Every team has something to shoot for in 2024
• 1 min read
There are just a few days until the calendar flips to 2024, and everyone will start working on their New Year’s resolutions. That goes for NHL teams too, and they all have something to work on next year.
Even the very best teams, including our new No. 1, have aspirations of improving. For the Winnipeg Jets, it’s all about aiming higher and realizing they could do some real damage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Is it time for them to start thinking about lifting the Stanley Cup?
At the other end of the power rankings, it’s not hard to find resolutions. Take the Buffalo Sabres as an example. Their preseason playoff hopes have been all but dashed at this point, but they can still set attainable goals for themselves. In their case, it’s all about giving the fans some excitement on a nightly basis.
With 2024 just around the corner, here are the updated NHL Power Rankings with a resolution for each team.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jets |
Win the Central Division | I think it’s fair to start adjusting expectations for the Jets, a team that keeps proving itself to be one of the best in the Western Conference. Even without Kyle Connor, Winnipeg has continued to roll, and it has won eight of its last 10 games. Connor Hellebuyck is still playing at a high level, and the players in front of him are performing well. That’s a deadly combination. | 5 | 20-9-3 |
| 2 |
Stars |
Keep Jake Oettinger healthy | Once Jake Oettinger returns from his lower-body injury, the Stars need to find a way to keep him in bubble wrap during games. Dallas has performed well in his absence, and backup Scott Wedgewood has been serviceable, but the team’s ceiling is much higher with Oettinger in goal. The Stars are a real Cup contender, and a long-term injury to Oettinger is one of the only things that could change that. | 5 | 20-8-4 |
| 3 |
Canucks |
Let Quinn Hughes cook | Sometimes things are going so well that you don’t need to change anything at all. That is the case with the Canucks and Quinn Hughes. The Vancouver defenseman has 44 points in 35 games, and it seems like coach Rick Tocchet has allowed Hughes to be more aggressive in the offensive zone. Just keep doing that and watch him dominate. | — | 23-9-3 |
| 4 |
Rangers |
Improve at five-on-five | The Rangers have proven they can win big without stellar five-on-five play, but just try to imagine what it would be like if they were even slightly above average in those situations. They are already so good on special teams and in goal that being able to control the game more at even strength would put New York in the conversation for juggernaut status. | 2 | 23-8-1 |
| 5 |
Golden Knights |
Pull Chandler Stephenson out of his funk | Last season, Chandler Stephenson really stepped up and gave the Golden Knights another top-flight option down the middle. Stephenson has taken somewhat of a step back this season with just six goals and 12 assists in 31 games. Getting Stephenson back to his 2022-23 form would make Vegas look more formidable down the middle. | 4 | 21-9-5 |
| 6 |
Kings |
Give Jordan Spence more ice time | Jordan Spence, a former fourth-round pick, has been holding his own in Los Angeles this season. Spence has been playing fewer minutes in a sheltered role, but the results have still been impressive. The Kings are dominant when Spence is in the game, and he has probably earned a shot in some tougher minutes in the second half of the season. | 2 | 19-7-4 |
| 7 |
Avalanche |
Get along with friends | It hasn’t been the smoothest season for the Avs, even though they are firmly in a playoff spot. The team hasn’t lived up to its sky-high expectations, and the frustration is showing off the ice. Mikko Rantanen has beef with Artturi Lehkonen’s dad. Devon Toews is calling out his teammates. Can’t we all just come together this holiday season, fellas? | 4 | 21-11-2 |
| 8 |
Bruins |
Find a top-six center | Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha have been good, but this Bruins team would really look a lot scarier if it had another star down the middle. Of course, that’s easier said than done since Boston is pressed up against the salary cap. Still, Boston GM Don Sweeney isn’t afraid to take some swings, and he should try to do that again ahead of the trade deadline. | 3 | 19-7-6 |
| 9 |
Flyers |
Score power play goals | Even though the Flyers have been faltering a bit lately, they have still put up better-than-expected numbers at five-on-five. That has led to Philly being one of the biggest surprises of the season, and it occupies third place in the Metro Division. Now imagine if the Flyers were able to score on the power play. Philadelphia has converted on just 10.6% of its power plays, which ranks last in the NHL. | 1 | 18-11-4 |
| 10 |
Maple Leafs |
Give the goalies a hand | Toronto’s goaltending situation has not been ideal in 2023-24, but in all fairness, the team hasn’t done a great job of assisting its netminders. The Maple Leafs have been pretty leaky on defense, and they are surrendering expected goals at one of the highest rates in the league. That’s no way to insulate an underwhelming goalie tandem. | 1 | 17-8-6 |
