As the 2024 regular season comes to a close, Canada will see four of its seven NHL teams qualifying for the playoffs. This creates a partitioned evaluation, between the teams vying for a Stanley Cup this season and those eagerly anticipating a high draft pick and an offseason of development.
Canada boasts four strong playoff teams, all within the conversation of being within the league’s top 10 teams. Despite this, all have some questions about their rosters and a gruelling gauntlet between them and ultimate glory. There might well be a favourite between the four, but picking between the teams is difficult, and the gaps between them are very slim.
Meanwhile, the other three Canadian teams are not without hope. All three are at different points of their journeys toward contender status. While the future is not guaranteed one way or the other, all three fan bases will have hope on the horizon.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the final Canadian Power Ranking of the regular season.
7. Ottawa Senators
Of the Canadian teams, the Ottawa Senators have the unfortunate distinction of having the most disappointing result of the 2023–24 regular season. For a few years now the Senators have false started hopes, boasting a young core with elite talent, only to fall into a familiar pattern of fading out of playoff contention early. Fans across the league are bemoaning a wildcard race in the Eastern Conference, featuring a number of clearly flawed teams still in the hunt. The Sens fell short of even this mediocrity.
At the very least there is new ownership and leadership, with Steve Staios taking on the roles of President and GM. Staios will look to balance a roster with a lot of promise and talent, as there are clear quality issues in the Sens middle-six forward group and on the right side of their defence.
One of the main issues to attend to is finding the next coach of the team. During the DJ Smith era the Sens routinely fell short of expectations, struggling defensively, and underperforming their perceived quality. Naturally health, or availability in general, would go a long way towards improving, but the truth is that the Sens roster should be better than they have been able to show.
Up front the Sens are quite thin. Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Claude Giroux have held up their end of the bargain as high end players. At this point it is quite difficult to count on Josh Norris staying healthy, or returning to his peak effectiveness. Drake Batherson is a solid top-six option, Mathieu Joseph a capable top-nine winger. Even when counting Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig, the Senators are short of a reasonable top nine. The forward group’s issues are fairly simple to grasp, a question of depth.
The far more confounding issue lies on the blueline, where the Sens have a formidable group on paper. Team defence is influenced by forwards as well, but there is truly no excuse for the team to have performed so poorly over the years. While Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, and Artem Zub are all at least capable top four players, it is likely Jake Sanderson that will have to lead the group for Ottawa’s ideal future. It would be nice for either or both of Lassi Thompson and Jacob Benard-Docker to truly step into an impact role to balance the handedness of the blueline, and Tyler Klevin seems to be taking strides on the left side.
The goaltending has taken most of the blame for the past era’s defensive failures, spinning its wheels in chasing goalies from superior defensive teams. While the trio of Joonas Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg, and Mads Sogaard is not the most heralded league wide, it is a lot for the team to work with. With Cam Talbot and Jonas Gustavsson playing well behind better defensive teams the issue is clearly with the Sens as a team, more than it is or ever was their goaltending. For starters, this noticing a putrid penalty kill would help, sitting near the bottom of the league at just under 74%, a far cry from what a team fighting for playoff position should strive for.
6. Calgary Flames
At the beginning of this season, the Calgary Flames faced great uncertainty. Under a new GM and a new coach, the Flames housed a number of pending free agents, many of whom were core players on the team, and a roster fading out of relevance. On top of that, the Flames remained tied up financially, with many commitments to older players, some of which were coming off lacklustre seasons.
The team seemed destined to ride the playoff bubble, an outside shot of pulling together for a low seed. Even in the best case scenario, the Flames were not true championship contenders, and many fans were hoping for a longer term plan, a step back to rebuild around younger talent with more upside.
In the end the Flames were quite aggressive in looking towards the future, choosing to move on from Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Tyler Toffoli. While Flames fans might have felt underwhelmed by the returns on some of these deals individually, the team did reshape their future decisively. Ultimately, the drafting and development process will shape how these trades are evaluated, but the Flames have given themselves opportunities at a brighter future.
There were a lot of positives up front. Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, and Yegor Sharangovich took steps, and seem to be locks as productive members of next season’s top nine. Neither Jakob Pelletier nor Matthew Coronato were able to assert themselves as full time NHLers, but both will have a chance to do so next season. Andrei Kuzmenko has resumed producing, now in a bigger role with the Flames, but joins a number of useful to good veterans who provide some infrastructure for the younger forwards.
Still, the Flames are in need of some star power if the team wants to become elite. There are a number of intriguing forwards in the prospect pipeline, but no obvious candidate to lead the Flames future offensively. Naturally, many fans will have their eye on Tij Iginla with the team’s highest first-round pick this June, but regardless the Flames will have to nail a few draft selections as soon as possible if they wish to compete while some of their veterans are still adding value.
