The 2025-26 season is just two weeks away, which means the NHL power rankings are back every Wednesday. We are back, baby.
This pre-season edition ranks all 32 NHL teams based on their performance last season and also takes into account the moves they’ve made during the off-season. The two-time defending champion Florida Panthers obviously retain the top spot and will be on the hunt to accomplish something no team in the cap era has ever done before: threepeat.
Even before puck drop, several key storylines have already emerged. There’s the pending superstar-laden free-agent class that includes the likes of Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, Artemi Panarin and Kyle Connor, which may significantly alter the landscape, and also the NHL’s return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
Without further ado, let’s take stock of where all 32 NHL teams stand.
1. Florida Panthers (47-31-4, +29 goal differential)
Even without the services of Matthew Tkachuk for the first few months, the defending champions retain the top spot and will hunt for the coveted threepeat.
2. Edmonton Oilers (48-29-5, +23)
Always the bridesmaid but never the bride, the Oilers only made minor changes to their roster, and we shall see if that will be enough. The pressure on Connor McDavid feels even more immense this season with the Olympics and free agency looming. No player in the league can change the fortunes of all 32 teams with one decision like McDavid can.
3. Dallas Stars (50-26-6, +53)
Peter DeBoer has reached the Western Conference final six times and a Stanley Cup semifinal eight times. Glen Gulutzan has reached the Western Conference final zero times. The new coaching change will be something to watch, and hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, hire ‘em.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5, +33)
Hey, look, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Carolina Hurricanes winning a game in the conference finals! The Canes are running it back with the same coach and the same goalie tandem, and it’s either going to prove them right or be certifiably insane.
5. Vegas Golden Knights (50-22-10, +56)
The Knights went big-game hunting again, this time landing Mitch Marner, giving them two elite superstar forwards. We should not forget, however, how much losing Alex Pietrangelo may hurt.
6. Winnipeg Jets (56-22-4, +86)
Always seemingly more than the same of their parts, the Jets face a difficult challenge to repeat as Presidents’ Trophy champions. Only two teams have won back-to-back regular-season titles (Canucks in ’11 and ’12, and Capitals in ’16 and ’17), and they lost Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency and gambled on Jonathan Toews being their No. 2 center.
Jonathan Toews Making Immediate Mark On Winnipeg JetsWhen longtime Chicago Blackhawks star center and captain Jonathan Toews chose to sign with the Winnipeg Jets this summer as part of his NHL comeback, the questions began about how quickly he would make his mark on his new team.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs (52-26-4, +37)
Life after Marner will certainly look different, but this can still be a strong defensive group with a captain who can be a 70-goal threat.
8. Colorado Avalanche (49-29-4, +43)
The last time captain Gabriel Landeskog suited up in the regular season, the Avalanche won the Cup. The revenge tour after coming back from a potentially career-ending injury officially starts now.
9. Washington Capitals (51-22-9, +56)
Just about everything went right for the Capitals in a storybook season. Sometimes, it’s difficult to get back to those emotional highs, and this season may mark the end of an exceptional era with Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson entering the final season of their contracts.
10. Los Angeles Kings (48-25-9, +44)
Speaking of closing chapters, Anze Kopitar’s reign will end after 20 seasons and two Cups. Quinton Byfield is the ordained prince, and all eyes will be on him to carry the torch.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (47-27-8, +75)
Following three straight trips to the finals, the Lightning have bowed out of the first round three straight times. Are they still a juggernaut team that had the misfortune of running into the eventual champions two years in a row, or are their best days over?
12. Minnesota Wild (45-30-7, -11)
A healthy Kirill Kaprizov is enough reason to believe the Wild can be a contender. What’s scary, though, is the lack of an extension after the Wild made it clear they’re willing to make him the league’s highest-paid player.
13. St. Louis Blues (44-30-8, +21)
After Jim Montgomery took over, the Blues had the seventh-best points percentage in the league, and their offense blossomed. If there’s a dark horse in the West, it’s definitely the Blues.
14. New Jersey Devils (42-33-7, +20)
If Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton can stay healthy, the Devils are a contender. But that’s a big if.
15. Ottawa Senators (45-30-7, +9)
A playoff appearance for the first time in eight seasons and the prospect of a new rink closer to downtown? The Senators are rising to power.
16. Montreal Canadiens (40-31-11, -20)
Excluding the pandemic-shortened seasons, the Habs made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. With Lane Hutson, Calder candidate Ivan Demidov and the acquisition of Noah Dobson, the Habs are a young, exciting team whose GM isn’t afraid to take big risks.
Montreal Canadiens' Choice For Their Second-Line Center Raises DoubtsThe Montreal Canadiens had a game-changing off-season.