| 11 |
Islanders |
Hold onto leads | The Islanders are second in the Metro Division despite constantly shooting themselves in the foot. On a handful of occasions this season, the Isles have turned two points into one or none. That is a cool magic trick, but it doesn’t bode well for making the NHL playoffs. If New York can lock teams down in the third period more often, its 2024 record should look much better. | 1 | 16-8-9 |
| 12 |
Panthers |
Fire up Matthew Tkachuk | Last postseason, Matthew Tkachuk powered the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final despite playing with a broken sternum. In that 20-game run, against the best competition in the world, Tkachuk had 11 goals and 24 points. Through 33 games this season, he has five goals and 19 points. Tkachuk has been the victim of poor puck luck, and the Panthers must get him rolling in 2024 if they want to compete for a Cup. | 2 | 19-12-2 |
| 13 |
Wild |
Get stops on the penalty kill | Since John Hynes took over behind the bench, the Wild have played exceptionally well. Still, Minnesota is lagging behind on the penalty kill, which is ranked 30th with a success rate of 72.2%. If the Wild can start killing penalties more frequently, they will look more like the bona fide playoff threat everyone thought they would be going into the season. | 5 | 15-13-4 |
| 14 |
Predators |
Give the top line some help | Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly have been tremendous together in Nashville. They have combined for 19 goals, and they’ve found some chemistry with veteran winger Gustav Nyquist. However, that trio hasn’t gotten a ton of help on a regular basis. With the exception of Colton Sissons, Nashville needs more of its young forwards to step up and take some of the pressure off that top line. | 1 | 19-15-0 |
| 15 |
Oilers |
Make the playoffs | The way the 2023-24 season began, it seemed like the Oilers might waste another season of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the height of their powers. That could still be the case because Edmonton is not in a playoff spot and has very little margin for error the rest of the way. Still, the Oilers have been playing better of late, and they just need to get into the dance. No one will want to face this roster in the postseason, and Edmonton’s ceiling is that of a Stanley Cup contender. | 1 | 15-15-1 |
| 16 |
Lightning |
Get Stamkos another ring | There seems to be a growing chance that this will be Steven Stamkos’ last season as a member of the Lightning. If that is the case, Tampa Bay needs to do everything in its power to get a franchise icon another Stanley Cup. The Bolts haven’t looked the part of a contender this season, but everyone is well aware of what this roster can do when the calendar flips to April. | 1 | 17-13-5 |
| 17 |
Devils |
Add a top-four defenseman | With Dougie Hamilton on injured reserve, the Devils have a large void on their blue line. New Jersey should be in the mix to add one of the better defensemen on the trade market because this team has too much talent to sit on its hands. The lack of salary cap space will be a problem for New Jersey, but GM Tom Fitzgerald needs to pull every lever he can to make sure the Devils are positioned for a deep playoff run. | 2 | 17-13-2 |
| 18 |
Hurricanes |
Upgrade in goal | Carolina has been floundering in the middle of the pack for weeks now, and a large portion of that can be attributed to poor goaltending. Freddie Andersen is out indefinitely with blood clots, and the combination of Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta has not been getting the job done. The Canes either need to find a way to get more out of their current duo or hit the trade market. It shouldn’t be too hard to find an affordable netminder who could thrive in this environment. | 4 | 17-13-4 |
| 19 |
Coyotes |
Land a wild card spot | The Coyotes have been fun and frisky this season, which is a welcomed change from the last few seasons. Arizona has endured some horrible on-ice products and some off-ice embarrassments, but this team is legitimately kind of good in 2023-24. It would be cool to see Mullett Arena get some playoff games and watch the young Yotes roster try to knock off a Western Conference favorite. | — | 17-14-2 |
| 20 |
Capitals |
Feed Alex Ovechkin | Ovi just ended a 14-game goal drought with a game-winner against the Blue Jackets, but he still has some work to do in order to catch Wayne Gretzky on the all-time goals list. Part of Ovechkin’s problem this season has been that his shot totals have taken a sharp dip. Luckily, there’s an easy fix for that. Feed Ovechkin pucks in the offensive zone as often as possible and let him fire away. | — | 17-9-5 |
| 21 |
Blues |