The Flames dismantled much of one of the league’s top bluelines over the course of the season. With but a slight volume of defence prospects to start the season, the Flames were able to add to the future of their blueline in the process. Hunter Brzustewicz and Artyom Grushnikov headline the additions, an offensive specialist and a defensive specialist, respectively. Unfortunately Jeremie Poirier missed a great deal of the season with injury, but could push for an NHL job soon.
Both MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson remain quality defencemen, providing some structure. The return of Oliver Kylington and the emergence of Daniil Miramanov are meaningful for the Flames in the near future. Again, adding an elite level prospect would brighten the Flames outlook, but the team seems to have navigated some key losses nicely.
The question of whether or both the Flames need to continue their tear down will be top of mind. Perhaps best illustrating this point is the situation with Jacob Markstrom. There is noise about friction between Markstrom and the Flames, as well as some debate about how much the goalie would fetch in return. As long as Markstrom remains on the roster, he is at least ample support for Dustin Wolf’s coming of age.
5. Montreal Canadiens
As the Canadian team most dedicated to rebuilding, the scale and scope of evaluating the Montreal Canadiens’ season is a bit different than most on this list. Still, the Habs have maintained a very respectable level of play throughout the season, an environment that may hamper their draft stock, but will aid the transition towards more earnest competition in the future. For the players on the roster a competitive team environment is crucial for the growth and development of a winning mindset. Given that Montreal already have a number of prospective core players in their NHL lineup this season is an important springboard for their future as a team and as individuals.
Juraj Slafkovsky joins Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield as legitimate top-six forwards that the Habs can build around. Kirby Dach should be counted among this group, though his injury history is troubling. Alex Newhook might be a cut below, but appears to have found a role in the Habs future. It is encouraging that Joshua Roy has shown well, and he should be projected to be a full time NHLer next season. The Habs have a number of veterans who add some structure and stability to the forward group, as well as some prospect options on the horizon, yet it should be expected that they will be looking to add a dynamic offensive player to this outlook.
Reinforcements up front might not be ready to make an impact at the NHL level next season, but Owen Beck and Filip Mesar should be offensive focal points in the AHL come the fall. We saw the Habs try to add some scoring upside in their acquiring of Jacob Perreault, and GM Kent Hughes has taken chances on young NHL forwards during his tenure, a trend we might see continue.
Meanwhile, the future of the Habs blueline seems promising and draws nearer. While veterans Mike Matheson and David Savard provide some structure and stability to the group, several young defencemen have continued coming into their own at the NHL level. Kaiden Guhle might shine brightest among those in the NHL, others like Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble have impressed. Combined, the Habs have the framework of a blueline that will be physically imposing and defensively focused.
With a number of relevant prospects worthy of a shot to make the team out of training camp, the Habs should see their blueline further infused with youth and talent over the next 12 months. Leading the charge are Lane Hutson, a dynamic offensive option, and David Reinbacher, who profiles as a smooth skater who can contribute on both ends of the ice and help control play. The two high end prospects have the potential to adorn the Habs hulking physicality, perhaps as soon as next season. While it might take time for the group to mature, the Habs have all the makings of an elite level blueline.
It would be fairly bullish to predict the Habs fighting to the end for a playoff spot next season, but at the very least they will be able to apply more pressure of doing so. With division rivals in the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings still searching to assert their postseason relevance, the Habs will soon begin to pose a threat of beating them to the punch.
4. Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets find themselves sputtering towards the end of the regular season, conceding home ice to either the Dallas Stars, or more likely the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. While the Jets are a good team that has authored a solid season, they will likely be underdogs in the first round. Naturally, the Jets will have a puncher’s chance in any series thanks to goalie Connor Hellebuyck, one of the truly elite goalies of this era.
A stout and physical defensive team that can limit even strength scoring chances, the Jets can play good enough defensively to make Hellebuyck even more daunting to opponents. The main concern is that the Jets penalty kill has not been good enough, and that this can be exploited enough to undo the otherwise formidable defence and goaltending. With time to focus on one opponent, the Jets will have to find another level to survive in the playoffs.
The Jets have added scoring punch, reinvigorated after some leaner years. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Nikolaj Ehlers still highlight the group, but the Jets have a deep and versatile forward group. When healthy, Gabe Vilardi might even be the most dangerous Jets forward, though health has consistently been an issue. Deadline acquisitions Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli certainly help, but the biggest x-factor might be the growth of Cole Perfetti. Yet to truly assert himself as a top-six option, Perfetti has continued to improve his game. It’s very likely that Perfetti will become a key offensive generator for the Jets in the future, and a coming out party would add a whole new dimension to the attack.
The Jets did very well for themselves this season, authoring a vintage season after an offseason filled with tumult. With their core players secured and some young pieces in the way, the Jets should be able to maintain relevance for the foreseeable future.
3. Vancouver Canucks
Another team that exceeded expectations this season, the Vancouver Canucks finally bounced back from a significant speed bump. Despite their elite talent, the Canucks became over-encumbered with expensive veterans, cycling through coaches as they toiled in mediocrity. As much a new coach Rick Tocchet deserves credit for the team’s success this season, the front office has walked a narrow path to add talent while relieving themselves of burdensome contracts.
