Happy Hauntings from Rankings HQ. Nov. 1 may mark the official end of Spooky Season, but The Rankings Boys are still in the spirit for this week’s edition.
As the league closes the book on the first month of hockey, we’ve cooked up one spooky thought for each team — whether that means something scary for them or scary for everyone else.
1. Dallas Stars, 7-2-0
Last week: 2
Sean’s ranking: 1
Dom’s ranking: 2
Spooky Thought: Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen aren’t even close to top gear.
We’re not including this because we’re worried about Robertson or Heiskanen, either. Both are legit, fully formed star players with track records more than long enough to excuse slow starts. They’ll be fine. But two things are worth noting here. The first: Both players — Robertson at 1.86 points/60 and Heiskanen at 0.8 — are producing at rates that’d be their lowest in five seasons and a full point lower than 2023-24.
The second: It hasn’t mattered. Dallas is tied for the Western Conference lead in points percentage and has a whole bunch of forwards (Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene, Logan Stankoven) that have stepped up in the meantime. If they keep that up once Robertson and Heiskanen hit their stride, look out.
2. Carolina Hurricanes, 7-2-0
Last week: 7
Sean’s ranking: 4
Dom’s ranking: 1
Spooky Thought: They have vintage Shayne Gostisbehere.
Back in 2017-18, a 24-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere finished 10th in Norris voting and looked like a future stud. In the seven years since, Gostisbehere has struggled to come close to those heights, but he looks damn good to start this season. Sure, he’s playing sheltered minutes on the third pair, but a 77 percent xG rate (with seven points in eight games) is nothing to scoff at. He’s a big reason the Corsi Canes have stayed true to their brand.
3. Winnipeg Jets, 9-1-0
Last week: 4
Sean’s ranking: 2
Dom’s ranking: 4
Spooky Thought: They might be more than Connor Hellebuyck.
Good as the Jets were in 2023-24, they were still prone to asking too much of their all-world goaltender. For example, in the 17 games in which they allowed exactly three goals, the Jets lost eight. Doesn’t quite seem fair.
This season, though, when either Hellebuyck or Eric Comrie get beat three times, Winnipeg is 4-0. Life is good when you’ve got the hottest power play in the league (a mind-boggling 18.1 goals per 60). If the Jets keep clicking at even half that rate, they’ll look a lot different come April.
4. New York Rangers, 6-2-1
Last week: 1
Sean’s ranking: 3
Dom’s ranking: 3
Spooky Thought: They might have the best third line in the league.
The worry with the Rangers in recent seasons has always been about their depth. Usually, there wasn’t enough after their stars. That looks like it’s changed this year with the fantastic Will Cuylle – Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko line, a trio that’s helped power New York’s fiery start. In 92 minutes together they’re a perfect 9-0 putting them in a tie for the league’s best goal differential with Tampa Bay’s top line. And they’ve earned it too with a 65 percent expected goals rate. With the top six still looking strong, the Rangers now have a top nine to be seriously feared.
5. Florida Panthers, 7-3-1
Last week: 5
Sean’s ranking: 5
Dom’s ranking: 5
Spooky Thought: Sam Reinhart will continue to shoot 25 percent from the field.
Everyone on earth expected Reinhart to regress after scoring a career-high 57 goals. Reinhart said, “Sorry, but no.” In his first 11 games he’s got seven goals… on just 30 shots, good for a 23 percent shooting percentage. He’s picked up right where he’s left off, with much of that happening without the help of Aleksander Barkov or the power play.
6. Minnesota Wild, 6-1-2
Last week: 3
Sean’s ranking: 7
Dom’s ranking: 6
Spooky Thought: Kirill Kaprizov might be the best winger in hockey.
October is over, we’ve seen enough, it’s time to get seriously spicy: Kirill Kaprizov is better than Nikita Kucherov.
Do we actually 100 percent believe that? Probably not! Are we just saying stuff to cause a commotion? Maybe!
Either way, Kaprizov has played well enough to spark a debate, so why not have some fun with it?
With Kaprizov, the thing that’s often missed is how little help he has offensively compared to the other big stars, especially on such a defensive-minded team. That he’s been a perennial 100-point threat despite that is extremely impressive and that context should put him in higher esteem. He’s also one of the league’s most complete wingers, not sacrificing any defense for all that offense.
Kaprizov is the (very) early Hart Trophy front-runner and if he keeps this up, maybe the spooky thought becomes a spooky reality.
7. Washington Capitals, 7-2-0
Last week: 9
Sean’s ranking: 6
Dom’s ranking: 8
Spooky Thought: They might be actually good.
Wild to think, after watching the Capitals overpower Montreal in the third period on Thursday night, that there are folks in these parts who seem set on disrespecting them. Couldn’t be us! There aren’t many better signs of a team’s quality than smoking a crummy opponent, and that’s exactly what Washington did on Halloween. Coming into the night, the Caps were sixth in actual goal share and second in expected goal share — both would’ve been unimaginable with last season’s mix of players.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-3-0
Last week: 6
Sean’s ranking: 8
Dom’s ranking: 7
Spooky Thought: They won the Sergachev trade.
And that’s not because Mikhail Sergachev has been bad in Utah, either. Nine points in 11 games and solid goal share numbers in top-pair minutes is exactly what they’d hoped to get from him. The fact that Tampa still might come out on top is a testament to how much they’ve already gotten from young winger Conor Geekie and defenseman J.J. Moser. The former is part of the Lightning’s freshly productive, play-driving second line; the latter looks like a terrific fit next to Victor Hedman, as Tampa has a 55 percent expected goal share with both on the ice.
9. New Jersey Devils, 7-4-2
Last week: 14
Sean’s ranking: 9
Dom’s ranking: 9
Spooky Thought: The San Jose version of Timo Meier has finally shown up.
Meier showed signs late in his first full season as a Devil, scoring 15 goals in his last 21 games, and that level of production has carried over to 2024-25. In some ways, he’s been even better — 2.65 five-on-five points is 71st in the league among players with at least 50 minutes and right up there with his peak as a Shark in 2021-22. New Jersey has been particularly dominant when he’s on the ice with Nico Hischier, and they’ll need more of the same. That’s why they got him (and paid him) in the first place.
10. Vegas Golden Knights, 7-3-1
Last week: 11
Sean’s ranking: 10
Dom’s ranking: 10
Spooky Thought: Their hot start might be a house of cards.
Not to rain on Vegas’ parade, but so far the Golden Knights are one of the top teams whose process hasn’t matched their early results. By xG the team ranks 25th at 47 percent, a huge departure from where they were the last two seasons.
The team has the talent to score above their means and the talent to win the scoring chance battle. But for now, the lack of puck possession looks like a red flag.
11. Los Angeles Kings, 6-3-2
Last week: 15
Sean’s ranking: 11
Dom’s ranking: 12
Spooky Thought: Brandt Clarke looks as good as advertised offensively.
We’re just going to leave this here. Clarke is exactly what this team has long needed from the blue line.
Brandt Clarke ladies and gentlemen pic.twitter.com/92mWeaIzqH
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) October 31, 2024
12. Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-4-1
Last week: 13
Sean’s ranking: 13
Dom’s ranking: 11
Spooky Thought: The power play might stink.
The Leafs took care of business against Seattle on Thursday night, but they failed to score on two power-play opportunities. Generating chances hasn’t been a glaring issue — they started the night 13th in the league in expected PP goals per 60 — but finishing certainly has been. They’re near the bottom in conversion rate and goals per 60, thanks in part to a major cold streak from Auston Matthews; he shot better than 26 percent on the power play last year and is just 1-for-13 thus far in 2024-25.
