NHL power rankings: Wild on another level after acquiring Quinn Hughes

The holidays are almost here, and it appears that the NHL has decided to get the gift-giving started early! Last week saw two teams make big swings, with the Oilers making a move to improve their goaltending (or at least trying to), and then the Wild coming out of nowhere with a Quinn Hughes trade. If this is a sign of things to come, consider me excited, but then again, Mikko Rantanen wasn’t much of a tone-setter last season.

Hunter Crowther and I navigate through the season with another year of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six stats (points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. On the other hand, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 23-2-7, +54
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: It continues to amaze me how far ahead the Avalanche are from the rest of the pack in the NHL. They ranked third in my model, but if not for their horrendous power play, they wouldn’t have been anywhere close to the two teams ahead of them, instead having a distant lead in first. After almost dropping another game in regulation to the Predators to start the week, they throttled the Panthers and then bested the Preds in a rematch on Saturday to finish things off. I touched on how often the Presidents’ Trophy-winning team is actually the best team earlier this week, but if the Avalanche keep this up, they’ll be one of the few teams to actually be at that elite level.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 21-9-2, +18
Last Week: 4th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: The Hurricanes had lost to the struggling Leafs and Sharks ahead of the previous edition of the power rankings, but they responded with four straight wins last week. Despite three of those victories coming via shootout, Carolina dominated possession-wise in every game, especially against the division-rival Capitals. Nikolaj Ehlers has been less than stellar after signing a six-year, $51-million contract in the offseason, but the winger scored twice last week, hopefully sparking a hot streak to end the calendar year. 

Scott: This is a rare instance of me pulling out the eye test, but every time I watch the Canes, Ehlers is always flying. It feels like a matter of when, not if, he’ll get into a comfort zone with Carolina.

3. Dallas Stars

Record: 21-7-5, +22
Last Week: 2nd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: Not the best week for the Stars, who are nipping at the heels of an Avalanche group that’s cooled off in the last two weeks*. The Wild dominated the Stars 5-2 on Thursday, outshooting them 32-18 and beating them 6.16 to 1.64 in expected goals. How did Dallas respond? By losing 4-0 to the Panthers. Hey, at least Jason Robertson hasn’t gone consecutive games without a goal since Nov. 8 and 9. Since then, he’s scored 17 goals and nine assists for 26 points in 17 games. 

*Cooled off meaning three losses in their last nine games, two of which came in shootouts. I know, I know…

4. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 16-6-9, +6
Last Week: 3rd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Scott: The Golden Knights have won six of their last seven games (with points in all seven as well), and while many will point to a certain netminder as a reason for their turnaround (gross), I’m going to give attention to a much more important player who recently returned: Mark Stone. The Golden Knights are 10-2-3 with their captain in the lineup, and for good reason. His defensive presence was significantly missed when he was injured, and I’d argue it had a much larger impact on their goals against issues than Adin Hill’s injury did (Akira Schmid actually leads the team in 5v5 goals saved above expected with 5.68, so he wasn’t the problem). So it’s no surprise that now that Stone is back, the Golden Knights are good again. It’s almost like they didn’t need to make a bad PR move to fix their team.

Also, Vegas, playing the old team of said bad PR move, keeping him away from the media and not even starting him is just extremely cowardly. Even for you guys.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 18-11-3, +21
Last Week: 5th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: When do the injuries end! Just as Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point returned to the lineup, Hedman aggravated his previous injury, and now he’s out until February! But hey, with how Tampa is playing, that might not even be a concern. They’ve rocked a defense corps full of players you’d expect to see in Year 10 of an EA Sports GM Mode for a while now and haven’t missed a beat. And on the bright side, Point is starting to look like his old self, with two goals and five points in his last three games.

6. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 19-12-1, +7
Last Week: 6th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Hunter: Lukas Dostal returned to the crease after missing the Ducks’ last nine games, and despite the team going 5-4-0 in his absence, it’s obvious they’re a better team when he’s in the lineup. Despite missing nearly three weeks and giving up three games in his return on Saturday against the Devils, his 8.6 5v5 goals saved above expected ranks just outside the top 10 in the league. For comparison’s sake, Petr Mrazek, Ville Husso and Vyacheslav Buteyets have a combined number of 0.2 in the same category. 

7. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 18-12-3, -5
Last Week: 14th (+7)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Hunter: There’s no doubt Red Wing fans are disappointed they didn’t end up trading for Hughes, as it felt like they were mentioned in nearly every rumor or news segment that discussed a potential deal for the elite blueliner. At least those who cheer for Detroit can take solace in that it feels like GM Steve Yzerman is eager to make a move that improves this club. With four wins on their recent six-game road trip, including three this week, the Red Wings are second in the Atlantic Division as we enter the week before the holiday break. 

8. Minnesota Wild

Record: 19-9-5, +12
Last Week: 16th (+8)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Hunter: I want to thank Wild GM Bill Guerin — not just for getting Quinn Hughes the hell out of Vancouver and giving him a chance to play meaningful hockey when the snow melts — but for taking a big swing and providing the other 31 general managers in the league the blueprint for how to improve your roster. It feels like every hockey insider will throw cold water on any trade speculation with “WeLL iT’s HaRd tO mAkE tRaDeS MiD-SeAsOn,” and I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to see one big effing trade on a random Friday night in December. 

Oh, and the Wild have won five straight, including a 6-2 victory over the Bruins on Sunday in Hughes’ debut, which he scored a goal in.

Scott: Look, my ranking is in a weird paradox. The whole point of me using the stats that I use is so that it can take what the past (this season) has shown us and predict what the future will bring us. But, their past did not include Hughes, and it will now, so there’s plenty of potential for improvement now. I’m definitely excited to watch how Hughes fits in with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

9. Washington Capitals

Record: 18-10-4, +23
Last Week: 7th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Scott: Go figure that I finally give the Capitals their flowers after two years of overperforming, and they go and make me look bad with three losses in their last four games. Sure, the losses to the Ducks and Hurricanes can be chalked up to two close games against teams at their level, but losing to the Jets 5-1 is a tough pill to swallow. Yes, Hellebuyck was back, but they were nearly doubled in expected goals by a Jets team that has been horrendous in that regard this year. Not pretty at all.

Hunter: There’s no cause for panic, but those behind Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson need to be better: Anthony Beauvillier has just one goal in his last 12 games and Dylan Strome only has one in his last 16, despite both playing top-six minutes right now.

10. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 14-8-9, +1
Last Week: 8th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Scott: I still don’t really know what to make of this Kings team. I’m impressed that they’re still defending well with how much Ken Holland butchered their blueline, and they’re keeping up with the Golden Knights and Ducks in their division, but this feels like the same old Kings that we’ve seen lose to the Oilers in the playoffs every year. If anything, I’m more concerned about that matchup because Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin and Joel Edmundson aren’t exactly a great counter to Connor McDavid’s speed. Speaking of the Oilers, they are creeping up on the Kings awfully fast…

Hunter: If I know Holland — I don’t, he hasn’t responded to my MySpace request — there’s a massive trade that’s coming. Mattias Ekholm, Duncan Keith, Adam Henrique, his tenure in Edmonton wasn’t exactly top tier but he was willing to take big swings. When does he make that move? 

11. Florida Panthers

Record: 16-13-2, -1
Last Week: 11th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 115th

Hunter: I had a healthy argument with a coworker about the Panthers, how a team in the bottom half of their division with a negative goal differential and a laundry list of injuries could still reliably be among the top teams in the league and in our weekly power rankings. It’s a fair question, all things considered, especially after the team dropped a 6-2 decision to the Avalanche last week. But when Sam Reinhart continues to provide reliable point-per-game production and Brad Marchand is on pace for one of his most productive seasons at the age of 37, and you’re also the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions, you get the benefit of the doubt. Also, the best teams respond to bad losses with games like Saturday’s 4-0 win over the Stars. Punch in, punch out, back to work. 

12. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 16-9-6, +4
Last Week: 15th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Scott: The Flyers continue to exceed expectations despite losing four of their last five games (although it’s only a 1-1-3 record, so they’re still getting points), and I’m slowly starting to buy into this team more. Their chance creation is suspect, and I don’t have a lot of confidence in their goaltending, but their defensive play continues to be excellent, something this team has a history of doing in the last few years (see: 2023-24). I don’t think they’re a playoff lock, but they certainly seem to be good enough to stay in the conversation all year, especially if Trevor Zegras keeps up this play.

13. New York Rangers

Record: 16-13-4, 0
Last Week: 9th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Scott: The Rangers were getting awfully close to pushing the panic button, as they had dropped three straight games to the Avalanche, Golden Knights and Blackhawks and were staring down an early 3-0 deficit to the Canadiens before a comeback powered by J.T. Miller, Will Cuylle… (*checks notes*), Noah Laba, Conor Sheary and Matthew Robertson?!? I know Adam Fox is still hurt, but the Rangers can’t keep having these poor stretches if they want to make the playoffs, especially since they already dug a hole with their inability to score at Madison Square Garden for the first several games.

