NHL power rankings: Winnipeg Jets soar to the top of the standings

Credit: © James Carey Lauder

Who would’ve thought that the Jets would be where they are now when they traded Pierre-Luc Dubois and bought out Blake Wheeler, or even when they re-signed Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck? We certainly didn’t! Heck, Mike and I still don’t, considering they didn’t even crack the top spot in our power rankings. But at the very least, we’ve given them a bit more of their due this week, so Jets fans can be somewhat happy.

Mike Gould and I continue to navigate through the results so far with another week of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system 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, Mike goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Florida Panthers

Record: 25-12-2, +24
Last Week: 3rd (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: I see Mike has finally joined me on the Panthers bandwagon. It’s hard to deny them the spot after a seven-game winning streak has put them in the conversation for the Atlantic Division, and they aren’t far away from first in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how long they can keep this up, but for now, their underlying numbers are legit, so I’m on board.

2. New York Rangers

Record: 26-10-2, +23
Last Week: 2nd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Mike: It was a little jarring to see Artemi Panarin be left out of the first 32 players selected to attend the NHL All-Star Game next month, but it’s made all the more understandable considering he and his wife are expecting. Still, the Breadman has been the real driving force behind New York’s terrific first half. He already has 55 points and is driving offensive play to an unreal extent. A Panthers/Rangers Eastern Conference Final would be a treat.

3. Boston Bruins

Record: 24-8-6, +29
Last Week: 1st (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Scott: The Bruins have wins in five of their last six games, and the one loss was a chaotic 6-5 defeat to the Penguins, so I think we can let that slide. That said, that one slip up has shown that this season won’t be smooth sailing like last year for the Bruins, as it’s allowed the Panthers and Leafs to inch a bit closer in the Atlantic with their current hot streaks.

4. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 26-9-4, +38
Last Week: 10th (+6)
Mike’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Mike: I said on a podcast on Sunday evening that I wasn’t sure whether we’d have the Jets at first this week despite them being the hottest team in the NHL. Well, here they are in fourth on our list despite currently sitting atop the league standings. They very much looked the part of a contender in their 6-2 dismantling of the Coyotes last night.

5. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 25-11-3, +47
Last Week: 9th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Scott: I don’t think I’ve ever had the Canucks in my top five this season despite all their success, and to be fair, I still technically didn’t, as they were actually in 10th but jumped a lot of teams with the five-point rule. I’m surprised they’ve actually managed to keep up with that ascent, considering that they’ve been playing .500 hockey for the past few weeks, but that’s what happens when you bank points early like they did.

6. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 25-12-3, +21
Last Week: 5th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Mike: The vibes are still just a little off with the Avs, who have won seven of 10 but also have a tendency to lose big. That 8-4 loss to the Panthers on Saturday really was something. At least Jonathan Drouin is playing well, but there are real questions to be answered about the efficacy of Alexandar Georgiev and Ivan Prosvetov as a tandem. Their matching .895 save percentages don’t inspire a whole lot of confidence.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 23-12-5, +21
Last Week: 6th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: The Golden Knights seem to be in a bit of karma, as while they’ve been doing better with regards to their underlying numbers (which I was giving them trouble for earlier in the season), their record has crept up to them to regress them. Their win over the Islanders on Saturday halted a stretch of six losses in their last seven games, so maybe we’ll see a bit more normalcy this week.

8. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 20-10-6, +31
Last Week: 4th (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Mike: Don’t look now, but the Kings have lost five consecutive games going back to the end of December. Their opponents in those games? Vegas, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Washington. There are some real good teams in that mix (plus the Red Wings and Capitals). L.A.’s underlying numbers are pretty dang solid but until they can show a bit more consistency, they’ll remain in the second tier of top teams. Also, do we need to start talking about Pierre-Luc Dubois? He has 16 points in 36 games this year. Not great.

Scott: It’s not often that a team trades a superstar for depth and wins the trade, but the Jets seemed to have done that (although I’m really stretching the limits of the word superstar with Dubois).

Mike: Dubois wishes he was Nazem Kadri at this point, honestly.

