Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin made a rather startling revelation about Brock Faber as he met with the media Friday for the final time this season.

"Brock's been playing with fractured ribs for two months," Guerin said. "That's the type of kid he is. He never complained ... he could've been out of the lineup a number of times, and he just wasn't."

"I'll take him with one rib," Wild head coach John Hynes joked.

Earlier on Friday, Faber told reporters he's skipping the upcoming World Championship due to injuries.

Faber excelled as a rookie despite the injury. He led all players in the class in average ice time, logging 24:58 per contest - three and a half minutes more than fellow Calder Trophy contender Luke Hughes. Faber tied Connor Bedard for first among rookies in assists (39) and matched Hughes for second among the group in points (47).

Guerin praised the 21-year-old Wild blue-liner Friday for earning a critical role in his first NHL campaign.

"He has emerged as a top-pairing defenseman - he was our top defenseman this year," the GM said. "That is an unbelievably good thing for our organization going forward."

The Wild acquired Faber from the Los Angeles Kings along with a first-round pick (which they used to select Swedish forward Liam Ohgren) for winger Kevin Fiala in June 2022. The Kings drafted him 45th overall two years earlier.

Faber was born in the Wild's home state and played three seasons at the University of Minnesota, captaining the team in 2022-23 and leading it to the NCAA championship game.

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This is the 14th edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2023-24 campaign and the first for the playoffs. Check back after Round 1 for updated rankings.

In this edition, we rank the 16 postseason teams.

1. New York Rangers (55-23-4)

Previous rank: 1

Yes, we know about the Presidents' Trophy curse. Only eight teams have ever won the Stanley Cup after holding the mantle as the league's best regular-season squad, and we all saw what happened to the Bruins last year. However, putting the Rangers anywhere else just didn't make sense thanks to the sheer amount of star power and depth they have.

2. Dallas Stars (52-21-9)

Previous rank: 2

The Stars are riding high after winning 12 of their last 14 games to claim the top seed in the West. They're one of the NHL's most complete teams, but their chances of success likely live and die with Jake Oettinger. Dallas will need the goalie to be better than he was last spring to win it all.

3. Florida Panthers (52-24-6)

Previous rank: 9

Florida snatched the Atlantic Division crown thanks to a four-game heater to end its schedule. The Panthers fully look the part of a contender with stingy defense, strong goaltending, offensive game-breakers, and a tenacious play style that can drive opponents wild throughout a series.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (52-23-7)

Previous rank: 4

The Hurricanes lost out on a division title but are rightfully overwhelming favorites for their first-round clash against the Islanders. Carolina is an elite defensive team and has benefitted greatly from some late-season roster reinforcements. The club is 15-4-1 since adding Jake Guentzel - who has 25 points in that span - while goaltender Frederik Andersen is 9-1-0 with a .951 save percentage since returning to the crease.

5. Winnipeg Jets (52-24-6)

Previous rank: 8

Life is pretty good right now for the Jets. They're entering the playoffs on an eight-game win streak and finished second in the Central, their highest placement since 2019. Winnipeg's reward? A first-round meeting with the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Avalanche. Luckily for the Jets, they have Connor Hellebuyck, the likely Vezina Trophy winner, between the pipes.

6. Edmonton Oilers (49-27-6)

Previous rank: 6

The Oilers' putrid start to the regular season feels like a lifetime ago, and they've been one of the league's best teams since Kris Knoblauch took over. It's difficult imagining Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl taking a step back from their usual playoff dominance, and Edmonton has a favorable draw in the Pacific Division. If goaltending holds up, this group is tough to beat.

7. Vancouver Canucks (50-23-9)

Previous rank: 7

The Canucks are back in the playoffs sooner than many expected, but they limped to a division title down the stretch with an 8-6-2 record after Thatcher Demko got hurt. If he's fully healthy, Vancouver's certainly a threat in the West, but only having two games under his belt before ramping up to playoff intensity gives us pause.

