NHL Power Rankings: Each Team's Biggest Difference-Maker

The 2026-27 NHL season officially kicked off Tuesday with five games on opening night, and if these early contests were any indication of what is to come, this is going to be another fun, unpredictable year of hockey.

From the Hurricanes' awful performance in their banner-raising season opener, Kirill Marchenko's solid debut for the Maple Leafs, to the Canucks' big upset win against the Oilers, there was a little bit of everything. 

As the season gets underway, this week's power rankings highlights one key player from each team to keep an eye on. 

The Panthers are stacked at every position but the biggest change is in net with Jacob Markstrom, whose second tour is off to a great start with a shutout in the season opener. He wasn’t tested much, however, facing just 15 shots, so the jury’s still out. 

The Hurricanes might've played their worst game of the season and didn’t score a goal, and Logan Stankoven, who begins the first year of an eight-year deal worth $6 million per season, played 19:54 and finished with zero shots and just one hit. After leading the Canes with 11 goals in 19 playoff games, does the undersized center have another level? 

The Golden Knights' power play ranked sixth last season thanks to Pavel Dorofeyev's 20 goals with the man-advantage. Can Victor Olofsson, who scored 13 times in 78 games last season, fill the void in his second Vegas tour? He's off to a great start so far. 

Former Michigan Wolverines captain T.J. Hughes made the team out of camp and he's playing the bumper role on the Avalanche's top power-play unit. Can Hughes, who scored 179 points in 156 games in the NCAA help an Avs power play that was shockingly poor last season?

Chris Kreider joins a young team on the cup of becoming a contender playing on the Canadiens' top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Can Kreider turn back the clock and score 30 goals again?

It's a contract year for Jesper Wallstedt, who is due for a massive raise. The Wild will be shorthanded to begin the season with Brock Faber suffering from a fractured skull after taking a shot to the head, and they'll need Wallstedt to be at his best in a tough Central Division. 

Jason Robertson is eligible to sign a contract extension on Jan. 1, but will he? The difference this team is he'll be a UFA at the end of the season, so the Stars have a big decision to make before the trade deadline. 

Nikita Kucherov is worth the price of admission, but under Julien BriseBois, the key question is always: At what price? It seemed unfathomable the Lightning would let long-time captain and all-time franchise points leader Steven Stamkos walk. As a side note, Kucherov is 14 points away from passing Stamkos for most points with the Lightning.

How about a trio of goalies? With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon both nursing injuries, it means Colten Ellis could be the starter on opening night. The third-round pick from 2019 was a highly-touted prospect before getting plucked off waivers from the Blues, and it'll be interesting how the season unfolds in net and who gets the call in the playoffs. 

Logan Cooley's big eight-year, $80-million extension begins this season. In an era where young players are getting paid sooner, time will tell if Cooley lives up this huge contract. 

JJ Peterka's underlying numbers last season were very good despite a poor overall season with the Mammoth and he’s got the coveted spot in the lineup opposite David Pastrnak. He completely undressed Braden Schneider in the season opener and scored a highlight-reel goal that feels like a harbinger for things to come.

Jakob Chychrun runs the Capitals power play right now but keep an eye on Cole Hutson, who scored 10 points in a 14-game audition last season. Both Cole and brother Lane once led Boston University in scoring. 

After unceremonious exits in Toronto and Columbus, Mike Babcock returns after seven years and brings Cup-winning pedigree behind the Oilers bench. Does that ultimately make the difference this season? Clearly not when Tristan Jarry is your goalie, who drew Bronx cheers 45 minutes into his season debut. 

You can't possibly miss Porter Martone, who is already one of the league's most lauded power forwards. He's the front runner for the Calder this season as the league's top rookie after an unbelievable showing late last season. 

The Devils can score goals, no problem. But can they stop the puck? They enter the season with arguably the weakest tandem in the league with 36-year-old Jake Allen, who is 36-39-4 in two seasons with the Devils, and Nico Daws, who’s getting his first real crack at securing a full-time NHL job. 

The Penguins need to usher in some youth to stay competitive while Sidney Crosby is still around. Two names: Nick Robertson, who has impressed at camp and possesses a scoring touch that has yet to be unlocked, and Sergei Murashov, who might end up their starter after Arturs Silovs struggled in the pre-season. 

William Eklund was brought in to replace Brady Tkachuk and they're big shoes to fill. Re-united with pal Fabian Zetterlund, Eklund has yet to score 20 goals in a season in three full seasons. 

What will Matthew Schaefer do for an encore? Named as one of their four alternate captains this summer, he's the player who can single-handedly change the trajectory of the franchise. He's just the second rookie defenseman to score 20 goals in a season in the cap era since Dion Phaneuf. 

Ivar Stenberg. If he indeed is another elite, franchise-level offensive superstar, the Sharks are going to make mincemeat of the entire league. 

No shortage of really great young players on the Blues, but this could be the start of the Joel Hofer era. It’s a contract year for the 26-year-old while Jordan Binnington enters the final year of his six-year deal. 

Teenagers Roger McQueen and Nikita Klepov made the team out of camp, but it’s up Joel Quenneville to squeeze what he can out of a roster that was depleted of reliable veterans over the summer. This might be the toughest test for the former Jack Adams winner and three-time Cup champion. 

Adam Fantilli signed a big six-year deal and he’ll be the player the Blue Jackets build around long term, but the track record for players who miss camp is not good. Zach Werenski is undoubtedly their best player, but his future with the franchise is uncertain.

How will the franchise and Dylan Larkin handle the noise? The Red Wings are squandering a talented young group that’s taken years to acquire and develop, and the vibes seem like they’re at an all-time low for a franchise that’s missed the playoffs for a decade.

The addition of Gavin McKenna does two things: It buys more time for the Auston Matthews era, who has more one year remaining on his deal after this season, and also provides a player to potentially build around if they want a reset.

But maybe the player who can convince Matthews to stay is Kirill Marchenko, who looked awesome in his Maple Leafs debut.  

In his first season with the Predators, Chris MacFarland has a lot of tough decisions to make with his veterans. Steven Stamkos, Ryan O'Reilly and Roman Josi have one or two seasons left on their contract. It'll be interesting to see what MacFarland's long-term plan will be. 

We keep saying it but it's the same every season: When will Quinton Byfield break out? 

Gabe Perreault scored 19 points in 23 games to close out the 2025-26 season and he's going to begin this season where he left off on a line with Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad. Unfortunately, the offense was again non-existent as it was in last season's opener when they lost 3-0 to the Penguins. 

It's all about the Connor Hellebuyck watch. Two players from recent memory held out for an entire season due to a contract dispute: Alexei Yashin in 1999-00 with the Senators and Mike Peca a year later with the Sabres. Does Hellebuyck become the first in the cap era? 

Jason Botterill promised the Kraken will be more aggressive and make bolder moves to make the team more competitive. He struck out on Artemi Panarin at the deadline last season; who will they go after this year?

Can Elias Pettersson be the two-way, all-star threat he once was? Whether it's mental or physical, whatever ails Pettersson is certainly holding back the Canucks' ability to compete… or trade him. He's on the right track with a goal and two blocks while leading all Canucks forwards in TOI in the opener. 

Zayne Parekh is slated to quarterback the Flames' top power play and he represents the first of a wave of incoming prospects. Matt Coronato, Matvei Gridin, Sam Honzek, Carson Carels and Cole Reschny represent a solid core of young players to potentially build around. 

Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Roman Kantserov and Anton Frondell could form the backbone of the Blackawks offense for the next 15 years, but the season opener against the Golden Knights showed just how far away this team is from competing. 

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