Scott: I was going to point out some more shocking names that had more points than Dubois, but then I saw that both Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo had 17 points, so that accomplishes my goal even better.

9. Dallas Stars

Record: 22-11-5, +18
Last Week: 7th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: The Stars are winless in 2024, dropping three straight last week to the Habs, Avs, and Preds, but nothing stung worse than the Avs loss, as they blew a 4-2 lead to a divisional rival with just over 10 minutes left. They also lost Miro Heiskanen for a few weeks in that game, and suddenly their blueline is looking a bit ugly there. Maybe if Peter DeBoer knocks some sense into himself, he’ll let Nils Lundkvist and Thomas Harley have a chance, but he seems to be more content playing Esa Lindell, Jani Hakanpaa and Ryan Suter.

Mike: Dallas feels like a really good landing spot for Chris Tanev. We’ll see.

10. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 22-13-5, +15
Last Week: 8th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Mike: The Hurricanes are coming off back-to-back games against the Capitals and Blues over the weekend, winning the first one in convincing fashion before being goalie’d by Jordan Binnington on Saturday. Carolina has just one regulation loss in its last 10 games but it hasn’t always been the smoothest of sailing for that team this season, particularly in goal. And despite Sebastian Aho having 46 points, nobody else on the team even has 30.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 20-10-7, +13
Last Week: 12th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Scott: The Leafs can never seem to have a normal road trip in California. They either lose all three games in chaotic fashion or play their best hockey of the season and sweep it. Thankfully for them, it was the latter, and it legitimately was their best hockey of the season. Outside of getting goalied by (*stares directly at camera*) Lukas Dostal, they were comfortably in the driver’s seat in all three games, and even though two games were against lottery teams, it’s still impressive that they didn’t play down to their opponent. And William Nylander may be close to an extension too! What could go wrong in Leaf Land?!

Mike: Only a no-name writer would heap such effusive praise on this Leafs team, amirite?

Scott: What do you take me for? A hack?!?

12. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 19-15-4, +12
Last Week: 13th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Mike: I don’t think anyone on the planet is currently playing at a higher level than Sidney Crosby, who is my pick as the league’s most valuable player this season. Sid’s raw point production may not compare with some of his counterparts but he’s been flat-out dominant this year. It is difficult to overstate just how impactful offensively he has been. But what will the Penguins do about his main running mate, Jake Guentzel, who is slated to become a UFA this summer? Kyle Dubas absolutely could trade him for a haul — but that’s a tough call.

13. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 20-15-1, +18
Last Week: 19th (+6)
Mike’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Scott: While they’re only barely holding on to a playoff spot at the moment, both Mike and I seem to be in agreement that this team should be a bit further into the conversation than they are right now (You good, Mike? Blink twice if you’re being held hostage by Oilers Nation). They find themselves on another seven-game win streak at the moment, and even better for them, Stuart Skinner has really seemed to find a groove. Literally all they needed was stable goaltending, and they’re a playoff team again, who would have thought?

Mike: I suspected that the Oilers would return to the playoff picture eventually. When they’re on, they really go wild. But … can they get past Vegas and Colorado?

14. New Jersey Devils

Record: 21-15-2, -1
Last Week: 14th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Mike: Much like the Wild (more on them later), these Devils are super broken. The latest major piece of the lineup to hit the injured list is none other than Jack Hughes, who sustained an injury in the Devils’ loss to Chicago on Friday — the same game in which Connor Bedard suffered a broken jaw. New Jersey is now in the midst of a four-day break before they return to action Thursday in Tampa Bay.

Scott: Looks like going “all-in” on the Devils for my fantasy team is going well. I currently have two more injuries than IR spots, and all of them are either my keepers, my two best defensmen, or my best goalie. Three of those (Hughes, Meier, Hamilton) are Devils. I feel your pain New Jersey.

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 20-13-6, +7
Last Week: 11th (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: The Flyers had lost six of their last seven games before getting a win over the Flames on Saturday, but the Flames aren’t exactly a good benchmark for success right now after their loss to an AHL team the next day. Is this a cold stretch or are the Flyers finally starting to become the team we thought they’d be? Only time will tell.

