Every NHL analyst said at the beginning at the 2024-2025 regular season the New York Rangers were a top five team to both reach and win the Stanley Cup finals. New York had everything on paper to punch their playoff ticket and get to the second round. A top franchise goaltender? Check. A championship winning coach? Yep. A tough, defensive captain? Of course. Scoring, grit and top five special teams units? Absolutely. There were few teams favored to eliminate the Rangers in a best of seven series.
Now? New York won’t pass the lowly Islanders or Sabres in the standings. Unlike last article with the Nashville Predators, the problem for New York wasn’t the organization signing and putting together veteran, championship players with pressure to win now. Their problem is managerial mistrust. It’s a WMD that takes down any franchise on the cusp of getting to a championship.
Owner James Dolan and general manager Chris Drury executed a masterclass in how to alienate top league talent and destroy trust for any sports team. Most of the blame goes to Drury, who insisted and pushed to re-sign starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin for a whopping, league-high eight year, $92 million contract. That’s a staggering number for someone who doesn’t sniff accolades to either Sunshine State netminders (who both eliminated the Rangers in previous postseasons). Drury then had to decide who was worth keeping before Shesterkin’s signature dried on the dotted line.
There was daily chaos in New York’s locker room before Igor Shesterkin’s contract extension. Key offensive players like Mika Zibanejad weren’t playing well. After the extension players were openly upset and frustrated. Captain Jacob Trouba was pressured by Drury to drop his no-trade clause so he could be moved. Trouba wound up going to Anaheim for Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth round pick.
That deal has ripple effects. The NHLPA and scores of players have complained that the Rangers front office should have put the former captain on waivers because Trouba had a no-trade clause for some teams, but didn’t have a no-move clause. According to Remy Mastey, that would mean New York should not have forced a trade. The Rangers did all this to their captain. It wasn’t surprising the roster’s played worse after the trade. The same was done to former captain Ryan McDonagh last decade, and we know how that worked out.
No one in the organization outside Shesterkin is safe. That was shown again when former 2019 second overall pick Kaapo Kakko openly criticized coach Peter Laviolette after a beatdown against St. Louis saying, “I know we’re losing games, but I think it’s just easy to take the young guy and put him out.” Kakko was one of the better defenders on the Rangers penalty kill and five-on-five after Thanksgiving. While Laviolette could have been right for taking Kakko out, the timing of when the former second overall pick said this leaves one to wonder if it was his way of telling Drury he wanted out. Who could blame him? Kakko found out about Trouba going to Anaheim at a hotel sauna in Dallas.
Not even 24 hours after Kaapo Kakko’s response to being pulled against St. Louis, he was traded to Seattle for defenseman Will Borgen and two draft picks. New York’s played worse during all three of these major stories. The worst performance of the season was a blown, 3-0 lead at home to Dallas before the Rangers lost in overtime last Tuesday. New York never trailed until forward Jason Robertson scored the overtime winner. The players also had a closed door meeting about their displeasure in general manager Chris Drury during their last winning streak.
We’re getting closer to seeing which NHL teams won’t make the playoffs. It’s stunning when analysts on Sportsnet, TSN, the NHL Network and ESPN all agree how there’s little hope for an organization reaching the playoffs due to shattered trust. No one will be surprised when players like Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Vincent Trocheck get dealt in 2025. The Rangers more than deserve this product.
Time for the first power rankings of 2025. These show where all 32 teams objectively stand going back to December. Some teams will have tiebreakers based off of how they’d perform on a neutral site.
#32 Chicago Blackhawks (last ranking: 32)
The NHL has to stop forcing Connor Bedard and this awful Blackhawks team on national viewers. Real hockey has Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov or Sidney Crosby leading their teams to the playoffs, not top five in another horrifying draft lottery process.
#31 San Jose Sharks (last ranking: 29)
Meanwhile, this season’s first overall pick Macklin Celebrini should be rookie of the year. Celebrini is tied for third in points with 28 and second in goals with 13 for San Jose. The Sharks are in another rebuilding year and are almost last on every side of the puck. They need to add more scoring and defensive depth this offseason.
