Before they beat the Kings on Sunday, they were on a four-game losing streak, and the only news coming out about them involved a potential trade for Patrick Kane. Things were looking bad for the New York Rangers this week. A big acquisition or two might be a sign that management thinks they are ready to win now, whereas if they stay quiet they may believe they just aren’t there yet. This week will tell a lot about their goals for the season. Kevin Fiala has been a perfect fit for the Los Angeles Kings, and there’s reason to believe that he will only keep getting better as time goes on. might not always play the prettiest games, but they keep finding ways to gut out wins. They are either a veteran-led team with a perfect mixture of playoff experience and youth to make them a contender, or they are a flawed roster that is benefiting from a weak division. For now, I’ll keep them at 10th and be mildly annoyed about it. ![]() The team is a bit of a mess right now, and I don’t believe in them very much to win the Central Division, let alone prove themselves to be a contender. ![]() If the Dallas Stars had lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in any fashion on Saturday, I would have knocked them out of the Top 10. Perhaps there is a big deal on the horizon one of these teams that are known for selling at the deadline in recent years? 10. This would be a big win for two teams that have been struggling in recent years, especially Buffalo. Both teams have games in hand on their opponents, and if they are able to win them, they could take over the Wild Card positions. Most importantly, watch out for the Red Wings and Sabres in the East. ![]() In both divisions, there are places in the postseason that are readily available, but that doesn’t mean that these teams have been able to take the steps needed to claim them. While there is a lot of commotion about deals that could go down, there’s no guarantee that these moves will happen. Well, it’s time to put up or shut up for teams at this part of the list. 20-11: It’s Time To Make Moves at the Deadlineġ9. The Chicago Blackhawks won five-straight games against teams near the top of the rankings, which was a surprise, but outside of that, most of the teams are winning one game and losing two, which means they aren’t making much progress in these standings. Outside of trade talk, this was a pretty standard week on the ice for the teams at the bottom of the standing. With the departure of Garnet Hathaway and Dimitry Orlov, the Washington Capitals appear to be waving the white flag on the 2022-23 NHL Season. With the departure of one of their best (and healthiest) defensemen, it would make sense to see them stay active at the deadline and continue to gut their roster which is filled with unrestricted free agents (UFA’s) that will draw a lot of interest from contending teams. Well, the Washington Capitals officially waived the white flag on their injury-fill 2022-23 season this week, when they quickly traded Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins for a haul of future assets. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Ranking: 31)Ģ2: Washington Capitals (Last Ranking: 20)Ģ1. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Ranking: 25)Ģ6. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Ranking: 30)Ģ8. 32-21: Watching the 2023 Trade Deadlineģ1. Some teams that were on the playoff bubble decided that it was time to pull the ripcord and trade, while others are still holding on until the last minute to see if they can keep their postseason hopes alive. On the ice, I feel like we received a lot of clarity this week. Related: NHL 2022-23 Power Rankings: Week 20 So, expect the moves off the ice to be fast and furious teams as position themselves to make a run at the 2023 Stanley Cup, or sell off as many assets as possible that still hold value. That is a lot to take in for just one week, and we still have four-plus days until we reach the official deadline. The Hockey Writers Week 20 NHL Power Rankings.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |