NHL 2024-25 Power Rankings: Week 15 – The Hockey Writers Power Rankings Latest News, Analysis & More

While the NHL world remains a bit slow in terms of mid-season news (outside the story that will never end in Vancouver), I think this is a great time to give my Rankings a mid-season cleaning. It’s easy to get stuck in predetermined opinions that are influenced by what we were expecting a team to be after the first month or two of the season versus what they actually are now.

This means that I’m going to give my Rankings a full review this week to see which teams I’m undervaluing or overvaluing based on my preconceived notions. Hopefully, I’ve done a decent job keeping up with the trends each week, but I’m sure there are a few teams that I’m still thinking about in mid-December terms, which are irrelevant in some cases.

All this to say, I’m looking to shake things up in my Rankings some this week, especially as we wait for the big moves to start taking place in the coming weeks. I’m still betting on the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off to act as an early trade deadline, which means once that market takes off, it could lead to a deluge of moves earlier than normal. However, until that happens all we can do is review the hockey being played each night, which we will do in Week 15 of THW’s Power Rankings.

32-20: Penguins Become the Goalie Goal Team

32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 32)

31. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 31)

30. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 28)

29. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 29)

28. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 26)

27. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 21)

26. Nashville Predators (Previously: 30)

25. Utah Hockey Club (Previously: 20)

24. New York Islanders (Previously: 24)

23. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 23)

22. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 25)

21. New York Rangers (Previously: 27)

20. Boston Bruins (Previously: 22)

Part of the reason why I felt it was necessary to review my Rankings is how I’ve been evaluating teams like the Penguins and Utah HC. Yes, the bottom of the Rankings is a bit of a mosh pit of mediocrity, but still, there’s no reason I should have had Pittsburgh and Utah near 20th overall given how poorly they’ve played since January. However, in my head, they were still on their hot streaks from December, not the ice-cold five total wins combined in their last 20 games played.

Also, I feel it is always necessary to call out the most exciting moment in hockey… a coveted goalie goal took place this week from Alex Nedeljkovic, making him the second Penguin goalie to hit the back of the net recently after Tristan Jarry did so last season. For bonus style, he also recorded an assist, making him the first goalie to do both in the same game in NHL history. I guess if you’re going to be bad, at least have some fun with it.

Going in the other direction, many were ready to write the Rangers off as a lost cause after their collapse in December and early January. However, over their last 10 games played, the embattled franchise has been getting things back on track by going 6-1-3. This has been in no small part thanks to Igor Shesterkin clawing back his typically stellar play with a 4-0-1 run in his last five games. If he continues playing like the goaltender he’s being paid to be, New York could find their way back into the playoff hunt in the next few weeks.

19-12: Red Wings Enter the Picture

19. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 16)

18. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 18)

17. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 19)

16. Calgary Flames (Previously: 17)

15. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 14)

14. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 15)

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 13)

12. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 10)

I’ll admit, I’ve been someone willfully overlooking the Red Wings since they fired their head coach and hired Todd McLellan. I’ve discussed the ‘Dead Cat Bounce‘ many times on here before when it comes to coaching changes, but I really thought Detroit’s streak of strong play would be just that, a streak that would last five games or so before evening out. So far I’ve been wrong, as they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league and have made their way back into playoff contention. They need more, of course, but the potential is there for a run.

I am also struggling to evaluate the Blues, Senators, and Flames, as they just seem to be playing the most mediocre hockey possible right now. However, they keep doing just enough to stay in the middle of the Rankings without any real push to move up in the world. This play will keep them in contention, for now, but you have to wonder if any of these teams will pull the rip cord and start trading assets should the prices get high enough.

For teams playing pretty well, the Blue Jackets continued their string of great play with a 2-0-1 record this week, including a rare double shutout in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday. The Lightning, for their part, got shellacked by the Bruins before winning their next two games, and Montreal started the week strong with two big wins before melting down against the Toronto Maple Leafs but bringing it back to beat the Rangers in a barn burner. It was also time to move the Devils out of the top of the Rankings for a bit, as their uninspired 2-5-3 record over their last 10, including three straight tight losses, is pointing towards a team in a bit of a rut right now despite their position in the standings.

11-1: Capitals Reclaim Top Spot in NHL

11. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 11)

10. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 9)

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 12)

8. Florida Panthers (Previously: 8)

7. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 2)

6. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 1)

5. Dallas Stars (Previously: 5)

4. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 6)

3. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 7)

2. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 3)

1. Washington Capitals (Previously: 4)

In recent weeks, I’ve been holding onto the Golden Knights as the best team in the NHL for their stretch of near-perfect play heading into the new year and in the week following it. However, this sheen has worn off, and the team that once looked like they might run away with the Pacific Division has been caught by the Oilers again, who have been on a real tear. This could just be a mid-season lull from Vegas, as they could be saving their energy for bigger games in April, or it might point toward a lack of depth in key positions like goaltending.

There’s also a world where I knocked the Maple Leafs out of the top of the Rankings, but they managed to avoid this fate by winning two straight games despite playing some rather underwhelming hockey. Toronto is a weird team this year, as they look bad in their wins and worse in their losses, but they still have a 7-3-0 record in their last 10, which is hard to do, even if it may just feel like a bit of a fluke.

Now, for a team that’s just looked unstoppable, the Capitals are back on top of the NHL, and it feels like it’s by a wide margin. With a 10-game points streak and a core of talent that’s firing on all cylinders, the only thing the team has to worry about is how they’re going to retain their best players. That can be a future problem for a future team, however, as they need to focus on the mission of winning a Cup while things are going well.

NHL Pushing Through January Doldrums

With much of North America buried under a blitz of cold weather, it feels like the NHL world is also a bit frozen at the moment. Teams are still evaluating exactly where they are before making any rash changes to their rosters, despite the potential for some big moves to take place.

Related: Canucks Should Trade a Core Player Before Firing Tocchet

I keep saying it’s only a matter of time before things kick off, but there’s still a while before the actual trade deadline. With so many teams going on runs in recent weeks, the number of franchises looking to sell talent is also shrinking by the day, which may lead to a deeper freeze in the trade market. However, there could be other moves taking place over the next few weeks, which we will keep track of as we move forward towards the Four Nations Face-Off!