#30 Buffalo Sabres (last ranking: 22)
It’s been another rough season for the Sabres as they became the only team to post multiple losing streaks of 13 games three times in at least 50 years. While Buffalo’s won five of their last eight games, NHL Network’s Steve Konroyd and Mike Johnson pointed out a big reason the Sabres struggle is due to the lack of physical play, especially around the net. Buffalo has to toughen up and take more chances.
#29 Nashville Predators (last ranking: 19)
Sometimes a slow start can derail an entire season, especially the closer teams get to the trade deadline. Nashville won four games in December but they were all against playoff favorites (yes, even the Rangers at that time). While the Predators lost to a good number of quality teams in their division, losses to Montreal, Calgary and Pittsburgh negated a lot of positives. Nashville should feel some relief January is an easier month and can make up some ground. They’re on a good start after winning their first two of three games to start the month.
#28 New York Rangers (last ranking: 5)
I said in previous power rankings that if a team ever falls more than ten spots, it’s deserved. There are many factors into why it’s happened; good or bad. New York absolutely deserves this 23 team drop. It’s a nosedive many audiences haven’t seen in years, if not a decade. The Rangers have no hope nor a chance of getting back to the top of the standings. That’s on ownership and management.
That said, it was SportsNet’s Ron MacLean with this jaw-dropping stat on December 28th after the Rangers lost to Tampa Bay: Igor Shesterkin allowed the most five or more goal performances of all netminders in 2024 with eleven. This is what general manager Chris Drury let go of Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko and probably much more for by extending Shesterkin.
#27 Seattle Kraken (last ranking: 18)
At some point there has to be criticism towards general manager Ron Francis for how Seattle’s played the last two years. Teams adjusted to playing the Kraken after their unexpected postseason run in 2023, but Dave Hakstol wasn’t holding the roster back. Dan Bylsma struggles to get consistent scoring and defense from this roster. Bylsma isn’t a rookie coach either, he’s been successful for decades. Francis hasn’t replicated the magic he had with Carolina.
#26 New York Islanders (last ranking: 21)
What a terrible time to live in New York and be an NHL fan. The best team in the state is still last on the power-play and penalty kill. Their head coach also committed one last blunder of 2024 by…pulling their goalie on a defensive zone draw against the Toronto Maple Leafs down 2-1. Worth saying yet again this is the genius of general manager Lou Lamoriello after firing Barry Trotz.
#25 Anaheim Ducks (last ranking: 30)
Former third overall pick Trevor Zegras is on pace for 23 points this season after last year’s down year of 40. What kind of progression is this? What is going on with Anaheim’s development programs where one of the most treasured scoring phenoms becomes an afterthought?
#24 Detroit Red Wings (last ranking: 24)
The Red Wings needed a coaching change after Christmas. General manager Steve Yzerman didn’t waste time and fired Derek Lalonde on the 26th. Interestingly, Todd McLellan was chosen to succeed him and he did not hold back his thoughts of the roster after a one sided loss to Toronto. Detroit’s undefeated in 2025 after his objective rant at practice a day after losing to the Leafs.
#23 Philadelphia Flyers (last ranking: 25)
He won’t win coach of the year but John Tortorella deserves a lot of credit for making the Flyers competitive. Philadelphia has one of the league’s worst rosters, a terrible power play and are a bottom five team on offense and defense. Yet the Flyers are still in the playoff race and have crucial wins over Columbus and Detroit. Philadelphia could fizzle out, but that won’t be in another month or two.
#22 Montreal Canadiens (last ranking: 31)
That was a stunning December for Montreal. The Canadiens closed out 2024 with three dominant wins over Florida, Tampa Bay and Vegas in total goals at 12-4. Then Montreal won thrillers over Colorado, Vancouver and Washington to start January. A big reason for the Canadiens’ hot streak is the better development of duo Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky under Martin St. Louis. SAP Coaching Insights revealed that of the age 21 or younger duos this season, Hutson and Slavkovsky are second in combined points this season with 54. There’s more roster building to do but the core of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Jake Evans and Hutson makes the team better.