Hunter: There’s room for them to get some points next week, with games against bottom-dwellers in the Canucks, Blues and Predators. I don’t know how long the Islanders, Flyers and Penguins will hover near playoff spots, so there’s room for growth on the Rangers’ behalf. Then again, I can’t trust anything in this Metropolitan Division beyond the Hurricanes. 

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 14-8-9, +3
Last Week: 10th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Hunter: Pro: The Penguins somehow acquired a capable NHL defender in Brett Kulak that they can trade for assets and a second-round pick in a lateral goalie swap with the Oilers. Con: They blew both a 5-1 lead and a 3-0 lead in the same week and lost each game. Now losers of five straight — the last four being at home — reality is setting in for a team that needs to pull the trigger on a rebuild. 

15. New York Islanders

Record: 19-11-3, +7
Last Week: 19th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Hunter: Trivia question time, DFO power ranking readers! Who was the last team to draft first overall then make the playoffs the following season? Go ahead, take a minute, I’ll wait …

… any guesses? If you said the 2017-18 Devils, you are correct! After taking Nico Hischier No. 1 overall in 2017, the Devils rode the wave of momentum from Taylor Hall’s Hart Trophy campaign into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing in five games to the Lightning but rewarding fans (and ownership) with two home games. 

I bring this up because with six wins in their last seven games, the Islanders are second in the Metropolitan Division, sitting in the top 10 for goal differential and expected goals. While Bo Horvat isn’t quite having Hall’s 2017-18 Hart Trophy-caliber season, his 19 goals are fourth in the league. After he suffered a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, the next few weeks will be crucial for New York’s playoff hopes. 

16. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 17-11-4, -8
Last Week: 13th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Hunter: The Canadiens called up Jacob Fowler after a brutal 6-1 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday, a move that had a ripple effect on Montreal’s fan base and instantly created a goalie controversy for the Habs. Two days later, the 21-year-old made his NHL debut against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, stopping 36 of 38 shots and giving the Canadiens a 4-2 win. After Fowler gave up five in an overtime loss to the Rangers, Jakub Dobes earned first star honors and a standing ovation from the Montreal faithful after a 27-save performance in a win over the Oilers. Canadiens fans are finicky when it comes to netminders, but if you give them somewhat reliable goaltending, they’ll love you. 

17. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 15-12-6, -4
Last Week: 22nd (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Scott: Really, Stan Bowman, that’s your move? Connor McDavid gives you a three-year deadline to get everything together, solve the goaltending and build a Stanley Cup winner, and you repay him with Tristan Jarry? I thought Jarry was a solid solution in the summer, but that was when a) you could have received assets to take on his contract, and b) in tandem with Stuart Skinner. Swapping the two goalies feels like a lateral move at best, and now instead of having an inconsistent goaltender whose contract is up at the end of the year, you have a goaltender whose contract is twice as expensive and isn’t done until McDavid’s contract ends. Jarry was solid against the Leafs, but I would not be surprised if Skinner outperforms Jarry over the course of the season.

Hunter: Never underestimate Bowman’s ability to underwhelm fans and the players he employs. Last month, I wrote on how hockey’s general managers accept mediocrity and will make every excuse to not make a trade, to not part with draft picks and assets that they fall in love with. Hence my earlier praise for Minnesota, for being willing to go after a big fish. No offense to Jarry, but he’s not a big fish. “But which other goalie was available?” It doesn’t matter. Hockey’s executives need to think bigger, and at the top of the list is Bowman. 

18. New Jersey Devils

Record: 18-14-1, -6
Last Week: 18th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: I don’t envy Devils fans right now. After they finally looked like the team that won our hearts over in the 2022-23 season to start the season, injuries and inconsistent play have caused this team to nosedive in recent weeks, including a 3-7-0 stretch in their last 10 games. Not to worry though, Quinn Hughes is coming to New Jersey to play with his brothers, right? Sike, he’s off to Minnesota, and while a reunion in 2027 free agency is still possible, it feels less likely now. I really hope the Devils turn things around once they get healthy, because I really want to love this team, but the future just got a little bit bleaker.

19. Utah Mammoth

Record: 16-15-3, +5
Last Week: 17th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Hunter: After a tough last-minute loss to the Panthers and a hard-fought loss against the Kings, the Mammoth gave their fans highly entertaining wins against the Kraken and Penguins, including a 5-4 overtime victory over Pittsburgh after storming back from a 3-0 deficit. Dylan Guenther is cooking with gas, scoring in four straight games, and now has 15 goals and 27 points in 34 games this season. 

