NHL power rankings: Vegas Golden Knights claim top spot in first week of 2024-25 season

Credit: © Stephen R. Sylvanie

Hockey is back! After a preseason that felt like it dragged on longer than the two weeks it lasted, we finally get to watch hockey that matters. With every team playing at least once so far this season, it’s time to get the first edition of the 2024-25 power rankings out there. Is the sample size too small? Of course it is, but it’s still fun to draw premature conclusions.

I (Scott Maxwell) will once again continue with my system from last year’s rankings, in which I aggregated 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. Once we get deep enough into the season, I’ll also include the 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, but that wasn’t needed this week.

And like last year, I will not be the only one doing the rankings, but this year, I will not be joined by Mike Gould. Instead, Hunter Crowther will be my partner-in-crime this season, providing another perspective on the rankings. Interestingly enough, the clashing of opinions may have created an authentic early season list – Hunter’s list was still grounded by the eventual expectations of how good each team will be this season, while mine has dived headfirst into the small sample size and ranked purely based on what we’ve seen thus far.

Keep that last part in mind throughout this week’s list: the samples are small, so the takes should be looked at with a grain of salt.

1. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 3-0-0, +7
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: The Golden Knights are one of six teams that remain undefeated after the first week of the season, and they seem to be the only one Hunter and I agree on at the moment. Their wins over the Blues and Ducks aren’t really the ones to take notes from, but the 8-4 thumping of the Avalanche is definitely an impressive one. I have no doubt that Vegas can keep this up throughout the season, even if they get those strangely convenient injuries around the trade deadline.

Hunter: To paraphrase James Carville in Old School, I have no response. That was perfect. The Golden Knights are damn good.

2. New York Rangers

Record: 1-0-1, +5
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Scott: The one thing that I’ve always noted over the past three years that has held back the Rangers from being a true Cup contender is their play at even strength. It’s only two games, but at the very least they’re drawing offense from that state of the game. One of those games was against the Penguins, so take it with a grain of salt, but I don’t mind what I’ve seen so far.

Hunter: I turned off the Rangers-Penguins game after they made it 4-0, but their back-and-forth with Utah was one of the best games I’ve seen in awhile. Goals, fights, Madison Square Garden, how can you not be romantic about hockey?

3. New Jersey Devils

Record: 3-1-0, +5
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Hunter: Being able to start the season in Prague and layeth the smackdown on the Sabres was a blessing for a Devils group that goes into the 2024-25 campaign with plenty of expectations and eyeballs. They weren’t able to get a win for Sheldon Keefe against his former club in the Maple Leafs, but they seemed to control possession for most of the game. They looked even better after beating the Capitals on Saturday, and four games into the year, it’s been smooth sailing in the Meadowlands. Hey, you can still get good odds on Keefe winning the Jack Adams Award on your local betting app!

Scott: It really is funny how much better this team looks with some solid goaltending behind them.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 2-1-0, +3
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Scott: I doubted Craig Berube as the right hire for the Leafs all summer, but if they keep playing like this all season, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Yes, the loss to the Habs stings, but they played well and probably should have scored a lot more in that one. And the Devils win was certainly an impressive one, especially in showcasing their new depth. That said, I have my early doubts about Marc Savard as the power play coach based on the first three games…

Hunter: I have to say, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Leafs through the first three games. Chris Tanev is the breath of fresh air that fans have desperately needed for more than a decade, and fellow offseason free agent signing Oliver Ekman-Larsson brings a calmness to the blueline that the team has yearned for.

5. Dallas Stars

Record: 3-0-0, +6
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Hunter: Everything is bigger in Texas, including the start of the 2024-25 regular season. Three regulation wins is about the perfect way to open this campaign, and a home game against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday could expand it. What impressed me most was the season opener against the Nashville Predators, getting out to a 4-1 lead and holding on for the victory. For all the talk surrounding the Preds and their free agency acquisitions, the Stars had to remind them – and the rest of the league – that the Central Division is theirs to lose.

Scott: I’d like to aggressively tap the “small sample size” sign with this team for me. I definitely would have rated them higher if not for some ugly underlying numbers to start the year that should probably balance out, unless adding Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin actually makes them that bad in that regard.

Hunter: I can picture Scott’s head on the bus driver in The Simpsons episode. “Don’t make me tap the sign.”

6. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 3-0-0, +8
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Hunter: A real “no notes” type of start from the Jets. Mark Scheifele is on fire with four goals to open the year, and Connor Hellebuyck is picking up right where he left off in his 2023-24 Vezina Trophy campaign. I’ll concede I didn’t have them high on our watchability rankings, but after watching all 180 minutes of their season so far, they’ve been a delight. Possession-heavy hockey with a hard forecheck and crashing the net. I’ll take that every night, please and thank you.