Solve the blue line problem | The Blues have a lot of money tied up in a veteran blue line for at least a few more seasons. For St. Louis to really start taking some steps forward, it will have to find a way out from under some of those contracts. Maybe this summer, with the salary cap climbing several million dollars, the Blues can find a way to create a little more financial flexibility on defense. | 3 | 17-15-1 |
| 22 |
Canadiens |
Help Juraj Slafkovsky to take the next step | At this moment, it looks like the Canadiens might be a little too good to have a legitimate chance at winning the draft lottery. Montreal will still have a high pick, but Macklin Celebrini will be out of reach. That’s why the Habs need to focus on making sure that Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in 2022, continues to develop. Slafkovsky’s adjustment to the NHL has been very slow, and Montreal needs to hit on him if it wants to exit rebuild mode soon. | 3 | 15-13-5 |
| 23 |
Penguins |
Get deeper | The Penguins are trying to compete for a Stanley Cup with only two lines contributing, and it is not going well. Pittsburgh is five points out of the playoffs with a long line of teams ahead of it in the race for a wild card spot. After adding Erik Karlsson last offseason, the Penguins can’t really afford to mess around and miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. GM Kyle Dubas needs to crunch the numbers and get more quality depth in the mix. | — | 15-13-4 |
| 24 |
Flames |
Look to the future | Reality is staring the Flames in the face. In fact, it has been for the last year, but Calgary has the chance to start making things right. With pending free agents like Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev on the roster, the Flames have a very good chance to kickstart a rebuild. They need to take full advantage of that opportunity and load up on that sweet draft capital. | 2 | 14-15-5 |
| 25 |
Red Wings |
Create more five-on-five offense | For a team that has taken steps to upgrade its forward group over the last two seasons, the Red Wings have been shockingly bad at generating five-on-five offense. Detroit ranks 30th in xGF/60, per Natural Stat Trick, and the team has tumbled in the standings lately. Head coach Derek Lalonde needs to fix that in a hurry, or this portion of the Yzerplan will start to look like a disappointment. | 4 | 16-14-4 |
| 26 |
Kraken |
Win the Winter Classic | Imagine being able to complete your New Year’s resolution on Jan. 1. The Kraken can do just that by defeating the Golden Knights in the Winter Classic. The team is a longshot to make the playoffs in the West, but it does have an opportunity to give the fans something to cheer for when all the eyes of the hockey world are on Seattle. | 5 | 12-14-9 |
| 27 |
Sabres |
Play in more nine-goal games | It ain’t happening this year, Buffalo (again). The Sabres just aren’t going to reach the postseason (again). Now, their focus just needs to be icing an entertaining product, and that is an attainable goal. For instance, Buffalo just had quite the week. It allowed nine goals to the Blue Jackets before scoring nine goals on the Maple Leafs two days later. | 1 | 14-17-4 |
| 28 |
Senators |
Get more comfortable on the road | The Senators haven’t exactly been unbeatable at home — they’re just .500 in those games — but they have been terrible on the road. Ottawa’s record is 3-8-0 in those games, and it has really sunk the team’s playoff chances. Maybe the Senators can get some tips from the Kings, who have lost two games on the road all season. | 1 | 12-17-0 |
| 29 |
Blue Jackets |
Let the kids play | I can understand that head coach Pascal Vincent wants to set a certain standard for the young prospects on the Blue Jackets. However, this team is going nowhere fast, and it’s time to let them loose. No more sending Kent Johnson down to the AHL. No more putting Adam Fantilli on the fourth line. Put them on the ice and let them learn by doing, while coaching them up along the way. | 1 | 11-18-6 |
| 30 |
Blackhawks |
Enjoy Connor Bedard | If it weren’t for Connor Bedard, it would be nearly impossible to find anything nice to say about this Blackhawks team. They might be as bad as last season’s team, but Bedard really lifts them up and makes them watchable. Chicago will be in the draft lottery again, but at least fans get to watch Bedard do cool stuff on a nightly basis. So, just appreciate that for the time being. | 2 | 10-22-1 |
| 31 |
Ducks |
Defend home ice | I don’t know if the pond is unseasonably cold or if it dried up entirely, but the Ducks have not enjoyed playing at the Honda Center. Anaheim is 5-12-0 at home, and that has really tanked the team’s record. Even the Coyotes were competitive at Mullett Arena last year. Have some pride, Ducks. Don’t let teams come into your barn and push you around. | 2 | 12-21-0 |
| 32 |
Sharks |
Keep losing games | They say New Year’s resolutions need to be realistic, and they don’t get much more realistic than this one. The Sharks looked borderline competent for a few weeks, but they have now lost five in a row. That is what it will take to draft Macklin Celebrini, unite him with college rival Will Smith at the NHL level, and turn the franchise around. | 2 | 9-22-3 |
