NHL Power Rankings: Kings look great; Avalanche, Flames, Blues still rolling

By Adam GretzFeb 28, 2022, 1:07 PM EST

Harry How/Getty Images

In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings the Los Angeles Kings make another big climb as they inch closer to the top-10 of the league. They are one of the hottest teams right now with a 9-1-2 mark over their past 12 games that has pushed them to second place in the Pacific Division. Some smart offseason additions, a strong young core, and some of their star veterans (specifically Anze Kopitar) have helped this team become a playoff contender much sooner than expected.

They have good center depth, they defend well, and some bounce-back seasons from Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick have been just what they needed. If some of their young players can take a step forward during the stretch run (Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev) they could be a tough team to knock out in the playoffs.

Also this week the Colorado Avalanche maintain their top spot, while the Calgary Flames move into the top-five for the first time this season. The St. Louis Blues also sit in the top-10 for this week.

We take a look at all of that and more in this week’s rankings.

Where does your team sit?

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!

1. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 1). This offense is incredible, but the defense is what really separates them from everybody else in the league. It probably deserves more attention than it gets (and thanks to Cale Makar it gets a lot of attention around the league).

2. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 3). They do everything well at forward and defense and are also getting a Vezina-worthy goalie performance from Frederik Andersen. That is a winning combination.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW: 5). They have very quietly moved ahead of Florida in the Atlantic Division based on points percentage. Do not rule out the three-peat for this team. If anybody can win three Stanley Cups in a row, this team can.

4. Calgary Flames (LW: 6). Ugly game against Vancouver this week, but they are 14-3-0 in their past 17 games and have beaten a lot of really good teams during that stretch. Seems highly possible that they are going to end up in the Western Conference Final while everybody quietly ponders how it happened.

5. Florida Panthers (LW: 2). Little bit of a slump here, but they get three straight games against Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo to maybe snap out of it.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs (LW: 7). Would be very concerned about the goaltending right now, but wow that offense can score goals.

7. St. Louis Blues (LW: 10). What an absolute steal Pavel Buchnevich has been.

8. Minnesota Wild (LW: 3). Even good teams hit a tough stretch at some point during an 82-game season.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (LW: 8). Very impressive weekend with wins over the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Evgeni Malkin is starting to get rolling for them right now and play at a high level.

10. New York Rangers (LW: 9). Every time you watch them it becomes more and more clear that not only is Igor Shesterkin the Vezina Trophy winner, he should be the league MVP as well.

11. Boston Bruins (LW: 14). They beat a bunch of teams they are supposed to beat this week, but that 5-1 win over Colorado really stands out.

12. Los Angeles Kings (LW: 16). As noted above, this is a really good hockey team right now. Start paying attention to them.

13. Dallas Stars (LW: 17). Tyler Seguin is starting to produce and they have an outstanding top line. Still a very confusing team with the inconsistency this season.

14. Washington Capitals (LW: 12). They have been struggling for a while now and their schedule the rest of the way is a challenge.

15. Edmonton Oilers (LW: 13). They do look a lot better since the coaching change but they have to do something to address the goaltending position.

16. Nashville Predators (LW: 15). They would really have to struggle here over the next couple of weeks to make a Filip Forsberg trade seem like a realistic possibility. As long as they look like a playoff team, they should keep him.

17. Vegas Golden Knights (LW: 11). They do need to get healthy and get some better shooting luck, but this is not where anybody expected this team to be at any point this season.

[Related: Golden Knights on playoff bubble; How concerned should they be?]

18. Vancouver Canucks (LW: 22). Just when you think they are out of it, they manage to win enough games to stay in the race.

19. Columbus Blue Jackets (LW: 18). Patrik Laine and the Blue Jackets seem like a perfect fit. Hopefully they can work something out long term.

20. Winnipeg Jets (LW: 19). Kyle Connor is great, but this team is a disappointment overall.

21. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 20). It is kind of staggering how good Moritz Seider is already.

22. New York Islanders (LW: 22). Good news: Ilya Sorokin has been great this season. Bad news: Ilya Sorokin has been great this season and the Islanders are still having a season this bad.

23. Anaheim Ducks (LW: 21). They have lost a lot of games recently, and a lot of games they absolutely could not afford to lose (Seattle, Islanders).

24. Ottawa Senators (LW: 24). Even with some good young talent and improved goaltending this team still feels like it is miles away from contending, especially in that division.

25. San Jose Sharks (LW: 25). All eyes on Tomas Hertl right now.

[NHL Trade Deadline Primer: Tomas Hertl could be game-changer if moved]

26. Montreal Canadiens (LW: 32). It is still very early but Martin St. Louis has made an enormous difference here for both the team and individual players like Cole Caufield. This is going to be fascinating to watch the rest of the season.

27. Chicago Blackhawks (LW: 26). Something that does not get talked about enough is that this team did not fall apart simply because of the salary cap or an aging core. It was because of terrible management. In more ways than one it turns out.

28. New Jersey Devils (LW: 28). They are a different team with Dougie Hamilton back in the lineup. Jesper Bratt is also having an outstanding season.

