Sports viewers have certain absolutes until they officially end. Some in the U.S. include Gregg Popovich coaching the San Antonio Spurs. Buffalo is forever cursed in the sports world. The unluckiest score in Atlanta, GA is 28-3. The best American college football rivalry is Ohio State and the University of Michigan.
One could say the NHL’s Boston Bruins making the playoffs every year due to veteran leadership and consistent play was a guarantee. It certainly seemed so, until this year. Boston has had a mediocre season since game one back in mid-October. The Bruins were so average, they fired coveted coach Jim Montgomery less than a month into the regular season.
There was a small winning streak after Montgomery’s firing, but there’s been no positive impact. If forward David Pasternak doesn’t score or get a point in a game, Boston probably loses. The Bruins are bottom ten in total offense and defense at five-on-five. The power-play is bottom five because of the anemic talent level. Every team penalty-killing against Boston knows who will get the on-goal shots and who’s the biggest scoring threat: Pasternak. The lack of offensive creativity was a problem before Halloween. Now discipline is a factor since Boston is tied for most penalty minutes.
But wait, it gets worse for Bruins fans. Two of their top scorers were dealt at the trade deadline. Former captain Brad Marchand had the second most points with 47. He had 21 goals and 26 assists before general manager Don Sweeney dealt him to last year’s Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Marchand was upset about this in his opening press conference. He’s right to be emotional. No NHL viewer can picture Marchand without him wearing the black, white and yellow wheeled B jersey. He was there for 16 years and helped the franchise win their first title of the 21st century. Marchand was a key player when Boston returned to the finals twice after winning a championship. The Bruins and Brad Marchand were a perfect pairing that equaled success. Sweeney traded him for a 2027 second round pick.
Marchand wasn’t the only trade piece Don Sweeney unloaded the last calendar year. At the deadline, Sweeney traded once coveted center Charlie Coyle to Colorado. The Avalanche struggled with roster depth until early March when general manager Joe Sakic made this move. Colorado is now in position to make a run at the one seed in the western conference. Don’t forget last offseason’s drama regarding which goaltender Boston would trade away. Former starter Linus Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for their starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and forward Mark Kastelic. Many expected Ullmark would be moved but trading him to a rising playoff contender and division rival wasn’t a good idea. Right now the Senators are the seventh seed and Linus Ullmark has solidified their defense. On the other side, Korpisalo hasn’t played much this season and Kastelic’s still buried on a thin depth chart.
There were criticisms against Boston’s front office, general manager and owner back in (at least) the 2010s. Serious hockey analysts compared Don Sweeney to former Detroit Red Wings general manager and executive vice president Ken Holland. While Holland lasted longer and won more titles, the all-out trades to win a championship paired with no future roster depth developed in minor league programs mirror each other. Holland was lauded for his moves in Detroit as they almost set a record in playoff appearances. Almost. Tell me how that has worked out for them the last nine years.
It’s easy to say Sweeney and owner Jeremy Jacobs are the problems. The latter has always been an easy media target for his economic views. Sweeney has overstayed and done everything possible to keep his power. There’s no doubt the Bruins must begin a long, agonizing rebuild once the season ends. David Pasternak, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm are trade pieces Boston can use to get a haul of draft picks, aging talent and role players to help cushion the incoming fall. For the rebuild to succeed, Don Sweeney cannot return and meddle in the assessment of talent. He’s done enough damage.
Here’s the final 2024-25 NHL regular season power rankings.
#32 San Jose Sharks (last ranking: 32)
The rookie of the year race is filled with four impressive names and San Jose’s first overall pick center Macklin Celebrini is one of them. Celebrini’s tied on the Sharks for most points and became the ninth player in NHL history to score 20 goals before the age of 19 on March 7th. While his optimism isn’t enough to drag San Jose out of last place, the team has improved. The Sharks have played harder compared to March 2024. Even if Celebrini doesn’t win rookie of the year, San Jose has a lot to look forward to the next few seasons.
