As the summer winds down to a close and NHL training camp opens, we find ourselves in the final moments of quiet. With only projection and curiosity to make sense of the offseason roster shuffling, let’s take a look at how the seven Canadian teams stack up against each other in the September version of our Canadian Power Rankings.
Calgary Flames
The winds of change have been upon us, the Calgary Flames now the country’s foremost rebuilder. It is hard to imagine just two seasons ago this team won the Pacific Division. There have been some promising early results on the various fliers the Flames have taken on, Daniil Miromanov and Yegor Sharangovich most of all, but the Flames true path forward lies with a youth movement led by 2024 first-round pick Zayne Parekh.
The tricky part will be how much to lean into losing now. The Flames do have some good older players, from Mikael Backlund, to MacKenzie Weegar, to Nazem Kadri, but trading away too much infrastructure might be a hinderance to the bigger picture. Young players will need a competitive atmosphere to best grow, just as much as better play might give the team better leverage in trade negotiations.
A cynic might point to the expected opening of their new arena as a target date for a more competitive team. A lottery pick would certainly help, but the Flames would do well to add another impressive draft haul this season regardless of where they pick. The Flames did well in navigating a cluster of key pending unrestricted free agents last season, but there is much less pressure to be as aggressive in dismantling the team this season.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha are veterans on expiring deals, and some early season success might fetch the Flames a pretty price near the trade deadline. Anything close to a 30-goal pace from either, as well as the Flames ability to retain salary, would make them attractive deadline options for teams looking for scoring wingers.
Looming over it all are some potentially devastating trade implications. To a degree, the most likely outcome is that the Flames will earn a top 10 draft spot, and the Florida Panthers will be a good team, leading to the Panthers pick going to the Montreal Canadiens. If the Flames pick is outside the top 10, the consequences could be devastating.
The best case scenario is a lottery win, but the best case scenario that can be controlled is a competitive bottom 10 finish. The Flames should be looking to support their young players enough that they succeed, most of all for Dustin Wolf, who looks to have a fairly pressure free start to his NHL career.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are in the early stages of a reimagining under new ownership, now with Steve Staios as GM and President. Clearly the Sens have been spinning their wheels in the crease, a trend they hope is completely rectified by the addition of Linus Ullmark. While Ullmark was fantastic behind a stout Boston Bruins defence, the Vezina Trophy winner will have his work cut out for him behind a Senators team that has yet to find a defensive identity.
Establishing this defensive identity is paramount to the Sens getting anywhere outside of the limbo they find themselves. The moves to bridge this gap raise some concerns though. Opinions of Travis Green are not to high, though in his first stint as a head coach his Vancouver Canucks were a flawed team. The brief jolt of energy that the change from Green to Bruce Boudreau brought was short lived, as the Canucks floundered just as they had under Green.
At the very least Green’s prowess as a player, a checking centre, might be the very viewpoint the team needs. After all, the blueline itself has had some talent. The team’s decision to trade away Jakob Chychrun is questionable in a vacuum, the loss in value between the returns and his acquisition cost another question. At the very least there is a strong youth movement, as Jake Sanderson continues his ascent, and Tyler Kleven and Jacob Bernard-Docker trying to make the team on the back end.
It will be a full team effort to play better defensively that makes the difference, and their forward depth might be too thin to play its part. Of course, changing the terrible injury luck of Josh Norris is more important than it is likely. Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig do look quite promising, but the Sens will need more, especially without Norris.
The Sens made what is considered a boom-or-bust pick with Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. They will need to be proven right on their evaluation here, and likely will need to author a few other off ice wins to become a contender.
The expectation is that this team will push for a playoff spot, though they will be in tough to do so. With at least four division rivals expected to finish ahead of them, the Sens will be jostling with several more teams in the conference fighting for the one wildcard spot that would be up for grabs.
Montreal Canadiens
Having finally added a dynamic scoring prospect in Ivan Demidov, the Montreal Canadiens rebuild might be entering a new phase. With their prospect cupboards fairly full, development becomes the paramount focus of the Habs. The prospective core pieces of the future are graduating to the NHL in greater numbers. Demidov will still need time, but the wave has crested as the team added Patrik Laine, an upside flyer that will place Laine with ideal on-ice support.