Scott: Considering they start this way every season, call me back come playoff time if they’re still playing like this.

7. Florida Panthers

Record: 1-2-0, -3
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Hunter: They got their rings and hung their banner and beat the Bruins, but the Panthers had a mostly lackluster week otherwise, losing two divisional games to the Sabres and Senators. Here’s the thing: when you’ve gone to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, isolated losses don’t matter. They’ve played a lot of hockey in the last few seasons; they don’t mind taking their time to find their footing.

Scott: They call it a Stanley Cup hangover for a reason. They get plenty of leeway this season unless they end up missing the playoffs.

8. Calgary Flames

Record: 3-0-0, +7
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Scott: Who saw this one coming?!? The Flames were a popular pick to finish in the bottom five of the league this season, and yet here they are, tied for first place in the league and still undefeated. You can’t even excuse them with easy competition, because the Canucks, Flyers and Oilers are no slouches. I’m not holding my breath on this one sustaining, but it’s nice to see Johnny Gaudreau’s longtime team doing so well this early on.

9. Utah Hockey Club

Record: 3-0-0, +5
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: No name, no problem here in Utah. This team was a sleeper playoff pick for many hockey fans and analysts heading into the season, and they’ve more than lived up to the hype so far. Their inaugural home game against the Blackhawks was an entertaining one, the crowd was electric, and they’ve continued these good vibes in New York. It’s too bad that this franchise just didn’t work in Arizona, but is it ever nice to see them acting like an actual hockey team instead of a salary cap laundering scheme.

Hunter: This will be a theme of mine in this and other editions of the power rankings, but they’re fun to watch!!! Dylan Guenther is riding this PDO wave into the sunset, and Clayton Keller is reminding everyone that he can be one of the league’s most effective forwards in the offensive zone. And how about that OT-winner in Madison Square Garden? What a start.

10. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 0-0-2, -2
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Scott: Opening the season with back-to-back losses beyond regulation will certainly sting, especially for a Canucks squad looking to prove any of last season’s doubters wrong. That said, it’s only been two games, and they’ve generally played well in the losses. There shouldn’t be a lot of panic in Vancouver just yet.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 1-0-0, +3
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Hunter: I mean, what can you say about the Lightning? No seriously, what can you say? An impressive 4-1 win in the opener against the Hurricanes, but the rematch was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Milton in the state of Florida. Nikita Kucherov hasn’t missed a beat, and new addition Jake Guentzel looks like he’ll fit right in on a line with the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner.

12. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 0-1-0, -3
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Hunter: Just like the Lightning, what can you say about the Hurricanes? A sluggish start in the opener, but it’s one game. They have three contests this upcoming week, all against clubs who missed the playoffs last season (even though one of them is the Devils). Don’t sweat the small stuff, we just got here!

Scott: Considering how everyone got mad at Mike Gould and I when we ranked a team lower than another after the lower team beat the higher team in the prior week, could you imagine the blowback if we had the Canes above the Bolts when both of them had their only game against the other?

Hunter: Don’t tempt me with a good time.

13. Nashville Predators

Record: 0-2-0, -4
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Hunter: Another team that’s going to be fine, although it was funny to see them eat humble pie in their opening loss to the Stars, then a 3-0 drubbing to the lowly Red Wings. Sample size and all that jazz. They commence a four-game homestand this week. Expect them to pick up some points.

14. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 0-3-0, -12
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Hunter: Look, it ain’t pretty. Three regulation losses by a combined score of 15-3. Objectively terrible goaltending from both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. Your provincial rival just punched you in the mouth on home ice. But you know what? We’re one week into the season, so let’s alllllll take a deep breath and forget about it. Last season, the Oilers were 3-9-1 with seven points when they fired Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12. They wound up being one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Scott: Am I at all worried about the Oilers? No. Is it still really funny? Of course.

15. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 1-0-1, +1
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: There isn’t a ton to say about this Kings team through two games, so it’s fitting that they sit around the middle mark. They beat a team that they should have in the Sabres, and they took the Bruins to overtime. That’s not a bad start for a team playing without Drew Doughty but also not overly promising for a team looking to take the next step.

Hunter: Beyond the analysis, let’s give a shoutout to Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield for putting up big performances in my fantasy lineup this week. Watching Kopitar dominate against the Sabres gave me flashbacks to those California + Chicago Western Conference battles of the 2010s. It’s amazing people still think Patrice Bergeron is better than Kopitar.

16. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 0-2-0, -6
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Hunter: I wish I could recreate the guffaw I let out when I saw the discrepancy between Scott and my ranking of the Avalanche. I won’t hold it against him, as we’re two games in and the sample size is so small, it shops at Baby Gap. They outplayed both the Golden Knights and Blue Jackets, and the trio of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen look primed for another onslaught on the points leaderboard in 2024-25. Give it time.

