Weekly NHL Power Rankings: The NHL At The All-Star Break

The 2022-23 NHL season reaches its halfway point.

The NHL All-Star break is (thankfully) in the rear view mirror and we are getting ready for the start of the second half of the 2022-23 NHL season.

It is going to be a frantic couple of months here as we have the trade deadline in a few weeks, playoff spots to be decided, and teams trying to establish themselves as Stanley Cup contenders or solidify their odds in the Conor Bedard derby.

Now that the second half of the season is set to begin this week it is time for our latest installment of the NHL Power Rankings as the season starts its stretch run.

The Boston Bruins remain in the top spot, but they are starting to get a push from another major Eastern Conference contender. The defending Stanley Cup champions are also starting to get back on track and make a big leap back into the top-10 with their recent play.

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

Where does your team sit?

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!!

Also a quick note: With the trade deadline less than a month away starting this week we will have some trade deadline primers looking at the top players that could move, some detailed looks at individual buyers and sellers, and much more.

1. Boston Bruins. I thought they had a chance to still be good, but I am absolutely blown away that they are this good. But there is one team that is starting to close the gap on them a little bit….

2. Carolina Hurricanes. They start the second half of the season on a 9-0-1 run going into the All-Star break, have closed the gap to seven points on Boston in the race for the top spot (make no mistake, that is still a huge gap — but it is closer than it was) and perhaps most importantly they now have the salary cap space to add pretty much anybody they want before the trade deadline after shifting Max Pacioretty over to the LTIR. Buckle up.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning. I still think we are just bored with this team being so good all the time They are LURKING.

4. New Jersey Devils. For the second year in a row I had Jack Hughes as a top-10 scorer at the start of the season. I strongly believe he would have been there a year ago had he not been injured. He is there this year. He has arrived.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews’ injury hurts in the short-term, but as long as he is healthy for the playoffs that is all that matters. William Nylander remains one of the league’s most underrated players, and Toronto remains one of the most underrated defensive teams. Just need that goaltending to hold out.

6. Dallas Stars. Finally a Western Conference team makes an appearance. That Conference is WIDE OPEN this year and I do not see any reason why the Stars can not take it. The Jason Robertson line remains unstoppable (33-12 goal differential during 5-on-5 play) and they have the depth to complement them this year.

7. Colorado Avalanche. I know what their record looks like and I know where they are in the standings but I am rolling with the vibes here. They are 7-1-0 in their past eight games and have been crushed by injuries all season. This is still a great team and they are on their way back to playing like it as they get people back in the lineup.

8. Seattle Kraken. They do not have that one player that is going to completely take over a game (though Matty Beniers might be on his way to being that) but they DO have a very deep, balanced lineup where any line can beat you on any given night. There is a lot to be said for that.

9. New York Rangers. Their recipe will not work for everybody — and most teams that try it will get crushed because nobody else has Igor Shesterkin — but it works for them. For now. They are not quite as flawed and goaltending dependent as last year’s team, but they are starting to slowly trend in that direction again. Even as the wins continue to pile up.

10. Winnipeg Jets. Not sure I can see them winning the Stanley Cup this season but I do see them being a very difficult team to deal with. Like the kind of team that you are going to look at in May and ask, “Wait, they are in the Western Conference Finals?” That kind of team.