#21 Utah Hockey Club (last ranking: 23)
It’s been an uncharacteristically quiet scoring season for Nick Schmalz. He had no goals and 17 assists until Utah’s 6-0 shutout of Vegas to end November. He four goals and six assists in December. If Schmalz gets hot this month or February, it would put the Hockey Club’s playoff chances in an interesting position.
#20 Pittsburgh Penguins (last ranking: 28)
The biggest winner from the Rangers tanking is Mike Sullivan. Not only are media outlets and division rivals not talking about how much time he has left in Pittsburgh, but the Penguins are just outside the postseason standings, tied for fourth in the metropolitan division despite giving up the most goals. New York’s fall means division and conference rivals will be closer in the playoff race than many assumed before the start of November.
#19 Vancouver Canucks (last ranking: 12)
Injuries to star forward Elias Pettersson (and formerly captain Quinn Hughes) explain some of Vancouver’s stall, but the rumours on a rift between Pettersson and center J.T. Miller are more serious. It’s why the Canucks didn’t play energized most of 2024. It could get uglier before the trade deadline.
#18 Columbus Blue Jackets (last ranking: 27)
There’s a golden opportunity for both coach Dean Evason and Columbus’ roster to be nominated for various awards. The Blue Jackets were considered a dark-horse postseason threat in the last power rankings. Now they’re tied for the eighth seed with Pittsburgh. The big question for Columbus would be how active they are at the trade deadline when general manager Don Waddell was hired to fix a lot of mistakes from previous trades.
#17 Calgary Flames (last ranking: 17)
Give credit to Calgary; they hung around with top teams in 2024 and seem to be a good litmus test for which western conference teams are serious about making the playoffs. As discussed in the last rankings, it’s unclear how much longer the Flames keep this up. They’re a bottom three scoring offense and penalty-killing team. That won’t go away unless there are major roster moves.
#16 St. Louis Blues (last ranking: 26)
Jim Montgomery was the best hire at the right time. Despite a .500 December, St. Louis has hope for a strong playoff run. They’ll pass Calgary at some point and probably Vancouver (if the Canucks remain uninspired). The Blues would be a worst case scenario for the one seed in the west.
#15 Ottawa Senators (last ranking: 20)
Ottawa should be one of the league’s better season stories. Unfortunately, injuries to both goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark soured the great December the Senators had. They’ve lost five of their last six games despite not playing for almost two weeks. Ottawa cannot fall back into old, bad defensive patterns with Forsberg back in net.
#14 Boston Bruins (last ranking: 13)
Don’t be fooled by the standings. Boston remains stuck despite firing Jim Montgomery. Currently riding a six game losing streak, the Bruins still have a bottom three power-play and a bottom ten offense with Joe Sacco behind the bench. That’s Boston’s worst losing streak since last decade. There won’t be change until general manager Don Sweeney is humbled.
#13 Colorado Avalanche (last ranking: 15)
General manager Joe Sakic trading goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to San Jose for Mackenzie Blackwood (and then extending his contract) was perfectly timed. Blackwood will play more games than expected after Buffalo’s Zach Benson injured Scott Wedgewood in January 2nd’s game. Colorado’s defense has improved after the trade and that should carry over into the second half of the season.
#12 Dallas Stars (last ranking: 4)
That Tuesday overtime win in New York is a season highlight no matter how far Dallas goes in the playoffs. The Stars never led that game and still found a way to win. Even better, captain Jamie Benn had a three game goal streak and the offense is starting to play better.
#11 Tampa Bay Lightning (last ranking: 11)
There’s a high chance Tampa Bay surpasses Boston in the standings (they have five more games to play) and joins the race for top seed in the atlantic division. The Lightning have played the least amount of games in the eastern conference and are in-sync on every side of the puck. They just can’t lose to teams like Anaheim, San Jose or Montreal again.
