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It was just another quiet Friday night in the National Hockey League — until it wasn't. January 24, 2025 will go down in NHL history, the day the Colorado Avalanche parted with one of the greatest players the franchise has ever had. Mikko Rantanen is a Carolina Hurricane, and absolutely nobody saw it coming.
The craziest part of it all is that Rantanen himself said he was willing to take a discount to stay in Denver, and would have continued negotiating in good faith. Instead, general manager Chris MacFarland cut the cord, trading the fifth highest NHL scorer of the past five years to Raleigh. The Canes also got Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Avs recouped Marty Necas, Jack Drury and a couple of picks.
Could this be the biggest blockbuster since Ilya Kovalchuk went from the Atlanta Thrashers to the New Jersey Devils in 2009-10? What about Joe Thornton shockingly going from Boston to San Jose in 2005-06? Regardless, the trade undoubtedly shook the hockey world, and the fallout continues to be felt. How much worse are the Avalanche without Rantanen? Will the Hurricanes finally be able to get over the Stanley Cup hump with the Finnish sniper? What were the Blackhawks thinking taking on half of Rantanen's $9.25 million cap hit? Those are questions we are all eager to find out the answer to.
It goes without saying that it was a hectic Week 16 in the National, and that's not even mentioning the insane battles for postseason positioning in both the Eastern and Western Conference. Take away around five teams, and everyone still thinks they have a shot to be playing meaningful hockey at the end of April. And that's music to the ears of NHL fans.
Once again, ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings is here to try to make some sense of the chaos, with four months of the 2024-25 campaign now come and gone. We've still got another (almost) two before the greatest tournament in sports: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let's dive in.
Previous 2024-25 NHL Power Rankings: Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | 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. Washington Capitals (no change)
Another week, another No. 1 for the Capitals, whose six-game winning streak was snapped in a tight 2-1 loss to the Canucks on Saturday night. They'll still end another seven-day stretch as the National Hockey League's top team, with 33 wins in 49 games in 2024-25. Although Dylan Strome has one point in his last nine games, and Alex Ovechkin has managed just nine in 15 since returning from a broken leg, Washington just continues to win prolifically — and lead the President's Trophy race in the process. The depth up and down this lineup is truly impressive, and the goaltending duo of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren continues to be excellent. After triumphing in two of the first three on a five-game road trip, the Caps will look to keep the winning ways alive in Calgary on Tuesday and Canada's capital on Thursday.
2. Winnipeg Jets (+1)
There's only one team that's not having trouble keeping up with the Capitals in the race for first, and that's the Western Conference-leading Jets. After a commanding 5-2 victory over the Flames on Sunday night, Winnipeg has won three in a row and six of eight since January 11. Now a sparkling 34-14-3, the Jets are tied with the Caps with 71 points, but have played two more games. Still, Washington's lead at the top of the NHL Power Rankings hill is precarious, and that's directly because of how good Scott Arniel's team has been all year long. With Connor Hellebuyck almost a guarantee to win back-to-back Vezina Trophy's at this point, he's probably looking ahead to how he can continue this phenomenal play into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After years of postseason futility, is this the season Winnipeg finally makes a deep run? Let's see what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff does at the deadline first.
3. Edmonton Oilers (-1)
Although the Oilers remain consistently great, they just haven't quite been as good as the Jets over the last couple of weeks. But with 10 wins in 13 games dating back to New Year's Eve, they're close. Even without superstar Connor McDavid for a three-game stretch, Edmonton won two of them, dropping a tight 3-2 final to the league-leading Capitals before beating the Canucks and Sabres 6-2 and 3-2, respectively. No. 97 will be back in the lineup against the visiting Kraken on Monday night, and he should be ultra-motivated to make up for lost time. Now just a point back of the Golden Knights for tops in the Pacific Division with a game in hand, that should be a fantastic race to the finish over the next 33 games.
