Jason Chen is kicking off his weekly NHL Power Rankings series for the 2026-27 season with an early look at how each team stacks up after a busy summer.
Welcome back to The Hockey News power rankings for the 2026-27 season.
Every Wednesday, all 32 teams are ranked based on their weekly performance with the goal of figuring out which teams are trending up or down.
In the pre-season edition of the power rankings, we ranked all 32 teams into the following tiers:
Tier 1 – Elite Cup Contender
Legitimate championship-caliber team with excellent top-end talent, good depth, solid defense and reliable goaltending. Past playoff experience matters.
Tier 2 – Cup Contender
Stanley Cup-winning potential and could win if things break right. May have one or two weaknesses or uncertainties, either with its roster or past experience.
Tier 3 – Strong Playoff Contender
Expected to make the playoffs and potentially capable of making a deep run.
Tier 4 – Playoff Contender
Expected to compete for a playoff spot and may win a round, but face significant hurdles in making the next rounds.
Tier 5 – Bubble / Wild Card
Could make the playoffs, but need outstanding seasons from key players or good luck.
Tier 6 – Lottery-Bound
Rebuilding or not expected to challenge for a playoff berth.
This pre-season edition ranks teams based on their performance last season and also takes into account the moves they’ve made during the off-season.
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Season: 53-22-7, +113 Goal Differential)
As is tradition with every pre-season edition of the power rankings, the Hurricanes rank No. 1 as the defending Cup champions. Given the relatively weak competition in the Metro, the Hurricanes should capture their fourth division title in six seasons and also enter the season with the best Cup chances (tied with the Panthers) based on BetMGM odds.
Status: Elite Cup Contender
2. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, +15)
Ryan Craig is a rookie NHL head coach but expectations are high for last season's Western Conference champion. The Golden Knights' march to glory will be easy, too, with four Pacific Division teams ranked in the bottom 10 of the power rankings.
Status: Elite Cup Contender
3. Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, +99)
The reigning Presidents' Trophy winner ran out of steam by the conference final. They’ll be contenders once again, but the question is if Nathan MacKinnon has the patience to pace himself and save his best for June.
Status: Elite Cup Contender
4. Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, +27)
The Canadiens were clearly a tier below the Hurricanes but they're one year wiser and recently added Chris Kreider, who brings invaluable experience and leadership as the oldest player on the roster. They're the league's best up-and-coming team, and with a little more playoff experience should join Carolina, Vegas and Colorado as elite Cup contenders before long.
Status: Cup Contender
5. Minnesota Wild (46-24-12, +32)
Even with the amount of uncertainty going forward – will Quinn Hughes re-sign? – the Wild are an in an excellent spot with elite talent at all positions. They're a contender, but it's a process; after advancing past the first round, the next immediate challenge is to advance past the second round.
Status: Cup Contender
6. Dallas Stars (50-20-12, +53)
It's a little scary that one of the five 50-win teams that finished ninth in goals for per game and second in power play efficiency believes they can get even better. Three of the top six teams on this list are in the Central; perhaps no race is more important than winning the division title and thereby avoiding a first-round matchup against a contender.
Status: Cup Contender, Borderline Elite Cup Contender
7. Florida Panthers (40-38-4, -25)
The Panthers finished 25th in the standings last season but no one in their right mind would think they're anything other than an elite Cup contender. Aleksander Barkov is healthy and that is the biggest difference.
Status: Elite Cup Contender
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, +59)
Somehow, the Lighting just keep managing to do it season after season. They added depth at all positions and a bounce-back season from Brayden Point will make a difference, too.
Status: Elite Cup Contender
9. Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, +47)
The scariest part of the Sabres (and the Wild) is their GM isn't afraid to make big, bold moves. Making the playoffs was a huge milestone but more patience and experience might be required to have sustained success in the playoffs. Fourth-line center Sam Carrick is their 'elder statesman' at 34; no one else is older than 28.
Status: Strong Playoff Contender
10. Edmonton Oilers (41-30-11, +13)
How big is the Mike Babcock bump? Any team that employs Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are Cup contenders. The question is to what degree, especially if they’re going to play fewer minutes because the rest of the team looks pretty similar; their forward depth, top-four defense and goaltending are still big question marks.
Status: Cup Contender
11. Utah Mammoth (43-33-6, +28)
They have elite talent and acquired a few important veterans over the past year-and-half. This will be Andre Tourigny’s seventh season behind the bench, and while their point totals have improved every single season, you wonder if his six career playoff games worth of experience is enough to take them to the next level.
Status: Strong Playoff Contender
12. Washington Capitals (43-30-9, +19)
The Capitals made some big moves over the summer, both figuratively and literally with Alex Tuch (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) and Boone Jenner (6-foot-2, 204 pounds). This is still Alex Ovechkin's team, but his surrounding cast is really good. The big question is the lack of quality depth and a shutdown defender on their back end.
Status: Strong Playoff Contender, Borderline Cup Contender
13. Boston Bruins (45-27-10), +22)
Marco Sturm did a really great job as a rookie head coach, but without another game-breaking player, how good can the Bruins really be? David Pastrnak has scored 145 more points than the next highest-scoring Bruin over the past three seasons.
Status: Playoff Contender
14. Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12, +7)
The Flyers are on an upswing but still in the latter phases of their rebuild and won't be a Cup contender until they add more pieces, while waiting for Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov to realize their full potential.
Status: Playoff Contender
15. New Jersey Devils (42-37-3, -24)
Not trying to be sarcastic, but goaltending is not going to be the Devils' strong suit. Either they dominate puck possession and their goalies never have to face any shots, or they try and outscore their problems and win every game 6-4. Jack Hughes has to stay healthy.
Status: Borderline Strong Playoff Contender
16. Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16, +25)
Ranked 16th, it's a slight disservice to a team that finished 10th in the standings and still has Sidney Crosby playing at an elite level, but the Penguins overachieved last season. They're stuck in a pretty difficult situation where they have to compete while they still have Crosby and therefore cannot do a hard reset.
Status: Playoff Contender
17. Ottawa Senators (44-27-11, +32)
Even if Brady Tkachuk's podcast was a distraction, his void will be very difficult to fill on the Senators. How reliable will Linus Ullmark be? In 11 NHL seasons, he's never played more than 50 games in a season and since leaving Boston has had some erratic performances.
Status: Playoff Contender
18. New York Islanders (43-34-5, -8)
It's easy to get excited about Matthew Schaefer, but the Islanders need more. Their roster skews old and remains saddled with some onerous Lamoriello-era contracts.
Status: Bubble / Wild Card, Borderline Playoff Contender
19. San Jose Sharks (39-35-8, -41)
They're on a Habs-like trajectory but a few years behind. The revamped defensive core alone should improve their prospects immensely, especially against such a weak division.
Status: Bubble / Wild Card, Borderline Playoff Contender
20. St. Louis Blues (37-33-12, -27)
On paper, the Blues roster looks very strong with high-upside young players all in the midst or entering their primes. Jim Montgomery needs to coax more offense out of this group and Joel Hofer needs to establish himself as the clear No. 1.
Status: Playoff contender, Bubble / Wild Card
21. Anaheim Ducks (43-33-6, -15)
Coming off a chaotic summer where their cap structure and resulting roster was completely decimated by a single offer sheet, the Ducks enter the season with less certainty than last year. The top of the lineup looks good, but Joel Quenneville has to figure out a way to compete despite a lack of quality depth.
Status: Playoff Contender
22. Columbus Blue Jackets (40-30-12, Even)
There are so many questions concerning Zach Werenski's future, Adam Fantilli's contract status, and a head coach who came out of retirement who already sounds like he's losing patience. The Jackets must avoid a poor start.
Status: Bubble / Wild Card
23. Detroit Red Wings (41-31-10, -17)
Good on both sides to be professional about the whole thing, but Dylan Larkin’s future will hang like a dark cloud as long as the ex-captain remains a Red Wing. We’ve said this many times, but this time it feels truer than ever – this is a pivotal season in the Yzerman era.
Status: Playoff contender, Bubble / Wild card
24. Toronto Maple Leafs (32-36-14, -46)
There's a wide range of outcomes for the Maple Leafs and a lot of it will hinge on keeping a very old defense and goaltending healthy and fresh, along with Auston Matthews' ability to be an elite goal-scorer again. Ultimately, it's still tough to say if the Maple Leafs will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline at this point.
Status: Playoff Contender
25. Nashville Predators (38-34-10, -22)
This aging roster is not a one-summer fix, though Chris MacFarland has made some pretty big changes already. Time will tell if trading Luke Evangelista was the right long-term move, but there is some sneaky potential here with Matthew Wood and Mavrik Bourque.
Status: Bubble / Wild Card
26. Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20, -22)
The Kings were lucky to even be in the playoff race, collecting more loser points than anybody and ranked third-last (!) in regulation wins. Can Peter Laviolette turn things around or has the new era passed him by and the roster too thin to compete? At some point, Quinton Byfield has to break out and become the No. 1 center.
Status: Bubble / wild card.
27. New York Rangers (34-39-9, -12)
It was a pretty messy season, culminating in trading away Artemi Panarin, who leaves as one of the best Rangers ever in the modern era. A settled dressing room, a healthy roster, and some intriguing prospects gives the Rangers a chance to exceed expectations.
Status: Playoff Contender
28. Winnipeg Jets (35-35-12, -29)
All bets are off if Connor Hellebuyck doesn't play, and considering how measured the Jets have been in the past with trades, don't be surprised if they drag this out until they get an offer of their liking. Without Hellebuyck, the Jets are closer to the lottery than the playoffs. It's not entirely his fault, but Scott Arniel's seat feels pretty hot already.
Status: Bubble / Wild Card
29. Seattle Kraken (34-37-11, -37)
The least interesting team in the league is basically running it back with the same roster. The Kraken promised to be bolder under a new regime, but it’s still the same ol’. If you’re not improving, you’re falling behind.
Status: Bubble / Wild Card, Borderline Lottery-Bound
30. Chicago Blackhawks (29-39-14, -62)
Maybe if Connor Bedard was healthy it would be different, but so much hinges on Roman Kantserov and Anton Frondell having spectacular rookie seasons, and for Bowen Byram to establish himself as a No. 1 defenseman for them to play meaningful games in April. The worst thing the Blackhawks can do is become stagnant, and there’s a slight danger it will happen this season.
Status: Lottery-Bound
31. Calgary Flames (34-39-9, -47)
They were the most offensively-challenged team last season, the seventh-worst in the past five seasons in the cap era, and might be even worse this season. There is, however, a sense of optimism with a core group of prospects who are making a difference already.
Status: Lottery-Bound
32. Vancouver Canucks (25-49-8, -100)
No more drama, hopefully. There's something to be said about a team being better than the sum of its parts if everyone's pulling in the same direction. Don't be surprised if the Canucks are better than you think… but that's also like saying instead of losing 50 games they might only lose 40.
Status: Lottery-Bound
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. 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 or creating your own post in our community forum.
