NHL Power Rankings: Welcome to ‘Groundhog Day’ for 32 players

After two years of thinking of random gimmicks to shoehorn into these rankings the collective brainpower at Power Rankings HQ has turned to mush. We’ve become rankings zombies, losing our creative edge.

The solution was simple: Make you think of ideas for us. Genius, right?

We received a lot of ideas. Some good, some great. Some bad, some awful. The tricky thing with themes is that they often work really well for roughly five teams, and are absolute hell for the other 27 teams. Being silly is a really tough job.

One idea stood above the rest: timely, thought-provoking, funny, and above all else very easy to pull off. Behold.

We tweaked the idea slightly and rather than limit ourselves to potential deadline adds, we created a universe where any past player can be vultured to his previous home.

Here’s who is getting a warm Groundhog Day welcome.

Last Week: 1Record: 39-7-5Sean rank: 1Dom rank: 1

Groundhog Day addition: Dougie Hamilton

It’s hard to add anything of value to an otherwise perfect team. The Bruins have no real needs throughout their lineup, so it’s time to go luxury shopping. How does a top four featuring Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Dougie Hamilton sound? It would add to what is already the league’s best blue line, giving the team an incredible offensive weapon from the back end.

Last Week: 2Record: 34-9-8Sean rank: 2Dom rank: 2

Groundhog Day addition: Adam Fox

We tried to limit ourselves to players who didn’t leave their old organizations on horrific terms. Fox is the exception to that rule; Canes fans understandably seem to have hard feelings about Fox forcing his way to the Rangers back in 2019. Norris-caliber play, though, has a way of healing old wounds. He’d join Brett Pesce and Brent Burns on the right side. Would someone shift to the left? Maybe we’d see a trade? Doesn’t matter. He’s Adam Fox.

Last Week: 4Record: 32-15-1Sean rank: 3Dom rank: 3

Groundhog Day addition: Carter Verhaeghe

The Lightning could use a center more than a top-nine winger, so we thought about J.T. Miller in this spot. Miller, though, is playing that position out of necessity in Vancouver, not because he’s a particularly good option. So we’re leaving the Brayden Point–Anthony Cirelli–Nick Paul depth chart intact and adding Verhaeghe, who’s become a creative, substantive, fun player to watch with the Panthers. He’s overqualified to be a third-line winger at this point, but something about him seems like it’d fit in with this version of the Lightning. Miller? Not so much.

Last Week: 5Record: 32-13-4Sean rank: 4Dom rank: 5

Groundhog Day addition: Taylor Hall

It’s a real shame that the Devils never got much out of Taylor Hall when he was an MVP-caliber superstar. There was that one fluke playoff year, but not much sustained excellence. Timing is a big deal when it comes to rebuilding and that version of the Devils just wasn’t ready yet. This version would be a perfect match for Hall’s skillset. He’s obviously not the player he was then, but he would look terrific next to one of Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.

Last Week: 3Record: 31-13-8Sean rank: 5Dom rank: 4

Groundhog Day addition: Zach Hyman

The Leafs badly need a forward — one who can score, one who plays with some edge, and one who can deliver in the playoffs. Someone who can fit on a thin left side in the top six next to one of Auston Matthews or John Tavares. Basically, they’re looking for exactly what they lost with Hyman. Michael Bunting has been a perfect replacement, but you can never have too many of those worker bee scorers. It must be mentioned too that Hyman would literally be leading the Leafs in scoring right now which is absolutely hilarious given the star talent at the top of the lineup.

Last Week: 6Record: 28-13-10Sean rank: 6Dom rank: 6

Groundhog Day addition: Valeri Nichushkin

Buying out Nichushkin after the 2019 season is probably a move Jim Nill would like to have back. Would Nichushkin have put it all together in Dallas? Probably not — but in his current form (and even with his current price tag), he’s the kind of player every playoff team should salivate over. He’s a defensive juggernaut who’ll continue positively impacting games even if he doesn’t put up another 25-goal season, and he was a postseason force for Colorado last spring. Mix and match him and Tyler Seguin in the middle six and see what happens.

Last Week: 7Record: 29-15-5Sean rank: 7Dom rank: 7

Groundhog Day addition: Mark Giordano

Not a lot of choices for the NHL’s newest team, but the team did have a bit of a deadline selloff last year thanks to their basement-dwelling status. Of the players dealt, Mark Giordano is not only the best of the bunch, but also the biggest need as well. The Kraken have a deep forward group and don’t need much help there, but an impact defender would help this group immensely. Giordano is still that for Toronto and would be a terrific top-four addition. It’s what he was supposed to be last year for a team that was supposed to be competitive — one year later the Kraken could really use a guy like him now that they are.

