NHL Power Rankings: Struggling Philadelphia Flyers continue to fall

Due to the trade deadline coming up on April 3, teams in the NHL are starting to get desperate. Some teams, like the Dallas Stars have even traded their team captains. The Calgary Flames followed suit with reports that captain Jarome Iginla gave the Flames four teams he would consider being traded to. After being listed as a healthy scratch on Wednesday, it was reported that the Flames had agreed to trade Iginla to the Boston Bruins, but then late Wednesday night the NHL announced that Iginla was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Wednesday was quite an exciting night for hockey fans, which also means that the NHL trade rumors will continue to circle as it gets closer to April 3. So with all that in mind, let's check in with the rest of the league.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (26-8-0) Last week: 2
The Penguins won their last three games to increase their streak to 13 games, thanks to NHL point leader Sidney Crosby. They also just acquired Jarome Iginla, so they really want the Cup back this season.

2. Boston Bruins (21-8-3) Last week: 5
The Bruins stay relevant with consistent goaltending and goal scoring, which led them to another two wins this week. Tuukka Rask has also molded well into his new position as the Bruins' starting goaltender.

3. Chicago Blackhawks (25-4-3) Last week: 3
The 'Hawks are still in good position for another playoff run, but they did lose two of their games this week.

4. Vancouver Canucks (18-9-6) Last week: 8
After winning four straight games this week, the Canucks deserved to be moved up. After getting the start in three of those games, goaltender Cory Schneider has proven his strength in net.

5. Ottawa Senators (18-9-6) Last week: 6
The Senators move up a spot after winning two games last week and being consistent all season long, despite facing multiple injuries.

6. Anaheim Ducks (22-7-4) Last week: 1
The Ducks drop a few spots after a disappointing week in which they lost all four of their games.

7. Montreal Canadiens (21-7-5) Last week: 4
The Canadiens drop a few spots after facing two defeats this week, but they fought hard on Wednesday when they defeated the Bruins 6-5 in a shootout.  Will they be able to withstand the pressure of the playoffs?

8. Minnesota Wild (20-10-2) Last week: 11
This week the Wild increased their winning streak to seven games after beating the Coyotes 4-3 in a overtime on Wednesday. Could this finally be the Wild's year?

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (18-12-4) Last week: 9
James Van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri help keep the Leafs at the ninth spot, as the team logged another two wins this week.

10. Detroit Red Wings (17-11-5) Last week: 14
The Red Wings had a really successful week and move up a few spots due to winning all three of their games. This is in part thanks to successful goaltending from Jimmy Howard.

11. St. Louis Blues (17-13-2) Last week: 8
The Blues and their starter goaltender Jaroslav Halak had a bit of an off week. They drop after losing two of their games this week.

12. Los Angeles Kings (18-12-2) Last week: 10
The Kings are still in good position to secure a playoff berth, but they struggled this week by losing twice in a row. They did attempt to redeem themselves on Monday when they defeated the Blackhawks 5-4.

13. New Jersey Devils (15-11-7) Last week: 17
The Devils were really happy when Martin Brodeur returned to the ice, especially since he scored a goal for them in his first game back. Then he went on to lead the Devils to back-to-back wins this week.

14. New York Rangers (16-13-3) Last week: 15
The Rangers had a solid week, winning two out of three games. Goal leader, Rick Nash also remained dominant after scoring two goals in the Rangers 5-2 rout of the Flyers on Tuesday night.

15. Winnipeg Jets (18-14-2) Last week: 15
The Jets split their four games this week, so they will remain at the No. 15 spot.

16. Carolina Hurricanes (15-14-2) Last week: 12
The Hurricanes struggled this week, adding two more losses to a three-game skid. The only good thing to come out of Carolina this week is that the Staal brothers have decided to don eye shields.

17. San Jose Sharks (15-11-6) Last week: 13
The Sharks won two more games this week and hold on tightly to the eighth seed in the West.

18. Nashville Predators (14-13-6) Last week: 20
The Predators try to redeem themselves by logging three more wins this week. Their biggest problem is that they have trouble scoring, and they cannot rely on good defense in every game if they want to make the playoffs.

19. Dallas Stars (15-14-3) Last week: 18
The Stars had a decent week winning two out of three games, but they are also getting desperate as the trade deadline looms ahead. They just traded their captain Brendan Morrow, for Penguins prospect Joe Morrow.

20. New York Islanders (15-15-3) Last week: 21
The Isles split their last four games, but they are only a few points away from the Rangers. If they can give the last month of the season a solid push, they may be able to usurp the eighth seed.

21. Phoenix Coyotes (13-16-4) Last week: 19
The Coyotes are struggling once again. They lost three games this week and extended their losing skid to seven games.

22. Tampa Bay Lightning (14-18-1) Last week: 22
The Lightning are making moves fast to improve their season.  They recently fired head coach Guy Boucher and hired Jon Cooper. With another two losses this week they are consistent at not being very good.

23. Columbus Blue Jackets (13-13-7) Last week: 24
The Blue Jackets look better than they have in years and this is mostly thanks to Sergei Bobrovsky's stellar performance in the net. Unfortunately the Blue Jackets did lose two out of three games this week.

24. Washington Capitals (15-17-1) Last week: 28
Alexander Ovechkin looks like he finally remembers what he does for a living. Ovie helped lead his team to three wins this week, but it's a little too late for the Caps to redeem their season.

25. Philadelphia Flyers (13-17-2) Last week: 23
The Flyers should probably just pull out their golf clubs now, because it looks like they aren't making the playoffs this year. With another two losses this week they are not helping their poor record.

26. Buffalo Sabres (13-16-4) Last week: 27
The Sabres continue to struggle, but at least they got two wins in this week.

27. Calgary Flames (13-15-4) Last week: 26
The Flames lost another three games, and they may get worse now that Jarome Iginla has been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In exchange the Flames are getting Kenneth Agostino, Ben Hanowski and a 2013 first round pick from Pittsburgh, so they might get the offensive depth they need to stop being so mediocre.

28. Edmonton Oilers (12-13-7) Last week: 25
The Oilers lost another two games this week, so not surprisingly they drop again. The organization talks so much about how good their rookies are but numbers don't lie.

29. Colorado Avalanche (11-17-4) Last week: 29
Are the Av's struggling this season so much because they are such a young team? Having dropped another two games, they stay at the No. 29 position.

30. Florida Panthers (9-19-6) Last week: 30
Was last year's playoff run just a fluke? It must be rough to be a Panthers fan this season, because even though they have a lot of potential in Jonathan Huberdeau, they are still the worse team in the league.