The National Hockey League announced the first batch of 2024 All-Stars on Thursday night, selecting one player from each of the 32 teams. Twelve additional skaters will be included in the festivities in Toronto next month, with their fates decided by an All-Star Game fan vote that ends on Jan. 11. By the end of Week 13, the Metropolitan, Atlantic, Pacific and Central division rosters will be fully completed.
Connor Bedard was selected as the Chicago Blackhawks' representative — completely unsurprisingly after the 18-year-old phenom scored 15 goals and 33 points in his first 39 NHL games. Extremely disappointingly, Bedard broke his jaw against the New Jersey Devils the day after, was placed on injured reserve, and will likely be unavailable for the festivities despite making history as the youngest player ever selected to an NHL ASG.
Bedard's injury is a huge loss for the hockey world, but the show must go on. And it does — the regular season, at least — in emphatic fashion in Week 13 of the 2023-24 campaign. On Monday night, four of the league's top-five teams will be in action. The Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers will battle at Madison Square Garden, while the Boston Bruins head to the Mile High City to take on the Colorado Avalanche two hours later. Talk about starting the week off strong.
And, for just the third time ever, the NHL features a 16-game slate on Saturday. All 32 teams will be in action in five days time, either a dream or a nightmare for fantasy hockey managers worldwide. Buckle up for a busy Week 13 as the 2023-24 season approaches the midway point, and read on for the latest edition of ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings.
But first, a reminder why we love hockey so much (more on Marc-Andre Fleury later).
Previous 2023-24 NHL Power Rankings: Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3| Week 2 | Week 1
1. New York Rangers (no change)
The Rangers have given up the top spot in the President's Trophy race, but they remain at the peak of ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings for at least seven more days. The Blueshirts beat the Blackhawks, lost to the Hurricanes and took the Canadiens to a shootout last week, improving to 26-10-2 and remaining in first place in the Eastern Conference. It was a shock when Artemi Panarin was left off the All-Star ballot, but made a lot more sense after the Breadman announced he and his wife are expecting. New York will need to do more this week to remain in the top spot next Monday, and it begins against the surging Nucks at MSG.
2. Winnipeg Jets (+4)
A sentence I did not think I would be typing in 2023-24; the Winnipeg Jets are in first place in the NHL. And what a ride it's been in Manitoba. In the offseason, the Jets bought out Blake Wheeler, faced significant trade speculation surrounding Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele, AND traded Pierre-Luc Dubois. To see them in first halfway through the year is shocking, but well-deserved for a team that simply doesn't take any nights off. Winnipeg is on an absolute tear, compiling six consecutive wins and picking up at least a point in 12 straight. Hellebuyck is making a legitimate Hart Trophy case from the back end, and the Jets continue to pile up wins even without the services of star forward Kyle Connor. Now a ridiculous 26-9-4, the sky is the limit for this club, and a jump to No. 1 in the NHL Power Rankings wouldn't be at all surprising sometime in the next few weeks.
3. Boston Bruins (-1)
The Bruins don't deserve to tumble down a spot in the NHL Power Rankings, but my hands were tied the way the Jets have been playing. Boston followed up a four-game losing streak by going on an identical four-win heater before a disappointing 6-5 loss to the Penguins on Thursday night. Still, they quickly got back in the win column, crushing the Bolts in convincing fashion and skating to a 7-3 final. With that, the Eastern Conference's best defensive team is back to 24-8-6 and tied atop the conference with 54 points. The Bruins are still a wagon, and will look to keep the positive momentum going over a four-game road trip that begins in Colorado on Monday. It'll also take them through Arizona, Las Vegas and St. Louis before they return to TD Garden next week.
4. Vancouver Canucks (-1)
After racking off six wins in seven tries, the Canucks have rotated losses and victories since falling 4-3 to the Dallas Stars on Dec. 21. That .500 stretch has Vancouver at 25-11-3, which is still good enough for top spot in the Pacific Division and second in the Western Conference. This team is still scoring goals — 24 in their last six contests, to be exact — as a lengthy seven-game road swing continues. After trips through St. Louis and New Jersey, the Canucks will continue the eastern travel in New York, Long Island, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and then Columbus. No sweat for a club that is 11-7-2 away from Rogers Arena.
