the record, they still haven’t shown me anything to make me change my opinion on this team. They’ve had their defensive issues, but Jake Oettinger has bailed them out so far this season, and they’ll likely pick up the pace down the road. I’d rather they save it for the playoffs anyways. That said, a big reason for their defensive struggles has been the play of their new additions on the blueline in Ilya Lyubushkin, Matt Dumba and Brendan Smith, which leaves me to ask the question: what was Jim Nill thinking on July 1?

Hunter: Why give Chris Tanev a big ticket in my no-tax state when I can give Dumba, Lyubushkin and Smith a combined $12 million? Three third-pair defenders instead of a legitimate top-four guy on any team in the league? Who says no?!

4. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 8-0-0, +20
Last Week: 7th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Hunter: I know, I know, show me what you can do in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Trust me, I live in Toronto, I know all about that. However, I’ve seen every Winnipeg game, and without question, there isn’t a team in the league who feels like they win nearly every shift more than them. Eight players have at least eight points in their first eight games, but their team shooting percentage is in the middle of the pack. They just might be that good.

Scott: I’m sure the general public will react well to me ranking them ninth, but much like that stretch last season where they went 35 games without allowing more than three goals, Connor Hellebuyck is hiding a lot of their defensive issues, and nearly a third of their goals have come with some kind of man advantage. I’m going to keep tapping the sign: I’ve seen this before from them, and they never maintain this level of play all year.

5. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 6-2-1, +14
Last Week: 15th (+10)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Hunter: Early last week, the Golden Knights-Kings game was the one I was most excited for, with puck drop at 11 p.m. ET. / 8 p.m. PT. What ended up happening was a 6-1 Vegas win, reminding the Kings and everyone else in the Pacific Division that last year was a stutter step, and remember: Viva Las Vegas. The 2023 Stanley Cup champs won all three games last week by a combined score of 19-8. It’s fun to have a team most fans dislike, especially when they’re really good.

Scott: I’m a bit concerned about their 5v5 play so far this year, but they had similar issues early on last season and still ended up playing fine, and at least their power play has done a great job of carrying the load.

6. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 5-2-2, -1
Last Week: 5th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: The Kings are sort of first by default on my list since a couple teams (the Caps and Bolts) fell down the list due to the five-point rule already coming into play, but that’s not to discredit how good they’ve been so far this year, especially without Drew Doughty on the blueline. But much like how I’m not high on the Jets for doing the same thing every year, I’m going to exercise caution with the Kings considering I was equally high on them at this point last year.

Hunter: You’re right that it’s impressive what they’re doing with a lack of Doughty. I can tell you one thing: I didn’t have Joel Edmundson – someone whose career high in goals is seven – scoring twice in a game on my bingo card. Still want to see more out of Quinton Byfield, and maybe a few more points out of Kevin Fiala, but overall, they’re fun to watch. Now if they could just get some goaltending …

7. New Jersey Devils

Record: 6-4-2, +5
Last Week: 3rd (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: It really feels like the Devils just aren’t allowed to have good goaltending. First Cory Schneider goes from one of the best goalies in the league to unplayable in year two of a seven-year contract. Then there was the back-to-back seasons where they signed Jonathan Bernier and Corey Crawford only to suffer career-ending injury after a combined 10 games. Then Vitek Vanecek looks solid in 2022-23 only to combust last season. Now they invest as much as they do in Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, only for both goalies to also take a step back this season. New Jersey’s been fine despite that, but this is just terrible luck over the course of five years now.

8. Minnesota Wild

Record: 5-1-2, +8
Last Week: 13th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Scott: Don’t look now, but the Wild are actually showing signs of being a team that doesn’t just comfortably sit in the middle of the league. They’ve certainly had some help in both the shooting and save percentage departments, but they also are the best at suppressing chances so far this season. But in typical Wild fashion, their chance creation is at the opposite end of the spectrum, as they rank 31st in that regard thus far.

