NHL Power Rankings: Examining each team's playoff chances at the season's halfway point

A handful of teams are playoff locks, but others are fighting their way back into contention

By Austin Nivison Jan 10, 2024 at 10:47 am ET• 1 min read

The halfway point of the 2023-24 NHL season is coming up this weekend, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape now that we have a nice sample size. Most teams still have some reason to think they could reach the postseason, but some have a much better shot than others.

When it comes to playoff locks, the Winnipeg Jets are about as close to a sure thing as you can get. They are atop the NHL, and they are playing some fantastic hockey with one of the best goaltenders in the game erasing the few mistakes that do occur. It's been an impressive first 40 games in Winnipeg.

It's not quite as comfortable for most of the other 31 teams in the NHL, and there are a lot of playoff coin flips out there. The Seattle Kraken have won seven games in a row, but they are still a long way from securing a playoff spot. The Detroit Red Wings got off to a good start, but their chances have taken a major hit in recent weeks.

There is still a lot of hockey left to play, and a lot can change over the next few months, but the playoff implications will only get more significant with each passing day. Let's take a look at each team's postseason chances, according to MoneyPuck, in the newest NHL Power Rankings.