Early NHL Power Rankings: Colorado Avalanche Still No. 1

This is an early look at NHL Power Rankings for the 2022-2023 season and it naturally looks like the rankings at the end of last season, with the Colorado Avalanche on top.

The Colorado Avalanche have suffered some losses in free agency and still their roster is loaded going into the 2022-2023 NHL season. That puts the Avalanche at the top of the early NHL Power Rankings, ahead of the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Here are my updated NHL Power Rankings with odds from DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars.

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Division odds via DraftKings

NHL Power Rankings

1. Colorado Avalanche

The defending champions lost their starting goaltender, Darcy Kuemper, and it looks like they will lose center Nazem Kadri but re-signed winger Valeri Nichushkin and defenseman Josh Manson while trading for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to replace Kuemper. This is all work around the edges, though, because the Avs are loaded with some of the best talent in the game, including Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and more.

Central Division Odds: (-175)

2. Florida Panthers

After sending left winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to Calgary for winger Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers take a small step back, at least in the short term and they will start the season missing injured winger Anthony Duclair. Still, Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Aaron Ekblad give the Panthers a strong base to carry into next season.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+180)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

The salary cap caught up to the Lightning a bit this summer, as they lost left winger Ondrej Palat as a free agent and traded defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Center Anthony Cirelli may not be ready for the start of the season following offseason shoulder surgery, but the Lightning still have a championship core.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+280)

4. Edmonton Oilers

It has been a productive summer for the Oilers, bringing in starting goaltender Jack Campbell as well as re-signing free agent left winger Evander Kane and defenseman Brett Kulak. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are finally getting a supporting cast up front and the blueline may have some questions but the emergence of Evan Bouchard is a positive sign.

Pacific Division Odds: (+200)

5. Carolina Hurricanes

Losing center Vincent Trocheck to free agency should force Jesperi Kotkaniemi into a bigger role but the ‘Canes also made a couple of major trades, acquiring defenseman Brent Burns from San Jose and left winger Max Pacioretty from Vegas. They are shooters who join a team that is known for consistently driving play and outshooting the opposition.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+205)

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

Playoff disappointment hangs over this team, but Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Michael Bunting drive one of the best attacks in the league, and the defense is deep enough that Rasmus Sandin is looking for an opening in the lineup. The biggest issue for the Maple Leafs will be in goal, where they are going with the tandem of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov, something that might have been exciting in 2019 but comes with question marks in 2022.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+180)

7. Nashville Predators

There was legitimate risk that the Preds could fall off next season, but they re-signed free agent winger Filip Forsberg, traded for defenseman Ryan McDonagh, and signed free agent winger Nino Niederreiter, suddenly stabilizing the roster and giving Nashville a better chance to be competitive next season.

Central Division Odds: (+1000)

8. Vegas Golden Knights

While they missed the playoffs last season and the status of goaltender Robin Lehner may be up in the air, the Golden Knights still have the talent to be a contender. Having a full season of Jack Eichel gives them a chance to return to their winning ways.

Pacific Division Odds: (+300)

9. Calgary Flames

Losing two-thirds of the league’s top line last season is hardly an ideal summer, but the Flames lost Johnny Gaudreau to Columbus as a free agent and traded Matthew Tkachuk to Florida. Getting Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar from the Panthers gives the Flames a chance to contend again next season.

Pacific Division Odds: (+300)

10. Washington Capitals

Injuries will hinder the Capitals at the start of next season, as Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson are both expected to start the season on long-term injured reserve, but the Capitals helped bolster their forward group by signing center Dylan Strome and trading for winger Connor Brown. Add in an expected goaltending upgrade with the arrival of Darcy Kuemper and the Capitals have a chance to extend their competitive window.

Division Odds: (+800)

11. Vancouver Canucks

By not trading J.T. Miller and then bringing in wingers Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko, the Canucks have a very deep group up front and with strong goaltending from Thatcher Demko, they might be able to overcome a blueline that is not blessed with many difference makers beyond Quinn Hughes.

Pacific Division Odds: (+1000)

12. Pittsburgh Penguins

It looked like the Penguins could be ready to start a new era, but they decided to run it back, re-signing defenseman Kris Letang and center Evgeni Malkin. They have remodeled the blueline, trading for Jeff Petry and Ty Smith as well as signing Jan Rutta as a free agent.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+260)

13. Los Angeles Kings

A bold trade to acquire Kevin Fiala should upgrade the Kings’ offense and veteran defenseman Alexander Edler re-signing on a league minimum deal helps the defense, but the main question for the Kings will be whether the goaltending tandem of Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick is going to be good enough for a team that appears to be on the way up and now has expectations.

Pacific Division Odds: (+500)

14. Minnesota Wild

Having to trade Fiala is a significant loss for the Wild, but Minnesota can hope that prospect Marco Rossi is ready to contribute and help offset that loss. Kirill Kaprizov is the star that Minnesota needs but if the Wild are going to become contenders on a budget they will need others to step up.

Central Division Odds: (+400)

15. New York Rangers

The Blueshirts will try to duplicate their 2021-2022 success, replacing center Ryan Strome with Vincent Trocheck and bringing prospect Vitali Kravtsov back from Russia. The Rangers leaned on star goaltender Igor Shesterkin a lot last season and he was up to the challenge but for their success to be sustainable, gaining better control of the shot share should still be an objective.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+380)

16. New Jersey Devils

Can the Devils make a big jump next season? They added left winger Ondrej Palat as a free agent, traded for center Erik Haula and defenseman John Marino, as well as goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who could stabilize last season’s overwhelming weak spot. The Devils have depth and the ability to control play, they just need someone to stop a puck for them.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+1600)

17. St. Louis Blues

The Blues seem to be caught in between. They have high-end veteran forwards like Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly, quality young forwards like Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, but the depth is lacking and the blueline lacks impact players. If goaltender Jordan Binnington rebounds, the Blues could be a playoff team, but if not, the decline could be coming soon.

