NHL 2024-25 Power Rankings: Week 11 – The Hockey Writers Power Rankings Latest News, Analysis & More

While we are mere days away from the NHL Holiday Break, the league’s Holiday Roster Freeze took place this week starting on December 20th through December 28th. Normally this roster freeze is a bit of a nothing moment, as most teams aren’t looking to make big trades roughly 35 games into the season. However, the 2024-25 NHL season has been far from normal. It felt like there have been so many trades already shaking up the NHL and rumors swirling about expected deals that it would have been no shock to see more moves going down.

One such more was involved the New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken, who snuck in a fairly big trade by sending much-maligned 2019 second-overall draft pick Kaapo Kakko to Seattle for Will Borgen, along with a 2025 third and sixth-round draft pick. This trade felt a long time coming, as Kakko had fallen out of favor with the Rangers but still had speculative value across the league as a player who could still become a solid top-six presence if given the right opportunities.

This move followed a flurry of action, making the Holiday roster freeze feel more like a trade deadline, which capped off a very active December on the NHL market. While none of these trades were groundbreaking, they do continue to show us that teams are not messing around this season, and changes will be made no matter the time of year. With this in mind, let’s take a look at how the last week of play has changed THW’s Rankings!

32-20: Islanders’ Continued Struggles Towards Mediocrity

32. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 32)

31. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 30)

30. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 27)

29. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 28)

28. Nashville Predators (Previously: 31)

27. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 25)

26. New York Rangers (Previously: 22)

25. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 26)

24. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 21)

23. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 20)

22. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 29)

21. New York Islanders (Previously: 24)

20. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 23)

Last week, I spent the bulk of the bottom part of the Rankings discussing the Sabres, who stretched their losing streak to 13 games with more poor showings this week. I’ve also spent plenty of time feeling baffled by the Rangers in recent weeks, as they have plummeted down the Rankings from one of my pre-season favorites to a disorganized mess since the start of the season. However, there’s a third team in New York that I’ve largely not discussed simply because they haven’t been very interesting on or off the ice during the 2024-25 NHL Season. That team is, of course, the Islanders.

Through 34 games, the Islanders are about as mid as they come (the new-age version of mid). Their record is well below par, clocking in at 13-14-7, but those loser points have allowed them to stay relevant in the playoff conversation despite their best efforts. Unfortunately, the team has many of the same scoring issues that have plagued them for years (they sit 26th overall in goals for per game) but they are now giving up more goals than normal, as they sit 20th overall in that stat.

Their last three games are a perfect microcosm of their issues, as they lost to the Blackhawks 5-3, and were shut out by the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0, before finally finding their offensive touch against the Toronto Maple Leafs by scoring six goals, their most points in months. Barring a hot streak in the new year, it feels like this team is destined to sell at the Trade Deadline this season.

Overall, this entire section of the Rankings feels bad right now, as almost all the teams are failing to put competent play on the ice most nights. They all still have a chance to go on a run, but hope will be fading fast in the new year.

19-11: Senators Putting Themselves Back into Contention

19. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 17)

18. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 15)

17. Utah Hockey Club (Previously: 19)

16. Calgary Flames (Previously: 16)

15. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 18)

14. Dallas Stars (Previously: 10)

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 14)

12. Boston Bruins (Previously: 13)

11. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 12)

Well, I’ve doubted the Senators plenty this season, but with an 8-2-0 run over their last 10 games, they have put themselves right into the conversation for the playoffs. Their recent six-game winning streak, which was snapped on Sunday, featured a mixture of close overtime games and blowout wins against some good and bad teams, which is exactly what you hope to see from a team with real postseason ambition. The only real concern will be the health of Linus Ullmark, who suffered an injury this weekend but has been their star in net during this run, as his play has stabilized arguably the most important position for the franchise right now.

Now for a Canadian team heading in the wrong direction, the Canucks haven’t looked right in weeks. The team is 3-3-4 in their last 10 games played, and rumors of a fracturing locker room are starting to spread, rightfully or wrongfully. While they are still clinging to a Wild Card spot, their margin of error is quickly shrinking as teams like the Utah Hockey Club find steady success on the ice.

Also, put a pin in the Stars, who have struggled in recent weeks and have lost hold of a Wild Card during this streak of mediocre play. They are another team I had high expectations for going into the season, but much like the Canucks, things just aren’t clicking right now. Plus you never want to be on the receiving end of one of the worst hits of the season so far, as these kinds of dirty plays can often leave players nursing injuries, even if they don’t miss games. I still think they recover and make the playoffs, but they aren’t where I expected them to be roughly 35 games into the season.

10-1: Wild Are Hitting a Wall

10. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 5)

9. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 2)

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 8)

7. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 11)

6. Florida Panthers (Previously: 9)

5. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 7)

4. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 6)

3. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 3)

2. Washington Capitals (Previously: 1)

1. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 4)

One of the best stories of the 2024-25 NHL season has been the Wild, who burst out of the gate this season with stellar play from their offense, defense, and goaltending. However, sometimes an injury to a key piece can change the pace of a season, and this appears to have happened when Filip Gustavsson went down with a lower-body injury. Prior to the injury, he looked like a Vezina candidate, with Minnesota racking up win after win at the top of the standings. Now they have dropped four straight and look a bit shaky heading into the Holiday Break, but a few days off may be exactly what they need to get things right again.

Now, if you’re looking for a reason the Wild should worry about the positioning in the Rankings, it might be because the Jets, Panthers, Capitals, Golden Knights, and Oilers are hot again. All of these teams had some up-and-down moments in recent weeks, but they are heading in the right direction with great records over their last 10 games played. Any of these franchises could go on a winning streak and be the best team in the league, which keeps things exciting at the top of the Rankings.

Enjoy Your NHL Holiday Break

Well, after a full slate of games on Monday, the NHL will start their break period until December 27th. During this time, I hope every reader gets to do the things they want, whether that is visiting with family, hosting a friends-only holiday party, or even just spending time playing your favorite game on your own.

Related: Grading the Kraken’s Trade for Kaapo Kakko

Holiday memories come in all different shapes and sizes, and not all of them have to be grand moments. Sometimes the small ones will stick with you forever, and I hope all of you get to make some of these memories over the next few days.