9. Calgary Flames

Record: 5-2-1, +5
Last Week: 8th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: A gentle float back to Earth for the Flames, but I still like their game. Dustin Wolf could wind up accidentally making the Flames compete for a playoff spot. I remember reading stories ahead of the 2024-25 season about what kind of return Calgary could get for Rasmus Andersson, who has the rest of this year and next left on his contract, but if he keeps producing like this, why not re-sign him to a long-term deal?

10. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 5-2-0, +7
Last Week: 11th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Scott: I’d have the Canes a lot higher on my list if not for the fact that they just fall out of the five-point threshold of the Jets, as they were originally top five in my model. It’s not like it’s much of a surprise to see the Canes looking strong under the hood; that’s more or less what we should expect from a Rod Brind’Amour coached team. They also still struggle to score, so it will be really interesting to see if they can do anything about that this year.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 5-3-0, +7
Last Week: 2nd (-9)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Scott: The Lightning have been a bit inconsistent since winning their first three games, but they were originally second on my list before I had to adjust it with the five-point rule. Nikita Kucherov continues to be phenomenal for them, but I’d also like to give a shoutout to that second line of Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul. They’re turning into the second coming of the memorable checking line that consisted of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow during their two Cup wins, both in terms of their ability to drive play and how annoying they are to play against.

12. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 4-1-2, +3
Last Week: 21st (+9)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: How did it take until the end of September for Kevin Lankinen to get an NHL deal? The Canucks are certainly happy that no one else sprung on him sooner, because he has been great in the crease for them so far after Arturs Silovs struggled to start the year. Vancouver hasn’t been relying on Lankinen to bail them out either, they’ve already started to return to their form from last season, and with four straight wins, they’ve more than made up for that 0-1-2 start.

Hunter: Want to give a quick shoutout to Arshdeep Bains, who scored his first career NHL goal Saturday against the Penguins, then was sent back to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks almost immediately for cap reasons. It’s a cruel game, but I’m sure we’ll see more of him this season with the big club.

13. Washington Capitals

Record: 5-2-0, +5
Last Week: 9th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Hunter: As someone who watched a lot of Dylan Strome hockey with the Erie Otters in the mid-2010s, and watching him toil away with the Arizona Coyotes (R.I.P.) and Chicago Blackhawks, it’s so nice to see him thrive with the Capitals. Last week wasn’t even particularly eventful, but I just like seeing him do well. There’s something about top draft picks who need a bit more time in the oven before they really start to grow.

It was nice to take two wins from a home-and-home with the Philadelphia Flyers, and I thought the 3-0 score against the Lightning was misleading, considering they outshot them 32-21 and had them beat in expected goals at 2.96 to 1.94. The numbers in the crease aren’t great, but it’s early, and Washington seems willing to split the starts. Unless someone runs away with the job, they may need to make a move … wait a minute, that’s Hunter Shepard’s music!

14. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 5-4-0, -2
Last Week: 20th (+6)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: Pardon my really forced analogy here, but the Avalanche seems to have calmed down a bit in Colorado. Things were not looking pretty after that 0-4-0 start, but five straight wins have made up for any lost ground early on in the season. Justus Annunen finally giving them competent goaltending has been a huge help in that regard, and while I still have them ranked relatively low, that’s mostly due to the results aspect of my model. Otherwise, their underlying numbers have looked better than they have in the past couple years.

Hunter: Scott, my man, your analogy game needs to step up! But you’re right, seeing Annunen come in and provide adequate goaltending has been massive for them. One positive I’ve enjoyed seeing is the emergence of Casey Mittelstadt, who seems to be really thriving on Colorado’s second line and their power play. With 12 points in nine games, as well as a 55 percent even-strength Corsi for percentage, he’s really coming into his own.

15. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 4-4-1, -8
Last Week: 14th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Hunter: The Oilers crushed the Penguins on Friday (more on that later) and I loved the effort against a desperate Red Wings team on Sunday. Sure, there was plenty of panic after the first three games, but Canadian hockey fans love to overreact (again, more on that soon) and their talent is starting to catch up. There’s an element of being snakebitten, with a sixth-worst PDO of 96.72 and the goaltending hasn’t been good at all. Maybe the Oilers could put some cameras in their locker room so Zach Hyman can rekindle that main character energy and start acting like an NHL player who can actually score goals.

16. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 4-4-1, -2
Last Week: 10th (-6)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Hunter: I know I use these phrases often: “It’s early” or “iI’s still way too early,” or my personal favorite, “Hey, the World Series just started!” I can’t think of a better example to use the phrases than for the Leafs. We’re not even 10 games into their season and fans are acting like they’re down 3-1 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tuesday’s win against the Lightning was treated like one of their greatest accomplishments in modern franchise history, then three consecutive losses in various fashions have some fans wondering if Craig Berube was the wrong choice, and what kind of return the club could get for Mitch Marner. For all the undeserved hate the Leafs get on social media – I get it, they’re the main characters of the NHL – they do a lot of it to themselves. You lost a few games, two of them were ugly. So? It’s not even November, and there’s more hyperbole among Leaf fans than the opening segment of The Jim Rome Show.

Toronto doesn’t need a Gretzky pep talk after a tie to the Czechs, they need to practise their breathing exercises and remember it’s a long, long season. They’re not as good as the ass whooping they handed Tampa, and they’re not as bad as the ass whooping they were handed by the Blue Jackets. Frankie says relax.

Scott: It’s certainly not the end of the world in Toronto right now, but they seem to have drifted back into the same territory as last year. Good offensively, horrible defensively, and their power play still can’t figure things out. They’ll be fine for the regular season, and we’ll have to see if things change come playoff time.

17. New York Islanders

Record: 3-3-2, -3
Last Week: 16th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Hunter: They were all over the Red Wings but couldn’t score on them, then nearly fumbled two points against the Devils before taking a proper beating by the defending Stanley Cup champs. I still don’t really know who the Islanders are. No offense to Kyle Palmari, but I’m not sure he can repeat as a 30-goal season at this stage of his career. Anthony Duclair had his doubters, but I really wanted him to have a breakout season now that he found a long-term deal, and that injury is a massive buzzkill.

Coaches like Patrick Roy have short lifespans because they wear on guys, and the teams that hire them hope they can find success before that time runs out. We’ll see if he can get them firing on all cylinders as the weather gets colder.

Scott: The Isles are still gelling well defensively, and their offense has actually looked better than usual, they’ve just dealt with brutal shooting luck. Sidenote: I had no clue that Palmieri had 30 goals last season until Hunter just mentioned it. Mike Gould and I really leaned into the “it’s the Isles, who cares?” bit last year, huh?

18. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 4-4-1, -1
Last Week: 25th (+7)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Hunter: The Sabres only played two games last week, but credit where credit is due: they looked good. Not great, but good. They nearly blew a 3-0 lead with five minutes to go in the third against the Stars, but they still beat them in regulation. I was able to watch the full game against the Red Wings, and for a Saturday matinee, it went about as well as they could have hoped. They started strong, let them come back a bit in the second but responded right away after Detroit tied it, then closed out the third. Four out of a possible four points is tidy work.

Scott: I wasn’t optimistic about the Sabres after last season, their offseason moves AND their 1-3-1 start, but they’ve been looking like a team that can hang around in the playoff battle – and this time for the whole season. A big reason for that is that Tage Thompson is looking like the Tage Thompson we know and love. He has seven goals and 11 points in nine games and is looking like a unicorn again, so if he keeps this up, that playoff drought may finally be over.

