NHL Power Rankings: Each team's biggest cause for concern
This is the second in-season edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2023-24 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every other Monday.
In this edition, we look at the biggest cause for concern for each team thus far in the early part of the season.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (11-1-1)Previous rank: 1
Health on defense. The Golden Knights have played a lot of hockey over the past year, and it's starting to show on the backend. Alex Pietrangelo, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud have all missed time in the early going. On the ice, there's not much to be worried about in Vegas.
2. Boston Bruins (9-1-1)Previous rank: 4
Another first-round exit. Its most recent regulation loss aside, Boston is off to an astounding start for the second season in a row. However, the 2022-23 Bruins had their dreams of a fairytale ending dashed by the Florida Panthers in the postseason. Beantown will be hoping for a better fate this spring.
3. Dallas Stars (7-2-1)Previous rank: 3
Jason Robertson's scoring touch. The Stars are absolutely rolling early on, but their strongest offensive threat has only managed two goals through 10 games after back-to-back 40-goal campaigns. His shots per game are also down to 2.5 from 3.8 last season.
4. New York Rangers (8-2-1)Previous rank: 8
Adam Fox's health. The Rangers, who currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division, are a fantastic team with incredible talent at all three position groups. Keeping that No. 1 spot will be difficult, though, with top rearguard Fox expected to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury.
5. Los Angeles Kings (7-2-2)
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 14
Their home record. This is nitpicking from a near-perfect start from the new-look Kings, but it's odd that Los Angeles is 1-2-2 on home ice this season.
6. Vancouver Canucks (8-2-1)Previous rank: 12
When does the luck run out? The Canucks lead the NHL in five-on-five shooting percentage and are second in save percentage. That combines for a sky-high 108.7 PDO that'll come back down to earth before long.
7. Colorado Avalanche (7-3-0)Previous rank: 2
Gabriel Landeskog's future. The Avalanche expressed cautious optimism that their captain might be ready for the 2024 playoffs, but general manager Chris MacFarland recently told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that the team is prioritizing Landeskog's long-term outlook. After undergoing a knee cartilage transplant, a setback could be detrimental to Landeskog's career.
8. New Jersey Devils (7-3-1)Previous rank: 7
Life without Jack Hughes. Hughes has been must-see television with 20 points in only 10 games. After a scary fall into the boards Friday, the superstar will be shelved week-to-week. New Jersey's up-tempo brand of hockey may be difficult to maintain with one of the sport's most electrifying players missing.
9. Carolina Hurricanes (7-5-0)Previous rank: 6
The trio of goaltenders. The Hurricanes looked set in the net coming into the season. Surely one of Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, or Pyotr Kochetkov would take the reigns and have a big season, right? Carolina's survived despite all three having sub-.900 save percentages in the early going but will need one to break through sometime soon.
10. Detroit Red Wings (7-4-1)
Mike Carlson / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 5
Ville Husso. He's being paid $4.75 million to be Detroit's starter but has been outplayed considerably by veteran backup James Reimer so far this season. In eight appearances, Husso owns a .896 save percentage and 3.37 goals against average.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (5-3-3)Previous rank: 13
Victor Hedman's defense. For the Lightning, the hope was that Hedman's rough defensive results a season ago were a single-year aberration. That doesn't appear to be the case in the early going. After -8.0 expected even-strength defensive goals above replacement last season, Hedman's -1.5 xEVD GAR puts him on pace for a career-low -11.2 in the statistic.
12. New York Islanders (5-2-3)Previous rank: 10
Anders Lee. The Isles captain is logging top-line minutes but has only mustered a single goal and assist through 10 games. New York better hope it's not a sign of what's to come for the 33-year-old, who's signed through 2026 at $7 million per season.
13. Winnipeg Jets (5-4-2)Previous rank: 23
Special teams. The Jets have looked good at five-on-five through 11 games but have major problems elsewhere. They own a paltry 14.3% power-play conversion rate (22nd) while operating at 69.2% on the penalty kill (29th).
14. Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-2)Previous rank: 9
Brad Treliving's newest additions. Boy, none of the new Maple Leafs GM's offseason moves have panned out. Tyler Bertuzzi has been demoted to the fourth line at times, Max Domi has yet to score a goal, John Klingberg has already drawn the ire of the fanbase, and aside from a few fights, Ryan Reaves isn't doing much of anything.
15. Florida Panthers (5-4-1)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 17
Sam Bennett's absence. The Panthers have gotten a mere 7:54 of ice time from the versatile pivot after he was injured in his delayed season debut. Bennett fills a huge role down the middle of the ice for Florida and is a key piece of the identity the club forged last postseason.
16. Buffalo Sabres (6-6-0)Previous rank: 21
Devon Levi may not be ready. The hype around Levi was huge coming into the season, as the Sabres' playoff hopes rested on his shoulders. He's allowed four goals in three out of five starts and has just one game in which he's posted a save percentage above .900. The future is remarkably bright for the 21-year-old, but it may finally be too much, too soon for Levi.