Central Division Odds: (+1100)

18. New York Islanders

Maybe the Islanders have a free agent contract with Nazem Kadri’s name on it sitting in the drawer of GM Lou Lamoriello, just waiting to be pulled out at the right time, but if not, the team looks a lot like last year’s team that missed the postseason. They did trade for defenseman Alexander Romanov, but the Islanders could use another difference maker or two up front if they are going to return to contender status.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+850)

19. Boston Bruins

There is the possibility that the Bruins could open the season with star winger Brad Marchand plus defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk on long-term injured reserve as they recover from surgery, so that Bruins lineup would be hoping to tread water. If they manage to bring back Patrice Bergeron, and possibly even David Krejci, maybe that Bruins team could still make some noise.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+1600)

20. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world by signing Johnny Gaudreau as a free agent and adding a game-breaking offensive talent certainly addresses a big need for Columbus. If young skilled players like Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson can step into bigger roles, the Jackets might have a shot at the postseason, but they will need improved goaltending to get there.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+5000)

21. Dallas Stars

Although the Stars landed prized free agent left winger Mason Marchment, they also lost defenseman John Klingberg. They brought in defenders Colin Miller and Will Butcher, but it appears they are going to expect most of the improvement to come via new head coach Peter DeBoer.

Central Division Odds: (+1300)

22. Ottawa Senators

After trading for Alex DeBrincat and signing Claude Giroux as a free agent, the Ottawa Senators head into next season with more optimism than they have had in years. It’s amazing what can happen when a team invests in talent and Ottawa has an exciting young core that could use more reliability on the back end if they are going to challenge for a playoff spot.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+2800)

23. Winnipeg Jets

It looked like this could be a summer of upheaval in Winnipeg, but they have kept the band together for the most part. Their top-end forwards – Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mark Scheifele – are still capable of making a difference, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck can be one of the best in the league, but depth and defense appears to be the Jets’ undoing.

Central Division Odds: (+3000)

24. Detroit Red Wings

After spending money in free agency to bring in Andrew Copp, David Perron, Dominik Kubalik, Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Robert Hagg, and Ville Husso the Red Wings almost have to be better than they were last season, but they have a long way to go to catch the playoff teams in the Atlantic.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+3000)

25. Buffalo Sabres

A full season for 2021 first overall pick Owen Power is a reason for optimism in Buffalo, and they have seen progress from young players like Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres do appear to be biding their time in goal, with Eric Comrie and Craig Anderson keeping the crease under control until prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is ready.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+7500)

26. Seattle Kraken

After a disappointing expansion season, the Kraken might have been given a draft day gift when long-time presumed top pick Shane Wright slipped to Seattle at No. 4. Seattle also addressed their scoring shortcomings by signing winger Andre Burakovsky as a free agent and trading for right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand. Will that be enough to get them into the playoff hunt? Only if goaltender Philipp Grubauer can bounce back from the worst season of his career.

Pacific Division Odds: (+6500)

27. Anaheim Ducks

While the Ducks are going to depend a lot on young players like Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, and Mason McTavish, they have tried to upgrade the roster by adding defenseman John Klingberg, center Ryan Strome, and winger Frank Vatrano in free agency. It’s probably not enough to get them into the playoff hunt this season.

Pacific Division Odds: (+10000)

28. Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens showed some life after Martin St. Louis took over as head coach last season and they have been actively trying to improve, from drafting Juraj Slafkovsky first overall to trading for center Kirby Dach, winger Evgeni Dadonov, and defenseman Mike Matheson. Their fate for next season will still depend a great deal on the health of goaltender Carey Price and that is among the riskier propositions in the league in recent seasons.

Atlantic Division Odds: (+20000)

29. San Jose Sharks

New GM Mike Grier brought in David Quinn to be the Sharks’ new head coach and traded star defenseman Brent Burns to Carolina. Grier traded for agitating winger Luke Kunin and made low-key free agent signings, including winger Oskar Lindblom and defenseman Matt Benning, none of which figures to turn this team around immediately.

Pacific Division Odds: (+15000)

30. Philadelphia Flyers

After a disastrous 2021-2022 season, the Flyers are aiming to bounce back with John Tortorella named as their new head coach. Philadelphia did not create cap space for free agent Johnny Gaudreau, even though it was widely expected that the Flyers would be his first choice, and the Flyers are still left with uncertainty about the health of defenseman Ryan Ellis. They acquired defenseman Tony DeAngelo and signed tough guy winger Nicolas Deslauriers as a free agent, but this team looks like it is resisting a much needed rebuild.

Metropolitan Division Odds: (+7500)

31. Arizona Coyotes

It is hard to imagine that the Coyotes are not the lowest ranked team in the league because they have made every effort to get there. Well, they have yet to trade defenseman Jakob Chychrun and do have some competence from forwards Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, but the Coyotes are going to be bad next season and they will do it in front of friends and family at Arizona State’s arena.

Central Division Odds: (+50000)

32. Chicago Blackhawks

Just consider that this Chicago team is ranked at 32 and that is with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews still on the roster. At some point, they should be traded because there is no sense in tearing down everything around them at this stage of their careers. In any case, adding Andreas Athanasiou, Max Domi, and Colin Blackwell is not enough to generate any optimism about Chicago next season.

Central Division Odds: (+50000)Make sure to keep an eye on our Live Odds page throughout the week to get the best lines possible and connect with others in the SBR community on our popular sports betting forum.