NHL Power Rankings: Best addition for each team in 2023-24
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
We’re another week closer to All-Star Weekend — the spiritual, if not mathematical midway point of the season — but our voters caused no change atop the Power Rankings, with the Winnipeg Jets holding down the No. 1 slot again. Of course, there were plenty of changes elsewhere.
Beyond the updated rankings, we’ve identified the best new addition for all 32 teams — be it a player, a coach, or … a draft pick? Read on for our picks for each club.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Jan. 12. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 72.09%
Next seven days: @ OTT (Jan. 20), @ BOS (Jan. 22), @ TOR (Jan. 24)
Gabriel Vilardi. Winnipeg acquired Vilardi as part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade with Los Angeles in June, and the Jets certainly scored a winner (something Vilardi himself has done plenty of this season). Vilardi puts up great numbers, is a net-front menace and adds potency to Winnipeg’s overall attack.
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 71.11%
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Jan. 20), vs. CHI (Jan. 22), vs. STL (Jan. 24)
Teddy Blueger. Vancouver has brought the best out of Blueger. The 29-year-old forward is on pace to smash his previous career highs (nine goals, 28 points) thanks to a fresh start in the Canucks’ dominant offensive scheme. Blueger is the ideal depth signing for a team looking to play long into this coming spring.
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 71.59%
Next seven days: vs. MTL (Jan. 20), vs. WPG (Jan. 22), vs. CAR (Jan. 24), @ OTT (Jan. 25)
James van Riemsdyk. Boston has gotten more than it could have bargained for out of van Riemsdyk. Brought in on an under-the-radar, one-year deal, the veteran winger is top five in scoring for the Bruins, can play anywhere in the lineup and remains, as ever, a verifiable net-front force on the power play. Overall, van Riemsdyk has been the ultimate depth player Boston needs to be at its best.
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 66.30%
Next seven days: @ PHI (Jan. 20), vs. WSH (Jan. 24)
Jonathan Drouin. Colorado essentially took a flyer on Drouin in free agency, and that one-year, $825,000 contract is aging nicely. The Avalanche’s winning culture, and a reunion with former junior hockey teammate Nathan MacKinnon, has helped Drouin settle into a solid season so far. MacKinnon recently stated his belief that Drouin has just scratched the surface of what he can provide for Colorado into the season’s second half.
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 65.91%
Next seven days: vs. MIN (Jan. 19), @ NSH (Jan. 22), vs. ARI (Jan. 24)
Evan Rodrigues. Florida is all sorts of excellent this season, and Rodrigues has played a surprisingly involved role in its success. The veteran signed a four-year deal in the offseason that has translated to top-line minutes alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. There’s no doubt Rodrigues is benefitting from high-caliber linemates, but his stats are no fluke.
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 65.91%
Next seven days: @ LA (Jan. 20), @ ANA (Jan. 21), @ SJ (Jan. 23)
Peter Laviolette. New York believed it needed a new voice behind the bench to take another step forward. Laviolette got the nod — and, so far, the results. The Rangers have generally responded well to Laviolette’s structure (despite a rocky stretch or two), and the longtime head coach’s experience — in knowing when to tweak, or stand pat — has served New York well in a strong performance this season.
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 66.28%
Next seven days: @ NJ (Jan. 20), @ NYI (Jan. 21), @ DET (Jan. 23), vs. ANA (Jan. 25)
Sam Steel. Dallas was smart to sign Steel when Minnesota failed to give him a qualifying offer in June. That one-year, $850,000 contract for Steel has translated into a solid depth forward who can add some punch — sometimes literally — and scoring touch while providing the Stars with bottom-six versatility. All in all, it has been a good marriage thus far.
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 61.63%
Next seven days: vs. DET (Jan. 19), vs. MIN (Jan. 21), @ BOS (Jan. 24), vs. NJ (Jan. 25)
An eight-year extension for Sebastian Aho. Carolina wasn’t about to let its best player hit free agency this coming summer. So, GM Don Waddell took care of business last July and inked Aho to an eight-year, $78 million extension (the largest in franchise history), which already looks like tidy work by the Hurricanes. Aho currently leads the club in goals, assists and points and is exactly the type of dynamic skater to build a franchise around.
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 63.33%
Next seven days: vs. PIT (Jan. 20), @ NJ (Jan. 22), @ NYI (Jan. 23)
2024 third-round pick. Vegas has basically run it back with its Stanley Cup-winning roster. We’ll see how that strategy ultimately plays out for the Golden Knights (and if they’re busy at trade deadline because of it). For now, it’s an asset acquired via another trade — that of Reilly Smith to Pittsburgh in June — that has added the most to Vegas’ coffers by offering them something to deal.
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 61.25%
Next seven days: @ CGY (Jan. 20), vs. CBJ (Jan. 23), vs. CHI (Jan. 25)
Kris Knoblauch. Edmonton’s numbers speak for themselves: The Oilers were 3-9-1 when Jay Woodcraft was fired; they are 21-6-0 since Kris Knoblauch took over. That’s the league’s third-best record overall since Nov. 12, and no doubt Knoblauch has played a key part in righting Edmonton’s ship before it completely capsized.
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P.K. Subban has high praise for McDavid and Crosby
P.K. Subban talks to Pat McAfee about the impressive seasons Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby are having in the NHL.
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 60.47%
Next seven days: @ VAN (Jan. 20), @ SEA (Jan. 21), vs. WPG (Jan. 24)
Martin Jones. Toronto was eyeing organizational goaltending depth when signing veteran Jones to a one-year deal in August. What the Leafs got with their low-key move was a massive depth piece to carry them through a rough stretch of injury (to Joseph Woll) and poor play (by Ilya Samsonov). Jones gives Toronto a chance each night he’s in net, and that’s all it can ask of a third-string savior.
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 61.36%
Next seven days: vs. COL (Jan. 20), vs. OTT (Jan. 21), vs. TB (Jan. 23), @ DET (Jan. 25)
Ryan Poehling. Philadelphia wasn’t going for flash when signing Poehling to a one-year deal in the offseason. What the Flyers got was a forward they could count on, and Poehling has been that throughout the season. He’s a quiet contributor and a valuable depth piece, and most importantly, he loves being in Philadelphia. That’s an energy every team wants for its lineup.
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 59.52%
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Jan. 20), vs. SJ (Jan. 22), vs. BUF (Jan. 24)
Cam Talbot. Los Angeles picked right in tapping Talbot as its latest No. 1 netminder. The 36-year-old is having his best season in years, with consistently strong performances that set the Kings up for a terrific first half. Talbot himself earned an All-Star nod and remains among the league’s top-10 starters in most statistical categories.
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 57.95%
Next seven days: @ CAR (Jan. 19), vs. TB (Jan. 21), vs. DAL (Jan. 23), vs. PHI (Jan. 25)
Alex DeBrincat. Detroit had no doubt that DeBrincat would be a difference-maker when it traded for and signed him last summer. And DeBrincat has not disappointed in the least. He leads the Red Wings in points, is tied for the team lead in goals and helped convince Patrick Kane to join Detroit’s ranks, too. DeBrincat really can do it all for the Red Wings.
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 57.14%
Next seven days: @ VGK (Jan. 20), @ ARI (Jan. 22)
Alex Nedeljkovic. Pittsburgh made splashier offseason moves — we see you, Erik Karlsson — but the one-year, $1.5 million investment in Nedeljkovic was a sound one. He has produced strong numbers in the NHL and gives the Penguins depth at a precarious position. While Nedeljkovic might not be the No. 1 netminder in Pittsburgh, he’s the ultimate insurance policy.
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 55.95%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Jan. 19), vs. DAL (Jan. 20), vs. VGK (Jan. 22), @ CAR (Jan. 25)
Simon Nemec. New Jersey has a burgeoning rookie sensation in Nemec, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft. The 19-year-old blueliner plays with intensity, finesse and no fear of throwing down with league veterans (see: Nemec vs. Brad Marchand). Nemec logs over 20 minutes per game, is smart with the puck and consistently defends well. What more could the Devils want?
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 58.14%
Next seven days: @ STL (Jan. 20), @ MIN (Jan. 23), @ COL (Jan. 24)
Spencer Carbery. Washington tapped rookie head coach Carbery to remake the club into a playoff contender. Right now, the Capitals are in that mix. Carbery has been patient tinkering with his new team and overcame bouts of adversity with poise to prove he can get the most out of what Washington has to offer on the ice.
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 56.67%
Next seven days: @ ARI (Jan. 20), vs. FLA (Jan. 22), @ MIN (Jan. 25)
Ryan O’Reilly. Nashville grabbing O’Reilly on a four-year, $18 million deal is looking like a bargain. The 32-year-old center is on pace to hit 30 goals — which would be a career high — and O’Reilly brings a certain physicality and attitude the Predators need to keep the competition at bay. Expected or not, Nashville found a true top-line performer in O’Reilly.
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 56.67%
Next seven days: @ BUF (Jan. 20), @ DET (Jan. 21), @ PHI (Jan. 23), vs. ARI (Jan. 25)
Jonas Johansson. Tampa Bay likely didn’t expect to lean on Johansson — signed in July on a two-year contract — to start the season. But when Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent surgery in September, it fell on Johansson to keep the Lightning afloat. And he did. Johansson was 8-4-5 with a .894 SV% in Vasilevskiy’s absence to keep an inconsistent Tampa Bay team on track.
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 52.22%
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Jan. 21), vs. CHI (Jan. 24)
Joey Daccord. Seattle had Daccord all along (as in, it selected the goaltender from Ottawa in the expansion draft). But because Daccord signed a fresh two-year contract in the offseason and became the Kraken’s No. 1 netminder for the first time, we’re counting him as a new add. Daccord has been exceptional for Seattle in a starting role and helped it weather the ups and downs of this early season. Talk about found money.
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 54.55%
Next seven days: @ CHI (Jan. 19), vs. DAL (Jan. 21), vs. VGK (Jan. 23), @ MTL (Jan. 25)
Mike Reilly. New York snagged Reilly off waivers from Florida when Adam Pelech was injured, and that move was been quite a steal for GM Lou Lamoriello. Reilly has carved out an effective role on the Islanders’ back end and is the type of low-maintenance, high-character skater Lamoriello loves to target. And all the better that Reilly practically fell into New York’s lap.
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 52.22%
Next seven days: vs. EDM (Jan. 20), vs. STL (Jan. 23), vs. CBJ (Jan. 25)
Yegor Sharangovich. Calgary acquired Sharangovich’s rights from New Jersey in the Tyler Toffoli trade in June and quickly signed him to a two-year deal that has paid fine dividends to date. Sharangovich is a top-three offensive producer for the club (and coming off a recent hat trick performance) who can consistently ignite the Flames’ attack.
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 52.33%
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Jan. 20), vs. PIT (Jan. 22), @ FLA (Jan. 24), @ TB (Jan. 25)
Alex Kerfoot. Arizona added a jack-of-all-trades player in Kerfoot — meaning, Kerfoot can (and has) played just about everywhere for the Coyotes. He rapidly earned coach Andre Tourigny’s trust with a strong defensive commitment and the skill to slide seamlessly from a first- to fourth-line spot. Whatever Arizona needs, Kerfoot has found ways to deliver.
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 51.16%
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Jan. 20), @ CGY (Jan. 23), @ VAN (Jan. 24)
Oskar Sundqvist. St. Louis technically had Sundqvist before bringing him back — two years later — on a one-year deal last summer. Details! What matters is Sundqvist 2.0 is an ideal fit for the Blues. He’s a hard-working, durable forward who can elevate skaters around him and never quits on a puck. It’s that sort of doggedness St. Louis missed when it lost Sundqvist.
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: @ BOS (Jan. 20), vs. OTT (Jan. 23), vs. NYI (Jan. 25)
Alex Newhook. Montreal made a great call trading for Newhook over the summer — even though Newhook has spent weeks on the shelf because of a high-ankle sprain. He was superb to start the season (and is still top seven in scoring on the team despite that missed time) and will be a valuable contributor over the life of his four-year deal as the Habs move closer to playoff contention.
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 48.89%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Jan. 20), @ ANA (Jan. 23), @ LA (Jan. 24)
Zach Benson. Buffalo recently promoted rookie Benson to a top-line stint. He had earned his look. Benson has proved to be a trustworthy, responsible and clearly versatile piece for the Sabres, a north-south player who is unfazed by any assignment. At just 18 years old, Benson is repeatedly showing he’s NHL ready.
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 46.59%
Next seven days: @ FLA (Jan. 19), @ CAR (Jan. 21), vs. WSH (Jan. 23), vs. NSH (Jan. 25)
John Hynes. Minnesota didn’t adjust much in the offseason, and its 2023-24 campaign started poorly. Credit to GM Bill Guerin for not wasting time pursuing change when he axed coach Dean Evason on Nov. 27 and hired Hynes. The Wild were 5-10-4 when Hynes took over and have rebounded to the point the playoffs aren’t a pipe dream (perhaps just an uphill battle).
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 42.05%
Next seven days: vs. NJ (Jan. 19), @ EDM (Jan. 23), @ CGY (Jan. 25)
Adam Fantilli. Columbus chose well taking Adam Fantilli at No. 3 overall in June’s draft. The 19-year-old has been invaluable to the Blue Jackets in another injury-plagued campaign, moving throughout the lineup to eventually land an unexpectedly expanded role as a top-six center. Fantilli’s rapid growth has produced good numbers and burgeoning chemistry with multiple teammates.
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 40.00%
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Jan. 20), @ PHI (Jan. 21), @ MTL (Jan. 23), vs. BOS (Jan. 25)
Vladimir Tarasenko. Ottawa got what it paid for with Tarasenko. The veteran is an effective second-line winger making consistent contributions offensively. Given the one-year deal Tarasenko signed, his greatest value to the Senators might still be to come — as a trade candidate before March 8.
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 35.23%
Next seven days: @ SJ (Jan. 20), vs. NYR (Jan. 21), vs. BUF (Jan. 23), @ DAL (Jan. 25)
Leo Carlsson. Anaheim hit the right note taking Carlsson second overall in the 2023 draft. The 19-year-old — just back from a sprained MCL — plays with maturity beyond his years. Carlsson has game-changing potential, is dangerous at both ends of the ice and frustrates opponents with his tenacity. The Ducks are in for years of high-caliber performance from their top pick.
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 31.11%
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Jan. 19), @ VAN (Jan. 22), @ SEA (Jan. 24), @ EDM (Jan. 25)
Connor Bedard. Chicago drafted the generational talent at No. 1 for a reason. The rookie — currently sidelined by a fractured jaw — leads the Blackhawks in every meaningful offensive category and performs all over at 5-on-5 and special teams. Bedard will be itching to regain his form once cleared to return from injury.
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 26.67%
Next seven days: vs. ANA (Jan. 20), @ LA (Jan. 22), vs. NYR (Jan. 23)
Mikael Granlund. San Jose’s list of top performers is short and headlined by newcomer Granlund. He has had a great run individually and injected some life into the Sharks’ otherwise sputtering offense. San Jose got Granlund via a trade last summer. Will it have cause to flip him again before the deadline, and maximize what he has been able to produce so far?
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Ryan S. Clark
Many of Mikko Rantanen’s greatest moments have come in a Colorado Avalanche sweater. It’s just that the most defining moment of his career came at their expense.
It wasn’t enough that the Dallas Stars were trailing by two goals. It was also the fact that Rantanen scored a hat trick in a string of four unanswered goals that saw his current team, the host Stars, eliminate his old team, the Avalanche, in a 4-2 win Saturday in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at the American Airlines Center.
“Obviously, the feeling was incredible to win a series,” Rantanen said in his postgame media availability. “This series was not exactly what I expected. I expected a seven-game series, even before Game 1. The ups and downs in the series. … Belief was there with the group the whole time. Obviously, I was able to make a pay to get the first one and the crowd started to roll.”
The Stars, attempting to reach the conference finals a third straight time, will advance to the semifinal round in which they will await the winner of series featuring the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets. That encounter will be decided Sunday in Game 7 in Winnipeg.
Soon, the Stars’ collective focus will shift to another Central Division foe. But for now? The attention before, during, and after the game, was on Rantanen.
Part of what made the Avalanche-Stars series arguably the most intriguing first-round series in either conference was the fact it placed two 100-point teams that are in championship window against each other. But, it also came with several subplots with the notable being the team that traded quite a bit to land Rantanen — with the hope he could win them a Stanley Cup now — needed him to defeat the team that he won a championship with back in 2022.