4. Dallas Stars (+3)
The Stars continue to roll right along, finishing December prolifically and still looking like one of the league's best at the end of January. Dallas has won two in a row, three of four and 11 of 15, returning near the top of the Western Conference in the process. But with the Jets, Wild and Avalanche all having designs on a top-three finish in the Central Division, they're probably going to have to keep winning at this pace to stay there. Minnesota is just a point back and Colorado is only three behind, and there's a long way to go in 2024-25. Still, this team is looking potent, and Mason Marchment looks to be close to a return after taking a puck to the head. A great test against the Golden Knights will take Pete DeBoer's group to the strip on Tuesday.
5. Vegas Golden Knights (-1)
Speaking of the Golden Knights, they continue heading the wrong way in the NHL Power Rankings after losing seven of their last 10. But if you look at it a different way, Vegas has come out on top in two of three, beating the Blues (4-2) and Panthers (4-1) in Week 16. A 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Stars was sandwiched in between, one of the main reasons why the Knights are below their rivals on the leaderboard for the first time in many weeks. Alex Pietrangelo withdrawing from Team Canada's 4 Nations roster is certainly a cause for concern, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion made it clear he would be fine to continue playing in the regular-season. He's a key piece of Vegas' defense, and they need him healthy for the stretch run. If the Knights want to get back into ClutchPoints' top-four, it'll start with a win against Dallas on Tuesday.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (no change)
The Maple Leafs are in the same place in Week 17 as they were in Week 16, following up three consecutive wins with two losses in a row to end another seven-day stretch. Toronto is 30-18-2, first place in the Atlantic Division and in the midst of one of the better regular-seasons in recent memory, but it seems like there's still something missing on this roster ahead of the postseason. General manager Brad Treliving will almost certainly be adding another piece or two ahead of the March 7 deadline, and it'll be interesting to see how different this roster looks in a couple of weeks. Still, it's on the superstars to finally get over the hump in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this could be the last dance for the Core Four.
7. Carolina Hurricanes (+4)
It's not a coincidence that the first time in a long time the Hurricanes are ahead of the Avalanche in the NHL Power Rankings happens to be directly after the two front office's teamed up for one of the more stupefying trades in hockey history. Rantanen failed to record a point on five shots in his Carolina debut, a 3-2 overtime loss to Brock Nelson and the Islanders on Saturday. But the Canes had been surging before that, winning four games in a row beforehand. And adding an elite scorer is just what this franchise needs as it continues trying to get over the hump and win a Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006. A potential line of Rantanen, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov is terrifying, and the Hurricanes also added a motivated Taylor Hall to the equation. The results should follow as Rod Brind'Amour's group continues climbing into the NHL's upper echelon. Brent Burns is at 899 points, and if and when he hits No. 900, he'll be just the 13th defenseman in league history to accomplish the feat.
8. Colorado Avalanche (-3)
The era of Mikko Rantanen in Colorado is over, and it probably still hasn't sunk in for Avalanche fans. Drafted by the organization 10th overall back in 2015, the Finnish star was there for the dog days — also infamously known as the 48-point season in 2016-17 — before helping the franchise capture a thrilling Stanley Cup championship in 2022. The more that comes out about the trade, the more it seems like it could have been avoided. The front office decided either it couldn't or wouldn't pay the superstar. But one thing is for sure: someone will on July 1. Colorado dropped its first game minus Rantanen, a tight 3-1 loss to the Bruins on Saturday afternoon. But 24 hours later, Necas and Drury got their first win as members of the Avs, combining for three points in a 5-4 victory at Madison Square Garden. It's officially a new era in Denver, but how could the Avalanche not be going down in the NHL Power Rankings after trading one of the premier players of the last half decade?
9. Florida Panthers (+3)
The Panthers don't really deserve a plus-three bump in the NHL Power Rankings, but due to the struggles of the Kings, Wild and Devils, here we are. Florida has been a .500 team since the end of December, which is very surprising considering the weapons on this roster. It's not as much a prolonged Stanley Cup contender as it is a reality at this point: the Cats just aren't quite as good as they were last year. No more Brandon Montour, no more Vladimir Tarasenko, and the depth is feeling it. One player who has stepped up has been Dmitry Kulikov, and the longtime NHL defender will play his 1,000th game against the Kings on Wednesday night. Although the former No. 14 overall pick in 2009 failed to live up to expectations overall, he's a Stanley Cup champion, and remains a serviceable blue liner in Year 16.