19. Boston Bruins

Record: 4-4-1, -5
Last Week: 12th (-7)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Hunter: Maybe the recency bias of them beating the Leafs in the most predictable way possible is still fresh in my memory, but the loss to the Predators on Tuesday was horrendous. I thought they held their own against the Stars, but there were flashes in all three of those games where I thought, “Are these the same Bruins we’ve watched for years?” Then you remember that the likes of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask and David Krejci aren’t there anymore, and you remember that, no, they’re not the same Bruins.

(Unless they’re playing Toronto.)

Scott: Watching them play on Saturday, it really hit me that those players aren’t on the team anymore and it felt weird watching the Bruins without them. Even Brad Marchand hasn’t felt the same.

(Unless he’s playing Toronto.)

20. Nashville Predators

Record: 3-5-0, -7
Last Week: 23rd (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Hunter: Pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. I said last week the Bruins would be a good test, and they went out and put on a performance, posting 42 shots and winning 4-0. The two wins against the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets might have been a little too close for comfort, but considering the bad start, points and wins can’t be picky. They’re still near the bottom, but at least they aren’t dead freaking last like last week.

21. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 4-4-1, -3
Last Week: 29th (+8)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Hunter: I said last week that Derek Lalonde could find himself on the hot seat if the Red Wings don’t get their act together before U.S. Thanksgiving. This past week, the Red Wings went 2-1-1, but they were badly outplayed in all but one of those games, and somehow they lost the one they had the upper hand in on Sunday against Edmonton.

They had all summer to figure out what they did. We just have to figure out, like, what Detroit’s deal is.

Scott: The Wings have one stat that really strikes me as fascinating right now: they currently rank last in 5v5 expected goals per 60 minutes, but then that climbs all the way up to first when they’re on the power play. At least they’re doing something right.

22. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 3-3-1, +3
Last Week: 27th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Scott: The Blue Jackets only had two games last week against the Maple Leafs and Predators, and based on how both teams were trending going into those games, the Blue Jackets got the exact opposite results that you would have expected. They trounced a hot Leafs squad, and then they blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads to a cold Preds team. That said, their defensive game has looked surprisingly good under the hood, so I’m curious to see if that holds up over the course of the season.

23. Utah Hockey Club

Record: 4-4-1, -7
Last Week: 18th (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Scott: Maybe we got a bit too carried away with the Utah hype in the first couple weeks. They’ve now lost five of their last six games. Dylan Guenther hasn’t scored since he had five goals in his first three games. Clayton Keller has three points in his last six games after getting six in his first three games. This team is probably somewhere in between the two versions we’ve seen so far and will be in the hunt all year, although I’d maybe be a bit concerned about Connor Ingram’s play so far this season.

Hunter: Wait, you’re saying I should cancel all of this Utah HC gear I ordered last week?!

24. St. Louis Blues

Record: 5-4-0, 0
Last Week: 26th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Hunter: I was going to say that I may have ranked them a bit too high on this list, especially after that loss to the Montreal Canadiens, but they played a complete game against the Maple Leafs and put up a damn good fight against the Jets earlier in the week. I was joking with someone before the season that Jordan Binnington’s determination to be the No. 1 goalie for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off might propel the Blues into a playoff spot, but so far he’s been … fine? Just okay? Losing Robert Thomas for the foreseeable future is a big blow.

25. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 2-6-1, -9
Last Week: 19th (-6)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Scott: The Blackhawks are exactly what we should expect from them so far this year. They have excellent special teams units but struggle at 5v5, and as a result are already floating toward lottery contention. But hey, Connor Bedard is already taking that next step and looking like one of the league’s best players, and he actually has talented players to play with this year, so at least the team is fun.

26. Seattle Kraken

Record: 4-4-1, 0
Last Week: 17th (-9)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Scott: After three straight wins, the Kraken canceled out any progress they made by dropping three consecutive games last week. All three were against playoff contenders in the Avs, Jets and Canes, but it’ll be tough for Seattle to make the playoffs if they lose all of their games against big opponents.

