NHL Power Rankings: Name the turkey for each of the 32 teams

For many American households, there is no doubt that turkey is the star of the show when it comes to a Thanksgiving feast. But while the bird often takes top billing on dining room tables, the “turkey” label carries negative connotations in other areas of life — including sports.

The arrival of the big holiday in America brings a one-day hockey break, as fans shift their focus to food and football on Thursday. On Friday, however, 30 of the 32 NHL teams will be back in action, and for some players, it’s the next chance to pull up the turkey leg and go.

From rookie Matthew Shaffer’s stellar play to the breakouts of Maclin Celebrini and Connor Bedard to Jason Robertson’s unreal November (13 points in 22 games), the league has seen more than its share of incredible performances.

At the other end of the spectrum, not every player is having the year they hoped for when the puck ended in October.

With that in mind, as Americans gobble up one of their most popular foods, let’s use this week’s edition of the Power Rankings to identify a turkey on all 32 NHL teams.

1. Colorado Avalanche (17-1-5) He has recently warmed up, but second line center Brock Nelson had only five points after 16 games. It’s the best we can do on a team where it feels like every player is flying.

2. Dallas Stars (15-5-4) Maybe it was partly due to a lower-body injury that finally ruled him out halfway through November, but defensive tackle Thomas Harley just didn’t look like himself for six weeks.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (14-7-2) The Bolts acquired Oliver Bjorkstrand from Seattle at the deadline last season in part because they will also have him under contract this year. So far, a boy they expected to score 15 to 20 goals is standing at two.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (15-7-1) Andrey Svechnikov just hasn’t been the sniper the Canes hoped for. He has scored 12 points on the season and his name is starting to pop up in trade rumors.

5. New Jersey Devils (15-7-1) Of the 37 goalies who have played at least 10 games this season, only 7 were worse than the goals-saved-above-expected-per-60 mark. minipack From Jacob Markstrom.

6. Minnesota Wild (13-7-4) Nobody was projecting a return to 30-goal form for Vladimir Tarasenko when the Wild signed him to a one-year deal in the summer, but two goals in 18 games has been disappointing. Tarasenko has been dealing with a lower-body issue since mid-November and Wild just keeps winning without him.

7. Anaheim Ducks (14-8-1) It’s crazy how far Pavel Mantyukov’s stock has gone in just a few years, after a 20-point start in 63 games as a 28-year-old blueliner. He’s sitting on three assists this season and it feels like we’re heading into new starting territory for the 10th overall pick from 2022.

8. Ottawa Senators (12-7-4) Lens Almark had a .863 save percentage through 12 games, but he’s really gotten back on track with .914 over his last six. His form should stay there for the Senators to progress.

9. Philadelphia Flyers (12-7-3) Five goals in his last nine games have changed the complexion of Matvei Michkov’s sophomore season, but the youngster was still — albeit mildly — called upon by his captain a few weeks ago.

10. Los Angeles Kings (11-6-6) Philippe Danault is a defensive safety net, first and foremost, but a stat line of 0-4-4 through 23 games is still troubling to see a player who is firmly established as a 45-point man.

11. Washington Capitals (13-9-2) Connor McMichael cooled off last season and he will be hard pressed to repeat last season’s 26 goals with just three in 24 games this fall.

12. Montreal Canadiens (12-7-3) Sam Montembeault enters the season with a mediocre hold on one of Canada’s three Olympic goalie spots. Today, he has lost his grip on the role of starter in Montreal.

13. Pittsburgh Penguins (11-6-5) Erik Karlsson is a plus player for just the second time in seven seasons. Evgeni Malkin is on pace for 89 points, which would be the second-best total for a player 39 or older, and Sidney Crosby can score 40 at 38. Guys, don’t get a turkey in Steeltown.

(Always and forever, tap to Gordie Howe, who put up 103 points at age 40 in 1968-1969).