8. New York Rangers

Last Week: 10Record: 27-14-8Sean rank: 9Dom rank: 8

Groundhog Day addition: Pavel Buchnevich

Rangers fans would if they could. All due respect to Sammy Blais, but Buchnevich should still be on this roster. He’d look pretty nice playing right wing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. It certainly was a blast a couple years ago, when he had 48 points in 54 games. Sammy Blais … sheesh. But yeah, adding a talent like Buchnevich would help the Rangers’ top six fall into place.

Last Week: 8Record: 32-19-1Sean rank: 8Dom rank: 11

Groundhog Day addition: Patrik Laine

The choice here came down to Laine and Evander Kane. On paper, Kane would be the pick; he’s got a more diverse skill set, and Winnipeg already has Kyle Connor — a better version of Laine — in the fold. How many ultra-elite shooting wingers does one team need? Laine, though, seems like a chill enough guy. Kane certainly does not. There’s no sense in going out of your way to add him to any team, real or imaginary.

Last Week: 9Record: 27-18-3Sean rank: 10Dom rank: 9

Groundhog Day addition: Nazem Kadri

Since the day Nazem Kadri left as a free agent the Avalanche have been on the search for a Nazem Kadri replacement. Champions are made down the middle and Kadri’s departure left a gaping hole in Colorado’s lineup that still needs to be filled — especially with Alex Newhook not progressing as expected. Kadri hasn’t quite been able to emulate last year’s magic with the Flames, but he would still be a big-time upgrade for his former team.

Last Week: 13Record: 28-18-4Sean rank: 11Dom rank: 10

Groundhog Day addition: Jordan Eberle

Originally we tossed and turned between Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, but ultimately it didn’t matter with the Devils getting first dibs on Hall. Eberle is a pretty nice consolation prize with 38 points in 49 games this season.

For Edmonton, he also just feels like a better fit. The Oilers have their top six left-wingers solved with Zach Hyman and Evander Kane, but the right side of their depth chart remains a mixed bag. Adding Eberle solves that immediately, giving either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl a productive piece on the right side. Alternatively, he can slide down to the third line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to give the Oilers three very dangerous pairs in the top nine. They already have one of the scariest offenses in the league — Eberle would add to it.

Last Week: 16Record: 27-17-4Sean rank: 12Dom rank: 12

Groundhog Day addition: Kevin Fiala

Any team could use a winger who produces like Fiala, especially at five-on-five. He’s tied for 19th leaguewide in points (29) and second in primary assists (16). Minnesota, more than anyone, knows what he brings to the table; in a different universe, where the Wild weren’t forced into cap hell via the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, they’d have signed him to an extension. Instead, Bill Guerin had to ship him out. The Wild’s team-wide dip in offense isn’t an accident.

Last Week: 12Record: 28-18-7Sean rank: 13Dom rank: 13

Groundhog Day addition: Darcy Kuemper

At some point, Pheonix Copley is going to need some help, though he’s had two solid starts out of his last four. It’s not fair to pin the Kings’ playoff hopes on a guy who they signed to play in the AHL. In that regard, Copley has performed admirably in his 20 starts, but he’s still at .897 with a Goals Saved Expected of -0.5. Kuemper was great for the Kings in 19 games back in 2017-18 (.932 save percentage), and he’s now established as an upper-echelon, long-term starter. Stanley Cup rings have that effect. More than that, though, adding a reliable .915 guy like him to the mix would solve most of the Kings’ problems.

Last Week: 14Record: 24-16-9Sean rank: 14Dom rank: 14

Groundhog Day addition: Jared McCann

Pittsburgh needs viable bottom-six help in a big way, so we at least floated Brandon Tanev as a possibility, but no former Penguin would help the current roster more than Jared McCann. Would he be on track for a 40-goal season there, as he is with Seattle? Nope. He’s still a versatile top-nine forward with a fantastic shot, though and certainly not the kind of guy you ship out to protect a past-his-prime Jeff Carter in the expansion draft. That’s a whoopsie-daisy for Ron Hextall, especially given the production they’ve gotten from Carter (0.41 points per game) and Teddy Blueger (0.21) as the third- and fourth-line centers.

Last Week: 15Record: 26-20-4Sean rank: 15Dom rank: 16

Groundhog Day addition: Linus Ullmark

What, did you think we’d bring Jack Eichel back? Not a chance; the Sabres have a better top-line center anyway. Given what Brandon Montour is doing for Florida and Buffalo’s needs on the backend, we might not have picked Eichel second either.

