Best In The West: Weekly Western Conference Power Rankings

It’s been a busy week around the league, particularly in the Western Conference. General managers must not be aware that the trade deadline isn’t until March 7th because they’ve made a flurry of moves. The Vancouver Canucks swapped JT Miller for another Pettersson, the Dallas Stars got even better, and the Winnipeg Jets just kept on rolling down the highway. 

Here are my weekly power rankings for the Western Conference.

16. San Jose Sharks

Right now, things are bleak in San Jose. The Sharks have a record of 15-34-6. With just one win in their last nine games, the Sharks don’t have much going for them other than rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini and his quest for the Calder. The Sharks have a good young core and one of the brightest futures in the league, but they won’t be dominating the power rankings this year.

15. Chicago Blackhawks

With a record of 16-31-5, the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t much better than the Sharks. The Blackhawks have just two wins in their last 11 games; however, they came against two playoff teams, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Connor Bedard leads the team with 45 points in 52 games, but it’s a steep drop-off to the next leading scorer. 

14. Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken keep their games interesting, but they’re a long shot to make the postseason. Since acquiring Kaapo Kakko from the New York Rangers, the Kraken are 8-12-2, but their newest addition has 17 points in 22 games and helps keep the games interesting. Goaltender Joey Daccord has played exceptionally well and has a record of 18-13-3 and a .916 average save percentage.

13. Nashville Predators

Two weeks ago, the Nashville Predators were on a five-game winning streak and flirting with the possibility of turning their season around. Since then, the Predators have lost five in a row, including back-to-back losses to bottom-feeders in the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’re a bit of a conundrum– they have an average power play, and their penalty kill is tied for 7th in the league at 82.2%– but after the offseason they had, the Predators are this season’s biggest disappointment.

12. St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues haven’t had an easy schedule, but they’re just 1-4-1 in their last six games. With a 14-19-4 record and an average save percentage of .899, Jordan Binnington is far from what he was in 2019. Their special teams are way below average; the power play is 23rd in the league at 18.9%, and the penalty kill is 29th at 71.6%. 

11. Utah Hockey Club

The Utah Hockey Club– man, can they agree on a name already?– finally won yesterday to snap their five-game losing streak, but a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime doesn’t feel like much to brag about. They have an average power play (21.8%, 15th in the league), and their penalty kill is tied for 5th at 82.3%. Their young stars are producing, but they’re just not getting enough depth scoring to win games consistently.

10. Anaheim Ducks

As expected, the Anaheim Ducks are 5-1 in their last six games. The Ducks are a fascinating team. Troy Terry is their leading scorer with 39 points in 48 games, but in net, John Gibson and Lukáš Dostál give them chances to win every night. Their special teams are downright atrocious– the power play is 31st in the league at 12.2%, and the penalty kill is 27th at 74.3%. The Ducks have a -29 goal differential, which is 27th in the league. And yet, they’re just seven points out of a playoff spot.

9. Calgary Flames

Did anyone have “the Calgary Flames will be in a playoff spot in February” on their Bingo cards? I sure didn’t. But with a record of 26-20-7, that’s precisely where they are. The Flames are stumbling a little and are 2-4 in their last six games, but those four losses came at the hands of hot teams in the Winnipeg Jets, the Washington Capitals, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their two new additions– Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee– have played three games in a Flames sweater and have each scored a goal. Dustin Wolf is having a phenomenal rookie season between the pipes, and it’s baffling to me that he’s not getting more buzz for the Calder Trophy. Also, fans howl when he makes a big save. That doesn’t improve their spot in the standings, but it does make me smile.

8. Vancouver Canucks

Despite all the drama surrounding the Vancouver Canucks, they’re 4-1-1 in their last six games. In a small sample size, Marcus Pettersson and Filip Chytil are playing well with their new team. Quinn Hughes is putting together a campaign worthy of a second Norris Trophy. He didn’t play last night– very concerning if this is a long-term injury– but the Canucks still shut out the Colorado Avalanche. They have average special teams, and both Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko have done well in net. The JT Miller era in Vancouver Canucks is over; the tide rises, the tide falls.

7. Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild are a roller coaster. They’re very hot and cold and have been shut out in their last two games. They’ll be without Ryan Hartman for another nine games– he appealed his 10-game suspension, but I’d be surprised if the Department of Player Safety reduced his sentence. Kirill Kaprizov is out long-term, and their offensive production has come crashing down. Matt Boldy has been pointless in his last four games. Joel Eriksson-Ek has one assist in his last four games, and Mats Zuccarello has one in his last five. The Wild penalty kill is far from wild, as it’s ranked 30th in the league with a 70.8% success rate; their 18.8% power play is 24th in the league. Their saving grace is goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who has a record of 20-11-3 and a .913 average save percentage.

6. Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are going through their annual rough patch in January. Unfortunately for them, it’s seemingly continued into the month of February. They’ve won just three of their last 14 games; eight of those 11 losses came in regulation. The Golden Knights are struggling to finish, their penalty kill is floundering, and they’re not getting saves. They’re not getting any depth scoring. The Golden Knights still have a 31-17-6 record, but they need to right the ship quickly before they slip any further.

5. Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings snapped a four-game losing streak with a big win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, but they still have their issues. Captain Anže Kopitar hasn’t yet scored a goal in 2025, which is probably why the Kings have scored just 26 goals in their past 14 games. And let’s talk about a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: the Kings have the 28th ranked power play in the league at 15.4%; their penalty kill is tied for 5th at 82.3%. But starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper is in rare form and has a record of 15-6-6 and a .921 average save percentage. The Kings play their next five games at Crypto.com Arena– they’re 15-3-1 at home– so I’d imagine fans will be hearing a lot of Hollywood Nights in the near future.

4. Colorado Avalanche

Despite being shut out last night by a vulnerable Vancouver Canucks team, the Colorado Avalanche have been clicking with their new acquisitions. Martin Nečas has five points in his first six games as an Av; Jack Drury has two goals. Colorado’s power play has struggled this year, but their penalty kill is tied for 12th in the league at 80.4%. Through 20 games in an Avalanche sweater, Mackenzie Blackwood is 12-6-2 with a .926 average save percentage. And let’s not forget about Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the league in points with 80 in 55 games, or Cale Makar, who leads all defensemen in goals scored. 

3. Dallas Stars

This Dallas Stars team is excellent up front; the injury to Miro Heiskanen is concerning, but Thomas Harley has stepped up admirably in his absence. Their loss last night to the Anaheim Ducks snapped a five-game winning streak. Last Saturday, the Stars got even deeper when they added Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks. They’re getting scoring from everywhere in the lineup, and now their stars are starting to shine– pun intended, sorry. Wyatt Johnston has 15 points in his last 11 games; Jason Robertson has 27 in his last 19. The Stars have the number two penalty kill in the league at 84.7% and a great goaltender between the pipes in Jake Oettinger.

2. Edmonton Oilers

With their win over the St. Louis Blues last night, the Edmonton Oilers are officially off the schneid– if you can call a two-game losing streak a schneid. Stuart Skinner won’t win any Vezina Trophies, but he’s been fine, if a little inconsistent. Edmonton’s power play isn’t what it has been in previous years, but it’s still at 24.2% and is 7th in the league. Oh, yeah… and they’ve got two guys named Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid is fourth in the league in scoring with 70 points in 47 games, and Draisaitl leads the league in goals with 37.

1. Winnipeg Jets

Was there any doubt? At 38-14-3, the Winnipeg Jets have the best record in the league. They’re the only team with two players past the 30-goal mark in Mark Scheifele (31) and Kyle Connor (30). Connor Hellebuyck is currently on pace to win a second consecutive Vezina Trophy. The Jets are on a seven-game win streak where they’ve outscored their opponents 31-13. They have the best power play in the league at 33.8%. The Guess Who does suck, but the Jets are far from lousy.