#31 Chicago Blackhawks (last ranking: 31)
It would’ve been interesting to see how better the Sharks were had they kept center Ryan Donato. Donato leads Chicago in goals scored and is third in team points and assists. Letting go of Ryan Donato cost San Jose a chance of getting further ahead in their rebuild.
#30 Buffalo Sabres (last ranking: 30)
From defenseman Rasmus Dahlin being asked by reporters if he wants a trade, to The Athletic ranking Terry Pegula the worst owner in the NHL, it has been a forgetful year for Buffalo. It wouldn’t be a surprise if both Dahlin and veteran star forward Tage Thompson push to leave this offseason. If former center Dylan Cozens was relieved get out after he felt he lost the love for the game (he’s not the first to say this within the last decade), that says a lot about how awful the organization is on and off-ice.
#29 Nashville Predators (last ranking: 29)
General manager Barry Trotz took the safe option and didn’t deal the franchise stars or top scorers. That appers to be a good decision since the first line of Luke Evangelista-Ryan O’Reilly-Steven Stamkos are finally playing well. It’s too little, too late for the Predators to make a playoff run, but this bodes well for next season if Trotz doesn’t make drastic changes.
#28 Seattle Kraken (last ranking: 28)
Sometimes we should take the inept roster building from the general manager Ron Francis conversation aside and think about what else burdens Seattle. There is good roster depth, but no star player or top end talent who can propel the Kraken into a serious playoff run. If your top goal scorer is Eeli Tolvanen, that’s a serious problem. Francis believed former first round pick Matty Beniers was supposed to be that star. Beniers is average at best and shouldn’t be a first line center.
#27 Philadelphia Flyers (last ranking: 25)
It’s not often you say an in-season trade winds up a quick failure but Philadelphia found a way. Many believed trading veterans Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost for Andrei Kuzmenko was redundant. A veteran forward and center for a struggling forward was an odd swap, but then trading Kuzmenko for a 2027 third rounder looks dumb. The Flyers either have no idea what they’re doing, or they are committed to a longer rebuild. It could be both.
#26 Pittsburgh Penguins (last ranking: 26)
Rest in peace to the hopes that Marc-Andre Fleury would reunite with Pittsburgh to finish his career. Even if Fleury were traded back to the Penguins at the March eighth deadline, the scoring defense is still the league’s second worst. The second all-time winningest goalie in NHL history deserves a better finish. Now if those takes were about the Vegas Golden Knights, that would’ve been more acceptable.
#25 Anaheim Ducks (last ranking: 27)
I don’t know what’s more amazing; the fact Anaheim was somehow in the playoff race this long despite having the second worst offense in the league, or John Gibson with the save of the year. We’re going to look back at both the Ducks season and Gibson’s career and wonder how both lasted this long together.
#24 New York Islanders (last ranking: 21)
The next few weeks will be interesting for backup goaltender Marcus Hogberg. The 30 year old net minder’s had a brief, average career. With Semyon Varlamov out the rest of the year, Hogberg has to play more since New York has a lot of upcoming games. If he can steal some wins before the start of April, general manager Lou Lamoriello could trade him to a team needing goaltender depth this offseason.
#23 Boston Bruins (last ranking: 19)
It’s unfair to pin a lot of the Bruins issues on interim coach Joe Sacco. At the same time, Sacco has done nothing to show he is the coach Boston needs moving forward or a coach who can turn around an NHL team. Don’t be surprised if he’s an assistant somewhere else next season.
#22 Detroit Red Wings (last ranking: 16)
As former coach Rick Bowness said last Sunday on TNT, Detroit has to go 11-3 or 12-2 in their next 14 games in order to make the playoffs. It’s likely they miss the postseason a ninth straight season after self-inflicted losses the last few weeks. The Red Wings also have the hardest remaining schedule in the NHL. It leaves a bitter taste as Detroit heads into their third straight offseason knowing red hot starts fizzled out the last two months of the regular season despite a high caliber offense leading the way.