17. Utah Mammoth (38-31-13, -10)
The Mammoth have massive potential in a very new market, and their offensive talent makes them fun to watch. Ranking fourth in expected goals at 5-on-5, per naturalstattrick.com, but finishing tied for 18th in goals-for per game is a big clue this team will score goals in bunches.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets (40-33-9, +5)
The Jackets are looking to build off a momentous season and finally – after a quarter-century – have unearthed a franchise center in Adam Fantilli. They’re in a major upswing, and the challenge is to keep the momentum going and find a reliable goaltender.
19. New York Rangers (39-36-7, +1)
The Rangers are looking to put a tumultuous season behind them with Mike Sullivan as their new coach, J.T. Miller as captain and a revamped defense that, hopefully, won’t leave Igor Shesterkin out to dry.
20. Vancouver Canucks (38-30-14, -17)
Speaking of tumultuous seasons, no team’s off-ice struggles took more attention away from their on-ice play as much as the Canucks. It was a relatively quiet summer, which means they’re betting on bounce-back seasons from nearly everyone on their roster.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Updates On Canucks' Hughes And Stars' RobertsonVancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn
Hughes and Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson were frequently the
subject of off-season trade speculation.
21. Calgary Flames (41-27-14, -13)
The Flames were surprisingly in playoff contention all season, which put a potential roster overhaul on hold. They will take another wait-and-see approach this season, but the ticking clock is pushing GM Craig Conroy into deciding whether he wants to keep his veteran core or focus on building a new one.
22. Detroit Red Wings (39-35-8, -21)
Will we be speaking of the Yzerplan this time next season? We’ve preached patience, but it’s been nine years since the Red Wings made the playoffs. Their promising young core needs to take a step forward, but can they do so if Steve Yzerman insists on signing veterans who are potentially blocking their paths? It’s a constant battle to decide which stage of the Yzerplan this team is in.
23. New York Islanders (35-35-12, -36)
One of the biggest factors that will determine the Isles’ fortunes this season is Mathew Barzal’s knee. If it holds up, they can form a respectable attack to complement their elite goaltender and a budding franchise defenseman, Matthew Schaefer.
24. Anaheim Ducks (35-37-10, -42)
Joel Quenneville returns to the NHL bench after a lengthy absence, and this is a talented roster that improved by eight wins from the previous season. Keep your head up – not only are the Ducks on the rise, but Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba might form the hardest-hitting right-side defense in the league.
25. Buffalo Sabres (36-39- 7, -20)
A talented roster on paper, but the annual question is if they can put it all together. They can definitely score, and they can somewhat defend, but when you sign Alexandar Georgiev in a panic, it’s not a good sign to start the season.
26. Seattle Kraken (35-41-6, -18)
Are the Kraken running out of patience? They made a big splash in free agency last summer, and coach Dan Bylsma lasted just one season. They’re now onto their third coach, entering their fifth season, and are still nowhere close to being a contender. Fair or not, the Knights set the bar very high for expansion franchises.
27. Boston Bruins (33-39-10, -50)
The Bruins have a lot of players poised for bounce-back seasons, but will it be enough to return to the playoffs? Jeremy Swayman enters the second year of a lucrative eight-year deal, and he’s as vital to their chances as David Pastrnak after allowing a league-high 176 goals last season.
28. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-36-12, -50)
Sidney Crosby will do his darndest to keep the Pens competitive, but they’re obvious sellers at this point with Evgeni Malkin entering the final year of his contract and Erik Karlsson more likely than not to get traded at some point. Could you imagine if the Pens go Lemieux to Crosby to McKenna? Bless.
29. Philadelphia Flyers (33-39-10, -48)
Season 2 of Matvei Michkov should be exciting, but there are still so many holes in this lineup, especially the big gaping one in net. Rick Tocchet returns to Philly, where he had some of his best seasons as a player, and Trevor Zegras is reunited with his good buddy Jamie Drysdale. It’s not always sunny in Philadelphia, but there are definitely fewer dark clouds.
30. Nashville Predators (30-44-8, -60)
The Preds were a disaster last season after many pegged them to have one of the NHL’s best offenses. Barry Trotz joked they’re out to prove the ‘experts’ wrong for the third straight season, which actually means they could go from bad to worse…
31. San Jose Sharks (20-50-12, -105)
The reason why the Sharks aren’t ranked at the bottom after finishing with a league-low 52 points is because they really bolstered their roster with multiple veterans, and their bright future isn’t difficult to see. Macklin Celebrini alone is worth the price of admission, and in the words of Yoda: “We shall watch your career with great interest.”
32. Chicago Blackhawks (25-46-11, -70)
The narrative for Connor Bedard has changed quickly, going from the new face of the league to getting leapfrogged by Celebrini and wondering if he will live up to his potential. We forget that Bedard is just 20 years old and entering his third season, though you wonder how the Hawks are going to provide the support he needs after acquiring only *checks notes* Andre Burakovsky over the summer.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.