The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are already looking a bit different than normal.
Gone are some of the usual suspects in the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. The Seattle Kraken, meanwhile, will make their first-ever playoff debut in short order. And the impetus behind all of this seems to be the shifting powers across the NHL landscape that have coalesced behind one team in particular.
The first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins on Monday, with weeks of chaos sure to follow. One of the best parts of playoff hockey season is the massive upsets we bear witness to every spring and this year seems to be no different. One team in particular, the Tampa Bay Lightning, might just be set to fall out of favor earlier than expected. But don’t worry, we’ll get into it soon enough.
As the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway, here are our power rankings of all 16 playoff teams ahead of the chaos to come.
16
New York Islanders
As the last team to qualify for the playoffs, the Islanders have a lot to prove this postseason. It wasn’t pretty, but the Islanders did end up beating out the Penguins — who self-sabotaged themselves out of a playoff spot — to make it to the first round of 16 teams. And their prize? A date with the Hurricanes, who are a notoriously tough playoff opponent.
15
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are lucky the Flames didn’t end up applying much late-season pressure to their playoff run because Winnipeg did not play that well to end their regular season campaign. It really was a tale of two season halves for the Jets, as Winnipeg was flying high in the early stretches of the season but things petered out after the All-Star break. Thanks to a weak Western Conference, the Jets were able to back into a playoff spot, so don’t expect much out of them in the first round unless they can pull it together at the last minute.
14
Florida Panthers
The Panthers would probably be higher on these power rankings if the Eastern Conference wasn’t an absolute murderers’ row. Things weren’t looking so hot for the Panthers as 2023 rolled around, but since February 1, Florida has gone 18-10-2 to secure a highly contested wild card spot. It’s a shame the Panthers have finally hit their stride and are likely to run into the juggernaut that is the Bruins. At the very least, I have to shoutout goaltender Alex Lyon for stepping up big in relief of Spencer Knight. Lyon’s gone above and beyond what was asked of him and now the Panthers are back in the playoffs once more.
13
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken are quite the feel-good story this year. After having an underwhelming inaugural season, the Kraken stormed back in 2022-23 to post plus-100 points to bring playoff hockey to Seattle for the first time. While the Kraken aren’t expected to make a lot of noise in the playoffs with the difficult first round matchup they’ve been given, it should still be a great moment for Seattle fans to get a taste of playoff hockey they’ve craved for so long.
12
Los Angeles Kings
While many balked at the move to trade Jonathan Quick because of the emotional ties, Joonas Korpisalo has been a revelation for the Kings. With a 11-7-3 record and a .921 save percentage, Korpisalo has stabilized the Kings’ goaltending situation for the playoffs. Still, Los Angeles enters the playoffs pretty average all around. Adrian Kempe is the team’s only 30-plus goal scorer after the regular season and the team just doesn’t have the firepower to compete with the best of the West.
11
Minnesota Wild
The Wild are firmly in the Western Conference’s second tier in my book. While their goaltending — with Filip Gustavsson specifically — has been great this year, the Wild enter the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the fewest regular season goals of any team in the postseason. Minnesota’s depth just doesn’t stack up compared to the other teams ahead of them. While they very well could surprise if Gustavsson shuts the door on their first round opponents, the Wild have a lot of work to do to impress in the playoffs this year.
10
Tampa Bay Lightning
It feels weird to place the Lightning this low on a playoff power ranking, but it’s for a good reason. Tampa Bay finally feels like its run out of gas after multiple years of long playoff runs. Since the start of February, the Lightning went 14-15-5 and have just looked uncharacteristically disorganized. Victor Hedman’s down season certainly hasn’t helped matters either as it feels as if the Lightning took a step back this season while many others took steps forward. Of course, doubt the Lightning at your own peril, but early optics don’t favor Tampa Bay headed into these playoffs.