20. Ottawa Senators

Record: 14-13-4, -4
Last Week: 12th (-8)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Scott: At what point is it not too soon to talk about Linus Ullmark? He was solid in his first season in Ottawa with a .910 save percentage and 1.39 5v5 GSAx, which was honestly all the Sens needed to finally get into the playoffs. But Ottawa’s been great again this season in front of him and are even the best defensive team in the league outside of maybe the Golden Knights, yet Ullmark has an .877 SV% and -7.7 5v5 GSAx? That’s just not good enough. I don’t know if we need to panic about his contract yet, but he’s starting to become a concern. They’ve lost seven of their last 10 despite winning the expected goals battle in eight of those games. The problem is pretty clear here.

21. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 14-12-5, 0
Last Week: 20th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Hunter: The Leafs started the week with the momentum they generated from the previous week with a 2-0 win over the Lightning, in what could be described as “the most Craig Berube game ever played,” with a suffocating neutral zone, strong goaltending and timely scoring. How would they follow that? With a blown lead against the rebuilding Sharks and a third-period massacre on Hockey Night in Canada to the Oilers. 

William Nylander hasn’t scored in seven games and John Tavares’ early-season shine has worn off, with just two goals in his last 13. I won’t dwell on Auston Matthews, who despite scoring at what would be a 40-goal pace, looks nothing like the player he has been for this club in the past. And despite it being clear there’s something wrong with the Leafs’ captain, the team won’t reveal any details and they’re making him play through whatever is ailing him. 

Making them bag skate and screaming at them during TV timeouts isn’t getting it done.

With four games this week, there’s a lot of ways this team could go, and few of them are positive. 

22. Boston Bruins

Record: 19-14-0, +4
Last Week: 24th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Hunter: The Bruins bagged two wins against struggling teams in the Blues and Jets before dropping a 6-2 decision to a Wild group that’s buzzing after the Hughes trade. David Pastrnak had a combined two goals and five assists in the team’s two wins last week, which gives him 13 goals and 36 points on the season. Credit to Morgan Geekie for his 22 goals and taking advantage of his linemates, but as I’ve previously mentioned, if the Bruins make the playoffs, Pastrnak deserves Hart Trophy consideration. He may not finish among the league leaders in points, but if we’re going strictly by the definition of the award, there isn’t a player more valuable to their team than the Czech winger. 

23. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 15-15-1, 0
Last Week: 23rd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Hunter: Connor Hellebuyck made his return last weekend, stopping 24 of 25 shots and helping the Jets defeat the Capitals 5-1. While it’s only one game, it was a massive breath of fresh air for a Winnipeg squad that went 2-8-1 in the 11 games the reigning Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner was out for. While the team needs more scoring, seeing Eric Comrie struggle during Hellebuyck’s absence provided no faith for either fans or management in lightening the load for their star goalie. However, it’s nice to see Gabe Vilardi score five goals and seven points in his last five games, as the 2017 first-round pick is on pace to eclipse the career highs he set last season. 

Scott: Here’s the thing though, Comrie didn’t even struggle: he has a 5.29 5v5 GSAx this season! The Jets are just so bad in front of him that he looked horrible. He’s good, just not good enough to mask the Jets’ defensive problems like Hellebuyck can (although hilariously, the Jets had one of their best defensive performances in Hellebuyck’s return).

24. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 14-14-4, -11
Last Week: 25th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: It’s time for our monthly segment of “Are the Sabres back?” Buffalo is currently rocking a three-game winning streak, and while the latter two were against sinking teams in the Canucks and Kraken, the first one was against an Oilers team on the rise. Their expected goals numbers are also showing signs of a good but not great team, ranking 11th in 5v5 expected goals for per 60 minutes in 15th in expected goals against. They’re also only six points back of the Bruins with a game in hand. I need to see some more wins out of this team before I jump to any conclusions (they’ll probably lose five of six after this), but consider me intrigued.

Hunter: With rumors swirling over the future of GM Kevyn Adams, it would be hilarious if their winning streak extended into this week and they catapulted up the Atlantic Division standings. Otherwise, we should really start considering which playoff contender could use a 6-foot-4 power forward in Alex Tuch. What kind of package could Buffalo get if they ate half of Tuch’s $4.75 million cap hit? Perhaps a better question would be: Do the Sabres want Adams to be the one making that move? 

25. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 13-13-6, -16
Last Week: 21st (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Scott: Like the Sabres, I really want to believe in this Blue Jackets team, but every time they show the signs of a team competing for a playoff spot, they string some losses back together and end up back where they began. Right now they have two wins in their last 11 games, and considering how close the Eastern Conference is, that’s the kind of run that can put you too far out of the playoff race. They now sit in last place in the East, which means they have to leap-frog eight teams to get in a playoff spot, and then maintain that lead. That’s a tall task for a young team. At least they’re finally giving Jet Greaves a larger bulk of the starts after he’s outperformed Elvis Merzlikins quite significantly, even if it hasn’t led to wins yet.

26. Calgary Flames

Record: 13-16-4, -13
Last Week: 27th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Hunter: The Flames have won four of their last five, including a 2-1 overtime win over the Kings last weekend where they dominated 5-on-5 play for most of the second and third. But despite the recent hot streak, they’re still five points back of a Wildcard spot, and I expect more fans would prefer them losing points instead of gaining them. Perhaps the Flames should get in on all the trade excitement and find a home for Nazem Kadri, who has scored just two goals in his last 18 games (although the 15 assists during that time are nothing to sneeze at). 

27. St. Louis Blues

Record: 12-14-7, -34
Last Week: 26th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank:  27th

Scott: The Blues may have picked the worst time to go one of their better stretches of the season (yes, the bar is so low that three wins in five games is a great stretch). Unfortunately for them, the state of Missouri won’t be paying attention to them for a while, as they’re mourning the Kansas City Chiefs being eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Poor Patrick and Travis won’t be playing playoff football this season, woe to us all. (somehow they got eliminated from the playoffs before the Miami Dolphins despite the Phins starting 1-6, which is just sad but hey, that’s my Super Bowl in another middling season). 

Hunter: Crazy how all we needed for the Chiefs to miss the playoffs was to let the Patriots become a juggernaut, again. God do I love/hate football. 

28. San Jose Sharks

Record: 16-14-3, -14
Last Week: 30th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Hunter: It’s going to be hilarious when the Sharks trade John Klingberg to a desperate playoff contender for a second-round pick or something outrageous in March. The veteran blueliner had three goals and two assists last week and goals in three of his last four games, including the game-tying goal with a minute to go against the Leafs last Thursday. Before you write your letters, think back to previous trade deadlines and look at what teams gave up for bottom-six forwards and bottom-pair defenders.

29. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 13-13-6, -7
Last Week: 29th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: There’s been a lot of talk about regression setting in for Chicago, and let’s be realistic, it was always inevitable. Connor Bedard and Spencer Knight have been spectacular this season and shown us what to expect from this team in the future, but they were only going to carry this team so far. That said, we did NOT want this regression to be because of Bedard getting hurt, so for the sake of entertainment (and my fantasy team), get well soon Connor.

30. Seattle Kraken

Record: 12-12-6, -19
Last Week: 28th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 31
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Hunter: They’re just bad, man. Really bad. Not in the “fun” bad way the Sharks and Blackhawks are where they can score in bunches, or the comically bad way that brings off-ice drama that the Canucks and Predators are. Nope, the Kraken are bad in the way that isn’t worth turning the TV on for. They can’t score, they can’t stop the puck, their special teams are mediocre and, worst of all, they are boring to watch. What do you think Vince Dunn could fetch in a trade? 

31. Nashville Predators

Record: 12-15-4, -22
Last Week: 32nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: The Predators have actually put together a decent run of late, winning six of eight games before dropping a basically automatic loss to the Avalanche on Saturday. Although I can’t even say that loss is automatic, because Nashville beat them in the shootout earlier last week. Let’s see where all this progress got the Predat… they’re 31st. They passed the Canucks, that’s it. Jeez, it’s going to be a long season in Tennessee.

32. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 12-17-3, -23
Last Week: 31st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Scott: All things considered, the Canucks got a solid haul for Quinn Hughes. They had their backs against the wall, and teams could have waited Vancouver out to bring the price down, but they jumped on one of the better returns they were going to get from the Wild, and now the Canucks can take the next step forward. It’s a great sign from the team that they’ve used the word “rebuild” when talking about the future, so maybe they will actually commit to it this time and build a great team. Zeev Buium is a great start, and now that the Canucks sit solely in last, Gavin McKenna could be a great solution to their center problem. At least Marco Rossi has shown to be a short-term solution to “not wanting to play David Kampf at 1C.”

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