#10 Edmonton Oilers (last ranking: 16)
Last power rankings had the prediction Edmonton would get hot later in the regular season. The Oilers aren’t there yet, but they’re gaining ground. Like Tampa, Edmonton’s eyebrow raising losses stand out. Yet the defense has fixed most of the issues that cost them wins the first two months of the season.
#9 Los Angeles Kings (last ranking: 10)
The big reason Los Angeles is a much better and consistent team this year is because of their dominance at home. They’re 14-2-1, score three and a half goals a game while giving up two on defense, and the power play is near 24%. The Kings were seen as a better road team in 2023 before the December collapse. Jim Hiller has done a great job fixing last year’s mistakes.
#8 Carolina Hurricanes (last ranking: 2)
That was a rough month for what many considered the best team in the eastern conference. The only quality win was a weekend split against New Jersey on the 28th. It’s rare to say that every loss a team took for one month will affect their postseason chances, but that’s what happened to the Hurricanes.
#7 New Jersey Devils (last ranking: 14)
The recent slump and roster inexperience keeps New Jersey from being a top five team. The Devils also played the most games in the eastern conference, and that means they’ll be passed in the standings by Carolina. There’s nothing else to critique because coach Sheldon Keefe has this young core playing their best. He should be a coach of the year nominee.
#6 Minnesota Wild (last ranking: 9)
Like Ottawa, Minnesota was rolling and would probably be the talk of January had potential MVP candidate Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon not fallen to injuries. The Wild are one of the league’s best stories this year, but there’s concern those injuries might place Minnesota behind Colorado if they have an average month.
#5 Toronto Maple Leafs (last ranking: 7)
It might’ve been a mistake for Toronto to transfer the team captaincy from John Tavares to Auston Matthews this year. Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reported Matthews is unsure if he’ll be able to fully move past his injury this season. Meanwhile, Tavares tied Evgeni Malkin Tuesday night for most seasons of 20+ goals among active players with 15. It wouldn’t surprise many viewers if Tavares is still seen in Toronto’s locker room as the de facto captain the rest of this season.
#4 Washington Capitals (last ranking: 8)
The spotlight is on Alex Ovechkin as he continues closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s total goals record, but the best Capital of 2024 was coach Spencer Carbery. Not only is Washington all-in with his system and tactics, they’re the best team in the eastern conference. The defense mirrors the 2018 championship season where Barry Trotz had the defense playing sharp. The offense is also back to the dangerous levels many hockey fans remembered.
#3 Florida Panthers (last ranking: 3)
This might be the only ranking readers push back on. The first half of December wasn’t what many wanted to see from Florida. While the Panthers beat Seattle and Philadelphia, they were shutout in consecutive games by Vancouver and Calgary.
Yet the second half of December is why Florida isn’t knocked down. The Panthers won a thriller in Edmonton in their first matchup since game seven of the finals. After that win, Florida dominated Minnesota, St. Louis and split with Tampa Bay. The Panthers might be where Tampa Bay was in 2022; ready for the postseason, but stuck with a lot of remaining games in the regular season. They could be distracted every other week. Until there’s a significant rough patch, don’t expect the Panthers to drop out of the top five.
#2 Winnipeg Jets (last ranking: 1)
Many expected some cooling for Winnipeg before 2025 started. The Jets are still tied for the best record and had impressive wins in December. There are teams Winnipeg struggles against, but there’s a few months of regular season hockey left and coach Scott Arniel has a lot of time to make those changes.
#1 Vegas Golden Knights (last ranking: 6)
Vegas recorded a cool stat with their 3-1 home win over Anaheim on December 23rd: They’re the only team this season to be undefeated at home against their division. The Knights also won their first three games in 2025. Usually a fully healthy team back to playing championship level hockey takes care of their divisional rivals at home. Coach Bruce Cassidy has the Golden Knights playing like their old selves.
JD's Sportscorner 