With it being a month since the NHL regular season has started this is definitely a good time to talk about the top 12 teams in the league. It is a small sample size as no teams have played over 15 games, but it is still worth talking about. Here are my power rankings:

 

                                         

 

12. New Jersey Devils

 

The Devils had a busy off season where they added elite goalie Jacob Markstrom, solid depth players including Stefan Noesen, Tomas Tatar, Paul Cotter, Brett Pesce, and Brendon Dillon, and former Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe. The Devils have followed up the hype with a pretty decent start to the season. While they have had some growing pains, this should not be surprising considering they have made a good number of changes to their roster from last season, hired a new Head Coach, and have had multiple injuries to key players including Luke Hughes, and Brett Pesce. The Devils have played the most games in the NHL which a lot of people view as a negative because they will have less opportunities to get points moving forwards. I think this can be a positive because their games will be more spaced out and they will have more rest between games down the stretch. The reason I do not have them higher is because their schedule has been a bit milder than some of the other teams ahead of them.

 

11.   Toronto Maple Leafs

 

 The Maple Leafs received a lot of criticism from fans for not showing much interest in trading Mitch Marner over the off-season. Although he scores a lot of points the star winger struggled to produce last post-season and was a little bit of a perimeter player. This cost the Maple Leafs as they lost to the Bruins in game 7 of the first round. This was their 7th first round exit in their last 8 seasons. Throughout these past 8 years the Maple Leafs have had the same core of Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly. With their lack of post season success, a change to the core almost felt certain. Marner felt like the odd man out with his recent postseason struggles, and his contract expiring after this season with a big pay day in store for the talented winger because of his high-end skill. Instead of making a big move they added to their defense with acquisitions like Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa. They also hired Craig Berube as their new head coach to adapt a grittier style of play which can likely translate to the postseason better. Even though the Maple Leafs have the worst record of the teams on this list with their 7-5-2 start and they have had a difficult schedule and have beaten multiple good teams. They are also the lowest of the teams in my top 12 for GPG. Once they get used to Berube’s playing system, and the schedule eases up a bit I am confident they will score more because of the highly skilled core.

 

10. Dallas Stars

 

Coming into this year the Stars have had very high expectations if not the highest. They have made the semifinals the past two seasons. Their roster holds multiple elite players including Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, And Miro Heiskanen, with good depth throughout their lineup. They have a good mix of veteran leaders and talented young players and behind them they have Jake Oettinger who has been solid ever since breaking into the league in the 2020-21 season. Although their 7-4 record is solid when you look at the teams they have played it is a little underwhelming, none of the teams the Stars have beaten are currently over .500. While they are 16th in the league in goals per game (GPG) which is fine I think their high quality of roster players holds a higher standard. Even though a lot of what I have written about them has been criticized, their record is still very solid, and I am confident they will be fine which is why I still have them at 10 but I think they are capable of better.

 

9. Vancouver Canucks

 

Following the Canucks breakout 2023-24 season expectations were high. With their 6-2-3 start there is definitely a good amount to like but also a couple of concerns. New goalie acquisition Kevin Lankinen has thrived since playing his first game with the team on 10/22 and is still yet to lose in regulation through his 5 appearances with Vancouver. With star goalie Thatcher Demko being sidelined for the foreseeable future with a knee injury Lankinen was a very important addition by team General Manager (GM) Patrik Allvin. This is also a testament on how good their team defense has been to start out the year. Although I think there is a lot to like about the Canucks game I do have some criticism. For starters their schedule has been one of the easier on this list and the Florida Panthers are the only above .500 team they have beaten so far this year. I am not that concerned about this because they have come close a couple of times with Overtime (OT) losses to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Calgary Flames. I think their biggest concern is Elias Pettersson who got an extension towards the end of last season to become the team’s highest paid player with an $11.60 Million average annual value (AAV) and will be under contract through the 2031-32 season. Pettersson followed this up with an underwhelming postseason where he scored just 6 points in 13 games and so far this season has 5 points in 11 games. While it is obvious the talent is there as he has proven he can be a 100+ point scorer, it is not translating. With how big a part of this team he has been it is hard to envision the Canucks winning the Stanley Cup unless he turns this around.