The Canucks blueline is much improved, and with Carson Soucy returned from injury now at its best. While a bold deadline addition from last season, Filip Hronek, is a huge part of this, the Canucks added three capable NHL defenders since then as well. Soucy is joined by Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole, as new additions since then, a complete overhaul behind Quinn Hughes. Replacing two-thirds of a blueline is aggressive, but clearly this was a necessary step for the Canucks, as the defence corps was the biggest reason for their shortcomings through the Travis Green and Bruce Boudreau eras.
The forward group is quite deep, clearly a theme amongst the elite Canadian NHL teams. With a far stronger blueline the group has been much better supported, leading to bounce back offensive seasons from established forwards, as well as some breakout campaigns from some of the younger ones. Naturally much of the focus is on the star forwards, Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, and Brock Boeser, but former 1st round picks Nils Hoglander, and to a lesser extent Vasili Podkolzin, are meaningful. Still, the Canucks boast a number of less heralded forwards who have been huge contributors to their success, such as Dakota Joshua, Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland, and Pius Suter.
While the Canucks might have overachieved to start the season, they are full value as a playoff team in a very competitive Western Conference. The biggest x-factor is the health of starting goalie Thatcher Demko. Casey DeSmith has been serviceable filling in, while Arturs Silovs is the less proven, higher upside option. To expect either backup to carry the Canucks deep into the playoffs is quite ambitious. While the Canucks have been a quality defensive team, they will need Demko to be a legitimate threat.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
The most consistent regular season team in Canada over the past decade, clinching their eighth straight playoff appearance, the Toronto Maple Leafs have come into their own down the stretch of the regular season. The deadline acquisitions have helped, as have the rebounds from several players who struggled in the first half of the season, most notably Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Ilya Samsonov. The Leafs are still a dynamic offensive team led by elite talents, but have clearly been reshaped into a more physical team under new GM Brad Treliving.
The most tangible positive has been the increased effectiveness of the penalty kill. The Leafs have struggled to keep pace in the special teams battles in past playoffs, and a legitimately strong penalty kill will help in this regard. The power play has had its struggles in the 2024 calendar year, but with their skill the Leafs will pose a threat with the numbers advantage regardless.
While the addition of Conor Dewar certainly helped solidify the penalty kill, the Leafs did a lot of their deadline work to diversify the makeup of their blueline. Lacking conventional length and strength outside of Simon Benoit, Toronto added Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson as well. While Edmundson has missed most of his time as a Leaf with injuries, it’s clear that this skillset was sorely needed. These physical defenders have got the most out of their partners, from offensive options such as Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren, to defensive options like T.J. Brodie and Jake McCabe.
The Leafs have a deep team with an abundance of legitimate NHL options, particularly on defence and in net. With this depth the Leafs will be looking to build off of their playoff series win last season, their first since the 2004–05 lockout.
1. Edmonton Oilers
While the Jets, Canucks, and Leafs are quality teams that could make deep runs in the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers are a cut above. Since their early season coaching change, the Oilers are the best team in the league, and boast the most playoff experience with series wins in each of the past two seasons. In the grand scheme of the Connor McDavid era, the Oilers have continually added to their game. Early on the Oilers were criticised for being a two-player team, but slowly scoring depth, defensive play, and goaltending have been added. The Oilers are, by most accounts, the NHL team that most controls play.
The blueline has become one of the top units league wide, a big factor in this improvement. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard might not win a Norris Trophy this season, but are easily one of the top defence pairings in the league. The final stage of this defensive transformation is becoming one of the top penalty killing teams, though this step remains elusive. At the very least this is the best team the Oilers have had since their dynasty of the late ‘80s to early ‘90s.
As much as the Oilers have been one of the best teams in the league this season, it is their past playoff success that furthers their projection for this season. Leon Draisaitl is one of the best players in league history in his own right, but routinely Draisaitl is able to elevate beyond that in the playoffs. McDavid and Draisaitl will be leading the charge, but the Oilers do have a deep forward group with a diverse skill set, filled with capable checkers and physicality.
The main criticism from most lies in net, as the Oilers start Stuart Skinner. While Skinner is not thought of as an elite goaltender, his first two seasons in the NHL have seen him as the starter for an elite team, carrying a heavy workload. Skinner has exceeded expectations in each of the past five seasons, blossoming out of relative obscurity to become a workhorse starter. The playoffs offer a stage for Skinner to start earning some much deserved respect outside of Edmonton, perhaps even enough for him to vault into contention for a spot on a best-on-best team Canada.
After losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in back-to-back seasons, the Oilers will have to prove themselves capable of taking the next step. Their record against playoff teams was negatively skewed by their dreadful start to the season, and since their coaching change the Oilers have shown the ability to beat anyone. The playoffs will be difficult, and will require a degree of luck and good fortune for any team that advances to the Cup Final, but the Oilers are clearly among the very best teams.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
