NHL Power Rankings: Taking stock of every team a month from trade deadline
With only a month remaining until the NHL trade deadline, it's now or never for teams hanging by a thread in the playoff race.Teams must prove to their front office that they are worthy of investing in. Making moves will be harder than normal this season given the COVID-19 protocols that must be followed and the financial climate around the league. So many teams are still within striking distance in the playoff races across the four divisions, so we might not see a ton of trades for a while. But at some point, teams will have to make the tough choice whether to sell at the deadline or keep the course.How does each team stack up with the trade deadline nearing? Check out our latest 2021 NHL Power Rankings.
The Sabres have lost nine consecutive games and franchise center Jack Eichel is out for the "foreseebale future" due to injury, according to head coach Ralph Krueger.
So, yeah, it's not going well in Buffalo right now.
The Senators have lost three consecutive games and sit at the bottom of the North Division. It's been a difficult season in Ottawa, but not all hope is lost.
Tim Stutzle, who the Senators selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is having an excellent rookie campaign with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 27 games.
The Red Wings are far from playoff contention, but taking three of four points from the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning earlier this week was an encouraging sign for this young squad.
The Ducks have won only two of their last 10 games and entered Saturday 10 points out of a playoff spot in the West Division. Anaheim now must decide whether to become sellers ahead of the trade deadline. Top-six forward Rickard Rakell is a player contending teams should covet.
The Devils have a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games and are one of only three teams with fewer than 20 points in the standings.
Devils winger Kyle Palmieri could be of interest to contending teams at the trade deadline. Palmieri is struggling offensively with four goals in 22 games, but he did enter 2021 with five consecutive seasons of 20-plus goals.
The Predators are 10 points out of a playoff spot, which could result in them becoming trade deadline sellers at some point in the near future.
Top-six winger Filip Forsberg, veteran center Mikael Granlund and top-four defenseman Mattias Ekholm all would be excellent upgrades for contending teams.
Nashville likely is headed for a rebuild soon. The question is when will the franchise finally move in that direction.
It's been a frustrating season for the Sharks on many fronts, but one positive has been the performance of veteran winger Evander Kane. His 12 assists and 22 points lead San Jose.
Scoring depth has been a major issue for the Stars, who have scored two or fewer goals in five of their last eight games.
Veteran center Joe Pavelski leads the team with 13 goals in 22 games. Roope Hintz is the only other Stars forward who's scored more than four goals.
Three consecutive losses and a 2-6-2 record in the last 10 games might force the Blue Jackets to become sellers as the trade deadline nears.
One player contenders could target is Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard. He's a defensive-minded blueliner who plays a strong, physical game. Savard also has proven he can play 23 to 25 minutes per game in the playoffs.
The Rangers aren't likely to reach the playoffs, but there have been a few bright spots for them this season. One of those positives has been the play of Chris Kreider. He leads New York with 14 goals in 26 games. His latest tally came Saturday during the Rangers' impressive 4-0 win over the Bruins in Boston.
After a slow start to the season, top-six center Elias Pettersson has scored five goals with two assists in his last five games. His resurgence comes at a perfect time, too, with the Canucks still within striking distance (five points out) of a playoff spot in the North Division.
Building momentum has been difficult for the Flames. They haven't won back-to-back games once over their last 14 matchups. In fact, Calgary has been outscored 18-5 in games after wins since Feb. 15. It's pretty tough to make up ground in the playoff race when you can't string together multiple victories.
If the Coyotes are going to make a push for the playoffs before the April 12 trade deadline, this upcoming stretch will be key. Six of Arizona's next eight games are against beatable opponents -- the Wild, Sharks and last-place Ducks.
The Kings were riding high with a six-game win streak in February, but since that point L.A. has picked up only two wins in its last eight games.
A difficult stretch lies ahead for the Kings. They play the Avalanche on Sunday before hosting the Blues and first-place Golden Knights for two games apiece next week. This could be a make-or-break period in the schedule for the Kings as far as staying in contention for a playoff spot.
After a horrendous start to the season, goaltender Carey Price is 3-0-1 with a .963 save percentage in four March starts. The Canadiens need Price to play near this level for the remainder of the regular season if they're going to hold off the Canucks and Flames for the final playoff spot from the North Division.
Patrick Kane absolutely should be in the Hart Trophy conversation. His 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists) are the third-most in the league and more than double the total of all but two of his teammates. He's carrying the Blackhawks to the playoffs.