10. Los Angeles Kings (-2)
It's been a real challenging couple of weeks for the Kings, who have relinquished second place in the Pacific Division and don't look anywhere close to reclaiming it. After suffering five losses in seven games, the Oilers have created a seven point gap; the Golden Knights, eight. LA is .500 over its last 10, and that's not going to cut it for a roster that should be making the playoffs without difficulty. Drew Doughty looks almost ready to make his season debut, with GM Rob Blake saying it could happen sometime in the next 3-5 games. That is huge news for this roster, meaning the Canadian could be back in the lineup before the end of a road trip that stops in Detroit, Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina between now and Saturday.
11. Minnesota Wild (-2)
The injection of Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon back into the Wild lineup could not have come at a better time. Minnesota has gone on a free fall, losing five of seven since January 12. Although they remain in third in the Central Division, the Rantanen-less Avalanche are just two points back. With the reinforcements returned, the hope in the State of Hockey is that this roster goes back to the hockey it's been playing for much of the 2024-25 campaign. Kind of like on Sunday night when the Wild doubled up on the Hawks in Chicago to end the week. That was a great way to start a long five-game road trip, which also visits Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Boston between now and February 4.
12. New Jersey Devils (no change)
Just when it looked like the Devils had hit rock bottom — with nine losses over an 11-game stretch — they got the brutal news that starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom would miss 4-6 weeks with an MCL sprain. Sheldon Keefe screaming at his players after a practice aside, things were really not looking good in New Jersey. And they still aren't. But they'll get the benefit of the doubt in Week 17, in the form of a no change in the NHL Power Rankings, due to a pair of victories to end the week. With Jake Allen in net — something he'll be doing a lot of over the next month-plus — the Devils beat the Bruins 5-1 on Wednesday and the Canadiens 4-3 on Saturday. It's not much, but it's something. This roster is still third in the Metro, a full five points up on the Blue Jackets despite the prolonged struggles. It's going to be hard to right the ship without Markstrom, but based on the last couple of games, Allen is ready for his moment between the pipes.
13. Tampa Bay Lightning (-3)
Tough, tough week for the Lightning, who were barely able to beat the Blackhawks. Tampa was down late in regulation before Nikita Kucherov took over, setting up the tying goal in the final seconds before winning it himself in overtime. That's nothing new for the Russian superstar, but it happened to be the only game Jon Cooper's club won in Week 16. The Bolts lost a trifecta of important divisional games: 5-3 to the Maple Leafs, 5-2 to the Canadiens and 2-0 to the Red Wings. Considering they're now hanging onto the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference for dear life, a significant dip in the NHL Power Rankings only made sense. This is never a team you want to see come playoff time, but are the Lightning even going to make it? A five-game homestand begins with a rematch against Chicago on Tuesday, and that feels like a must win.
14. Calgary Flames (+1)
The Flames are cooking. Make that six wins in nine games for Calgary, who have finally given the reigns to Dustin Wolf and are reaping the rewards. The rookie is making a stronger Calder Trophy case every week, and he was between the pipes for all six of those triumphs. With that, the Flames have passed the Canucks and are starting to gain some separation on their Pacific Division rival. A 5-2 loss to the powerhouse Jets was a tough way to end the week, but considering it came after three straight victories, it's all good in Alberta. Getting to a playoff spot was the easy part, now comes the hard part: staying there for the next two months.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets (+1)
Although the Blue Jackets have slowed down a little bit after a six-game heater, they've still managed eight wins in 11 tries and are knocking on the door of third place in the Metropolitan. Currently a single point back of the final wildcard slot and seven behind the Devils for a top-three spot in the division, Columbus continues hanging around a crowded Eastern Conference. Although Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko are always involved — and the Russian scored a highlight reel OT winner against the Kings on Saturday — Adam Fantilli was the guy in Week 16. He scored a hat trick in front of close to 70 family and friends in a 5-1 win in Toronto, and recorded two assists against Carolina the next night. A huge challenge awaits for the playoff hopefuls this week, in the form of a four-game road trip that passes through Vegas, Utah, Dallas and Buffalo between now and next Tuesday.
