With the NHL Christmas break recently coming to a close this is a great time to give my 2nd power rankings of the year where I will be ranking the top 8 teams this season. Like always a little bit of recency bias and future expectations will play a role in my decisions. My four honorable mentions are the Minnesota Wild, LA Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Dallas Stars. While I have these four just missing the cut I have to acknowledge the fact that you can make a good augment for each to be a top 8 team in the league. 

  8: Colorado Avalanche (Previously NR (Not Ranked)) 

Coming in at 8 I have the Colorado Avalanche. It is now abundantly clear that their bad start to the season was due to being decimated with injuries and a poor goalie tandem. Now that most of their guys are back and they have a completely new goalie tandem it is hard to see the Avalanche not doing damage in the playoffs. In their last 10 games they are 8-2 and I can see this continuing. Their depth might be a little bit weak but their star power more than makes up for it. If they can keep getting good goaltending, maybe add a solid forward or defenseman before the trade deadline, and have their key players stay healthy the Avalanche will be a contender to win the cup this spring.

  7: Washington Capitals (Previously Ranked 7)

In my last rankings I mentioned not thinking the Capitals success is sustainable but if they prove me wrong, they will continue to climb the ranks. While they are still at 7 they have proved me wrong with the success they have had since my last ranking now being 4th place in the NHL. While I still have my concerns with them, their on-ice play especially when Alex Ovechkin missed time with injury is very impressive and they have earned the 7 ranking. With the team recently adding Alex Ovechkin back to a team that has played well everything seems to be looking good for the Caps. My only concern with them is that quite a few of their players including Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, Tom Wilson, and Dylan Strome are on pace to have the best season of their career. They also have had guys playing well that have had inconsistent careers or are coming off of an underwhelming season including Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, and even Alex Ovechkin who had a career low point per game and goal per game rate last season. If a bunch of those guys go cold the Capitals can struggle, especially in this league where there is such a fine line between winning and losing games. That being said we are months into the season and the Caps success is no longer a small sample size. The Capitals have a great goalie tandem, play a good defensive system and have been scoring a lot more this season and that is why they are 4th place in the NHL and 7th in my rankings.

  6-Edmonton Oilers (Previously NR)

The Edmonton Oilers can be an extremely frustrating team sometimes. They go through hot and cold stretches, they have gotten off to awful starts the last couple of seasons which might cost them the division title again. That being said they have an extremely talented team and if they add a right shot defenseman or a middle-six forward I can definitely see a world where they are back in the Stanley Cup Finals again. I am a little concerned about their goaltending. While Stuart Skinner stepped up for them last playoffs, he is very streaky. While he might very well find his game and get hot in the playoffs this season just like he did last season I think the Oilers might want to find another serviceable goalie just in case he doesn’t. The Oilers are currently 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and have been doing very well since their bad start to the season, and it is very hard to bet against a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

 5: Florida Panthers (Previously Ranked 1)

The Florida Panthers have been very solid again throughout this season. While all the teams ahead of them except the Toronto Maple Leafs (tied with them) have more points than they do ever since hiring Paul Maurice the Panthers have stepped their play up in the playoffs because of how well their style translates to playoff hockey. They know exactly what it takes to win games when it matters most and because of that I have the most amount of confidence in them to win games come the playoffs. While they might miss some of the players they had from last year’s run, their core is still good enough to get the job done.

 4: Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously Ranked 11)

For the first time in years, I can see the Maple Leafs doing some damage in the playoffs because of their off season moves hiring Craig Berube as their head coach and tightening up their defense/goaltending. The Maple Leafs have an impressive record of 22-13-2 despite Auston Matthews missing 13 games and not playing up to his standards when healthy. When he gets completely healthy the Maple Leafs should be even more dangerous than they are now. While they can still use another top 6 forward I really believe this Maple Leafs team is different from the teams they have had in the past.

 3: Winnipeg Jets (Previously Ranked 2)

While I still question the Jets ability to win games come the playoffs because of their lack of postseason success in recent seasons it is impossible to not have the Jets ranked so high when talking about the best teams in the NHL. The Jets have been so good all season long. My only problem I have with the Jets is can their game finally translate to playoff success. If I was confident, it would, I would definitely have them ranked second and maybe even first.

2: New Jersey Devils (Previously Ranked 12)

The New Jersey Devils are amongst the top teams in the NHL this season and when looking at their roster it is easy to see why as they lack weaknesses. They have one of the best if not the best defense in the league, they finally have solid and reliable goaltending, they have an elite core and are more physical than they have been in years. Staying healthy has been a problem for the Devils in the last couple of seasons but if they can stay healthy this season, I can see them contending.                     

1: Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are just two years removed from their Stanley Cup winning season and find themselves in first place in the NHL. The Golden Knights continue to be a top team in the league and their core has already proven they can get the job done in the playoffs. The defense is very solid, and I can definitely see them making it to the cup finals yet again.