NHL November power rankings: Jets, Capitals lead the charge as early-season surprises
The thing about sports predictions is they never really go the way you expect.
Coming into the 2024-25 season, fans and media alike had their expectations for the way this new hockey calendar was set to shake out. Of course, we all know predictions are futile endeavors, but it’s a fun exercise to see if you can divine the future from the pieces before you.
That being said, through a few weeks of hockey action, it seems like I misjudged some teams. Stunning everyone, the Winnipeg Jets and the Washington Capitals are the two biggest positive surprises of the 2024-25 season so far. Sure, a lot has been made of the teams that have disappointed in October — and don’t worry, we’ll get there — but I’m more surprised at the clubs that have found success in the early goings of the season.
The Jets have been a successful regular season team, but poor playoff performances dampened people’s hopes that they’d get anything meaningful off the ground. The Capitals also were a playoff team last season, but were easily swept aside in the first round and weren’t exactly a young team coming into this year.
And yet, both clubs have gotten off to hot starts that are starting to make us rethink our expectations of them going forward. Sure, the season is still young, but the foundations are here for something special in Washington and Winnipeg.
As the calendar hits November, let’s take a look at how we view all 32 teams in our monthly NHL power rankings.