17. Minnesota Wild (4-5-2)Previous rank: 16
Was Filip Gustavsson a flash in the pan? Few goaltenders were as impressive as Gustavsson last season, who broke out with a .931 save percentage with the Wild. That hasn't translated early on this campaign. Gustavsson's .871 save percentage is last among the 25 netminders with at least seven games.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins (4-6-0)Previous rank: 19
Tristan Jarry. New GM Kyle Dubas took a chance on the goaltender by signing him to a five-year, $26.875-million extension in the offseason, but it's not looking like a great bet right now. Jarry is 3-5-0 on the season with a .897 save percentage, and he's allowed minus-1.79 goals above average at all strengths.
19. Anaheim Ducks (7-4-0)Previous rank: 31
No takers for John Gibson. The Ducks have exceeded all expectations so far this campaign, and rookie netminder Lukas Dostal is a massive part of that success. Gibson's future in Anaheim has long been called into question, but what if his hefty contract - four more years with a $6.4-million cap hit - proves too difficult for the Ducks to move?
20. St. Louis Blues (5-4-1)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 22
That power play. The Blues have been abysmal on the man advantage, boasting a league-worst success rate of 3.7% across a league-low 27 opportunities. St. Louis has just one power-play goal to its name (scored by Pavel Buchnevich on Oct. 24), and it's also allowed one shorthanded tally.
21. Philadelphia Flyers (5-6-1)Previous rank: 20
Too good for a top pick, not good enough for the playoffs? The returns of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson have made the Flyers a more formidable team this season. For a Philadelphia squad in the early stages of a proper rebuild, it may put them in the dreaded no man's land of the league standings.
22. Nashville Predators (5-6-0)Previous rank: 24
Five-on-five goals. The Predators are creating quality looks, as evidenced by their 56.57% expected goals rate, but Nashville is struggling to convert. The team ranks 26th league-wide in goals per 60.
23. Arizona Coyotes (5-5-1)Previous rank: 25
Barrett Hayton's production. The 23-year-old seemed poised for a big campaign after registering 43 points in his first full season, but he's been held off the scoresheet entirely in 2023-24 despite anchoring Arizona's top line and holding a spot on the first power-play unit.
24. Montreal Canadiens (5-4-2)Previous rank: 28
The injury bug is back. Man, the Canadiens were decimated by injuries last season, and it doesn't seem like 2023-24 is bringing much relief. Kirby Dach has already been ruled out for the rest of the season, and David Savard isn't expected back until December. That's tough on a young, rebuilding squad.
25. Edmonton Oilers (2-7-1)
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 15
What if the Oilers can't recover? Edmonton hasn't looked like a Stanley Cup contender at all this season. Yes, it's early, but we're almost a month into the campaign now. It's very likely that the Oilers will pull themselves out of this horrendous funk, but what if it's too late by the time they do?
26. Ottawa Senators (4-6-0)Previous rank: 11
The outside noise is too much to overcome. The beginning of the Senators' campaign feels like a soap opera. First, Shane Pinto was suspended 41 games. Then, Ottawa was docked a first-round pick for its role in the botched Evgenii Dadonov trade. Next, GM Pierre Dorion resigned and new owner Michael Andlauer held a fiery press conference about it. That's not a great environment for on-ice success.
27. Seattle Kraken (4-6-2)Previous rank: 27
Matty Beniers' production. The reigning Calder Trophy winner has racked up just four assists through the Kraken's first 12 games of the campaign, and he's also a team-worst minus-13. Seattle is going to need its No. 1 center to return to last season's form in order to climb the Pacific Division standings.
28. Washington Capitals (5-4-1)Previous rank: 29
Nicklas Backstrom might be done. Backstrom's announcement Wednesday that he's stepping away from the team to address injury issues was a gut punch to a struggling Capitals team. After major hip surgery and a rough start this season, it looks increasingly likely that Backstrom could be done for good.
29. Calgary Flames (3-7-1)Previous rank: 18
What if Jonathan Huberdeau is just like this now? With six points through his first 11 games, the 2023-24 version of Huberdeau is looking a lot like the one that underwhelmed during his first season with the Flames. Prior to Game 1, Huberdeau said Flames fans haven't seen the real him yet. For Calgary's sake, we hope that's still true.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (4-7-0)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 30
Taylor Hall's shoulder. The Blackhawks' sole goal this season was to insulate Connor Bedard as best as possible to help him become a superstar. Hall seemed like a perfect fit alongside the top pick, but a shoulder injury has twice forced him out of Chicago's lineup.
31. Columbus Blue Jackets (4-5-2)Previous rank: 26
Johnny Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets' highest-paid player got himself benched during the team's loss to the Capitals on Saturday. He's got just one goal - an empty-netter - and five points in 11 games this season. Columbus will need a lot more out of its $68.25-million man moving forward.
32. San Jose Sharks (0-10-1)Previous rank: 32
What if the Sharks surrender 10 goals again? In our last edition of these rankings, we worried that San Jose may never win a game this season. That holds true, but what if the Sharks give up 10 tallies for the third game in a row Tuesday against the Flyers? A ghastly thought.
(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)
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