13. Vancouver Canucks, 4-2-3
Last week: 10
Sean’s ranking: 12
Dom’s ranking: 14
Spooky Thought: Elias Pettersson forgot how to be Elias Pettersson.
If you thought Pettersson would start the season on some sort of playoff revenge tour, you’ve been sorely disappointed; 1.38 points per 60 is nice work for the Drew O’Connors and Beck Malenstyns of the world, but not a guy with 191 points over his last two seasons. Overall, he’s got four (1G, 3A) in nine games.
There could be any number of reasons for that drop — Harman and Drance noted in their October Canucks reports cards that he doesn’t physically look right — and the situation won’t be fixed unless he starts shooting the puck more often. His individual shots/60 are down by nearly three (7.71 to 4.83).
14. Edmonton Oilers, 4-5-1
Last week: 12
Sean’s ranking: 15
Dom’s ranking: 13
Spooky Thought: Darnell Nurse has picked up where he left off in the playoffs.
It’s getting harder and harder to defend Darnell Nurse. His numbers last season were fine and he had started to settle in as a capable No. 3 — and then the playoffs happened. He looked downright unplayable on a lot of nights and that’s starting to look like the real Nurse. He doesn’t have the excuse of playing tough minutes. He doesn’t have the excuse of playing with Cody Ceci. And still, he’s losing his minutes badly every night. The other two pairs are doing their part earning 60 percent of the expected goals this season. Nurse, no matter who he’s been paired with, is closer to 40. Woof.
15. Colorado Avalanche, 5-6-0
Last week: 8
Sean’s ranking: 14
Dom’s ranking: 15
Spooky Thought: They won’t survive these injuries.
At a certain point, even a team with one of the best cores in the league will have a difficult time staying afloat amidst so much injury turmoil. With Valeri Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton and Miles Wood all on the shelf, Colorado’s forward ranks have been massively depleted. It’s so bad that the Avalanche had Logan O’Connor, Joel Kiviranta and Ivan Ivan in the top six the other night.
It would help if their goalies could make a save and to their credit, the team is possessing the puck well so far. But this much talent out of the lineup would be difficult for any team to handle. The Avalanche aren’t cooked just yet, but there’s a real chance this hellish October does them in.
16. Ottawa Senators, 5-4-0
Last week: 17
Sean’s ranking: 16
Dom’s ranking: 16
Spooky Thought: Travis Hamonic is on the top pair.
For whatever reason, the Senators have slotted Hamonic next to Jake Sanderson in a tough usage role and the pair is predictably sinking. Sanderson is good, but he’s not “carry one of the league’s worst defensemen against top competition” good. Few are! In 96 minutes together the pair has been outscored 5-1 while earning 45 percent of the expected goals. We know who to blame there. Artem Zub can’t come back soon enough.
17. Utah HC, 5-4-2
Last week: 18
Sean’s ranking: 17
Dom’s ranking: 17
Spooky Thought: Connor Ingram can’t repeat his Coyotes magic.
There might not be a less scary team in the league (in either direction) than Utah — the players they need to be good (Mikhail Sergachev, Dylan Guenther, Clayton Keller, et al) are handling their business in sustainable ways, but there’s also not a ton of meat left on the bone.
Ingram’s play is a bit of an issue, though. After two seasons of slightly above-average goaltending in Arizona, his save percentage (.880) is down dramatically, and he’s allowed more than four goals above expected.
18. Seattle Kraken, 5-5-1
Last week: 22
Sean’s ranking: 18
Dom’s ranking: 18
Spooky Thought: They’re committing to the bit with Chandler Stephenson.
The Kraken paid big money for Stephenson this summer, which was scary enough. Perhaps even scarier? They seem to truly believe he is the team’s most important forward. Stephenson is playing 20 minutes per night, over two more than the next Kraken forward as he’s seeing time on the top line, power play unit and penalty kill unit. Seattle is treating him like he is the team’s unquestioned best forward, and we’re just not buying that. Not with half his points being secondary assists and not while he’s getting absolutely roasted at five-on-five with 33 percent of the expected goals.