8. Boston Bruins (47-20-15)

Previous rank: 3

Boston finished this season with 26 fewer points than in 2022-23. That sounds bad, but the Bruins were just freakishly good last year. They still managed to finish with over 100 points this campaign despite the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Boston will undoubtedly be hungry to avenge last spring's upset at the hands of the Panthers.

9. Colorado Avalanche (50-25-7)

Previous rank: 5

After winning the Central for two straight seasons, the Avalanche had to settle for third place this time. Much of that is down to Alexandar Georgiev's occasionally shaky goaltending, which remains their biggest weakness. Colorado might get captain Gabriel Landeskog back, but last time we checked, he isn't a goalie.

10. Vegas Golden Knights (45-29-8)

Previous rank: 11

The Golden Knights haven't quite looked like themselves for the past few months, but doubting the reigning Stanley Cup champions doesn't feel wise at all. Vegas has been steamrolled by injuries, but if it can get fully healthy with captain Mark Stone back, then it'll certainly pose a problem for a Stars team looking to make a deep run.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-26-10)

Previous rank: 10

The Maple Leafs enter the playoffs on a four-game skid, allowing 22 goals over that span. Perhaps Auston Matthews' pursuit of 70 goals was a distraction from the team's overall game, but Toronto will have to tighten up quickly if it's to have any hope of beating a Boston team that convincingly swept the regular-season series.

12. Tampa Bay Lightning (45-29-8)

Previous rank: 13

The Lightning don't boast strong even-strength metrics but can swing any game thanks to a top-ranked power play and fifth-ranked penalty kill. Tampa also has arguably the ultimate playoff X-factor in Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Bolts aren't the same team that went to three straight finals but shouldn't be taken too lightly.

13. Nashville Predators (47-30-5)

Previous rank: 14

The Predators don't strike the average fan as a Cup contender, but they've been one of the Western Conference's best teams in 2024. They've accrued the same number of wins (27) as their first-round adversary in the Canucks. Nashville has a supremely talented core, a capable goalie, and strong five-on-five metrics, all of which they'll need to reach Round 2.

14. Los Angeles Kings (44-27-11)

Previous rank: 12

The Kings ran out of steam after a blistering start to the regular season and will have their hands full against the Oilers for the third straight opening round. Maybe the third time's the charm for Los Angeles, but goaltending is a huge question mark, and the talent disparity largely favors Edmonton.

15. New York Islanders (39-27-16)

Previous rank: 16

New York improved slightly under new head coach Patrick Roy, which was enough to finish in third place in the Metropolitan. However, the Islanders are set to meet Carolina in the first round for the second straight year. The Hurricanes took care of business in six games last spring.

16. Washington Capitals (40-31-11)

Previous rank: 18

Look, it's admirable that the Capitals scratched and clawed their way into the postseason, but their time in the playoffs will probably be short-lived. The Rangers pose a daunting challenge for Washington and its minus-37 goal differential.

(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)

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The playoffs are here! The Canucks fall to Winnipeg in Game 82, but fans and players alike were already looking ahead to Game 1 versus the Predators on Sunday. Matt and Blake look at the form of Thatcher Demko after his second and final tuneup game, Quinn Hughes sewing up the defencemen scoring title, and the Lindholm line finding its stride. 

Canucks legend Ryan Kesler joins the guys to walk down memory lane on his series vs the Preds in 2011, he weighs in on the current Canucks including his fondness for JT Miller, and whether number 17 should be in the Ring of Honour.

Frank Seravalli is set to cover the Canucks series but before that he joins the guys to give his prediction of the series and the rest of the western conference, he previews many of his NHL award votes, and gets into the latest around the NHL’s arrival in Utah. Plus, being Friday, more feedback from you in “To the People We Go." Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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You've had all season to bet on the Stanley Cup winner, but the Conn Smythe Award - given to the playoffs' most valuable player - has only been available on the oddsboard for a few days.