#21 Calgary Flames (last ranking: 18)
Calgary has to stop taking penalties if they want to make the playoffs. They’re bottom five in penalty minutes and the penalty kill. That helps explain why the Flames have a -24 goal differential.
#20 Utah Hockey Club (last ranking: 22)
One of the reasons Utah’s in the playoff race is their top 15 power-play. There are no news stories of relocation, no pressure to close out the season wondering where they’ll play next year, and Andre Tourigny keeps proving why he’s a great coach in the league. It’s fair to pick the Hockey Club to upset both Vancouver and Calgary, and clinch the eighth seed. However, they aren’t the favorite due to another central division foe surging at the same time.
#19 Columbus Blue Jackets (last ranking: 17)
NHL Network’s Steve Konroyd said on Monday night most of Columbus’ regular season success came from playing carefree and not worrying about the playoff race. Now that the postseason is close, the Blue Jackets are starting to show some panic, fatigue and inexperience. It would be a shame if Columbus missed out on the playoffs because they got in their own way.
#18 New York Rangers (last ranking: 20)
The saddest part of New York’s drama-filled season is long-time t.v. play-by-play broadcaster Sam Rosen retiring after the Rangers are eliminated. Don’t expect New York to make the playoffs with their difficult schedule. After all the work Rosen poured in with the franchise, his reward is one of the worst PR disasters of a season from almost everyone in the organization. What an awful parting gift.
#17 Montreal Canadiens (last ranking: 24)
Former 2019 third overall pick Kirby Dach was placed on injured reserve March second because he needed season ending right knee surgery. Dach’s played 60+ games twice in his six year career and missed all but two games last season. What a painful career going from Chicago almost in a full re-build to season ending injuries in Montreal.
#16 Vancouver Canucks (last ranking: 14)
Captain Quinn Hughes is back to full health and center Elias Pettersson has played better this month. While Vancouver still struggles to score, the most important player right now is goaltender Kevin Lankinen. Starter Thatcher Demko got injured again and that means someone has to play their best in net every night if the Canucks have any hope of clinching a playoff spot.
#15 St. Louis Blues (last ranking: 23)
This is a new team since play resumed. St. Louis is 10-2-2 in their last 14 games, averaging four goals a game, 2.7 goals against, and have a 30% power-play. It would be a shock if St. Louis doesn’t make the playoffs with these numbers.
#14 Ottawa Senators (last ranking: 15)
So yes, I was critical of general manager Steve Staios trading forward Josh Norris to Buffalo for forward Dylan Cozens. Norris is a dangerous scoring threat when healthy and also plays center well. After Ottawa’s dramatic 2-1 home win against Detroit March 10th on Amazon Prime, it was easier to see why Staios made the trade. Cozens leads the team in scoring chances and slot shots and is second best in offensive zone puck recoveries and puck battles won (via SportsNet). The Senators have the most goals since December 13th and could upset the playoff picture with a deep run.
#13 New Jersey Devils (last ranking: 10)
The losses of franchise star forward Jack Hughes to a shoulder injury and defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler are big blows to New Jersey’s playoff hopes. The Devils go from potentially taking any eastern playoff contender to a full seven game series to hoping they don’t miss the postseason. Montreal and Ottawa won’t fall out of the race anytime soon, and that easily makes New Jersey the weakest of the top eight eastern teams. Let’s see if they can hang on to any of the lower three spots.
#12 Los Angeles Kings (last ranking: 13)
Andrei Kuzmenko getting to play on a first line with Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar will be interesting to watch the next month. Los Angeles needed another game changing forward who’s confidence will grow among two of the team’s best players. It would be a shock if Kuzmenko doesn’t play better before mid-April on any of the Kings four lines.
#11 Minnesota Wild (last ranking: 8)
NHL Network has kept track of Minnesota’s record their last 38 games and it’s eye-opening. The Wild started the season at 20-6-4, and gave the league best Winnipeg Jets some trouble. Their last 38 games? 18-19-1. Injuries to star players are mostly to blame for the downturn but it’s bizarre how far Minnesota has fallen.