There have been encouraging signs up front, with Juraj Slafkovsky making great progress down the back half of last season. Slafkovsky joins Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield as quality top-six forwards for the team to build around. Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook could still improve, but might be more complementary middle-six forwards. Joshua Roy seems ready to be a full time NHLer, but has a glut of veterans to compete with for icetime, Brendan Gallagher, Christian Dvorak, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia. There are other notable prospects that are further out, like Owen Beck and Jacob Perreault.
The defence group is equally crowded, but younger. There is a lot of upside already within the group. Kaiden Guhle looks to increase his effectiveness, already thrust into a top four role. Lane Hutson is a dynamic playmaker, and will bring a level of flair the Habs back end has been lacking. On the left side the Habs have Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, and Jordan Harris have all proven themselves as somewhat capable as well. The Habs might look to deal one of them, or at least the competition between them should see one emerge as the biggest difference maker. It is entirely possible that one of these lefties takes a regular spot on the right, but there is not space for all of them.
Meanwhile, the right side is a bit more wide open. David Savard is a pending UFA, the oft injured Justin Barron the only other right shot penciled into opening night projections. David Reinbacher might be another season away, but is expected to become a solid option. Logan Mailloux has some upside as well. It is possible that either or both find their way into NHL games in 2024–25. The biggest thing to monitor might be the progress of these blueliners, as the Habs need these players to actualise their potential. Not only to survive the NHL, but to thrive.
Backstopping the team is Sam Montembeault, who has played quite well behind a rebuilding team. There is a legitimate case to be made for Montembeault on a best-on-best team Canada, or perhaps some team success would be a help. There is a chance that Montembeault is the starting goalie when the Habs next make the playoffs. Behind him is Cayden Primeau, who seems ready to be a full time NHL goalie. The Habs can afford to be patient with Primeau, letting him slowly grow into a starter behind Montembeault. Montembeault has three years left on his contract, and it is entirely possible that he and Primeau are the Habs tandem throughout the rest of the deal.
The Habs do already have an extra selection in the first, second, and fourth rounds next draft, including two extra picks in the third round. They might choose to add more draft capital, especially if Dvorak’s expiring contract is moved. However, depending on how their players are developing, we might see the team looking to add more immediate reinforcements. Their cap space, draft capital, and desire to start pushing for a playoff spot make them a popular destination for many of the league’s rumoured misfits.
Winnipeg Jets
One of the country’s four playoff teams from last season, the Winnipeg Jets will turn to youth to propel them to greater heights in 2024–25. The Jets return much of their strength from last season, status quo for the ever patient GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. In front of perennial Vezina Trophy candidate Connor Hellebuyck is a core group that includes talented forwards, led by Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Nikolaj Ehlers, and a stout blueline led by Josh Morrissey.
The Jets employee a number of big, strong forwards. Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Alex Iafallo bring a lot of stability to the group. There is, however, a lot of opportunity for vast internal development, as the Jets have a number of forwards on the cusp of being impactful. Gabriel Vilardi certainly has the talent, health being the main issue. Cole Perfetti has shown flashes but has struggled with consistency. Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov are expected to push for spots out of training camp. Banking on development can be perilous, but the Jets have enough quality and quantity to provide hope for an augmented attack.
The blueline has been built off of hard and simple plays, the Jets opting for steady defenders instead of dynamic attackers on the back end. Dylan Samberg joins Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, and Colin Miller as a stable backbone behind Morrissey. Hope for improvement lies with one of Logan Stanley or Ville Heinola asserting themselves as quality NHLers. In particular, Heinola might give some puck moving ability to the group.
With a good amount of cap space already, and a lot more space opening up next summer, the Jets do have some room to manoeuvre. From a bigger perspective, it makes a lot more sense for the Jets to target an upgraded blueline. With Brayden Yager joining Colby Barlow and Chaz Lucius as other notable forward prospects, there is enough upward mobility on the horizon up front.
There is a lot to like about the Jets, but the upside might be a little short of legitimate championship quality. The Central Division has at least five teams expecting to make the playoffs, if not more. It will be an arduous road to a playoff spot, but the Jets are tested.
