NHL Power Rankings: Reflecting on preseason expectations as playoffs approach; Maple Leafs lived up to hype

Maple Leafs
(6) The Leafs remained one of the league’s best teams for most of the season. The Core Four was superb, and Matthew Knies broke out as a young star. Toronto also got consistent goaltending from Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. Now, the Leafs go into the playoffs with high expectations. What could go wrong? 3 51-26-4
2

Golden Knights
(5) It took a while for the Golden Knights to get rolling, but they have played very well down the stretch. The key there is the performance of Adin Hill, who was pretty shaky for the first half of the season. Over the last few months, Hill has started to look more like the player who led Vegas to a Cup in 2023. — 49-22-10
3

Jets
(7) The Jets got great seasons out of two key veterans — Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor — as well as strong showings from Gabe Vilardi and Nik Ehlers. That said, don’t be mistaken about who drives the bus. Connor Hellebuyck is about to win another Vezina Trophy, and the team will go as far as he takes it. 2 55-22-4
4

Kings
(20) I was very skeptical about Los Angeles after a quiet offseason and a so-so start. After three straight first-round losses to the Oilers, the Kings seemed to have plateaued. Then the offense started to click down the stretch, and Darcy Kuemper played like a Vezina candidate. Now we’re going to get Round 4 between the Kings and Oilers, and it might finally end differently. 3 48-24-9
5

Lightning
(13) As it turns out, the Lightning may just never slow down. They made a tough decision to part with Steven Stamkos and bring in Jake Guentzel last summer, but that now looks very wise. Brandon Hagel stepped up for a 90-point season. Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are still the best of the best at their positions. Tampa’s championship window is still wide open. 1 47-26-8
6

Avalanche
(15) The Avalanche underwent major facelifts and really improved their championship outlook between opening night and the trade deadline. Colorado completely changed its crease, traded a former 50-goal scorer and replaced both middle-six centers. Oh, and the Avs still have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar at the height of their powers. 5 49-29-4
7

Stars
(1) The No. 1 ranking looked like it was going to hold for a long time, but Dallas has stumbled at the finish line. The forward group is still the deepest in the NHL, and Jake Oettinger is capable of backstopping the Stars to a Cup. The only question is the health of Miro Heiskanen because Dallas has serious depth issues on the blue line without him. 4 50-25-6
8

Senators
(17) After betting on the Senators to take a big step forward last year, I took a wait-and-see approach to them in 2024-25. Well, the young core has finally come together and ended the playoff drought. Of course, the stabilizing presence of Linus Ullmark in net had as much to do with that as anything. 3 44-30-7
9

Panthers
(4) The reigning champs haven’t always had an easy road. They’ve battled injuries and suspensions to key players, in addition to losing Brandon Montour to free agency last summer. Despite that, the Panthers seem to be getting a little healthier, and all the pieces are still in place for them to make a deep postseason run. 4 47-31-4
10

Capitals
(22) The Capitals went from a team that barely made the playoffs with a minus-37 goal differential last year to winning the top seed in the East this year. A lot of things have gone right in Washington this season, including Alex Ovechkin lighting up the scoreboard. The Caps have been trending in the wrong direction of late, so we’ll see whether they can recapture the magic in the playoffs. 2 51-21-9
11

Hurricanes
(10) There have been times where I thought the Hurricanes were among the four or five best teams in the NHL. Then there have been other times where they’ve looked destined for another second-round exit. As usual, the biggest concern for the Canes will be scoring, and they’ll have to find offense without Martin Necas or Mikko Rantanen. 1 47-28-5
12

Oilers
(8) I always assumed the Oilers would enter juggernaut mode at some point, but it just didn’t happen. The depth scoring never came together, and Stuart Skinner has taken a step back. To top it all off, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman are nursing injuries while Mattias Ekholm has been ruled out for the first round. Getting back to the Final will be a tall task. 2 47-29-5
13

Blues
(24) I was way off on the Blues, but in all fairness, I didn’t realize the Bruins would be shortsighted enough to fire one of the NHL’s best coaches in the middle of the season. Jim Montgomery has completely transformed this St. Louis team, as had Dylan Holloway. Now, the Blues are knocking on the door of clinching a playoff spot. 4 44-30-8
14

Devils
(3) Even before Jack Hughes got hurt, the Devils rarely looked like a top-three Stanley Cup favorite. Timo Meier has been inconsistent, Brett Pesce has had a tough time adjusting to his new surroundings and Luke Hughes has looked like a 21-year-old too often. Now, without Hughes or Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey enters the playoffs as a clear underdog. 2 42-32-7
15

Canadiens
(28) The Canadiens’ rebuild got quite a spark this season with Lane Hutson emerging as a future superstar on the blue line. Hutson leads all rookies with 65 points, and he’s a big reason why Montreal is in the playoff mix. This roster still needs some work to reach true contender status, but this season has already been a major leap forward. — 39-31-11
16