Scott: Fun with small sample sizes! Outside of a rough penalty kill and some bad luck, the Avs are more or less their normal selves, so there’s nothing to see here folks.

17. Minnesota Wild

Record: 1-0-2, -1
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: Man, Matt Boldy just keeps getting better and better every season. It’s only three games, but he continues to be turning into such a good player and a great complementary piece to Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to touch on the Wild thus far. They haven’t lost in regulation, but only have one win. That is some typical early season shenanigans right there.

Hunter: Every time I see Matt Boldy, I’m reminded of how picturesque Mount Baldy is in British Columbia and that I need to travel more. Here’s hoping Joel Eriksson Ek’s injury isn’t long term.

Scott: And also here’s to hoping that Marco Rossi can finally give Kaprizov that elite centerman he’s desperately needed so far in his NHL career.

18. Boston Bruins

Record: 2-1-0, +1
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Hunter: Finally getting Jeremy Swayman signed at the 11th hour might be the most impressive thing the Bruins were able to accomplish in the opening week. They won two of three games but were outclassed in their opener against the Panthers and were surprisingly outplayed for most of the game against the Kings. Once Swayman gets more reps and starts, expect Boston to bank some wins.

Scott: I was really hoping we’d get more of the Starting Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo experience than just the one game. Considering all the pain the Bruins have brought on the rest of the league over the last 15 or so years, it would’ve been only fair that it went on a little bit longer.

19. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 2-1-0, +2
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: Is Sam Montembeault playing himself onto Canada’s roster at the 4 Nations Face-off in February? This isn’t even because he’s looked unbeatable through two games, but considering the past two seasons (and the lack of options in net for Canada), it’s certainly a possibility. If he plays anywhere close to this level this year, the Habs will, at the very least, be annoying as hell to play against.

Hunter: They’re not … terrible? They play with purpose? It’s hard to quantify effort and nobody wants gold stars for regulation losses, but Montembeault deserves all the flowers for his two brilliant performances against the Leafs and Penguins, giving up one goal on 73 shots. He won’t finish with a .986 save percentage, but he’s going to steal Les Habitants some wins this season.

20. New York Islanders

Record: 0-1-1, -4
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: After Patrick Roy shockingly transformed the Isles from a mediocre team to an elite defensive team again, I’ve been slightly higher on the team this season as one that could at least sneak back into the playoffs, especially since this time they have one of the best goalies in the league in Ilya Sorokin to build on that elite defense. Unfortunately, Roy doesn’t know that, because so far he’s started Semyon Varlamov and they’re 0-1-1. It’s not all on Varlamov, but unless Sorokin is still hurt working his way back from back surgery, I’m not sure why he didn’t start one of the two games.

21. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 1-1-1, -1
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Hunter: How many times do you get to say you were the team a brand new franchise beat in their first-ever game? Add that feather to your cap, Blackhawks fans! A tough L to open the season in Chicago, and an even worse heartbreaker the following game against the Jets, giving up the tying goal with a minute to go and the game winner just 38 seconds into overtime. But the 5-2 win over the reigning Western Conference champs in the Oilers was impressive, shot totals and Deserve To Win O’Meter be damned.

Scott: I think a national TV audience saw Connor McDavid pass the baton to Connor Bedard as the NHL’s best player in that game.

Sorry, I had to reference THAT tweet.

22. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 1-1-0, +1
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Hunter: It’s another rebuilding year in Ohio, and when you’re in the thick of it, you have to find small wins and positives. Again, I’m not handing out gold stars, but that’s the reality when you have a lineup full of early twenty-somethings and a fanbase starved for something good. Seeing the Blue Jackets beat the Avalanche Saturday and start a new tradition of the post-game donkey hat – an ode to Gaudreau – was a touching moment, and watching Sean Monahan’s genuine emotion when it was handed to him left a lump in my throat. The Blue Jackets’ home opener is Tuesday night against the Panthers. However the team decides to honor Gaudreau, I know there won’t be a dry eye in the arena, and there won’t be many watching from home.

23. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 1-3-0, -4
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Hunter: To quote Mad Men’s Pete Campbell: “Not great, Bob!” Two losses to open the season in Europe and a last-minute heartbreaker to the Kings were as bad as it could have gotten. All the credit to the Sabres for beating the defending Stanley Cup champions, even if the Panthers started a goalie who spent all of last season in the American Hockey League.

Also, do my eyes deceive me, or is that Alex Tuch cooking in the kitchen? He kicked off the season by going toe-to-toe with Brendan Dillon in Czechia after he laid a big hit on JJ Peterka, and since then Tuch has scored two goals and four points through four games. For a guy with four fighting majors in nine NHL seasons, taking on a seasoned vet like Dillion in a scrap is no joke, regardless of the outcome.

