March 7, 2023
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — The NHL Trade Deadline is now behind us, so hopefully everyone has been able to catch up on their sleep and restock their bar.

For some fans, this was a tough year (see: Chicago). For others, the excitement of making additions to a team that appears ready to do something special have only enhanced the passion.

Connor Bedard might still be the prize the bottom half of the standings are chasing with as much fervor as the top half are working to win the Stanley Cup, but the next six weeks will give us plenty to talk about.

Here are our first post-trade deadline Power Rankings. As always, feel free to chirp us with what’s right and where we’re terribly, horribly wrong.

32. Columbus Blue Jackets

Congrats to Columbus, who now have a three-point cushion on the rest of the league for the best lottery odds. That wasn’t their goal when the season started, but here we are.

31. San Jose Sharks

With a 2-7-1 record in their last 10, the Sharks have sprinted to the bottom three in the league in point percentage. Their 6-18-8 home record is astoundingly bad.

30. Chicago Blackhawks

Though they’re over .500 in their last ten and blew out the Sens on Monday night, Chicago still owns a minus-67 goal differential (third-worst in the league) and they’re one of three teams still seeking a tenth win on the road (9-18-2).

29. Anaheim Ducks

Owners of the game’s worst goal differential (minus-96), the Ducks are 4-4-2 in their last 10 and are in the mix for the worst record in the NHL.

28. Detroit Red Wings

Remember when they were seemingly on the cusp of a playoff berth this season? The Wings have lost their last six, suddenly have a minus-20 goal differential and were firm sellers at the trade deadline.

27. Arizona Coyotes

The Yotes have lost their last three and have the worst road record in the NHL (7-21-7). But hey, at least they were able to swap one Ritchie brother for another at the deadline, right?

26. Montreal Canadiens

Losers of their last three and now owners of a minus-52 goal differential, the Habs have had injuries hit them in some of the worst places at the most inopportune times. They have some pieces to build around – if they’re healthy.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

With a 2-6-2 record in their last 10, the Flyers get a wounded Tampa team on Tuesday night. Good luck with that! The Flyers were quiet – too quiet – at the deadline. What will the future hold for a team that underwhelmed this season and has lots of contract questions to answer?

24. St. Louis Blues

Like Detroit, the Blues had a few moments of potential playoff positioning earlier this season. But when it became apparent the postseason wasn’t in the cards, the Blues sold… and then added some intriguing players before the deadline. They aren’t good, but their future is at least fascinating.

23. Washington Capitals

At just 3-7-0 in their last 10, the Caps are sprinting the wrong direction if they want to make the playoffs. They’re still over .500 on the road and at home and have a plus-5 goal differential this season but their recent stretch has pushed them almost totally out of the playoff conversation.

22. Vancouver Canucks

Winners of their last two, the Canucks were able to move out some of their players before the trade deadline as they look to create a new vision for their roster around their young stars. We’ll see how many more veterans that vision doesn’t include this summer.

21. Calgary Flames

If you want to make the playoffs, you can’t roll off a 3-5-2 stretch of games this time of year. The Flames have a 13-10-10 record on the road, which is absolutely wild; they have by far the most overtime losses on the road in the league and their 13 OT losses are tied with Dallas for the most in the league.

20. Winnipeg Jets

The Central Division was begging them to grab the top spot and fly away. They haven’t. Winnipeg is 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and have slid into the wild card conversation.

19. Tampa Bay Lightning

Yes, they’ve lost their last five. But the way they lost their last two is the problem. When your top line gets benched for the entire third period and then the entire team registers four shots on net in 40 minutes… not good.

18. Buffalo Sabres

Winners of six in their last ten, the Sabres are hanging around the playoff conversation largely because they're 19-9-2 on the road this season.

17. Florida Panthers

They’re 5-5-0 in their last 10, which perfectly sums up why the Panthers are looking up at so much hill to climb to make it back into the playoffs after having the league’s best record last year.

16. Ottawa Senators

Despite their Monday night loss in Chicago, the Sens have been hot of late. The Blackhawks ended their five-game win streak, making them a team that has an actual playoff push possible.

15. Nashville Predators

The Preds sold at the deadline, but they’re remained competitive. They’re over .500 on home ice and 6-3-1 in their last 10 games despite losing some important players.

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens just keep floating around .500 this season and hope that somehow is good enough to get into the playoffs. It might be – for one round. This team has its flaws and will need their deadline additions to integrate quickly to help improve their outlook.

13. New York Islanders

The Isles have a better goal differential (+11) than Pittsburgh (+2) and have points in eight of their last ten games, but they hold only a one-point lead in the standings and the Pens have three games in-hand.

12. Edmonton Oilers

How the heck did an Oilers-Sabres game not hit the over? Anyways, Connor McDavid is the best player on the planet and yet the Oilers are just 5-3-2 in their last 10. Same story as always in Edmonton.

11. Dallas Stars

At 4-3-3 in their last 10 games, the Stars continue to allow the rest of the Central Division to get away with mediocre play for weeks at a time with the top seed still seemingly available. Max Domi was a terrific add at the deadline, though.

10. New York Rangers

Losers of two in a row and just 4-5-1 in their last 10, the immediate returns from the Patrick Kane trade have not been what fans expected at MSG. Still, their roster looks like one that could do real damage in the playoffs.

9. Colorado Avalanche

Losers of three straight, the Avs are still 6-2-2 in their last 10 and have three games in-hand on Winnipeg, two on Minnesota and three on Dallas. They’re also 18-11-1 on the road this season, which is very impressive.

8. Seattle Kraken

They were fairly quiet before the trade deadline but the roster they’re dancing with has won its last four games. They’re up to a plus-20 goal differential and have a 21-9-3 record on the road.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are only 15-11-4 on the road and have a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. The loss of Ryan O’Reilly to a broken finger could give them some opportunity to explore their forward depth in the coming weeks.

6. Minnesota Wild

The Wild are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and are now three points back of Dallas for the top spot in the Central. With a 21-10-2 home record, the State of Hockey has lived up to its billing this year.

5. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings and Knights are tied with 82 points, but Vegas has two games in-hand and a significantly better goal differential. The Kings have won their last four, though.

4. Vegas Golden Knights

Winners of their last three games and with just one regulation loss in their last ten starts, the addition of Jonathan Quick adds some heat to a potential rivalry with LA.

3. New Jersey Devils

They were a wagon before they added Timo Meier to a young, fast lineup. Owners of a plus-53 goal differential, the Devils are a ridiculous 23-4-4 on the road this year.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes have done just about anything/everything to be worthy of the top spot in our power rankings. I guess they’re just going to be the Adam Fantilli of this season’s rankings because the top spot appears to be locked down.

1. Boston Bruins

The Bruins have a plus-105 goal differential. They’re the first time to reach 100 points (Carolina is second at 90). They’re 23-6-2 on the road and 26-2-3 at home. And they’ve won their last 10 in a row. Good luck getting out of the Eastern Conference this year.