29. Philadelphia Flyers (LW: 29). After starting 8-4-2 this season they have gone just 8-22-8 since then. They are 3-14-4 since the start of the new calendar year.

[Related: Will Flyers clean up start at trade deadline?]

30. Seattle Kraken (LW: 27). Mark Giordano seems like a given to be traded, but what about veterans like Jared McCann, Yanni Gourde, and Jordan Eberle? Are any of them part of the long-term core here?

31. Buffalo Sabres (LW: 30). There are some good individual performances here, including a breakout season for Tage Thompson, but they are still losing a lot of games.

32. Arizona Coyotes (LW: 31). They beat Colorado, Dallas, and Vegas in February which is probably not what anybody expected.

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Flyers trade Pride-night boycott defenseman Provorov in 3-team deal

Associated PressJun 6, 2023, 10:12 PM EDT

Dennis Schneidler/USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers have traded Ivan Provorov, sending away the defenseman who boycotted the team’s Pride night as part of a three-team trade that included the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings.

The seventh overall pick of the 2015 draft, the 26-year-old Provorov lands in Columbus and is set to enter the fifth season of a $40.5 million, six-year contract. He was the centerpiece Tuesday of the first major move under new Flyers’ leadership.

There were plenty of moving parts in the three-team deal.

— Philadelphia traded Provorov and forward Hayden Hodgson to Los Angeles in exchange for goalie Cal Petersen, defenseman Sean Walker, defenseman Helge Grans and the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick. The Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs.

— Columbus acquired defenseman Kevin Connauton from Philadelphia in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick (22nd overall) and a conditional second-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 NHL Draft. Columbus acquired Provorov from Los Angeles in exchange for Connauton.

The Flyers already hold the No. 7 pick in this season’s draft and now also have the 23rd pick as they start accumulating key assets for long-range success in what is expected to be a deep draft.

Flyers general manager Danny Briere had said no player was untouchable after the Flyers missed the playoffs for the third straight season and went to work with the Stanley Cup Final still underway. The Flyers named broadcaster Keith Jones team president last month and he is still working the Final for TNT. But it’s clear the overdue rebuild is underway for a franchise that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup in 48 years.

“We felt that the picks and the direction that we wanted to go in, it was really enticing, very exciting,” Briere said. “We have a chance to really start building the team the way we wanted. The right way.”

Briere said the Flyers are “open for business” this summer and that included potentially listening to offers for No. 1 goalie Carter Hart. Coach John Tortorella, Briere and Jones have all tempered offseason expectations for any fan looking for a quick fix. The trio all insist the Flyers have a cohesive plan for the future.

Provorov had 65 goals and 217 points in 532 career games with the Flyers. The Russian was widely criticized in January when he cited his Russian Orthodox religion as the reason he did not participate in pregame warmups when the Flyers wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape.

“I respect everybody’s choices,” Provorov said after the game. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”

Now, he’s traded during Pride month.

Briere said the backlash over Pride night had nothing to do with trading Provorov.

The Blue Jackets, who missed the playoffs this season, were ready to take a flier on a defenseman seemingly with many productive years ahead.

“Improving our blue line has been a priority for us and acquiring Ivan gives us an established left-shot defenseman who is still a young player with his best seasons in front of him,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He immediately improves our group on defense as he is durable, has great skill, skates well, is an excellent passer with an accurate shot and can effectively play at both ends of the ice.”

Provorov said at the end of the season he wasn’t necessarily happy the Flyers planned to rebuild but understood the decision. Briere declined to say if Provorov wanted out of Philadelphia.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the most positive news you can hear, but there’s a bright future here, and there’s a lot of great players that can keep growing,” Provorov said in April. “Obviously, it depends on how quick everybody gets better and how quickly the team game gets better. I think that’s what determines the length of the rebuild.”

Turns out, the potential success out of the haul the Flyers got for Provorov just may determine the length of the rebuild.

Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 11:49 PM EDT

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS — No team in over 25 years has been more dominant than the Vegas Golden Knights through the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final.

They have outscored the Florida Panthers by eight goals, including a 7-2 victory in Game 2 that put the Knights two wins from the first championship in the franchise’s short six-year history.

It will take a rare rally for the Panthers to come back as the series shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Thursday. Teams that took a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final are 31-3 in the expansion era, but the Panthers opened the playoffs by storming back from 3-1 down to beat the heavily favored Boston Bruins.

Florida will have to significantly up its level of play to beat a Vegas team that won by three goals on Saturday and then five in this game. The last team to win the first two games of a Cup Final by more than eight combined goals was the 1996 Colorado Avalanche – who outscored the Panthers by nine.

“I think our depth has been a strength all year,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It is the biggest reason we are still here, why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas. I just feel that we have the best team from player one through 20.”

Jonathan Marchessault scored twice for the Knights and started an early blitz that chased Sergei Bobrovsky, the NHL’s hottest postseason goalie.

Marchessault also had an assist to finish with three points. His 12 postseason goals set a Golden Knights record, with all of them coming after the first round. The only player with more following the opening round was Pavel Bure, who scored 13 for Vancouver in 1994.

