NHL Power Rankings: Detroit Red Wings Rise Ahead of Patrick Kane Debut

Patrick Kane is entering his third era.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion is expected to debut with his newest team, the Detroit Red Wings, when they host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena.

Kane spent 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and wrapped up 2022-23 with the New York Rangers before becoming a free agent in the offseason. He signed with the Red Wings in late November after undergoing and rehabbing from hip resurfacing surgery.

And Detroit, based on its play, seems excited to welcome him.

The Red Wings are 3-1 since Kane's signing was announced, scoring five goals in each of the wins and climbing to third-best in the league through Tuesday with 3.79 goals per game. It's translated to the B/R Power Rankings, too, providing a two-spot boost from ninth to seventh.

Kane's most recent team, the Rangers, remain at No. 1 for a second straight week ahead of a top five that's kept the same teams, albeit in different positions. The Boston Bruins leapt two spots from fourth to second and the Los Angeles Kings dropped from second to third, ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights (fifth to fourth) and the Colorado Avalanche (third to fifth).

The Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres were the biggest movers elsewhere on the list, rising (from 30th to 23rd) and falling (from 21st to 28th) seven spots, respectively.

Scroll through to see where your favorite team wound up and drop a rankings thought of your own in the comments.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 7-16-1

Four straight losses and a 2-7-1 run in their last 10 games dropped the Blackhawks into the league's basement, a point behind San Jose, though they've played two fewer games. "When we do it, it's there," forward Nick Foligno said. "We just don't sustain it enough."

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 7-17-2

It's not quite time to stake out a parade spot, but it has gotten markedly better in San Jose, where the Sharks are actually a smidge above .500 (5-4-1) in their last 10 games following a dramatic rally from three goals down in the third period against the New York Islanders.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 10-15-0

Nine losses in 10 games, including several after slow starts and near misses, have begun to frustrate coach Greg Cronin. "Everybody praises us for coming back," he said, "but to me it's just kind of silly hockey, right? Why isn't that there in the beginning of the game?

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 8-14-5

The Blue Jackets fell to Los Angeles in OT after leading 3-0 through 40 minutes, and they are 1-2-5 in eight games in which they've lost third-period advantages. "We can't keep talking about this," forward Mathieu Olivier said. "We've got to figure out a way to stop."

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 10-14-2

The good news: Forward Tage Thompson returned Tuesday after missing nine games with an upper-body injury. The bad news: The Sabres went just 3-5-1 in his absence, including four straight losses and five in their last six games. Thompson had 18:41 of ice time.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 8-12-6

A four-game road swing ended not a moment too soon for the beleaguered Kraken, whose loss at Montreal on Monday made it an 0-3-1 trip and five straight overall without a win. Seattle is 29th in the league in offense (2.65 goals per game) and 23rd in defense (3.42)

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 10-12-3

Getting out of the gate quickly is becoming a priority for the Flames, who've surrendered the first goal in seven straight games and 13 of their last 15. Of concern going forward is the extended absence of goalie Jacob Markstrom, who fractured a finger in a Monday practice.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 10-12-1

Hall of Famer Paul Coffey has had a big impact on the Oilers' blue line since coming on as an assistant coach, helping Edmonton win seven of its first 10 since the change. "Systemically, he wants us as D-men to make plays," Darnell Nurse told OilersNation. "It frees us up as players."

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 11-11-3

It was a rare bout of extreme prosperity for the Canadiens on Monday when they took just their second 3-0 lead of the season on the way to a 4-2 win over visiting Seattle. Sean Monahan scored twice to end a 14-game goal drought and climb to 494 points for his career.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 9-10-4

A coaching change has been a welcome tonic thus far for the Wild, who beat Calgary on Tuesday to improve to 4-0-0 since John Hynes replaced Dean Evason on November 27. "It's a kick in the butt when you get a coach fired," forward Marcus Foligno said.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 10-10-0

The Senators bounced back well from a three-game skid, winning two in a row, including a 6-2 defeat of the front-running New York Rangers. Vladimir Tarasenko, who finished 2022-23 as a Ranger, had two goals. "We played well and, personally, it's nice to score goals," he said.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 11-11-3

Two games against rival Philadelphia yielded a pair of extra-time losses for the Penguins and continued Sidney Crosby's career-long run against the Flyers in which he's produced 54 goals and 125 points in 85 games. He's at 20 points in his last 13 games on Philadelphia ice.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 12-10-5

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy missed the first 20 games of the season after having back surgery in late September, but he returned in late November and racked up his first shutout on Monday against Dallas. His 33 career shutouts are 11th among the NHL's active leaders.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 10-7-7

The vibes were improving for the Islanders after two straight wins, but they crashed after Tuesday's collapse in which New York led 4-1 in the third period but lost a 5-4 OT decision to San Jose. "It's unacceptable. That's all that needs to be said," forward Brock Nelson said.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 13-12-0

Two wins in a row and eight in 10 games have the up-and-down Predators on another uptick and back over .500 for the second time this season. Ryan O'Reilly's power-play impact is a driver of success, with his seven man-advantage goals tied for second in the league.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 12-10-1

Jack Hughes continued a run of dominance in his familial series with brother Quinn when the Devils beat Vancouver on Tuesday. New Jersey, which also featured youngest brother Luke, is 6-1 against the Canucks when the older Hughes brothers, Jack and Quinn, have played.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 12-8-2

Four losses in six games are bad enough, but a 6-0 rout in Arizona may have been a low point, when Washington allowed five goals on the first eight shots on goal. "Just throw it in the garbage," goalie Charlie Lindgren said. "It was a pretty ugly game for everyone."

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 13-10-2

Seeing their in-state rivals has been a good thing for the Flyers, who traveled to Pittsburgh to beat the Penguins in a shootout Saturday before beating them in overtime on Monday in Philadelphia. It's the first time they've won consecutive games in the series since 2021.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 13-11-1

It's all about the start for the Blues, who have gone 12-0-0 in games where they scored first and 1-11-1 when they did not. "When we have the lead," coach Craig Berube said, "we play confident and we keep coming."

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 13-9-2

It's been a pretty unique five-game win streak for the Coyotes, who've defeated each of the last five Stanley Cup champions in their longest run since 2019. Arizona has outscored foes 19-5 in the stretch, lowering goalie Connor Ingram's goals-against average to 2.23.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 14-9-1

The Hurricanes responded to an 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay with a 3-1-1 run in which they allowed two or fewer goals four times ahead of Wednesday. Their 25.0 shots allowed per game is best in the league in 2022-23 and their 27.8 since the start of Rod Brind'Amour's tenure in 2018 is also tops. Perhaps their 6-1 loss to the Oilers on Wednesday will provide a similar wake-up call to the Tampa defeat.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 15-8-2

A 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday was the third straight at Amerant Bank Arena for the Panthers, who'd won seven of their first eight at home. They got back on track Wednesday with a home win over the Stars and will return to the road on December 10 to begin a five-game trip to Columbus, Seattle and western Canada.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 14-8-2

Another night, another example of goaltending heroics for the Jets, who got 42 saves from Laurent Brossoit in a Monday defeat of Carolina. Brossoit has a 2.65 goals-against average in six spot starts for Winnipeg, while Connor Hellebuyck's is an even-stingier 2.49 in 18 games.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 12-6-4

A goal from Auston Matthews with six seconds remaining in regulation got the Maple Leafs to OT against Boston on Saturday and guaranteed at least a point for the eighth time in nine games. Toronto has lost one game in regulation since November 8 and is 4-1 in extra time.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 16-9-1

A run of consistent early-season success has stalled for the Canucks, who've alternated wins and losses in their last nine games after a 12-4-1 start. Vancouver has allowed four goals or more in five of those nine but are still sixth in the league in defense (2.69 per game).

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 14-7-3

If the Red Wings aren't for real this season, they're certainly selling it well with six wins in seven games after a 5-3 victory at Buffalo on Tuesday. Detroit (7-0-0) is one of five unbeaten teams when leading after one period and it's 14-0-2 when scoring at least four goals.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 14-7-3

The Stars ripped Tampa Bay 8-1 on Saturday before being blanked 4-0 on 25 shots in the second game of a home-and-home series with the Lightning. "You beat a team 8-1, especially a championship team, you know they are going to respond," coach Peter DeBoer said.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 16-7-2

He's still just 28 years old, but Nathan MacKinnon is starting to rack up longevity milestones. Two assists Tuesday night gave him 500 in the NHL and made him the first player from the 2013 draft to hit that number. His 11-game home point streak has resulted in 21 points.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 17-5-5

The Golden Knights continued a six-game unbeaten streak (3-0-3) in a Wednesday night visit to St. Louis that kick-started a brief two-game road trip. No team in the league has won more at home than Vegas, which will play four straight at T-Mobile Arena beginning December 10.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 15-4-3

We suggested last week that it's time to start believing in the Kings, and they provided a few more reasons Tuesday in Columbus, rallying from a 3-0 deficit after two periods to win 4-3 and equaling the league's all-time longest road win streak, 10 games, to start a season.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 17-4-3

A four-day stretch in which the Bruins suffered three regulation losses has been erased with three straight victories in which they've scored 10 goals and allowed four. Their team 2.46 goals-against average is third in the league and Jeremy Swayman's 2.08 is third individually.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 18-5-1

A run of three straight one-goal wins against Detroit, Nashville and San Jose came to an end Tuesday when the Rangers were drubbed, 6-2, at Ottawa. New York led the league with 17 regulation wins heading into Wednesday's game but only had a plus-16 goal differential.