5. Colorado Avalanche (-1)
The Avalanche should probably be a bit higher on the NHL Power Rankings, but there is a logjam at the top and, truly, a few phenomenal teams in 2023-24. Colorado is one of them, demonstrated by the excellent 25-12-3 record. Still, the Avs suffered a brutal 8-4 loss to the surging Panthers at home on Saturday, on the heels of a four-game winning streak that had them on the precipice of surpassing the Jets to reclaim the top spot in the Central. The Avs are now three points back, and will look to emerge victorious in a mouthwatering matchup against the B's on Monday.
6. Florida Panthers (+3)
With each game that goes by, the 2023-24 Florida Panthers look more like the team that came within three wins of a first-ever Stanley Cup championship. Now fully healthy, the Cats are looking like an absolute wagon. They've won seven straight games to improve to 25-12-2 and third place in the Eastern Conference. Coming off that satisfying 8-4 victory over the Avs, and with the Bruins and Rangers just two points away, the Panthers are again looking like a Stanley Cup contender. Florida can finish off a perfect four-game road trip with a win over the Blues at the Enterprise Center on Tuesday night.
7. Vegas Golden Knights (-2)
After occupying the top spot in ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings for over a month, it's been a steady decline down the standings for the Golden Knights as of late. Since Dec. 15, the defending Stanley Cup champions have won just three games, while dropping seven. With that, Vegas is no longer the top team in the Pacific, and not even top-five in league standings. Now 23-12-5 and continuing to badly miss Adin Hill, the Knights will limp to Colorado on Wednesday after dropping seven of their last 10.
8. Dallas Stars (-1)
Like the Avalanche, the Stars have struggled to find consistency in 2023-24 yet continue to win more than they lose. After a stretch in which they won seven of nine between Dec. 11-31, Dallas has now lost three games in a row, giving up 13 goals in the process. This team suffered back-to-back-to-back one goal losses, at the hands of the Canadiens (4-3), Avalanche (5-4 in OT) and Predators (4-3). The Stars have fallen to 22-11-5 and third place in the Central, with seven points separating them and the Jets. They'll look to get back in the win column in a home-and-home against the Wild that begins Monday in Saint Paul.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)
The biggest news for the Leafs last week was Auston Matthews being named an All-Star Game captain, and the American superstar is well deserving. But this week, William Nylander is the one making headlines. The 27-year-old signed a mammoth eight-year, $92 million contract extension on Monday, the largest contract in Leafs history. It's also well-deserving for a player who's scored 54 points in 37 games to lead his team in scoring. Nylander will almost certainly be joining Matthews at the ASG in Toronto in February. In other news, the Leafs won all three games on the California trip, beating the Kings, Ducks and Sharks to improve to 20-10-7 ahead of another game against the league's worst team on Tuesday, this time at home.
10. Edmonton Oilers (+2)
Welcome to the top 10, Edmonton Oilers. The heater just continues for Connor McDavid's squad; the Oil have now won seven in a row and a ridiculous 15 of 18 dating back to Nov. 24. Once 5-12-1, Edmonton is now 20-15-1 and poised to continue the run up the Pacific Division table. They're up to fourth, and just 12 points back of the first place Canucks with three games in hand. Of course, McDavid is going to the All-Star Game in his home province in February.
11. Los Angeles Kings (-3)
The Kings haven't won a game since Dec. 28. After looking like one of the best teams in the show for basically all of October and November, the wheels have started to fall off in California. LA is mired in a five-game losing skid, the most recent a crushing 4-3 loss to the Capitals on Sunday night. John Carlson scored a wacky GWG with under a minute left in regulation to send the Kings to 20-10-6 on the campaign. And things don't get any easier for this team, who opened a six-game road trip in the nation's capital and will travel through Tampa Bay, Florida, Detroit, Carolina and Dallas before returning home on Jan. 18.
12. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)
The Canes are putting the mid-December woes behind them in a huge way, enjoying a five-game win streak that was dashed by a tough shootout loss to the Blues on Saturday. Still, Carolina has improved to 22-13-5, and both Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta have settled in between the pipes. That's really all Carolina needed to excel, but Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov going on absolute heaters doesn't hurt. The former amassed a ridiculous 16 points in six games, while the latter put up 14 in the same span. The Hurricanes will remain at PNC Arena in Raleigh for their next five.
13. New York Islanders (-2)
The Islanders haven't been playing inspired hockey as of late, and it's showing on the scoresheet. New York lost three of four games last week, falling to 18-11-10 as one of the busiest NHL teams past regulation. The Islanders remain fourth in the Metropolitan Division, but hold just a two point lead on the Devils and Capitals. And the Penguins are just two back of those clubs. It's a ultra-competitive division, no doubt, and the Isles haven't stood out by losing seven of their past 11. They'll look to right the ship when the Canucks are in Long Island on Tuesday night.
14. New Jersey Devils (+1)
Like both the team above and below them, the Devils are working hard to make up ground in a competitive Metro. New Jersey has been great lately, winning five of seven and improving to a very respectable 21-15-2. Still, they remain in fifth place in the division and outside a playoff spot. Timo Meier getting injured again isn't ideal, and Jack Hughes getting injured again is very not ideal, but the Devils are still finding ways to win games. They're still giving up way too many goals and should be looking to trade for a goalie, but last year's third-place regular-season team is confident they can keep climbing up the league and NHL Power Rankings standings.
15. Philadelphia Flyers (-1)
Right when the Flyers were starting to look like a legitimate contender to win the division, Philly lost four straight games and six of eight to fall to 20-13-6. A 3-2 victory over the Flames to end the week was encouraging, but it's still been a rough stretch for John Tortorella's club. The hold on the No. 3 spot in the Metro is as precarious as it could possibly be, as the Isles are tied in points and games played. Carter Hart looks to have put his latest ailment behind him, and the Flyers are going to need him to be great down the stretch if they hope to hold onto a playoff berth come April.
16. Nashville Predators (+1)
The Predators are not going away in the Central Division, continuing to find ways to win games — although not at the clip they were from mid-November to mid-December. Nashville has won three of four, though, including a solid team win against the Stars on Saturday night. Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist are continuing to lead the way up front, while the defense and goaltending remains just good enough. Now 22-17-1, the Preds continue to chase the top three teams in the Central, and will look to bank two points with the Ducks in Smashville on Tuesday night.
17. Tampa Bay Lightning (-1)
Is there a legitimate chance the Tampa Bay Lightning don't make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17? As of Monday, the Bolts are on the outside looking in with a 19-17-5 record after taking a beating at the hands of the Bruins on Saturday. Tampa has lost four of six, and are currently in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. We knew the regression was coming for this superstar core, but it would still be odd to watch a postseason without the team that has won two of the last four Stanley Cups. If they do get in, Nikita Kucherov — who is still leading the league in scoring with 67 points — should win the Hart Trophy.
18. Detroit Red Wings (no change)
The Red Wings are getting healthy and back on track, with Alex Lyon leading his team to four wins in five tries over the last week-and-a-half. Although it didn't translate to a jump up the NHL Power Rankings, as the Wings are still .500 in their last 10, it's certainly encouraging. Their current three-game winning streak is thanks to the three California teams; Detroit beat San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim, in that order, last week. This club is still hanging around at 20-16-4, and just three points back of the Leafs for a top-three spot in the division. The work continues for Patrick Kane and co. against the Oilers and Kings — both at home — in Week 13.