#10 Edmonton Oilers (last ranking: 7)
It’s also eye-opening how average Edmonton has played once the Four Nations tournament ended. Outside of MVP favorite Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers are mediocre and won’t threaten serious playoff contenders. If Edmonton drew Vegas or Colorado in round one today, they’d be eliminated in five games. No one thought this a month and a half ago.
#9 Tampa Bay Lightning (last ranking; 11)
Tampa Bay was bound to be in the top ten at some point since they’ve been 12-3-2 since the start of February (that’s an NHL best .82 points percentage during that span). Between an eight game winning streak, captain Victor Hedman playing some of his most complete hockey the last few months, former team champion forward Yanni Gourde coming back and getting an additional forward with Oliver Bjorkstrand at the trade deadline, almost every team in the eastern conference will struggle with the Lightning once playoffs begin.
#8 Toronto Maple Leafs (last ranking: 9)
I don’t know how many other people caught this but Toronto’s February 25th 5-4 comeback overtime win in Boston was poetic given the Maple Leafs past struggles against the Bruins in the playoffs. The urge to say it was a regular season win was valid until Boston traded captain Brad Marchand and made it clear there’s an incoming rebuild. How fitting Toronto got karma for their 2013 game seven blunder to end the Bruins reign of playoff consistency in almost the exact same way.
#7 Colorado Avalanche (last ranking: 12)
It’s almost unbelievable this is the second time Colorado’s been in the top ten for this seasons power rankings. General manager Joe Sakic turned a stale roster into a dangerous team few contenders want to face in the playoffs. How much longer can Sakic get away with this?
#6 Carolina Hurricanes (last ranking: 5)
A lot of regular season stats are eye-roll worthy, but some stick throughout the season. A team’s record at home versus on the road is one of them. Carolina has the NHL’s best home record at 27-7-1. Outside Raleigh they’re 14-15-3. The Hurricanes can’t afford to lose home ice advantage especially to a team like Tampa Bay.
#5 Dallas Stars (last ranking; 4)
Trading forward Logan Stankoven to Carolina for forward Mikko Rantanen screams all-in for winning a championship this year. There are four teams in the western conference that could both go to the finals and win the championship. Only Dallas has all the pressure to win or see the season as a failure.
#4 Vegas Golden Knights (last ranking: 6)
For everything said about Boston this season, one imagines somewhere in a dark corner of Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy’s mind, he’s sitting back and laughing with his 2023 championship ring. While the Bruins flounder in mediocrity, the Golden Knights lost their first home game to a division rival this month and had three shutout wins the last two weeks. Vegas has a case they’re the best team in the western conference, the NHL, and are the biggest postseason threat.
#3 Florida Panthers (last ranking: 2)
Had Florida not lost to Montreal and the Islanders back-to-back, they would’ve had the number one spot on these rankings. Despite getting former Bruins captain Brad Marchand and goaltender Vitek Vanecek at the trade deadline, this is where the loss of star defenseman Aaron Ekblad hurts most. Fortunately, Ekblad will miss only two postseason games. If the Panthers dip in the standings, it leaves the Atlantic division race open for Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto to steal one of the top seeds.
#2 Washington Capitals (last ranking: 3)
Last ranking I lauded Washington’s top line for leading the team to first place in goal scoring. This month it’s the Capitals second line stepping up. Since play resumed, the line of Connor McMichael, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson has scored 13 goals, and scoring chances v. chances allowed is 3-1 in their favor. Washington’s rising at the best time and they will be one of the hardest teams to eliminate in the playoffs.
#1 Winnipeg Jets (last ranking: 1)
Originally I swapped Florida and Winnipeg because of consistency until last weekend. The Jets dominated the win-now Stars and shook off a trap game in Seattle two days later. If their only lull of were losses to Philadelphia and New York, that says how great Winnipeg’s been this season.
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