Vancouver Canucks
While some might have thought their performance last season a surprise, the Vancouver Canucks had already produced proof that their core was capable. Instead, GM Patrik Allvin managed to fill out the depth enough to regain the lustre that left in free agency after the 2019–20 bubble playoffs.
The top end talent remains, the perennial Norris Trophy candidate Quinn Hughes leading the charge. Filip Hronek and Carson Soucy are legitimate top four options, while Vincent Desharnais joins as a defensive specialist. Unheralded, and likely under-appreciated, Desharnais might get a shot alongside Hughes, which would be a huge slap in the face for the Oilers seeing as the duo might be quite effective together.
The forward group remains deep behind the star trio of J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser. Jake DeBrusk is the headlining newcomer, though Daniel Sprong and Kiefer Sherwood are shrewd additions to join the likes of Teddy Blueger, Dakota Joshua, and Pius Suter as quality depth. Clearly the Canucks place a lot of trust in their pro scouts, and have been successful in unearthing lesser known talent in recent years.
A big concern is the health of Thatcher Demko, though Arturs Silovs is rising to prominence. The Canucks would certainly prefer a healthy Demko, but Silovs has the upside to keep the team on schedule. The biggest upside lies with some internal growth from Nils Hoglander, and maybe a less likely breakthrough for forwards Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Arshdeep Bains, or Aatu Raty.
The quality of the team on paper is impressive, but more impressive is the spirit in which the Canucks have applied themselves. Forceful, direct, and aggressive, the Canucks play a style conducive to winning.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Besides the coaching change, the biggest move for the Toronto Maple Leafs is the addition of Chris Tanev, effectively the best right shot defenceman the team has employed during the Auston Matthews era. It is a bold investment in an older player, but for as it stands Tanev is coming off of a vintage season punctuated by a strong playoffs.
The forward group remains mostly unchanged, save for the slim chance that Easton Cowan makes the team. Instead, the Leafs will hope for improvements from Matthew Knies, Pontus Holmberg, and tenuously Nicholas Robertson. Talent up front has not been the Leafs issue, in a sense, so a strong unit is expected.
The defence is clearly an area the GM Brad Treliving has enacted change. Oliver Ekman-Larsson joins Tanev as a clear cut member of the top six. It will be curious to see how much favour holdovers Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins can conjure from the new coaching staff. With a lot of depth in behind, the Leafs blueline should be improved this season. Whether or not that will be enough for the Leafs to improve their playoff performance remains to be seen, but they should at least have the chance. If only temporarily, the Leafs have at least addressed some of their key issues.
Edmonton Oilers
Easily the top ranked Canadian team, Oil Country is expecting the team that finished last season. Still, the Edmonton Oilers themselves will remember the atrocious start to last season, and will be looking for less drama before the trade deadline this coming season.
The Oilers were subjected to some unexpected twists during the summer, namely the two offer sheets that took Dylan Holloway and Phillip Broberg. Another former first-round pick in Ryan McLeod, the Oilers primary checking centre, was traded away to the Buffalo Sabres. Those auditing the Oilers draft record will be unimpressed with their returns on the top selections of the Connor McDavid era. The Oilers did lose a significant amount of a potential future, though adding Matthew Savoie gives them a bit of upward mobility in the coming seasons.
Still, the Oilers success has changed the equation, with players willing to come North for a chance to win with the team. Adam Henrique re-signed, joined by Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to quell whatever losses that Holloway and McLeod represent. The back end might be a bit lacking, specifically on the right side behind Evan Bouchard. Troy Stecher is overlooked but effective, but the upside gamble is the addition of Ty Emberson, who played under Kris Knoblauch in the AHL.
Stuart Skinner has been forced into starting duties the pst two seasons, finding a lot of scrutiny despite outperforming any expectations of him. Calvin Pickard is unheralded, but was acceptable in a true backup role. The upside option is Olivier Rodrigue, who has been fantastic as the AHL starter the past two seasons. While few would describe the Oilers goalies as high end, it is significantly better than many playoff hopefuls within the Pacific Division.
Last season the Oilers almost made good on their Stanley Cup aspirations, and heading into the preseason are worthy of their place among the favourites again. No team is without fault, but there is very little to dislike about the Oilers roster.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