16. Nashville Predators

Record: 22-17-1, +1
Last Week: 16th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Mike: The Preds are a funny team. Juuse Saros has not looked at all like himself for large swaths of this season — it’s very unlike him to have a .901 save percentage — but Filip Forsberg is on pace for 40+ goals and Ryan O’Reilly is having a resurgent year. I still don’t quite buy this team as a playoff contender but they’ve proven to be surprisingly resilient to this point.

17. Seattle Kraken

Record: 16-14-9, -9
Last Week: 21st (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: So not much has really changed since we last checked in with the Kraken. Thanks to a short week for them and us releasing last week’s list a day later than usual, Seattle has only played one game, a solid 4-1 win over the Sens. So they’re still hot, it’s just now a 10-game point streak instead of nine.

18. New York Islanders

Record: 18-11-10, -9
Last Week: 20th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Mike: The Islanders looked like world-beaters in their game against the Coyotes on Thursday, but they followed it up with a pretty big letdown in Vegas two days later. Anders Lee is really beginning to draw the ire of certain Islanders fans for his lack of production this season — he has just 17 points in 39 games — and the team’s depth has been exposed to a pretty significant degree. Noah Dobson is having a pretty amazing year, though.

Scott: At least Lee has a very reasonable and easily-tradable $7 million AAV with two years left after this one. Lou’s always two steps ahead!

19. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 19-17-5, -9
Last Week: 17th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Scott: It’s so weird seeing the Lightning struggle to succeed like this (with a healthy team). Their only wins in their last six games have come against a weaker team in the Habs and an injury-riddled Wild team, and while they’re only a point behind the Devils for the final Wildcard spot, three teams sit in front of them and the Penguins are just one point behind them. The good news is that they may get cap relief next season when they LTIR Nikia Kucherov for the whole season due to the back problems he’ll inevitably have after carrying them this year.

20. Washington Capitals

Record: 19-13-6, -23
Last Week: 18th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Mike: The Caps have three players with more than 20 points this season. Darcy Kuemper has an .893 save percentage, Alex Ovechkin has eight goals, and their goal differential is terrible. And yet, the team remains right there on the periphery of the Eastern Conference Wildcard race. They’re two points out of a spot. How is that even possible?

21. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 20-16-4, +8
Last Week: 24th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Scott: I literally watched the Wings win over the Ducks on Sunday, and I didn’t even notice that the Wings have won three in a row (although to be fair, I was a bit distracted frustratingly watching the Miami Dolphins blow the AFC East to the Buffalo Bills). It goes to show how many teams in the East are in the murky middle right now, because even that recent success hasn’t really changed their standing in the playoff race at the moment.

22. Minnesota Wild

Record: 17-17-4, -7
Last Week: 22nd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Mike: I’m debating adapting my “It’s the Islanders, who cares?” bit to fit the Wild. Their injury list is just nuts. Their roster, as it currently stands, is barren. Matt Boldy is their biggest scoring threat right now, and he lived up to that billing with two goals in their win against Columbus on Saturday. But Marc-Andre Fleury stole the show in that game, making a dramatic save in the dying minutes before the Wild tied it and then won in overtime. That ended up being Fleury’s 551st career win, tying him with Patrick Roy for second all-time behind Marty Brodeur.

Scott: It’s going to be very fitting when the #1 and #2 spots in the win stat for goalies, long considered to be irrelevant in the sport, are held by the two goalies who’ve arguably benefitted the most from playing behind really good teams for most of their careers, although at least Brodeur rarely single-handedly cost his team seasons. Credit where it’s due though, Fleury’s longevity will likely never be seen in the crease again.

23. St. Louis Blues

Record: 20-17-1, -11
Last Week: 23rd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Scott: I continue to be shocked that this Blues team has stuck around in the playoff race this long. Not only that, but they’ve won five of their last seven games, and against some good teams like the Canes, Canucks, Stars and Panthers? Baffling, absolutely baffling. The trio of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou are carrying this group like it’s nothing.

24. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 19-17-2, 0
Last Week: 15th (-9)
Mike’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Mike: Back to reality. The Coyotes have lost three in a row by wide margins, putting their already tenuous connection to the playoff picture in serious jeopardy. This team lacks the defensive structure to be a legitimate threat to win a round just yet, even if their goaltending tandem still ranks among the league’s best. The Yotes will get out of this slump but they have a lot of growing yet to do.

25. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 17-19-4, -14
Last Week: 26th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: The Sabres have quietly won three of their last four games, although I think the reason why this streak has been so quiet is because the best team they’ve faced in these four games was the Penguins. Casey Mittelstadt appears to be this year’s edition of “Sabres player that looked like a bad prospect who has suddenly become legit,” so I’m sure this will help their usual summer hype if they don’t make something of this year.

26. Calgary Flames

Record: 17-18-5, -10
Last Week: 25th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Mike: Imagine losing to the Chicago Blackhawks without Connor Bedard (and Nick Foligno, and Taylor Hall, and Seth Jones, and … well, you know). These Flames are nowhere near where they need to be to justify re-signing their pending UFAs, or even keeping some of their other veterans. They’re really bad.

27. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 17-17-5, -26
Last Week: 27th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Scott: It continues to surprise me that the Habs aren’t lower in the standings than they actually are. They’re still not doing great, but they’re also only five points out of a playoff spot. I guess they won two of their three games last week, and it was against the Stars and Rangers, so little stretches like this have kept them around for now.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 13-19-9, -24
Last Week: 29th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Mike: Cole Sillinger must’ve been feeling greedy on Saturday when he scored all three of the Blue Jackets’ goals in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild. The young forward only had four goals all year entering that particular contest. But, of course, it’s Columbus, so they still lost. Boone Jenner and his 18 points make a perfect All-Star Game representative for this team.

Scott: I’m very tempted to PayPal someone in Calgary to throw rotten fruit at you for that Tate McRae pun there. Can’t believe you’d do a fellow Calgarian so dirty, Mike.

29. Ottawa Senators

Record: 14-21-0, -9
Last Week: 28th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: I’m still waiting, Ottawa. I’m waiting for this team to pull itself out of the basement. They’re still well behind in games played, but they’ve reached the point where even if they go .500 in their six games in hand on the Blue Jackets, they won’t even pass them in the standings. And they’ve lost four of their last five games. It’s quite possible that the Sens may not be a playoff team this year.

Mike: The Sens are the only team in the league still without a single OT or shootout loss this year. They’ve won two games in overtime and once in a shootout. So, there!

30. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 13-25-1, -33
Last Week: 30th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Mike: The Ducks’ All-Star representative is Frankie Vatrano, which is both understandable and very telling about the seasons that some of their presumptive top players have had. Yes, Vatrano already has 18 goals, but what in the world is going on with Trevor Zegras and his seven points? The good omen: Zegras had two goals against the Red Wings on Sunday. But that says nothing of Troy Terry, who has already had a 17-game goalless streak this year and is barely on pace for 50 points.

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 12-26-2, -57
Last Week: 31st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: I’m assuming Mike has the Blackhawks in last because they’re icing a virtual AHL team, and while I understand the logic there, he’s punishing them for something out of their control. The Sharks are relatively healthy and the Blackhawks are doing better than them. It’s not historically bad for the Sharks, but it’s impressive. I am genuinely excited to see who the Blackhawks trot out at the All-Star Game in Toronto if Connor Bedard isn’t healthy then. Philipp Kurashev? Jason Dickinson? They might single-handedly cause the NHL to rethink their “every team gets represented” rule.

Mike: I would like to see Nikita Zaitsev.

Scott: And then Lou sees he made the All-Star game and signs him to another seven-year contract with a $4.5 million AVV in free agency!

32. San Jose Sharks

Record: 9-28-3, -84
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Mike: The Sharks are very much back to their old ways. They have yet to win a game in 2024 and their top-scoring defenseman has 12 points. Anthony Duclair, Mikael Granlund, Jan Rutta, and MacKenzie Blackwood might have some trade value, but the only significant future core piece currently making a difference on this roster is William Eklund, who has a respectable 17 points in 39 games.

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