The Flyers led the East Division earlier in the season but have fallen all the way to fifth place entering Saturday.
A pivotal three-game set with the first-place Islanders on the road later this month could determine how the Flyers approach the trade deadline.
Philly doesn't have much margin for error in one of the league's most competitive divisions.
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington signed a six-year contract extension worth $36 million earlier this week. Binnington is struggling this season with a 2.81 GAA and a .906 save percentage, but his overall body of work was enough for the Blues to make him the team's No. 1 goalie long term. He also was a key contributor in the Blues' 2019 Stanley Cup title run.
The Oilers responded to losing three straight games to the Leafs by going on a four-game win streak. However, three of those four victories came against the last-place Senators.
Edmonton's road gets a little tougher this week with three consecutive road matchups, including a two-game set in Calgary for the latest chapter in the "Battle of Alberta".
Oilers center Connor McDavid recently became the first player to reach the 50-point mark this season.
The Penguins have surged up to third place in the East Division on the strength of four consecutive wins. One of the catalysts for Pittsburgh during this streak has been superstar center Evgeni Malkin. He has a six-game point streak with three goals and six assists over that span.
A three-game win streak and a 7-2-1 record in the last 10 games has vaulted the red-hot Wild up to second place in the West Division.
You won't find many more exciting players than Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov, whose hat trick led an impressive 4-0 win over the Coyotes on Friday night. The uber-talented rookie is running away with the Calder Trophy. He has 23 points 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 25 games.
The Bruins are another team that can't build any consistency. They dominated the Rangers in a 4-0 win on Thursday, then lost 4-0 to the same New York team on Saturday. Boston hasn't won back-to-back games in a month (Feb. 10 and 12).
The B's rank 27th in 5-on-5 goals scored -- the worst of any team in a playoff spot. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney recently described the team's secondary scoring as a "major concern". He needs to address it ASAP via the trade market.
The Jets rank No. 7 in goals scored per game and have five players with 20-plus points through 26 games. They also have three players -- Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nik Ehlers -- with 11 or more goals. Winnipeg continues to be one of the most underrated teams in the league.
The Panthers have not cooled off after a hot start to the season. They are one point out of first place in the Central Division and have won six of their last 10 games. Florida also ranks fifth in goals scored per game.
The next few weeks will be critical for the Panthers. Six of their next eight games are against the defending champion Lightning or Blackhawks.
The Capitals are in second place in the East Division thanks to a three-game win streak and a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 matchups.
Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin scored his 715th career goal in Thursday night's win over the Flyers. He's two goals behind Hall of Famer Phil Esposito for sixth on the league's all-time goals scored leaderboard.
Mikko Rantanen is having a fantastic season for the Avalanche and leads the team in goals (13) and points (27) through 25 games. He's been particularly productive in March with nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games.
Colorado is fourth in the West Division but trails first-place Vegas by only three points.
The Golden Knights remain atop the West Division standings and have won seven of their last 10 games.
Veteran forward Mark Stone is having one of his best offensive seasons with a team-leading 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) through 23 games. He's tallied 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in six March games, and Vegas is 5-1-0 over that span.
The Hurricanes are one of the league's hottest teams and enter Saturday leading the Central Division thanks to a seven-game win streak. It's the team's longest single-season win streak since a seven-game run in 2010.
Carolina should be able to pick up a few more victories with the last-place Red Wings next up on the schedule Sunday and Tuesday.
The 'Canes also have been one of the most balanced teams in the league with seven players having tallied 17-plus points through 26 games.
The Leafs were the first team to reach 40 points in the standings and own the second-best goal differential at plus-27. Superstar center Auston Matthews recently became the first 20-goal scorer of the season and leads the league with 21.
Toronto is without question the best team in the North Division, but for this franchise to make a deep playoff run, roster reinforcements (specifically a top-six forward) are needed. The Leafs must be aggressive at the trade deadline.
The Islanders are on fire with a seven-game win streak and a 9-0-1 record in their last 10 games.
Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov is making a strong case to be a Vezina Trophy finalist. He's posted a 12-4-3 record with a 2.01 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
New York has allowed a league-low 2.19 goals per game this season.
The Lightning are a juggernaut. They lead the league with 3.64 goals scored per game and allow the second-fewest goals at 2.24 per game. Tampa Bay also has the fourth-best power play and second-best penalty kill.
This team is still the best in the league and the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