27. Ottawa Senators

Record: 4-4-0, 0
Last Week: 24th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: I see the Sens still struggle to be anything but mediocre. It’s only eight games, but they have yet to be able to string good games together, have underwhelming numbers under the hood, and while it’s only been four starts, Linus Ullmark has had a rough opening to the year. To make matters work, Shane Pinto is out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis, so now they find themselves with depth issues already. It’s still early, but they’re already looking like the same old Sens.

28. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 4-4-1, -6
Last Week: 28th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Scott: This might be a hot take, but I think we’re reaching the point where Martin St. Louis is doing more damage to the Habs in the long run than he is helping them. Yes, he’s letting the kids play and make mistakes, but as a result, they’re making so many mistakes that they’re likely forming bad habits. As a result, they have a 5v5 expected goals against per 60 of 3.94. No team has ever been this close to 4.0 expected goals against per 60 since the stat has been tracked, with the closest candidate being the 2022-23 Ducks with 3.49. The fact that they’re .500 so far is a huge credit to Sam Montembeault’s play this season.

Hunter: I asked in my Canadiens’ preview if St. Louis was “the guy before the guy,” meaning is he the coach who warms the seat through the rebuild before the team brings in the coach who gets them over the hump and takes them to the post-season. If and when they make a move, I don’t think it’ll be this season, but there’s nothing we’ve seen so far that indicates to me he’s going to be the guy who has them playing in late April or May.

29. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 3-6-1, -13
Last Week: 22nd (-7)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Hunter: What are we doing here? I cited the Oilers’ bad PDO as a reason to give them some breathing room, but it would feel inauthentic to do the same here. The Penguins are bad: simple as that. All three of their wins were against 2023-24 non-playoff teams, and those three don’t look like they’ll make it this year, either. They did their best to try and steal a win against the Flames and fell in a shootout, but any goodwill got wiped away with the effort against the Oilers.

It’s nice to see Evgeni Malkin play some of his best hockey in years, but … you just have to be better. Either start producing wins or start selling assets. When you’re on pace to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, phrases like “iI’s still early,” don’t apply.

30. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 2-6-1, -13
Last Week: 30th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Hunter: Part of me is happy that Jett Luchanko was sent back down to the OHL’s Guelph Storm, selfishly so I can watch him dominate in junior. I saw him average more than two points a game with the London Jr. Knights Under-16 team in 2021-22, and he carried that production into the OHL.

Speaking of Flyers’ young guns, Matvei Michkov, my goodness. I love that John Tortorella is just letting him play. I know that everyone (rightly) thinks Tortorella values a certain type of game, but if you’re chalk full of skill and can produce, he’ll play you.

Scott: Michkov being this good while the team has struggled and the goaltending has been horrendous feels like the Simpsons quote “Do you want to know the terrifying truth… or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?” Right now, we all want more dingers!

Hunter: Dingers! Dingers! Oooooooooh!

31. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 3-4-1, -6
Last Week: 31st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: Again, it’s early, but it looks like the Ducks have fallen into the same patterns as years past. They’re only 3-4-1, but under the hood, they look horrible defensively again, and despite a prospect pool that should be finally establishing themselves as NHLers and at least make this team fun, their offense has been underwhelming, and suddenly a team that should be interestingly mediocre is just trending towards being bad and boring again.

32. San Jose Sharks

Record: 0-7-2, -21
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Hunter: When is Macklin Celebrini coming back? And when can we start hypothesizing on where Mikael Granlund will be traded to? With one year left on his deal, there’s little doubt he’ll be high on Frank Seravalli’s annual trade target list, and so far, he looks like every bit of the 60-point center he was last season.

Scott: I’m not going to let this stat slide: they are the first team to go winless in their first nine games in back-to-back seasons. That’s actually impressive. Even the mid-2010s Sabres teams weren’t this bad. They’re still really bad, but I’ll wait and see about them being historically bad again until after we see how Celebrini plays.

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