January is a month of extremes in the NHL. By this point in the calendar, the league is fully in the doldrums of the season, where even the most dedicated fan can find it difficult to keep track of everything happening on and off the ice. However, even in a month known for extremes, this week was a weird one.
Where else can you start other than the blowout losses? First, you had the New York Islanders demolish a collapsing New Jersey Devils team 9-0 on Tuesday. Then, the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche (who lost back-to-back games for the first time this season) beat the snot out of the Ottawa Senators 8-2 in a game where the Senators released a statement in the second period about fake online rumors that may have made the situation worse (more on that later). Finally, we ended the week with a 10-2 Boston Bruins beatdown of the New York Rangers, which created some of the funniest stat lines I’ve seen in years.
Also, if you like weird little quirks, Trent Miner of the Colorado Avalanche and Drew Commesso of the Chicago Blackhawks both earned their first career win on Saturday by posting a shutout on the same night. Once again, just an interesting note that feels right in a chaotic January.
These highlighted games are a snippet showcasing how interesting this week has been. With so much happening on and off the ice, it’s difficult not make some big changes in the Rankings. I have to fix a few holdouts at the very least, as I’ve still been living in 2025 for a few teams, and it very much is 2026.
So, with big changes ahead of us, let’s dive into Week 14 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings!
32-22: Devils Having a Season From… You Know
32. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 31)
31. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 23)
30. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 32)
29. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 18)
28. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 26)
27. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 28)
26. Calgary Flames (Previously: 25)
25. New York Rangers (Previously: 19)
24. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 30)
23. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 12)
22. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 29)
To put it simply, the Devils have felt cursed throughout the 2025-26 NHL season. Since losing Jack Hughes to a freak injury in November, the team has just fallen off a cliff. Even when Hughes returned, they have been a disjointed mess that can’t score, defend, or stop a puck.
Off the ice, things might be even worse. Allegedly, general manager Tom Fitzgerald was caught flat-footed when superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes hit the trade market earlier than expected, and his attempts to clear cap space were shut down by players with trade protection. This may have left the team with a bit of a fractured locker room and no superstar defenseman to show for it. With this drama bleeding into the on-ice product, it has made a messy situation look untenable.
Speaking of messy off-ice situations, oh, the Senators. For some reason, I still believed in this team, even a week ago, despite signs pointing to things not being well. Then this week, an online troll account posted a likely fake rumor about the Ottawa locker room, and the franchise made the mistake of taking the bait by issuing an official response to the troll account, creating a Streisand effect.
Now, a rumor that would have been posted, spread by a relatively small number of people, and then forgotten 48 hours later (because the Internet never stops churning) was given a spotlight for the world to see. This was my experience, as I never would have seen the initial troll posting, but now I know all about the alleged drama in Ottawa. Plus, it’s not helping that the franchise is having a down season, as they did not win a game this week, only giving fans more reason to discuss the rumors instead of the on-ice product.
For a few random notes, the Jets lost 10 straight games before winning one, the Ducks have dropped nine in a row, the Rangers haven’t won since the 2026 Winter Classic, and the Mammoth have won their last three. This all seems like a moot point compared to the messes going on for the above two franchises, however.
21-10: Maple Leafs Rebuilding Their Confidence?
21. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 24)
20. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 21)
19. Nashville Predators (Previously: 16)
18. Florida Panthers (Previously: 13)
17. Washington Capitals (Previously: 17)
16. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 11)
15. Boston Bruins (Previously: 20)
14. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 27)
13. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 22)
12. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 10)
11. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 14)
10. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 15)
Back in mid-December, I was fully out on the Maple Leafs. Toronto was a slow team that lacked offensive drive and defensive responsibility, backed up by a battered goaltending corps. After a change behind the bench, they are suddenly playing like the dominant team we thought they could be at both ends of the ice, leading to their best run of the season with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games played. I’m not sure this is sustainable, but at least it’s keeping them in the conversation for the 2026 NHL Playoffs.
For the second straight week, I have to highlight the Pacific Division again, because this is the most frustrating division in the sport. Right now, the Kings and Golden Knights have gained 10 or more loser points this season. Outside of the Pacific, no other team has reached double-digit loser points yet, which is causing things to look a bit skewed overall. I still expect Vegas or Edmonton to decisively take over the division, but neither team has taken that step just yet.
On the ice, I think you can argue that the best team in the Pacific are the Sharks, but they just haven’t been able to farm the loser point enough to take the division over. However, I still stand by that if you haven’t seen a San Jose game this season, they are the most fun team in the league to watch.
9-1: Atlantic Division Rocking the NHL
9. Dallas Stars (Previously: 7)
8. New York Islanders (Previously: 9)
7. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 2)
6. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 8)
5. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 6)
4. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 5)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 4)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 3)
1. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 1)
When it comes to the top of the Ranking this week, I have to give some special attention to the Atlantic Division in general for being the hottest in the sport. The Red Wings are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games played, the Lightning have won nine-straight, the Canadiens are a respectable 6-2-2 and the Sabres have stayed red hot by winning their last three games after having their winning-streak snapped.
Given how shaky the Metropolitan has looked behind the Hurricanes and Islanders, it would not be a shock if the Atlantic claims both wild-card spots in the East. There certainly is enough competition for it to happen.
Surprisingly, the Central Division finds itself in rough shape this week. The Avalanche lost two games in a row for the first time this season (to Atlantic Division teams, nonetheless), but they still maintained their 21-game home point streak, so there’s no concern for their spot in the Rankings. The Stars, however, remained ice-cold, while the Wild have been shaky with a 4-2-4 record in their last 10 games played.
Once again, the loser point is doing a lot of heavy lifting for Dallas and Minnesota, but they are so far ahead of their competition in the Central that there’s no real concern that this slump is anything more than just that, a slump they will work their way out of. However, with the trade market heating up again, it feels like there could be some interesting decisions to make in the coming weeks before and after the Olympic Break.
NHL’s Messy 2025-26 January Continues
In the lead-up to the 2026 Olympic Games, I was expecting all eyes to be focused on Milan and the continued stadium issues that appear to be inching closer to a resolution. However, this did not feel like an average week in January, as the hockey and headlines were some of the most intense in months.
Related: NHL Olympic Roster Freeze Could Ignite Trade Market
With so much hockey ahead of us this week, I expect a lot more noise across the NHL. This has been a truly remarkable season, and it has no signs of slowing down. So, we will keep track of it all and see what happens next in THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings.