Avalanche, Lightning top NHL power rankings as regular season begins
Last year's Stanley Cup finalists have a good shot at repeating the feat, but nothing is ever set in stone in the NHL. Here's how every team stacks up.
October 10, 2022 at 1:08AM
1. Tampa Bay: Despite a few departures, the Lightning advancing to a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup Final isn't a stretch.
2. Florida: Adding Matthew Tkachuk should make the Panthers tougher to play against, especially come playoff time.
3. Washington: Their goaltending is better after signing Stanley Cup champion Darcy Kuemper, but the Capitals are starting without Nicklas Backstrom (hip) and Tom Wilson (knee).
4. N.Y. Rangers: The combination of youth and experience that helped the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals remains a strength.
5. Pittsburgh: No shakeup in Pittsburgh after Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang re-signed.
6. Carolina: Another division title is extremely possible for the Hurricanes.
7. Toronto: Even though their goaltending is questionable, the Maple Leafs do have 60-goal scorer and reigning MVP Auston Matthews.
8. Boston: Patrice Bergeron is back and so is David Krejci, but the Bruins aren't at full strength with Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy injured.
9. Columbus: After landing the most prized free agent in Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets signed Patrik Laine to a new deal.
10. Detroit: Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman had a productive summer, acquiring Ville Husso, David Perron and Ben Chiarot.
11. N.Y. Islanders: Were last season's struggles a one-off?
12. Ottawa: Scoring goals should get easier for the Senators with Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat now on the team.
13. Montreal: Captain Nick Suzuki is at the helm of the Canadiens' youth movement.
14. Philadelphia: John Tortorella takes over behind the Flyers bench.
15. New Jersey: Although the team is a work in progress, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are talented scorers.
16. Buffalo: Ending the 11-season playoff drought won't be easy.
Western Conference
1. Colorado: With Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar leading the way, the Avalanche are contenders to repeat as champions.
2. Calgary: Gone are Gaudreau and Tkachuk, but the Flames might be even more competitive with new arrivals Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar.
3. Edmonton: If the Oilers can build off their run to the Western Conference finals, they should battle the Flames for the Pacific Division title.
4. St. Louis: Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas re-signing long-term kept the Blues' core intact.
5. Wild: Will superstar Kirill Kaprizov get to 50 goals after scoring 47 last season?
6. Nashville: Already 2-0 after a pair of wins vs. the Sharks in the NHL Global Series, the Predators had an effective offseason by re-signing Filip Forsberg and bringing in Ryan McDonagh and Nino Niederreiter.
7. Los Angeles: Kevin Fiala is penciled in on the Kings' top line following his trade from the Wild.
8. Dallas: After his stellar performance in the playoffs, Lakeville's Jake Oettinger received a hefty raise with a three-year contract.
9. Vancouver: Most of the lineup that had a torrid second half and finished just shy of a playoff berth is back.
10. Vegas: Goalie Robin Lehner is expected to miss the entire season after hip surgery.
11. Anaheim: Free agent pickups Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano join an up-and-coming nucleus headlined by Trevor Zegras.
12. Winnipeg: Aside from a new coach in Rick Bowness, not much has changed for a Jets team that ended up sixth in the Central Division.
13. San Jose: Another season of growing pains seems likely.
14: Seattle: Rookie Matty Beniers could help the Kraken improve in Year 2.
15: Arizona: The Coyotes' rebuild is moving to a 5,000-seat arena at Arizona State University.
16: Chicago: Longtime faces of the franchise Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are entering the final seasons of their contracts.
The Wild have been the surprise of the league as their high-scoring winger makes a shambles of team scoring records.
