February 21, 2023
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — By this time in two weeks, we’ll be in March and the trade deadline will be in the past. We’ll know who went for it, which front offices bought into their group and which GMs are going to have some explaining to do.

The playoff races are all up for grabs still, so the next 10 days could be thrilling for fans... of buying teams.

At the bottom of our Power Rankings, the big name players who might be moved will continue to overshadow the play on the ice. And Patrick Kane is at the top of the list of big-time players who might make an impact on the postseason somewhere else.

Let’s jump into this week’s rankings. Please feel free to let us know who your favorite team should add or subtract before the deadline!

32. Anaheim Ducks

You lose five in a row and already sit tied for the bottom with 41 points, you get to lead off our Power Rankings.

31. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets’ own the second-worst goal differential (minus-66) in the league and are just 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.

30. Chicago Blackhawks

They’ve won their last two before Vegas visits the United Center on Tuesday night, but the Hawks are tied for the fewest points in the league before the trades begin. And those are coming.

29. St. Louis Blues

Remove Tarasenko and O’Reilly and you get a team that’s 3-7-0 in their last 10 and are sliding in the wrong direction. They might have a few more pieces leave before the deadline, but have added a lot of draft capital.

28. San Jose Sharks

They’re 4-4-2 in their last 10 but the major moves haven’t started them yet, either. The Sharks have only won six of 27 home games this season.

27. Philadelphia Flyers

Philly also hasn’t started selling yet and they’re 3-4-3 in their last 10 games. The Flyers have points in 19 of 30 road games, though (12-11-7).

26. Vancouver Canucks

The coaching change did… nothing. The Canucks are 11-15-1 at home and 11-15-3 on the road. At least they’re consistent?

25. Montreal Canadiens

Injuries have taken their toll on what started as a promising season, and the Habs are now in the group of nine teams with a sub-.500 point percentage. They have a minus-54 goal differential, which is a problem.

24. Washington Capitals

They were sliding before Alex Ovechkin left the lineup because of his father’s passing. The Caps are just 3-7-0 in their last 10 and now have a lot of work to do for a wild card berth.

23. Pittsburgh Penguins

Losers of their last three games entering Tuesday, the Pens are just 4-5-1 in their last 10 and are also in a fight for a wild card spot. This certainly wasn’t how they envisioned the season when they kept their veteran core together.

22. Arizona Coyotes

I’m going to give Arizona some love this week. They have points in nine of their last 10 games (5-1-4) and are 13-8-2 on their home ice this season. If we ignore their road struggles, there are some signs of improvement in the desert.

21. Calgary Flames

At just 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, the Flames are leaving the door wide open in the Pacific (and the Western Conference wild card race). And there appear to be issues off the ice to deal with to help the on-ice product.

20. Ottawa Senators

Even with a home loss to the Blackhawks over the weekend, the Sens are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and have improved to just a minus-seven goal differential on the year.

19. Nashville Predators

At 5-5-0 in their last 10, the Preds are in a tough spot. Can they add something to make a playoff chase or is it time to finally sell and look at the long-term future?

18. Edmonton Oilers

I’m sorry, Edmonton, but when you’re 4-1-5 in your last 10 you slide in our Power Rankings. They need to buy at the deadline to fix a number of issues. They need to end their four-game losing streak first.

17. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have been a roller coaster ride this season. And, right now, they’re on an upswing with six wins in their last ten. They’re an impressive 17-8-2 on the road.

16. Dallas Stars

If I’m going to slide the Oilers for a tough stretch, I have to bump the Stars down the list as well. They’ve lost four straight and they’re 3-2-5 in their last 10 games. But Patrick Kane will be in their building on Wednesday night. Maybe to stay?

15. Detroit Red Wings

The Wings have won seven of their last ten and are just interesting enough to make us wonder if Steve Yzerman will shock us at the deadline.

14. Minnesota Wild

The Wild have a plus-six goal differential and are just 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. Their division has been begging for someone to run away but nobody seems to want to take control of the playoff race.

13. New York Islanders

They’re 6-2-2 in their last 10 but now we have to wait and see what their offense will look like without Mat Barzal, who’s out indefinitely. Will they add again to make a playoff push?

12. Seattle Kraken

At only 4-5-1 in their last 10 games the Kraken have allowed LA and Vegas to jump ahead of them in the Pacific. Their plus-19 goal differential is better at least on paper than LA’s mark.

11. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have rolled off four straight and are 7-2-1 in their last 10. And their goal differential is finally on the right side of break-even at plus-three.

10. Colorado Avalanche

Winners of three straight and six of their last ten, the Avs have been fighting against injuries all year. And Cale Makar going into concussion protocol this week doesn’t help anything.

9. Winnipeg Jets

At .500 over their last ten games, the Jets are an impressive 20-8-0 at home this season and might be willing to swing big at the deadline to make this a memorable season.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

Winners of a league-best five straight heading into a Tuesday night game in Chicago, the Knights have climbed back to the top of the Pacific.

7. Florida Panthers

Call this my ridiculous climber of the week, but I’m feeling the Panthers right now. At 6-4-0 in their last 10, maybe it’s time for last year’s Presidents Trophy winners to round the corner we’ve been waiting on all year.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning

At 21-4-2 at home, the Bolts just keep quietly hanging around the top of their division and are once again able to comfortably address their needs at the deadline. But Chicago owns their first and second-round picks for the next two years, so we’ll see what assets they have left to move.

5. New Jersey Devils

The Devils come in at five because the next two teams on our list have made big additions already; it’s time for Jersey to respond. And adding Luke Hughes whenever Michigan’s season ends isn’t enough right now.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

We’ll excuse the loss in Chicago on Sunday evening because Kane had a throwback night in front of a packed house. The additions of O’Reilly and Acciari are both terrific pieces down the middle for a team that needed those pieces.

3. New York Rangers

They’re 17-5-5 on the road this season and added the top-line RW they needed to bulk up their offense. If we’re betting on goaltending, I like them more than Toronto this year.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

At 9-1-0 in their last 10 and with the cap space to make this thing really interesting at the deadline, Carolina might use the momentum from their terrific outdoor event to make a deep run into the postseason.

1. Boston Bruins

They’ve won their last four to improve to 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. The Bruins still have a nine-point lead on Carolina for the best record in the league and still have only two regulation losses in 29 home starts this season. Oh, and their goal differential of plus-92 remains double the second-best in the league.