Where the Sabres need real help is in net. Craig Anderson can’t be trusted, Eric Comrie has been brutal, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen isn’t as good as he’s hyped. Linus Ullmark, on the other hand, is the current Vezina Trophy favorite and would turn this team’s fortunes around. Buffalo can score, but keeping pucks out of its net is a different story. Ullmark fixes that.

Last Week: 11Record: 29-18-4Sean rank: 17Dom rank: 15

Groundhog Day addition: Alex Tuch

One year later, do you think Vegas would like a do-over of the Eichel trade? He started the season strong but has slowed down rapidly since being injured. Again. It’s hard not to look at Alex Tuch having a similar impact at half the cost for Buffalo and wonder if big game hunting maybe might have been a mistake.

In this scenario it’s luckily not an either or deal — Vegas can have both. With Mark Stone out for what will probably be a while the Golden Knights could desperately use some winger help. Tuch fits the bill.

17. Calgary Flames

Last Week: 18Record: 24-17-9Sean rank: 16Dom rank: 17

Groundhog Day addition: Matthew Tkachuk

Both sides seemed to move on quickly after last summer’s big move. That was understandable, all things considered. The Flames and Panthers, though, are both worse now than they were a year ago. Tkachuk’s personal production hasn’t dipped; he’s on track to score more than 100 points again, and his average Game Score of 1.67 is fifth in the league. This one is obvious, but saying anything else would be dishonest. Calgary, meanwhile, would settle for Jonathan Huberdeau to do a more passable impression of himself.

Last Week: 17Record: 27-20-6Sean rank: 17Dom rank: 18

Groundhog Day addition: Andre Burakovsky

What changed between 2018-19 when Andre Burakovsky scored 25 points in 76 games for the Capitals and 2019-20 when he scored 45 points in 58 games for the Avalanche? Opportunity. The Capitals let go of a good one and it’s no surprise he’s blossomed since in a bigger role playing with more talented linemates. The Capitals already have 38 NHL-caliber forwards on their roster so Burakovsky doesn’t exactly fill a need, but he would probably be an upgrade over anyone who isn’t Alex Ovechkin.

Last Week: 23Record: 25-22-5Sean rank: 18Dom rank: 20

Groundhog Day addition: Devon Toews

This is a spicy one, but it’s one built off need — especially now that the Islanders went out and splurged on Bo Horvat. No, we’re not picking John Tavares. Instead, we’re going with Devon Toews who has emerged as one of the league’s best defensemen since being traded a few years ago. The potential was always there if you ask any nerd with an abacus and now Toews looks like the one that got away. The team’s blue line is lacking that true top dog and Toews’s re-addition would solve that problem rather easily. He gives the team a puck-moving presence that’s been sorely lacking since he was traded away.

Last Week: 19Record: 24-18-6Sean rank: 20Dom rank: 19

Groundhog Day addition: Seth Jones

We didn’t have a lot of options in terms of previous members of the Predators, which tracks for a franchise that’s spent most of the last decade being decidedly mediocre.

“Viktor Arvidsson… I guess???” *shrug*

And then we remembered that Seth Jones was once a Predator — that feels like a lifetime ago. The 2022-23 version of Jones has been brutal, but it’s hard to imagine many defensemen surviving playing tough minutes while being shackled to Jack Johnson and Chicago’s treasure trove of horrible forwards. Put Jones next to Roman Josi or Mattias Ekholm and he’s probably looking a lot closer to what 100 Hockey Men believe him to be.

21. Florida Panthers

Last Week: 20Record: 24-22-6Sean rank: 22Dom rank: 21

Groundhog Day addition: MacKenzie Weegar

The Panthers should take whatever defensive help they can get. Clicking their heels and wishing Weegar back onto a pair with Aaron Ekblad? That’s a no-brainer — and it’s also no slight on Gustav Forsling, who’s fine in his own right. Weegar is just a tried-and-true option. When we refreshed our list of the top 100 players at midseason, he stayed put in Tier 4A, the home of legit top-pair guys.

Last Week: 25Record: 24-23-3Sean rank: 21Dom rank: 22

Groundhog Day addition: Erik Karlsson

For this exercise we had to stop ourselves from a few additions: They’re getting the current version, not the prime version. The Senators getting Erik Karlsson back is different — they’re getting something even better than the prime version. Karlsson has had a world-class career and somehow is topping that this year at 32. Ottawa’s blue line is wretched, especially on the right side. Karlsson’s addition would be a blessing to go along with the team’s arsenal of weapons up front. Easy choice.

