Well, it was bound to happen. With the New Jersey Devils firing their head coach John MacLean and continuing their tailspin this season, it was only a matter of time before they found themselves in the basement of the SB Nation NHL power rankings.
New Jersey Devils: The Devils, after a 5-1 loss to the New York Islanders, have finally become the league's worst team. Their 9-24-2 record (worth 20 points) is the worst in the league. The Devils received four 15th-place votes, and one 14th-place vote from the five panelists.
Their current attempt to waive Brian Rolston in order to try to make a team pick him up through re-entry waivers is a pretty good example of what this season has been like for the Devils. Rolston is just one of many examples of the Devils problems this season. Ilya Kovalchuk has been a huge disappointment, and is an eye-popping -26. Henrik Tallinder, who was one of the bigger free agent signings by Lamoriello this year on defense, is a -24. Martin Brodeur has an .884 save percentage and an 3.08 GAA, that along with a 5-17-1 record. It's been bad for New Jersey thus far, and they've finally hit the bottom.
New York Islanders: It's an improvement to be moved up to 14th place, sure, but not a big one. Still, the Islanders are 4-1-1 in their last five; including the 7-2 whooping they took from the Rangers on Monday. Their 9-19-6 record gives them 24 points, four points ahead of the Devils with a game in hand.
Rick DiPietro's health is still an issue, and the Islanders just shipped off James Wisniewski (one of their better offensive defenseman) to Montreal for a second-round pick, and a conditional pick. John Tavares only has 21 points (10 goals) in 31 games, and is a poor -16. So yes, things are better for the Islanders, but not by much. Things do seem to be looking up for them, however, which is much more then one can say about the Devils.
New York Rangers: The Rangers seem to live in 7th place in the power rankings. They've been there for the past three weeks, and they remain there this week as well. Their 21-14-2 record grants them 44 points, which places them third in the Atlantic Division but good for sixth in the conference.
Derek Stepan has four goals in four games and has 22 points (11 goals and 11 assists) on the year so far. Yes, that's more than John Tavares and Ilya Kovalchuk. Brandon Dubinsky (15 goals and 15 assists) is still continuing his great season, and the Rangers have reacted well to the loss of Ryan Callahan. Marian Gaborik (21 points in 22 games) seems to be finding his game again, and Mats Zuccarello (the other winger on his line) seems to be adjusting to the game well.
Things are going well in New York, so long as you're a Rangers fan.