19. Minnesota Wild (+1)
The most exciting thing about the Minnesota Wild right now is Marc-Andre Fleury's chase for second-place in NHL goalie wins. He's currently tied with Patrick Roy at 551, and his next victory will give the three-time Stanley Cup champion sole possession of the No. 2 spot. He's still a ways away from Martin Brodeur's all-time record of 691 wins, a record that likely will never be broken. Despite the milestone, the Wild are struggling to win games, and just came out on the other side of a four-game slide. The Wild are 17-17-4 and badly need Kirill Kaprizov to come off IR. It's a long climb for the No. 7 team in the Central Division.
20. Seattle Kraken (+2)
The show goes on for the Seattle Kraken, who defeated the Golden Knights in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day and haven't lost since. Granted, they've only played one game, but it was a convincing 4-1 win over the lowly Ottawa Senators. Now into the top-20 of ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings, we're starting to see the team that nearly advanced to the Western Conference Final last year. The Kraken have won six straight, are getting superb goaltending from Joey Daccord, and are once again worthy of consideration in the Pacific. At 16-14-9 and fifth in the division, the long winning streak will be tested in a six-game road trip that begins Tuesday night in Buffalo.
21. Washington Capitals (no change)
The Capitals earned a thrilling last-minute win over the Kings on Sunday night, which is one of the primary reasons they haven't fallen a spot or two in the NHL Power Rankings. The Caps had lost six of seven ahead of the clash, dropping to 19-13-6 and sixth place in the Metro. There just isn't anything very inspiring about this team with Alex Ovechkin not scoring goals. There is still a path for Washington to make the playoffs, but it isn't looking too good in the nation's capital. The Caps are off until the Kraken come to Capital One Arena on Thursday.
22. St. Louis Blues (+1)
Don't look now, but the Blues have won five of seven and seven of 10 to remain in contention in the Central. Four of this team's last five games have ended in 2-1 scores, and three of them have been wins. That includes matching, impressive victories over the Canucks and Hurricanes last week to improve to 20-17-1. That's good enough for fifth in the logjam that is the Central Division, and a four-game homestand is a great opportunity to keep making up ground. Did anyone else drop Robert Thomas in fantasy hockey at the beginning of the year and has deeply regretted it since? The former Hamilton Bulldog is a 2024 NHL All-Star.
23. Arizona Coyotes (-4)
Right when it looked like Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka were making up one of the league's best tandems, both goaltenders have begun to falter en route to three straight losses. Ingram shut out the Ducks on Dec. 29, but it was sandwiched between a 4-1 loss to the Avs and a 5-1 defeat to the Islanders. Vejmelka has lost two straight to the Panthers and Jets. A tough set of teams, no doubt, but he still allowed 10 goals in that span. The Yotes are not far removed from winning four in a row and six of seven, but the current three-game skid is disappointing. They'll look to get back in the win column when the Bruins are at Mullett Arena on Tuesday.
24. Pittsburgh Penguins (no change)
Despite improved play from the Penguins as of late, I'm still not convinced this team has a real chance to make the playoffs. They remain seventh in the Metro and aren't doing enough through 38 games to inspire confidence. Still, Pittsburgh responded to a four-game losing streak by winning eight of 12, and both Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic have shown flashes of brilliance in that span. But both have also struggled, and the lack of consistency and ability to create momentum is hurting this club. At a respectable 19-15-4, the work continues for Sidney Crosby's team, and the longtime captain will play in his 10th NHL All-Star Game next month.
25. Calgary Flames (no change)
The Flames have been one of the streakiest teams in the National over the last month. Starting on Dec. 9, Calgary lost four straight, then won three straight, then lost two, won three, and lost two again. Clearly, there's not much momentum being built for a team that is under .500 at 17-18-5 and fresh off two disappointing one-goal losses to the Flyers and Blackhawks. The Flames remain in sixth place in the Pacific, and don't seem poised to work their way up the standings. Elias Lindholm is somehow an All-Star, and he probably won't be calling Calgary home for much longer.