16. Montreal Canadiens (-2)
Although the Canadiens are headed the wrong way in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 16, the last couple of months has still been extremely encouraging in Montreal. Marty St. Louis' team has been unable to keep pace with Columbus and Calgary, and back-to-back losses to end the week is disappointing. But the Habs are still right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, and before defeats to Detroit and New Jersey, had won 13 of 17. There's still a ton of faith that Montreal can be one of the eight teams left standing in the conference come mid-April, and with a couple of fading teams in the East, there's a legitimate shot. That's especially true the way the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky continues driving the bus. A great test against the Western Conference-leading Jets awaits at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.
17. Boston Bruins (+2)
It looked like the season was slipping away for the Bruins, when, beginning on New Year's Eve, the team lost six straight regular-season games for the first time in years. But Boston has managed five victories in seven tries since, with David Pastrnak leading the way — and starting to look like the superstar we all know him as. That has Joe Sacco's club up to 25-20-6 and in the top wildcard spot in the East. It's precarious, with the Lightning and Blue Jackets just a point away from knocking the Bruins out of a playoff spot entirely. The rest of the campaign is going to be crucial in determining the next steps for the franchise, and it really does feel like they've got a 50-50 shot at advancing.
18. New York Rangers (+2)
Now that is more like it for the 2024-25 Rangers. With the season in a tailspin, New York didn't let it get fully out of control. Instead, Peter Laviolette's group won eight of 13 in January, and remarkably, picked up a point in 11 of them. Sunday afternoon was a heartbreaker, as the Blueshirts came from behind twice against the Avalanche but ended up losing 5-4 on an Artturi Lehkonen goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. That was probably NY's toughest loss this year, and broke a 10-game point streak. It's disappointing, but we're starting to learn that this roster has absolutely no intention of missing the playoffs. Will Borgen has been great since being acquired from the Kraken, and he signed a five-year deal to remain in the Big Apple long-term. Jonathan Quick is still one away from 400 wins, and after losing six of his last seven, CP feels that Week 17 will finally see the two-time Stanley Cup champion become the first American to reach the milestone.
19. Ottawa Senators (+2)
The Senators have performed surprisingly well in the absence of star netminder Linus Ullmark. Anton Forsberg is playing some of his best hockey of the season, and rookie Leevi Meralainen continues to make a name for himself. And with that, Ottawa is into a very unfamiliar place: a top-three spot in the Atlantic. As Boston and Tampa Bay continue to struggle, Travis Green's troops have passed both of them after winning seven times in 10 games. That has the 26-20-4 Sens surging, now just six points back of the rival Maple Leafs for tops in the division. There's real hope in Canada's capital that this is the year the long postseason drought is broken, and through four months, it's looking promising. Still a long way to go ahead of a light two-game week against the Capitals on Thursday and Wild on Saturday — both at home.
20. Detroit Red Wings (-3)
Despite the Red Wings going on a heater at the end of December, the margin of error was always small in the NHL Power Rankings after the team's ghastly start to the season. Detroit lost four of five after the streak, and despite a couple of wins to end the week, they're going the wrong way in the leaderboard. Patrick Kane missed a couple of games, and that didn't help. On the bright side, Cam Talbot was fantastic on Thursday and Saturday night, giving up just two goals in a 4-2 win over the Canadiens before shutting the door in a 2-0 shutout victory over the Lightning. The Wings are above .500, but still four points out of a playoff spot. Another long win streak would be just what the doctor ordered in Detroit ahead of the deadline.