Last Week: 22Record: 21-19-8Sean rank: 23Dom rank: 23

Groundhog Day addition: Tomas Tatar

Detroit needs defensemen. This has been true for the better part of the last decade. It’s not just as simple as finding a former Wing making solid contributions elsewhere, either, because … there aren’t really any. We’ll flip them Tatar, who has 10 goals this season for the Devils. Maybe the Wings could eat half of his $4.5 million cap hit and get a pick for him at the deadline.

Last Week: 24Record: 21-21-9Sean rank: 24Dom rank: 24

Groundhog Day addition: Claude Giroux

If someone told you ahead of the season that Giroux would still be a power-play force and fall just short of a point-per-game pace in his first 50 games, you’d have probably thought the Sens would’ve won more of those games than they lost. Nope! As far as the Flyers are concerned, he wouldn’t ✌️help✌️ per se — they’re not going to make the playoffs, and they should be actively trying to lose games — but it’d set something right with the universe. He’ll be a Flyer regardless of how long he keeps it going with Ottawa.

Last Week: 21Record: 23-25-3Sean rank: 25Dom rank: 25

Groundhog Day addition: Tage Thompson

We almost went with Alex Pietrangelo due to the team’s heaping defensive problems. But the way Tage Thompson has mutated into an elite franchise center that perfectly blends size and skill makes him an absolute no-brainer here. Thompson isn’t the most adept defensive player so this would be doubling down on an all-offense approach — and we’re absolutely fine with that. Give us 6-5 games where Thompson scores two highlight reel goals and Jordan Binnington has a meltdown.

Last Week: 26Record: 20-27-4Sean rank: 26Dom rank: 26

Groundhog Day addition: Phillip Danault

Danault-Nick Suzuki–Kirby Dach down the middle? Now you’re cooking with gas. The man is a top-line center, regardless of what the Canadiens thought of him a couple years back. It’s not an accident that the Kings immediately improved with him in the mix. Any team as young as the Canadiens — at this point in their development — would be lucky to have Danault.

Last Week: 27Record:15-25-11Sean rank: 27Dom rank: 27

Groundhog Day addition: Joe Pavelski

Joe Pavelski is still crushing it for the Stars and it’s no coincidence that the Sharks downfall lined up with his departure. He’s the most underappreciated player from his era and who knows if he might’ve been enough to get the Sharks into respectability with the way some of the team’s other stars are playing. Even besides that, if Pavelski was on the Sharks he would be an incredibly attractive trade chip, especially with one year of term after this season at a very friendly price. For a rebuilding club, he’d be a terrific asset to poach.

Last Week: 28Record: 20-26-3Sean rank: 28Dom rank: 28

Groundhog Day addition: Chris Tanev

After years of searching, the Canucks finally replace Chris Tanev with … Chris Tanev. If he’s healthy, there’s not a more reliable defensemen in the league. There may not be a more reliable player, period. Stick him next to Quinn Hughes and move on to whatever problem is next on the list.

Last Week: 29Record: 16-28-6Sean rank: 29Dom rank: 30

Groundhog Day addition: Michael Bunting

To this day it’s still extremely weird that the Coyotes just let Michael Bunting go. It’s not like he was a bad player for them — he scored 10 goals and 13 points in 21 games with positive possession impacts on a bad team. Every time he played the Coyotes had a bit more zip to their game and that’s translated to his stint with the Leafs. No one knew he’d become the player he’s become, but if there’s anyone coming back to the desert it has to be him.

Last Week: 32Record: 16-29-5Sean rank: 30Dom rank: 29

Groundhog Day addition: Corey Perry

Bring in the wise old sage to teach these young fellas a thing or two about what it means to be a Duck. Just don’t cost yourselves any ground in your pursuit of Bedardsmas.

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Last Week: 30Record: 15-29-4Sean rank: 31Dom rank: 31

Groundhog Day addition: Alex DeBrincat

Win-win here; Blackhawks fans get … some reason to feel better about the roster for the rest of the season, especially if/when Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are shipped out. Just as importantly, Chicago’s front office adds a player who won’t make them much better. Most of his utility this season has been on the power play, and he’s been a legitimate problem in his own end.

Last Week: 31Record: 15-32-4Sean rank: 32Dom rank: 32

Groundhog Day addition: Sergei Bobrovsky

The one thing that really sewered Columbus’s season was goaltending so it makes sense to add a legitimate starter back in the rotation. Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t what he once was, sure, but he’s several leagues ahead of whatever Elvis Merzlikins has given the Blue Jackets this year. Maybe Pierre-Luc Dubois is a better answer for the future, but it feels like a capable goalie changes this team’s season much more.

(Top photo of Dougie Hamilton: Jared Wickerham / Getty Images)