14. Vegas Golden Knights (10-5-8) Stop digging for basic stats and just admit that four goals and 22 points in 23 games is a bit low for Mitch Marner.

15. Winnipeg Jets (12-10-0) Zero goals in 17 games wasn’t what the Jets had in mind when they signed Gustav Nyquist this summer to help provide deeper offense to the lineup.

16. New York Islanders (13-9-2) Captain Andres Lee has scored at least 28 goals in three of the past four seasons, including 29 last season. With four in 24 games, he’ll have to pick it up to get there this time.

17. Detroit Red Wings (13-10-1) Andrew Cope has scored just one goal this season and his minus-11 mark is second-worst on the club, ahead of only rookie D-man Axel Sandin-Pelica.

18. Seattle Kraken (11-6-6) Mason Marchant looked like a good pick for Seattle when Dallas had to dump salary, but so far the big man has found the net just twice in 22 games.

19. Florida Panthers (12-10-1) Carter Verhaeghe has gone from 42 goals in 2022-2023 to 34 in 2023-24 from 20 last season. Currently, he is on pace for 14.

20. Boston Bruins (14-11-0) Joonas Korpisalo hasn’t done well as Jeremy Swayman’s backup. Between the goals scored in at least 9 games, Corpuso’s goals save over 60 minutes is second worst only to Sam Montembalet.

21. Utah Mammoths (12-9-3) Barrett Hayton scored Wednesday night, but he is producing at just an 18-point clip this season. Sidenote: How boom or bust was the top 10 in the 2018 draft? Boom: Rasmus Dahlin (1st overall), Brady Tkachuk (4th), Quinn Hughes (7th), Evan Bouchard (10th). Batsmen: Jaspri Kotkanemi (3rd), Barrett Heaton (5th), Filip Zadina (6th), Adam Boqvist (8th), Vitaly Kravtsov (9th). Only TBD could be Andrei Svechnikov at No. 2, and we’ve described him as a turkey today.

22. San Jose Sharks (11-10-3) The Sharks took a flier on John Klingberg, hoping he can rebuild his former value as a right-shooting puck-mover. The veteran D-Man, however, has been a healthy scratch in San Jose this month.

23. New York Rangers (12-11-2) It’s year 6 and Alexis Lafreniere is on pace for 16 goals and 43 points.

24. Columbus Blue Jackets (11-9-4) Sean Monahan had 57 points in 54 games during Year 1 in Columbus last year. He has managed to stay healthy this time, but has just two goals and 10 points in 24 outings.

25. Chicago Blackhawks (10-8-5) Spencer Knight has been terrific as a starter. Arvid Soderblom has an .881 SP in seven games as a backup.

26. Edmonton Oilers (10-10-5) There’s not much to like about the Lakey Oilers, but veterans Brett Kulik, Jake Wallman and Darnell Nurse have some of the worst base numbers on the defensive core.

27. Toronto Maple Leafs (10-10-3) The 3-3-6 and dash-13 is a tough line to watch for Max Domi right now.

28. Buffalo Sabers (9-10-4) He may never live up to his first-round billing, but Peyton Krebs has been a plus player on average-to-bad Buffalo teams over the last few years and scored 10 goals last season. This year he is minus-10 with a big, fat goose egg in the goals column through 23 games.

29. Calgary Flames (8-14-3) Three goals and minus-10 in 21 outings for Yegor Shrangovich, whose 31-goal season two years ago in Calgary feels more and more distant.

30. Vancouver Canucks (10-12-2) So far, the change of scenery has not helped Lucas Rachel. The 17th-overall pick from 2020 has zero goals in 13 games since coming to Chicago in a trade and was recently snapped up by coach Adam Foote.

31. St. Louis Blues (7-10-7) Jordan Binnington may still be a lock for an Olympic spot with Canada, but both his top and bottom numbers have been messy this year.

32. Nashville Predators (7-12-4) Seven points for Steven Stamkos in 23 games? Let’s get this guy on a new team and hope he thrives.