 

8.     New York Rangers

 

Considering the Rangers won the presidents trophy and made it to the semifinals last season calling them a contender feels like an understatement. They have got off to an impressive 8-2-1 start, and I would have them higher, but their schedule has been an easier one and the only over .500 team they have beaten are the Maple Leafs. It is also worth mentioning they are top 5 in GPG and fewest goals against per game (GAPG) and how good Igor Shesterkin has been to start out the season.

 

7. Washington Capitals

 

With the Washington Capitals poor 2022-23 season and them barely making the playoffs with 91 points it was not that hard to see the Capitals missing the playoffs this season even with their solid off-season. Despite this they have gotten off to a 9-3 start. In my opinion their success has been the most surprising out of all the teams on this list. Head Coach Spencer Carbery has been a great fit with the team ever since being hired prior to the 2023-24 season. It is even more impressive when you factor in how half of their wins were against teams on this list. Last season Dylan Strome led the team with 67 points and so far this year they have six players who are on pace to break it. While it is a small sample size and it is hard to see them sustaining it, it is still very impressive. I would have them higher, but I do not think it is as likely that they are going to keep this up, but if I am wrong, they are going to climb up these rankings very quickly.

 

6. LA Kings

 

Like the Capitals I am a little surprised by the Kings early success to their season. I had some concerns about their lack of forward/defenseman depth and their goaltending coming into this season. Last season Cam Talbot put up solid numbers in net. After he signed with the Detroit Red Wings this past free agency the Kings acquired Darcy Kuemper who had trouble staying healthy last season and was not great when he was. Kuemper is not so young as he turns 35 in May. Despite Kuemper again struggling to stay healthy and having below average statistics when in net the team has overcome this with a very solid 8-3-3 record. They have even overcome star defenseman Drew Doughty fracturing his ankle. In my opinion they have a better chance to maintain this than the Capitals do. While I still think goaltending, depth and Doughty’s long-term injury are concerns I think 6 is very reasonable for the Kings. 

 

5. Vegas Golden Knights

 

The Golden Knights are off to a solid 9-3-1 start, and can anyone really say they are surprised? This Golden Knights team is just two years removed from winning their first Stanley Cup, and still have a solid roster. With the Golden Knights past success, it is not hard at all to see them keeping it up. Adin Hill has not been good to start the year, but Ilya Samsonov has put up serviceable statistics so far and they have Akira Schmid in the AHL who has had some good stretches at the NHL level. While they lack an elite number one Goalie, I believe their tandem is good enough to get the job done. 

 

4. Minnesota Wild

 

Last season did not go the Wild’s way. They had multiple key injuries throughout the year which did not help the cause. However, it is safe to say that they bounced back with a 8-2-2 start. As long as they can stay healthy this year, I can see them doing well and Kirill Kaprizov becomes a hart trophy candidate.

 

3. Carolina Hurricanes

 

With the Hurricanes losing multiple good players in the off-season there was some doubt on how they would do this year. However with multiple players, specifically Martin Necas stepping up they are right back amongst the top teams in the league with their 9-2 record. It is also worth mentioning that they are top five in the NHL in GPG and GAPG and have beaten multiple other teams on this list.

 

2.Winnipeg Jets

 

The Jets are arguably the hottest team in the NHL, having won 12 of their first 13 games, and are currently first place in the NHL. Coming into the season there was some negativity around the team with former team Head Coach Rick Bowness retiring and their disappointing first round exit to the Colorado Avalanche where they lost 4 straight after winning game 1 and surrendered at least 5 goals in each game. It is very hard to come up with any negatives about the team right now. They are first in GPG, 2nd in GAPF, and have done this with their new Head Coach Scott Arniel who has not been a head coach in the NHL for over a decade. Last season Mark Scheifele led the Jets with 72 points and this year they have 6 players on pace to top that. While it is early and all 6 probably won’t keep up their pace, it is an impressive start, nonetheless.

 

1 Florida Panthers

 

Last spring the Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup, and they do not seem to be slowing down at all, despite losing several key players on their Stanley Cup roster in free agency and their captain Alexsander Barkov missing a good chunk of the season so far with a lower-body injury. Although the Jets are off to a little better of a start than the 9-3-1 Panthers, I think the Panthers are a little bit more likely to keep it up with their recent track record.