26. Montreal Canadiens (no change)
The Habs continue to play at an exactly .500 pace, which is not bad at all considering the division they play in and injuries that have been dealt to them. Already without Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, the Canadiens lost Christian Dvorak for the season last week, yet another brutal blow to the forward corps. Montreal has lost four of six, but remains ahead of the Sabres and Senators in the Atlantic Division. Playoffs are a longshot for this roster, but it continues to battle every night, and the Bell Centre remains an electric place to watch hockey. The Habs are in Philly on Wednesday before returning to Quebec to play the Sharks the next day.
27. Buffalo Sabres (+1)
The Sabres seem comfortable in the lower-echelon of the NHL, which is disappointing after they came oh-so-close to breaking the postseason drought last year. This campaign, the playoffs are nowhere near realistic for a Buffalo team that is 17-19-4. Still, they've won two in a row and three of four, including impressive back-to-back victories over the Canadiens and Penguins on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Maybe that is the start of some positive momentum, but looking at how 2023-24 has gone in Western New York, it isn't likely. The Sabres open a six-game homestand against the Kraken on Tuesday, and they badly need to bank some points if they hope to make a playoff push in 2024.
28. Ottawa Senators (-1)
I'd say the wheels have fallen off in Canada's capital in 2023-24, but that happened a long time ago. The Senators are looking just brutal through 35 games, sporting a disastrous 14-21 record and sitting in the Atlantic Division basement — and not by a little; the Sabres are 10 points up. Senators GM Steve Staios said the team might need to change its makeup, and that's looking very obvious lately. Ottawa has lost the first three of a five-game road trip, and will look to stem the bleeding against either the Flames in Calgary on Tuesday or in Buffalo two nights later.
29. Columbus Blue Jackets (no change)
It's easy to tell how bad of a campaign it's been in Ohio after Boone Jenner was named an NHL All-Star after not playing since Dec. 8. The Blue Jackets remain bad, although they've gone past regulation in a remarkable six of their last eight games. Six of those games were also losses, and Columbus is now 13-19-9 and firmly out of playoff contention. Although the Jackets are undoubtably the worst team in the Eastern Conference, they remain in the No. 29 spot in ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings due to the continued poor play from the three teams below them. Jenner should be back soon, which will give a boost to a lacklustre Columbus team that is looking for a high draft pick.
30. Anaheim Ducks (no change)
It's great to see Trevor Zegras back in the lineup and scoring goals, but not even he can stem the Ducks' woes in 2023-24. Over a current five-game slide, Anaheim has scored just six goals, which is far from a winning recipe in the National Hockey League. The rebuild continues in earnest for a Ducks team that is 13-25-1, continuing to lose prolifically, and ahead of just the Sharks and Blackhawks in the Western Conference — and the NHL Power Rankings. A six-game road trip from Jan. 9-20 is going to do no favors for a team that is 7-9 away from the Honda Center.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (no change)
Connor Bedard's injury is just brutal. He was the only player keeping the 2023-24 Hawks even remotely watchable, and without him in the lineup for likely the next 6-8 weeks, Chicago could genuinely have the worst roster in the NHL. That's not saying much for an already bad team that is missing Bedard, Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, etc. The Hawks beat the Flames on Sunday, but had lost five straight before that. At a ghastly 12-26-2, the front office in the Windy City is looking to get back-to-back No. 1 overall picks.
32. San Jose Sharks (no change)
Is there any scenario where the Sharks come out of the No. 32 spot in ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings again this year? Maybe they can catch some lightning in a bottle like they did for a small stretch at the end of November, but it's unlikely. San Jose is mired in an 11-game losing streak, and the team recently made franchise history after suffering through multiple 10+ game losing streaks in the same season. The 9-28-3 Sharks are absolutely awful, and the fact that Tomas Hertl is an All-Star is a little bit absurd. But every team has to send a representative, and he's probably the best option. No one on this club deserves to be going to Toronto in February, but maybe the Sharks will have a deserving candidate — like Macklin Celebrini — in 2025.
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