24. Seattle Kraken

Record: 1-2-0, -2
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Scott: I’m not going to fault the Kraken for an early season loss to a strong Stars squad, but that loss to the Blues has to sting considering that they were up 2-0. At least they have the OT win over the Wild to avoid a goose egg in the win column to start the year.

25. Ottawa Senators

Record: 1-1-0, -1
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: That season-opening win over the Panthers must have felt really nice for Sens fans. Two of their biggest issues last season were goaltending and Tim Stutzle’s goal-scoring struggles, and in the game Linus Ullmark was nearly perfect in net and Stutzle had two goals. Of course, the Habs beat Ottawa on Saturday to humble them, and their underlying numbers aren’t super hot so far, but at least hope hasn’t been sucked away almost immediately this season.

Hunter: I went out on a limb picking the Senators to make the playoffs, and I’m still getting roasted for the move in group chats and Slack channels across multiple friend groups. But even in just two games, they feel like a much better team, and having an All-Star netminder in Ullmark has been a massive boost.

26. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 1-1-0, 0
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: Mike Gould may not be doing the power rankings this year, but his spirit lives on with me! Someone has to be extremely pessimistic about the Red Wings and I’m happy to take that mantle. It’s only two games, but they find themselves below 40% in expected goal share despite a 1-1 record, so I’m not going to let them off easy after what they did last season. The bill always comes due, Stevie!

Hunter: One thing I’ll give those more optimistic about the club is Cam Talbot looked like the All-Star he was last season with the Kings (Remember that?? The guy was an All-Star at 36 years old – that’s R.A. Dickey stuff right there!). Will he keep that up through the season? Not likely. But wouldn’t it be way more fun if he did?

27. St. Louis Blues

Record: 2-1-0, +1
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Hunter: From what I can gather, the Blues don’t get a lot of respect from my fellow Daily Faceoff writers. That’s why it pains me to say I won’t be giving them much praise, either, despite starting with two wins in three games. There’s a healthy argument they should have lost all of those games, and they nearly blew it in their win over San Jose. They’re going to have streaks through the season, but they’ll never climb high enough to play important hockey in April.

Scott: Yeeeees! Yeeeeeeeeeesssss!! YEEEEEESSSSSS!!!

28. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 1-1-0, -2
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Scott: The Flyers were such a surprise to start last season considering how good they were out of the gate and how sustainable that performance actually was. This season hasn’t been quite the same under the hood, but last year’s team also started 1-1-0, so we’ll see how things go from here. Matvei Michkov has also already gotten his feet wet with his first NHL point, and will be a big reason why I watch the Flyers this year.

29. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 1-2-0, -5
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Scott: My own opinions are never implemented into the model that I use to decide my rankings, but if they were, I’d still have the Pens in last for how much they depress me. Watching some of my childhood/teenage favorites in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson wither away on this team is like tossing your parents in a home well before they need to be there just so you don’t have to take care of them. I know Sid just signed, but can we send him to his Cole Harbour buddy in Colorado so we can see him have purpose again?

Hunter: Let them rot away in the home. If Crosby wants to go down with the ship like Captain Edward Smith on the Titanic, then don’t pry his hands off the wheel.

30. San Jose Sharks

Record: 0-1-1, -3
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Hunter: So it’s Thursday night and I’m watching the Sharks take on the Blues, and Macklin Celebrini scores his first-career goal 7:01 into the game (I had to look it up: Mario Lemieux still has him beat, scoring just under three minutes into his first game). They went back and forth with the Blues, and while they blew a 4-1 lead in the third and lost in overtime, it was surprisingly one of the more fun games in the opening week. If they’re half as entertaining as they were against St. Louis, they’ll be worth staying up to watch.

Scott: This team still isn’t good, but they’re not going to find themselves as the easy choice for last place on the power rankings this year, and they’re fun as hell right now. It’s already a better season for the Sharks this season than all of last year.

31. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 1-1-0, 0
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Hunter: I wasn’t able to see the Ducks’ season opener against the Sharks live, but watching the full replay the following morning, I found myself putting it on 2x speed, then skipping entire chunks. Their effort Sunday night against the Golden Knights left much to be desired, undisciplined and outchanced. Like a child with the worst grades in the class, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

32. Washington Capitals

Record: 0-1-0, -2
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: If I had a nickel for every time the Capitals found themselves in last place on these rankings in the first week after playing just one game and losing it, I’d have two nickels. That isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. And hey, they made the playoffs last year in spite of it, so I wouldn’t sweat yet, Caps fans.

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