19. St. Louis Blues, 5-6-0
Last week: 20
Sean’s ranking: 19
Dom’s ranking: 21
Spooky Thought: Jordan Binnington has turned into a pumpkin.
Let’s take a look at Binnington’s save percentages over the last three seasons.
2021-22: .901
2022-23: .894
2023-24: .913
2024-25: .900
Yeah, one of those things is not like the other. Binnington has been fine, but last season’s excellence is looking more and more like the exception to the rule.
20. Buffalo Sabres, 4-5-1
Last week: 25
Sean’s ranking: 20
Dom’s ranking: 20
Spooky Thought: They might never make the playoffs again.
Low-hanging fruit? Sure. But after an eternity outside the playoffs, the Sabres still don’t feel all that close to reaching that modest goal with a deserved 4-5-1 start. Is there anything scarier than cheering for a franchise that can’t seem to build an above-average team once in 14 tries?
21. Nashville Predators, 3-5-1
Last week: 24
Sean’s ranking: 23
Dom’s ranking: 19
Spooky Thought: You can’t build a contender through free agency.
In hindsight, perhaps Barry Trotz should’ve considered passing on one of those aging snipers and making sure that he started the season with a depth chart without Tommy Novak and Colton Sissons as the second- and third-line centers. Novak has four points, Sissons has none and no team has fewer five-on-five goals than the Preds’ eleven.
22. Calgary Flames, 5-4-1
Last week: 16
Sean’s ranking: 21
Dom’s ranking: 23
Spooky Thought: The four-game win streak to start the season keeps them out of the best lottery odds.
If you’re a Flames fan who thinks bottoming out is necessary, though, take heart — they’re 1-4-1 in their last six games and have been outscored 24-11. It’s not too late. A couple more weeks of that will have the tank back on the tracks.
23. Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-3-1
Last week: 27
Sean’s ranking: 24
Dom’s ranking: 22
Spooky Thought: The reality of offensive regression.
Columbus deserves tons of credit for winning five of its first nine games, but a 63-percent actual goal share vs. a 47-percent expected goal share is not going to hold up over the long term. Either something can change, or the Blue Jackets can enjoy their hot streak while it lasts.
24. Boston Bruins, 4-6-1
Last week: 21
Sean’s ranking: 22
Dom’s ranking: 25
Spooky Thought: They might be actually bad.
We’re not dumb enough to shovel dirt on the Bruins just yet, 8-2 humiliation against Carolina aside, but if you’re a fan, it’s probably time to start worrying. Jim Montgomery threw his lines in a blender ahead of the Hurricanes game — rarely a good sign, and Thursday night was no different. Focus on the production issues if you want, but there’s not much to like about the overall process; a Bruins team being 23rd in goals against is hard to believe.
25. New York Islanders, 3-5-2
Last week: 19
Sean’s ranking: 25
Dom’s ranking: 24
Spooky Thought: They might never score again.
We figured the Islanders might have some trouble scoring, but yeesh. They’ve only played 10 games and have somehow already been shutout four times. They’re bottom five in scoring at both five-on-five and on the power play and the team just doesn’t seem to have any offensive swagger at the moment.
The good news? They are creating chances at a league-average rate and you have to figure that both Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat can score above a 41-point clip. Still, it’s a scary start that has confirmed a lot of worries from before the season started.
26. Detroit Red Wings, 4-5-1
Last week: 23
Sean’s ranking: 26
Dom’s ranking: 26
Spooky Thought: They spent a decade building a lemon.
Credit to the power play for keeping this team (kind of) afloat, but at five-on-five, hoo brother. The Red Wings are 25th in goals percentage and 31st in expected goals percentage; no player has more than five points; first-line center Dylan Larkin is stuck on two. Prospects like Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren aren’t popping. Weren’t they supposed to be good by now?