9
Dallas Stars
Since the Stars lost in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, the team has yet to win a playoff round. That being said, Dallas has a good chance of getting back on the horse here this year thanks to some electric offense and fantastic goaltending. It’ll be great to see what an unleashed Jason Robertson will be able to do in the playoffs, as his breakout season has rejuvenated the Stars’ offense and then some. Goaltender Jake Oettinger had his coming out party last playoffs, so hopefully we’ll see another strong performance out of him this spring.
8
Edmonton Oilers
Playoff Connor McDavid is an absolute marvel to behold. Coming off an absolutely silly 153-point season, McDavid is primed to have the playoff run of his life. And hey, Leon Draisaitl and his 128 points on the season isn’t too shabby in second place either. While a crushing offense can do wonders in the regular season, the Oilers will need their defense and goaltending to step up if they want to make a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Mattias Ekholm has been a great addition to the Oilers defense at the trade deadline, but the pressure will be on Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell to hold the fort down when Edmonton’s offense can’t save the day.
7
Colorado Avalanche
The reigning Stanley Cup champions had a bit of a bumpy road to start the 2022-23 campaign, but have looked much more like themselves these last few months. Not having captain Gabriel Landeskog for the entirety of the regular season plus the playoffs is a big blow to the team, but hopefully the Avalanche will be able to fill the hole he leaves behind without much issue. While there’s always the fear that the Avalanche will revert back to their disjointed early-season look, the team still has a real solid chance of defending their title in mid June thanks to the strong play of Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar.
6
New York Rangers
Igor Shesterkin is likely the best goaltender in these playoffs when he’s on his game. And good news for the Rangers, Shesterkin has been playing lights out recently, posting a .934 save percentage in 15 games played since March 1. The Rangers were a big spender at the trade deadline in March, picking up the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane to bolster their offensive firepower. The playoffs will have to be their time to shine, as general manager Chris Drury no doubt brought this pair in to be postseason heroes when the time comes.
5
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs enter the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with everything to lose. After numerous playoff disappointments, this has to be the year the Maple Leafs win a round or the consequences will likely be dire. The good news for Toronto is their playoff opponent — the Lightning — look markedly worse entering the postseason for the first time in a long time. This Maple Leafs team has the talent and then some to make it past the first round, but now has to be the time to show it. The spotlight is fully on Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander to get it done.
4
New Jersey Devils
It’s been a real treat to watch this Devils team come together with their young core. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Dawson Mercer have all been exceptional this season as the Devils have put together a top-six offense that likely will grow even more in the years to come. The East is a real tough beast this year, but it feels like the Devils finally are a complete enough team to win a round or two for the first time since their 2012 Stanley Cup Final run. How cool would it be to see this young Devils team go on a long postseason run while knocking down a titan or two?
3
Carolina Hurricanes
Losing Andrei Svechnikov to injury before the playoffs is a tough blow to the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup hopes. That being said, Carolina’s bread and butter has always been defense and goaltending, and those remain as robust as ever entering the playoffs. The Hurricanes ended the regular season with the least amount of shots against allowed per game (26.0) as their defense continues to suffocate their opponents into submission. There are a lot of heavy hitters in these playoffs, but the Hurricanes look well poised to weather the storm in the way they always do.
2
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas peaked at just the right time ahead of the playoffs. Since the start of February, the Golden Knights went 22-4-5 to put themselves unequivocally at the top of the Western Conference by season’s end. Plus, it seems as if the Golden Knights are set to get a huge boost as players return from injury for the playoffs, with Mark Stone a big addition to the team’s offense. If the Golden Knights can continue their dominant play as the playoffs begin, they’re certainly set to be a force to be reckoned with.
1
Boston Bruins
The Bruins enter the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the best regular season team in NHL history. No surprise, then, that they top these power rankings ahead of a likely deep playoff run. David Pastrnak just hit 60 goals on the year, Linus Ullmark is a slam dunk for the Vezina, and overall the team lost just 17 times in the last six months, which is a stunning statistic. Barring a complete collapse of the team’s system in the opening round, the Bruins are poised to make some serious noise this spring as the clear-cut Stanley Cup favorites.