21. New York Islanders (+2)
Welcome to Long Island, Tony DeAngelo. After Noah Dobson suffered a brutal leg injury that will sideline the Summerside, PEI native long-term, the controversial offensive defenseman was signed by Lou Lamoriello. And on Monday, New York traded for Scott Perunovich out of St. Louis, proving the team means business. And the Islanders are letting their play do the talking after racking off four wins in a row and seven of nine since January 5. We honestly weren't sure if this roster was capable of that kind of surge, but here we are. The Isles have a long way to go, but they're down to six points out of the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference. Could this stretch of improved play mean that pending UFA's Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri aren't traded after all? Lamoriello probably wants to see even more success before he makes that decision — and DeAngelo and Perunovich could help in that quest.
22. St. Louis Blues (-4)
Right when the Blues badly needed to string together some wins to stay ahead of the Western Conference logjam, they decided to play under .500 hockey for the entire month of January. That has St. Louis free falling in the NHL Power Rankings, although the playoff magic number is still just five. Trading away Perunovich was certainly an interesting move, and all GM Doug Armstrong got in return was a fifth-round pick. The 26-year-old's career has been riddled by injuries, and after being healthy scratched 26 times this year, it seemed a trade was inevitable. Will Armstrong be selling off even more roster pieces between now and March 7? The way the team is playing, it wouldn't be at all surprising. After losing two straight, STL will look to right the ship against the team directly below them in the rankings.
23. Vancouver Canucks (-1)
We won't keep harping on the JT Miller-Elias Pettersson situation — fans of the Canucks are just getting so sick of it — but it's worth mentioning that GM Patrik Allvin had talks with the Hurricanes about both players before Carolina ended up snagging Rantanen. That means Vancouver's front office is still hard at work trying to trade one of the two cornerstones. In the meantime, the Canucks continue to flounder, losing two of three in Week 16 and now eight in 12 tries since the calendar flipped to January. The season is hanging by a thread, and Quinn Hughes just can't save it by himself. But it could be a lot worse; Vancouver is still just three points out of a playoff spot. What is it going to take for this roster to turn things around? The return of Dakota Joshua — who is a game-time decision on Monday night against St. Louis — could be a good start.
24. Nashville Predators (+3)
It really took a while, but here come the Predators. Nashville had a five-game heater snapped on Saturday night, but they've still managed seven wins in 10 games in January — the team's best stretch of the season by far. They're starting to creep back up to .500 at 18-23-7, and are now 12 points out of a playoff spot. That does still seem insurmountable, especially with the Preds seventh place in the Central Division, but it looks like they at least won't be bottom-feeders for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign. What Barry Trotz ends up doing at the deadline will be fascinating. With six games in a row ahead against non-playoff teams, right now is Nashville's best chance to prove that a postseason berth still isn't impossible.
25. Philadelphia Flyers (-1)
Although the Flyers ended the week by losing two straight games, it came on the heels of winning five in six — and the Eagles are going to the SuperBowl. Philly absolutely crushed Washington in the NFC Championship on Sunday afternoon, and although that has nothing to do with hockey, it feels worth mentioning. That's great for the city, and the play of the Flyers as of late certainly hasn't been bad, either. John Tortorella's team is still above .500 and only five points out of a wildcard spot in the East, but back-to-back road losses against a couple of New York teams was a rough way to end the week. Still, Samuel Ersson is back in charge between the pipes, and besides a blip against the Rangers on Thursday, he's been great. The work continues in a home-and-home against the Devils; Monday in Philly and Wednesday in New Jersey.
26. Utah Hockey Club (no change)
The Utah Hockey Club's top guys have been spectacular lately — Clayton Keller has 54 points in 48 games and Barrett Hayton was just named the NHL's third star of the week — but the team has still come up short in seven of 11 games going back to January 4. General manager Bill Armstrong is going to have a couple of extremely difficult decisions to make with his club now six points out of a spot in the dance. Does he sell and concede that this squad might not have what it takes to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup yet? Or does he move draft capital — and potentially a couple of roster players — to make a big splash between now and March 7? The next little while will be telling in what the front office decides to do, but back-to-back losses to end the week is not getting off on the right foot. A crucial four-game homestand in Salt Lake City begins against the lowly Penguins on Wednesday night.