Hockey Club
(9) I may have been a year too early on the Utah Hockey Club, but I won’t be hopping off the bandwagon in the offseason. There’s a lot to like about a gifted young team, but they were just a tier below true playoff-caliber teams. Add one more top-six forward and a top-four defenseman, and Utah will be hard to ignore in 2025-26. 2 38-31-13
17

Wild
(18) It’s hard to evaluate the Wild because it seemed like at least one star player was on the shelf all year. When everyone was healthy, Minnesota exceeded my expectations, but those injuries led to the team struggling over the last couple months. Now that Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are back, I’d expect a competitive series against Vegas. — 45-30-7
18

Flames
(21) The fact that the Flames hung in the playoff race as long as they did is impressive. Ryan Huska deserves some level of consideration for the Jack Adams Award. It was nice to see Jonathan Huberdeau bounce back, and Dustin Wolf is going to be one of the game’s great goalies very soon. Unfortunately for Calgary, this team is still due for a step back next season. 2 40-27-14
19

Blue Jackets
(31) As of Wednesday morning, the Blue Jackets are still in the playoff race. That’s truly astounding, especially considering the hand they were dealt before the season. I didn’t think Columbus could climb out of eighth place in the Metro, let alone contend for a playoff spot. Thanks to big years from Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko and some young prospects, the Jackets still have hope. 6 39-33-9
20

Canucks
(11) The Canucks appeared to be on the cusp of Cup contention after a second-round loss to the Oilers in 2024, but the vibes were putrid right out of the gates. There’s just no other way to say it. Two of Vancouver’s best players were beefing, and just about every impact player experienced a drop-off in production. 1 38-29-14
21

Red Wings
(25) Detroit’s 25-year playoff streak ended in 2016, and the team hasn’t been back since. The Red Wings just extended their postseason drought to nine seasons, and GM Steve Yzerman will face real questions this summer. His rebuild has to show returns soon, especially with the Canadiens and Senators on the rise. 2 38-35-7
22

Rangers
(2) On Nov. 20, the Rangers were 12-4-1, the fifth-best record in the NHL. Since then, New York has gone 26-32-6. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad fell off a cliff. Alexis Lafreniere regressed. The defense (outside of Adam Fox) was a complete mess. What an implosion by a team tabbed as a preseason Cup contender. 1 38-36-7
23

Sabres
(26) The Sabres have endured the exact same season every year for almost a decade now. Some young skill players give fans hope, but catastrophic flaws on the roster prevent the team from leveling up. Buffalo needs a big offseason if it’s going to turn the tide and get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. 1 35-39-7
24

Islanders
(16) Speaking of teams that have gotten stale, the Islanders are in a similar position as the Sabres, but at least they’ve had recent trips to the conference finals. The Isles’ main problem is that they’ve been devoid of elite offensive skill since John Tavares left for Toronto. Maybe this disappointment will trigger some change on Long Island. 4 35-34-12
25

Ducks
(30) There was some progress amongst the Ducks’ NHL prospects, like Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe. But the result was about the same. Anaheim has intriguing players, but the focus this summer has to be on surrounding them with impact veterans. There are still holes up and down this roster. 1 35-37-9
26

Flyers
(27) This was about what was expected from the Flyers. Matvei Michkov inserted himself into the thick of the Calder Trophy race, and the rest of the roster showed quite a bit of fight for a while. What I did not foresee was John Tortorella getting fired late. I thought he would be in Philly to complete the rebuild and return the team to contender status. 2 33-38-10
27

Kraken
(23) The first year of the Dan Bylsma era in Seattle didn’t provide many reasons for optimism. The five-on-five numbers were horrid. The Kraken’s two big free agent acquisitions flopped. Matty Beniers’ struggles continue. Where is this team going right now? It seems directionless. 1 35-41-6
28

Penguins
(19) How about that Sidney Crosby? He’s amazing. The rest of the team, not so much. But Crosby is still playing at an extremely high level. Fix the goaltending. Find a defenseman or two. Add some scoring up front. Get Crosby back to the playoffs in 2026. 1 33-36-12
29

Bruins
(12) The Bruins took as big a tumble as any team this season. Going from a perennial Atlantic Division contender to draft lottery hopefuls. The front office has made some truly puzzling decisions over the last year, including a pair of ill-advised big free agent contracts and the firing of Jim Montgomery. — 33-39-10
30

Blackhawks
(29) There weren’t too many positives to take from this Blackhawks’ season other than Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov showed flashes in their stints with the team. Oh well, back to hoping the ping pong balls bounce the right way. 1 25-46-11
31

Predators
(14) After the most expensive summer in franchise history, the Predators turned in the second worst season in franchise history. Nashville cratered right out of the gate and never even came close to playoff contention. Do the Preds run it back with this same core? Do they even have a choice? 1 29-44-8
32

Sharks
(32) Frankly, this season was kind of a win for the Sharks. Macklin Celebrini looked terrific, and Will Smith showed some progress. William Eklund also made positive strides. Even with those reasons for optimism, the team performed poorly enough to be in the driver’s seat for two consecutive No. 1 overall picks. — 20-49-12