With one assist through the first four games, there was a discussion about if the Stars could manage to win with a sputtering Rantanen on top of the fact they were already without two of their best players in defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forward Jason Robertson.
Rantanen responded with a three-point performance in Game 5, and a four-point performance in Game 6 only to then have a hand in each goal on Saturday. His first goal came on the power-play with 12:12 remaining in the third period when he found enough space to fire a wrist shot that beat MacKenzie Blackwood.
Then came the game-tying goal and the significance it carried. The Stars went on the power play went Avalanche forward Jack Drury was called for holding. Drury part of the trade package the Carolina Hurricanes used to get Rantanen in late January before they would trade him to the Stars.
Drury’s penalty opened the door for Rantanen to score a game-tying goal that might be one of, if not, his signature salvo. Rantanen skated into the Avalanche zone in a 1-on-3 before he split two players before going around the net for a wrap-around goal that went off the skate of Samuel Girard with 6:14 left.
Three minutes later, the Stars received another power-play opportunity that saw Rantanen along with another former Avalanche forward in Matt Duchene work together to find Wyatt Johnston for the game-winning goal.
In the final minute, the Avalanche pulled Blackwood in the attempt to grab a late goal and force over time. Instead? Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger withstood a barrage that officially ended when Stars forward Tyler Seguin got the puck out of the zone only for Rantanen to skate in on an open net for the hat trick with three seconds left.
“I couldn’t care less who scored for them, I really couldn’t,” Avalanche captain and left winger Gabriel Landeskog said when asked about what it was like to watch Rantanen score a hat trick. “Mikko is one of my best friends and I love him, but I couldn’t care if he scored or if somebody else scored.”
For eight full seasons, Rantanen was part of a homegrown movement that saw the Avalanche go from finishing with what was then the worst record in the salary cap era back in 2016-17 to become a perennial favorite to win the Stanley Cup, which did they did in 2023, while also becoming a model for the need to build through the draft.
Building through stars such as Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen allowed the Avalanche to become a success. As did the moves they made to get other key figures like Valeri Nichushkin and Devon Toews.
Like all teams in a championship window, the Avs were facing the prospect of possibly making a difficult decision. They had yet to agree to a new contract with Rantanen, who was a pending unrestricted free agent. Then, came the blockbuster trade that few throughout the league saw coming.
The Avalanche traded Rantanen in a three-team trade that saw them get Martin Necas and Drury along with two draft picks. Rantanen’s time with the Carolina Hurricanes was limited to just two goals and six points in 13 games.
Despite the fact the Hurricanes are also among that cadre of championship contenders, Rantanen struggled to find cohesion in Raleigh. Rather than run the risk of watching leave for nothing in free agency, the Hurricanes put out feelers to a few teams with the Stars being one of them.
A long-time admirer of Rantanen, the Stars packaged two first-round picks, three second-round picks and former prized prospect Logan Stankoven to get Rantanen. They then signed him to an eight-year contract worth $12 million annually.
“It’s two things: It’s where our team’s at, and it’s Mikko Rantanen,” Stars general manager Jim Nill told ESPN back in March.
Rantanen finished the regular season with five goals and 18 points in 20 games prior to the showdown with his former team.
Not only did Rantanen’s hat trick condemn his former team to their second first-round exit since winning the Stanley Cup, but it continued a theme of former Avalanche eliminating their previous employers.
The Avalanche and Stars faced each other in last season’s Western Conference semifinal that saw Duchene, a former Colorado first-round pick, score the game-winning goal.
A year later, it was another former Avalanche first-round pick who delivered the devastating blow.
“It seems pretty fitting,” Johnston said about Rantanen. “Obviously, we want to win for each other and I think that goes a little extra when it’s a guy like that who is such a big part of our team and was there for a long time and everyone knows the trade that went on. It’s so awesome. We’re so happy as a group for him.”
As if Rantanen scoring a hat trick in a four-goal comeback wasn’t enough, there’s also the fact that this is now the ninth consecutive Game 7 that Stars coach Peter DeBoer has won his career.
DeBoer’s nine wins in Game 7s broke a tie with Darryl Sutter for the most in NHL history. It was also DeBoer’s third game 7 wins with the Stars.
“I felt something was going to happen,” DeBoer said. “But I could not have predicted that.”
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