27. Seattle Kraken (+2)
Don't look now, but the Kraken are starting to make up some ground in the Western Conference playoff race. With five wins in eight games dating back to January 11, Seattle has climbed to eight points back of the Flames for the final wildcard berth. It's still unlikely, but with Joey Daccord playing some of his best hockey of the season as of late — and basically starting every single game — this roster has started to put the puck in the net. Kaapo Kakko has been excellent with his new team, while Chandler Stephenson has been heating up on a line with Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand. It'll be interesting to see if the Kraken can continuing stringing together some wins down the stretch, and how that could affect their trade deadline plans.
28. Anaheim Ducks (no change)
It's been a brutal month of January for the Ducks, but the squad is trending up ever so slightly after ending Week 16 with a pair of victories over the Penguins (5-1) on Thursday and Predators (5-2) on Saturday. Before that, it had been seven losses in eight tries for Anaheim, and they'll be happy just to be standing pat in the NHL Power Rankings this time around. Mason McTavish has been on fire as of late; the former Hamilton Bulldog was just named the league's second star of the week after leading the NHL with five goals in three games. Great for the 21-year-old, and it'll be even better if the club can make it three consecutive triumphs against the Kraken in Seattle on Tuesday night.
29. Pittsburgh Penguins (-4)
There's a new last-place team in the Metropolitan Division, and yes, it's the Penguins. Although Alex Nedeljkovic's goalie goal was magical, Pittsburgh has lost 10 of 13 games since New Year's Eve, falling to 20-23-8 and a full seven points out of a playoff spot. That's probably the nail in the coffin for Sidney Crosby and company, but no, No. 87 is not getting traded to the Avalanche. But besides him and a few other untouchable veterans, it could be a fire sale out of Pennsylvania ahead of the deadline. That's probably the only way forward for this consistently mediocre roster. After two miserable losses against Anaheim and Seattle, Pittsburgh will try not to let San Jose snap a six-game skid on Monday night.
30. Buffalo Sabres (no change)
There hasn't been any movement in the 30-32 slots in the NHL Power Rankings these past couple of weeks, and that could be the reality for the Sabres, Blackhawks and Sharks for the rest of the season. Buffalo continues to be not quite as bad as Chicago and San Jose, but not as good as any other National Hockey League team in 2024-25. With two more losses in Week 16 — and five in seven tries since January 11 — another season has fully gotten away from the Sabres. The magic number for a playoff spot is 14 points for the Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers, and that number should just continue to get bigger over the next several weeks. Following back-to-back losses on the road in Calgary and Edmonton, respectively, the Bruins visit KeyBank Center on Tuesday night.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (no change)
Although Taylor Hall made it clear he was willing to wait out the storm along with the lowly Blackhawks, the veteran was traded to the Hurricanes in one of the wildest Friday nights in NHL history. It was a head-scratching move for Chicago; not only did the team get just a 2025 third-round pick as compensation, but the Hawks are also retaining 50 percent of Rantanen's $9.25 million cap hit. It would be easy to put this consistently bad roster into the basement of the NHL Power Rankings, but they still haven't been as bad as the Sharks — and probably won't be even without Hall. After back-to-back 4-3 overtime losses to the Hurricanes and Lightning to end the week, Chicago has fallen to eight points back of seventh place in the Central. Barring a miracle, it's going to be a third consecutive last-place finish in the division.
32. San Jose Sharks (no change)
The Sharks spent the majority of the 2023-24 campaign in the NHL Power Rankings basement, and with under eight weeks left in this regular-season, San Jose is probably going nowhere for the rest of the year. That makes sense considering Ryan Warsofsky's team has lost six in a row, nine of 10, and ridiculously, 20 of 24 dating back to December 5. That is just brutal for the NHL's worst roster by a mile. With Mackenzie Blackwood traded, Yaroslav Askarov has done his best, but the defense in front of him is just impossible to work with. Alex Georgiev is learning that the hard way; he was having trouble stopping pucks in Denver, but it's gotten even worse for the Russian in Southern California. The favorite to pick first overall for the second consecutive NHL Draft, everyone in San Jose is just looking forward to another truly abysmal campaign coming to a close.
