It's never too early to look toward next year.
The Golden Knights are the champions of the 2022-23 NHL season, defeating the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final to win the franchise its first championship.
While the celebrations are just beginning for Vegas, the other 31 teams are shifting their focus to the offseason, if they haven't already. With the draft and free agency coming up at the end of the month, it's a quick turnaround before clubs are building toward 2023-24.
MORE: Ryan O'Reilly, Patrick Kane lead top NHL free agents available this summer
With that, The Sporting News takes a look at the way-too-early power rankings for next year.
NHL Way-Too-Early 2023-24 power rankings
1. Vegas Golden Knights
You win the championship, you get the top spot in the way-too-early power rankings. I don't make the rules ... well I guess I do.
Despite winning the Western Conference, Vegas was overlooked by many (myself included) in the playoffs. The Avalanche, Oilers and Stars were all discussed in superior fashion to the Golden Knights, yet the club took out two of those teams on their way to a Stanley Cup.
Vegas has to figure out its goaltending, with Adin Hill, Laurent Brossoit and Jonathan Quick set to hit free agency, but outside of that, you're going to be looking at almost the same exact team next year. Ivan Barbashev is a free agent but has expressed interest in re-signing. The Golden Knights aren't going anywhere, which is bad news for the rest of the league.
MORE: What to know for the Golden Knights 2023 Stanley Cup parade
2. Florida Panthers
Rule No. 2: you finish runner-up in the Stanley Cup Final, you finish runner-up in the way-too-early power rankings.
The Panthers are a top team in the NHL — when fully healthy. That wasn't the case for the majority of the 2022-23 regular season. At full strength, it's about the same team that won the 2022 Presidents' Trophy, plus Matthew Tkachuk. Radko Gudas, along with Eric and Marc Staal, are the notable upcoming free agents, but the core will remain intact for next season.
3. Dallas Stars
There were a lot of good things to like about the Stars, who are going to be running back mostly the same personnel group next season. The core group of Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger, Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz look to be a dominant force for years to come. Dallas should once again compete for a top spot in the Western Conference.
4. Edmonton Oilers
As long as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are in Edmonton, the Oilers are Stanley Cup contenders. Edmonton has to figure out its goaltending, which continued to be the team's Achilles heel in the playoffs. The deadline acquisition of Mattias Ekholm looked to be the missing piece on the blue line, and he's signed for three more years.
5. Carolina Hurricanes
You can argue no one was hurt more by injuries in the playoffs than the Hurricanes. Carolina was down three top-six wingers for a stretch in the postseason and went through the entire playoffs with Andrei Svechnikov or Max Pacioretty. The Hurricanes are in great shape with Rod Brind'Amour at the helm, but another sniping winger should be on Carolina's radar.
6. New Jersey Devils
The Devils took the first step out of the rebuild this past year, surprising everyone by competing for the Metropolitan Division title. New Jersey has a strong, young core group in place with Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes at the helm, and should only get better heading into next year. The Devils need to figure out goaltending, and re-signing Timo Meier should be the priority this summer.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
It looks like there won't be as many changes in the Six as expected. Kyle Dubas is gone, with Brad Treliving taking over as the new GM, but it appears as though it's likely none of the Core Four will be moved, nor will Sheldon Keefe. The Maple Leafs are shaped once again to be a dominant team in the regular season, but will we be singing their woes yet again come playoff time?
8. Colorado Avalanche
It was a tough 2022-23 season for the 2022 Stanley Cup champs. Colorado dealt with injuries all season long and already knows it will be without Gabriel Landeskog next season as well. Colorado will still be a favorite to win the Cup with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Co., but the No. 2 center spot needs to be addressed this offseason.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
After a three-year stretch of Stanley Cup Final appearances, the Lightning finally got an early start to the offseason this year. Like last offseason, Tampa Bay will lose players in the offseason due to cap constraints and will be forced to find cheaper options to fill roles. As long as the main core remains intact, you can't count out the Lightning to make another Cup run.
10. Boston Bruins
The Bruins will be busy this offseason. The crew is tight to the cap, and if retirement isn't in the cards for Patrice Bergeron and/or David Krejci, then they'll need new deals. A trade or two very likely is on the horizon for Boston, but no matter what happens, it's safe to say it won't be as good as the record-breaking team this past season.
11. Seattle Kraken
The Kraken are here and they are legit. In the team's second year in the NHL, Seattle made the playoffs for the first time and won its first playoff series. The Kraken are a team built in depth, as they still lack true star power, but don't be surprised to see the club build off a successful sophomore season.
MORE: Complete list of every Stanley Cup champion
12. New York Rangers
Gerard Gallant is out in the Big Apple and in his place is Peter Laviolette. He'll be the third coach to try and get the most out of Alex Lafreniere, Kakko Kakko and the other high-end, young forwards who have yet to pan out. The 5 on 5 play must improve for the Rangers, and there has to be changes schematically to take some pressure off Igor Shesterkin.
13. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are the team to watch this summer. Los Angeles is in a prime position to make a major acquisition, whether that be at center or in the net. It feels like the Kings are one, maybe two pieces away from solidifying themselves as legitimate playoff contenders, and likely want to maximize the last few years of Anze Kopitar's prime.
14. Minnesota Wild
This is the year that the 2021 buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter really kill the Wild, taking up $14.6 million of cap space. Minnesota has a ton of promising pieces in place, including Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, and the priority should be to re-sign Filip Gustavsson. But there's only so much work that GM Bill Guerin can do with the limited funds available.
15. New York Islanders
It's shaping up to be another quiet summer on Long Island. The team made their big splash at the deadline, bringing in Bo Horvat, who showed off strong chemistry at times with Mat Barzal. But Islanders fans can expect another season of subpar offense with too much of the team's success riding on Ilya Sorokin.
16. Buffalo Sabres
If I had to pick a team that failed to make the playoffs last year that will be in the 2024 postseason, it's the Sabres. There is a LOT to like about the future of the team, a sentence that usually can't be said about the Sabres. Don Granato has been instrumental in developing Buffalo's prospects, and there is still a handful yet to crack the NHL.
17. Pittsburgh Penguins
Ron Hextall is out, and Kyle Dubas is in. As long as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are in the lineup, the Penguins have the ability to contend. However, the supporting cast around them needs an upgrade, and badly.
18. Washington Capitals
Like the Penguins, as long as Alex Ovechkin is rostered on the Capitals, the team is going to look to contend for a championship. But the fact is the core in D.C. is aging, and the team doesn't have many high-end prospects coming through soon to help.
19. Calgary Flames
The Flames are set for their first summer under new GM Craig Conroy, and have a new coach in Ryan Huska. It will be intriguing to see how the team's system changes, with it no longer stuck in Darry Sutter's defensive structure, and how that impacts players like Jonathan Huberdeau who struggled the past season.
20. St. Louis Blues
Doug Armstrong has put the Blues in a good spot for a quick retool this summer. The Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko eras are over, and the new main group consists of younger players such as Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. The blue line needs an upgrade, but the Blues could quickly get back into being a playoff contender.
21. Nashville Predators
It's Barry Trotz time in Nashville. For the first time since joining the league in the '90s, David Poile won't be at the helm for the Predators. The team gained a ton of draft capital at the deadline and potentially could go into a retool, especially if the team decides to trade star goaltender Jusse Saros.
MORE: Which NHL teams have never won a Stanley Cup?
22. Ottawa Senators
Ottawa is on the up-and-up, but there are potential changes coming with the new owners set to take over. That could mean a new GM and/or head coach. Either way, figuring out the Alex DeBrincat situation is the top priority of the Senators.
23. Detroit Red Wings
Like the Sabres and the Senators, the Red Wings are on the rise, but not quite there yet. Detroit faltered a bit in the back half of the season, continuing to struggle defensively. However, the young core in Motor City will be taking another step forward in development next season.
24. Winnipeg Jets
No team is going to go through as major of a personnel change as the Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Pierre-Luc Dubois are as good as gone, and Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler could be following them. It's a dark future lying ahead in Winnipeg.
25. Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have a roster that isn't built to win, don't have a ton of high-end prospects and have no cap space. Not great! Vancouver undoubtedly will be active on the trade block this summer, but Canucks fans should prepare for another year stuck between not being good enough for playoffs, and not bad enough for a lottery spot.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus already has been active this offseason, boosting their blue line with the acquisitions of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson. The Blue Jackets still lack a true No. 1 center to play with Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine, and who knows how the team is going to respond to projected new coach Mike Babcock.
27. Montreal Canadiens
Montreal has a bright future with a core of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and promising prospects in the system such as Juraj Slafkovsky and Kaiden Guhle. However, the club desperately needs to dump cap, and it's shaping up to once again be a season with a mix of aging veterans and up-and-coming youngsters.
28. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have a ton of vacant holes up and down their lineup, but the good news is that there should be plenty of interest from free agents to come to Chicago and play with Connor Bedard. The prospective No. 1 pick in the draft has completely changed the future for the Blackhawks, but the club is still going to go through a rough year in Bedard's rookie season.
29. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks still refuse to completely commit to a rebuild, leaving the club in this weird state of limbo. Even with Erik Karlsson's Norris-worthy season, San Jose still couldn't get out of the cellar in the NHL. Mike Grier should be prioritizing draft picks and prospects, and it should start by trading Karlsson, whose value could not be higher.
30. Philadelphia Flyers
In order to be good, you have to be bad. With Danny Briere taking over GM duties, Philadelphia is expected to sell off assets and gain draft capital and prospects in order to properly rebuild. The Flyers will once again be at the bottom of the NHL barrel.
31. Arizona Coyotes
Logan Cooley is going back to college for another year. Clayton Keller may be traded. There's not much to be excited about as an Arizona fan. But hey, at least the Coyotes get to stay in the desert for another year!
32. Anaheim Ducks
The Greg Cronin era has begun in Anaheim, taking over bench duties for Dallas Eakins, but the Ducks are still rebuilding. It'll be another year full of losses and development for their up-and-coming pieces.