“They want to set the tone with being undisciplined like Game 1 and we set the tone back,” Marchessault said. “It was scoring that first goal there. But we’re still pretty far from our goal here.”

Brett Howden scored twice for the Knights, who also got goals from Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio. Six players had at least two points for Vegas, all 18 Knights skaters were on the ice for even-strength goals and their nine goal scorers through the first two games are a Stanley Cup Final record. The Knights’ seven goals tied a franchise mark for a playoff game.

It was too much for Bobrovsky, who was removed 7:10 into the second period down 4-0. It was the fifth time in 12 games the Knights have chased the opposing goalie.

Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, carried Florida through the Eastern Conference playoffs. Coming into the Stanley Cup Final, he had won 11 of his past 12 starts with a 1.95 goals-against average and .942 save percentage during that stretch. But he’s given up eight goals in 87 minutes against Vegas, compiling a 5.52 GAA and .826 save percentage in the series.

“We can be a little better in front of our goaltender,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I got him out to keep him rested.”

Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell scored for Florida.

Adin Hill continued his stellar play in net with 29 saves for the Knights. Hill once again brought his feistiness as well as his A-game. He stopped Carter Verhaeghe on a breakaway in the first, and later that period hit Tkachuk, who was in his net, with his blocker and then slashed him with his stick.

“He’s been unreal for us,” Vegas forward William Carrier said. “He’s been unbelievable.”

A group of four fans behind one of the nets wore sweaters that spelled out his last name, and Hill has often received the loudest cheers from Knights fans, reminiscent of when Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for Vegas in its first three seasons.

“It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey,” Hill said. “I’m just enjoying it, cherishing every day. It’s been awesome to be part of the journey with this team.”

The Knights were dominant early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Marchessault and Martinez. It was Vegas’ third game in a row with a power-play goal, its first such stretch since Christmas week.

The Panthers lost their biggest, toughest defenseman early in the game when Radko Gudas was injured on a hit by Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev. Gudas left 6:39 in and did not return.

That was one of several big hits by Barbashev, the Golden Knights’ biggest trade-deadline acquisition, a Stanley Cup champion with St. Louis in 2019. Barbashev broke the sternum of Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard during the playoffs last year, also on a clean hit.

Vegas had its own scare late in the second period when Jack Eichel was nailed in the right shoulder by Tkachuk. Eichel returned in the third and set up Marchessault’s second goal for his second assist of the game.

“We did a good job managing momentum tonight,” Eichel said. “And we got some timely goals.”

Ducks hire former Leafs, Islanders assistant Greg Cronin as head coach

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 2:18 PM EDT

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks have hired veteran NHL assistant and AHL head coach Greg Cronin to be their new head coach.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek announced the decision to hire the 60-year-old Cronin, who will be a first-time NHL head coach.

Cronin has 12 years of experience as an NHL assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and in two stints with the New York Islanders. The Massachusetts native has been the head coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles since 2018, and he spent six years as a collegiate head coach at Northeastern.

Verbeek called Cronin “the ideal fit” to take over a young, rebuilding team.

“I felt we needed a teacher of the finer points of the game, and someone who has worked extensively over time with talented young players, helping them develop into successful NHL players,” Verbeek said. “Greg has done all that and more.”

Cronin replaces Dallas Eakins, whose contract wasn’t renewed in April after the Ducks finished their fourth consecutive losing season of his tenure. Anaheim finished in last place in the overall NHL standings at 23-47-12.

The Ducks never finished higher than sixth in the Pacific Division during Eakins’ four years in charge. They’ve missed the playoffs in a franchise-record five straight seasons, and Anaheim was the NHL’s worst defensive team of the 21st century by several measures during the just-completed season.

Cronin takes over a struggling team that is still loaded with young talent, including the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft and a wealth of farm prospects seemingly ready to break into the NHL. Anaheim has a solid long-term base with playmaking center Trevor Zegras, two-time All-Star Troy Terry and promising forward Mason McTavish.

Cronin has never led an NHL bench, but he interviewed for the Boston Bruins’ vacancy a year ago.

He becomes only the Ducks’ fourth permanent head coach since Henry and Susan Samueli bought the franchise from Disney in 2005, joining Randy Carlyle, Bruce Boudreau and Eakins.

Canadiens sign Cole Caufield to 8-year, $62.8 million extension

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 2:05 PM EDT

David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens signed Cole Caufield to an eight-year, $62.8 million contract extension.

The deal, which will pay the 22-year-old winger an average annual salary of $7.85 million, runs through the 2030-31 season.

Caufield scored 26 goals and added 10 assists in 46 games in 2022-23 before he underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in February.

Despite missing nearly half the season, Caufield led the Canadiens in goals for the second consecutive season, tied with Nick Suzuki.

Montreal selected Caufield in the first round (15th overall) of the 2019 draft.

Since making his NHL debut in 2020-21, the forward has 84 points (53 goals, 31 assists) in 123 NHL games.

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!

[Related: Golden Knights on playoff bubble; How concerned should they be?]

[NHL Trade Deadline Primer: Tomas Hertl could be game-changer if moved]

[Related: Will Flyers clean up start at trade deadline?]

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