27. Anaheim Ducks, 4-4-2
Last week: 26
Sean’s ranking: 27
Dom’s ranking: 29
Spooky Thought: Their core won’t be good enough.
We’re still waiting for that jump from the team’s ducklings, but what if that day just isn’t coming? What if the core they’ve built just isn’t that good? Leo Carlsson is fine and the team’s brightest hope, but what’s been built around him continues to lack sizzle. Mason McTavish doesn’t have a goal and is getting cooked defensively. Trevor Zegras feels like a lost cause. None of the young defensemen have stepped up in a significant way. The clock’s not ticking and there’s still time, but this start hasn’t shown much signal that this team presently has franchise cornerstones to build around. Lukas Dostal looks great at least.
28. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-6-1
Last week: 31
Sean’s ranking: 28
Dom’s ranking: 28
Spooky Thought: Jamie Drysdale isn’t going to live up to his potential.
While getting Drysdale back for Cutter Gauthier may have seemed like an exciting return at the time, the hard truth was that he was an oft-injured defender who had been struggling mightily at the NHL level. The hope is that, at some point, he figures things out under John Torterella’s tutelage, but the early returns this season haven’t been great. Despite playing the cushiest minutes on the team, Drysdale currently sports a minus-3.3 Net Rating, ahead of only Egor Zamula among Flyers defensemen. Earning just 42 percent of the expected goals while being outscored 10-3 will have that effect (after being outscored 21-4 in his first taste of Flyers hockey last season).
Drysdale is still young and comes with a lot of pedigree, but the Flyers have a lot of work cut out for them.
29. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-7-1
Last week: 28
Sean’s ranking: 29
Dom’s ranking: 27
Spooky Thought: Sidney Crosby might be old.
In the last four seasons, opponents’ expected goals per 60 while Crosby is on the ice have gone from 2.69 to 2.9 to 3.13 to 4.79. The latter is fifth-worst in the NHL among players with at least 50 minutes of ice time. Some of that is due to his teammates’ defensive deficiencies/disinterest — but not all of it. On some nights (like Thursday), he has enough offensive pop to counterpunch, but expecting that for a full season is unreasonable.
30. Montreal Canadiens, 4-6-1
Last week: 30
Sean’s ranking: 30
Dom’s ranking: 31
Spooky Thought: Defense is not optional in this league.
If it were, the Canadiens would be on track for a playoff push. Alas, there are two sides of the ice. The good news for Montreal is that it can’t get worse; no team on the books at Evolving Hockey, dating back to the 2007-08 season, has allowed more five-on-five goals per 60, either actual (4.09) or expected (3.72).
31. Chicago Blackhawks, 3-6-1
Last week: 29
Sean’s ranking: 31
Dom’s ranking: 30
Spooky Thought: Seth Jones heard us talking smack.
For a long time, there have been questions regarding Jones’ place in the defenseman hierarchy and recently it seemed like he had found his level. Jones is a really good No. 2, but a questionable No. 1. Good player, but perhaps not an elite one.
All that talk looks like rubbish now as he is (finally!) looking like the legit No. 1 Chicago paid a lot of money and assets for. He’s scoring, he’s tilting the ice, he’s commanding play — he’s been an all-situations force for the Blackhawks, capably winning his difficult minutes (and that means actually winning his minutes, not just looking good relative to a terrible team).
32. San Jose Sharks, 2-7-2
Last week: 32
Sean’s ranking: 32
Dom’s ranking: 32
Spooky Thought: Yaroslav Askarov looks scary good.
In five AHL games thus far, the Sharks’ future starting goaltender has put up a .959 save percentage and 1.20 goals-against with two shutouts. He threw in an assist, too. San Jose can let Askarov cook with the Barracuda for as long as they want, given the presence of Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek, but at some point, he’s going to force their hand. Dominating the AHL is nothing new.
(Top photo of Pyotr Kochetkov and Brent Burns: Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images)