It's a more nuanced betting market with longer odds that can result in a big payout, such as Jonathan Marchessault's Conn Smythe-worthy postseason at longer than 50-1 odds. Had you pegged the Golden Knights for a Cup contender, figured a single goaltender wouldn't necessarily lead the way, and picked out Vegas' most clutch scorer, you'd have a big win on a low-investment bet.

Conn Smythe odds

Players not listed at +6000 odds or longer

Before we get to our best bets, let's start with our annual bet on Connor McDavid.

The premise remains the same. Working backward - as we have to do in this market - if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, what are the chances they do so without McDavid getting credit for being their MVP? My quantitative assessment would be 0%. Edmonton's odds are +750 to end Canada's championship drought. Why bet that when you can get McDavid for as long as +1200?

Best bets

To start our Conn Smythe betting portfolio, we'll look at the teams we think will advance from the first round and go all the way. We'll then analyze those teams' makeups to determine their most likely MVPs. There are two types of teams - goalie-centric and non-goalie-centric ones. The former often has a deeper forward group and a Vezina-level netminder capable of handling the postseason's long haul. The latter is a team like the 2023 Golden Knights or the 2022 Avalanche, who won despite not having a true No. 1.

Auston Matthews (+2200) or David Pastrnak (+1800)

Call it betting's version of "Choose Your Own Adventure" - the Maple Leafs and Bruins have the tightest series price.

In years past, Matthews shared credit for any Maple Leafs success with Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and even Morgan Rielly. This year's near-70-goal campaign separated Matthews from the group, definitively making him the most likely player to carry the Leafs if they are to achieve the unfathomable. His odds are far better than Toronto's +1200 to win the Stanley Cup.

If you prefer the Bruins to the Leafs in Round 1, you can take Pastrnak. With Boston committed to a goaltender rotation and "Pasta" 43 points clear of his next-closest teammate, he's the clear-cut choice on a potential championship Bruins team.

Nikita Kucherov (+2500)

Matthew Tkachuk almost won the Conn Smythe as a long shot last year, but with the Panthers favored this time around, the word is out on his candidacy. The Lightning's modest regular season doesn't mean they can't have a big postseason, and no one was better than Nikita Kucherov this campaign. To be dangerous, Tampa will need above-average goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy, scoring from Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman's dominance. But Kucherov's at his peak, and his sheer point volume would make him the choice from Tampa.

Seth Jarvis (+15000)
Teuvo Teravainen (+15000)

If we're looking for a Marchessault-like (28-goal, 57-point regular season) candidate, the Hurricanes have a few. The Stanley Cup favorite is likely to use both Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov in the net, and leading point-scorer Sebastian Aho might be assist-heavy.

Jarvis was Carolina's second-leading goal-scorer. The 22-year-old often produced after receiving passes from Aho and led the Canes with 13 power-play goals.

Don't flip a coin between Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen. Instead, bet whoever has the longer odds. The second-line wingers also strike on the power play and provide a good lesson about taking long-shot players on great teams versus great players on long-shot teams. Let's grab two Hurricanes at long odds and see if either emerges early with a low-risk bet.

Connor Hellebucyk (+2500)
Thatcher Demko (+5000)

Hellebuyck and Demko are Vezina-level goaltenders for Canadian franchises that are in similar good situations. There are enough capable scorers on the Jets and Canucks to effectively split a Conn Smythe vote. But that shouldn't matter - if a Canadian team brings home the Stanley Cup, it'll almost undoubtedly be on the back of one of the league's best goaltenders.

Miro Heiskanen (+6000)

The Stars' series price against the defending champs is unnecessarily short in the first round, which creates value for any player to win the Conn Smythe. They took the West's top spot without stellar goaltending or a standout scorer, so why couldn't they win the Stanley Cup under the same circumstances? Heiskanen might get credit for everything he does collectively from the back end to make the Stars shine.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

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