Welcome back to THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings! After an incredible 2026 Winter Olympic Games (Congratulations to Team USA after claiming the Men’s and Women’s Gold Medals in hockey), we can now sift through the carnage after the tournament and a near three-week break from NHL action.
While the Olympic tournament was a huge success by all metrics, we did see star players suffer injuries that could affect playoff-bound teams. Some notable injuries include: Kevin Fiala suffering a season-ending injury, Victor Hedman re-aggravating his injury and missing key games for Team Sweden, and Sydney Crosby missing the final two games for Team Canada and at least the next four weeks of the NHL season.
Also, the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is right in front of us now on Mar. 6th. General Managers are already making moves as the roster freeze lifted, but some of the biggest remaining trade targets are still on the board. With this in mind, there’s going to be huge moves in the coming days that could shift the balance of power across the NHL.
So, with the 2026 Olympic Break behind us and the trade deadline mere days away, let’s see what’s changed in Week 18 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings.
32-17: Kraken Struggling to Find Consistency
32. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 32)
31. New York Rangers (Previously: 31)
30. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 30)
29. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 29)
28. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 26)
27. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 23)
26. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 21)
25. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 25)
24. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 24)
23. Florida Panthers (Previously: 20)
22. Calgary Flames (Previously: 28)
21. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 27)
20. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 17)
19. Nashville Predators (Previously: 22)
18. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 18)
17. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 16)
Since the Kraken joined the NHL in the 2021-22 season, it feels like the hockey world has been waiting for the franchise to find something that makes them consistently successful on the ice. While some teams specialize in scoring or developing NHL defensemen, Seattle has remained mostly mediocre in all aspects of their game. For a moment, it felt like goaltending was going to be their key to winning in 2025-26, but even that aspect of the franchise is faltering in recent games.
In their return from the break, Seattle lost two straight games before beating up the lowly Canucks on Saturday. This inconsistency should put their playoffs in jeopardy, but the Pacific Division is still wide open due to terrible play from their peers (more on that later). If the Kraken could win three-straight games, it feels like they would lock in third place in the division and justify buying some more talent in order to get off the playoff bubble.
Speaking of failing to capitalize on their chances, the Kings, Devils, and Sharks all went on losing streaks of five-plus games over the last week or so of games played, which may have pushed all three of these teams from an outside shot at the playoffs to firm 2026 Trade Deadline sellers. This is a big disappointment for all three franchises, but at least San Jose waren’t expected to be there just yet. L.A., however, recently bought big by acquiring Artemi Panarin, but an Olympic injury for Fiala may push back their playoff goals for another season.
In fact, while I was prepping this article, the Kings fired their head coach, Jim Hiller, so if that’s not a sign that things are not going well in L.A. right now, then I don’t know what to tell you. The team clearly believes it should be a playoff contender, and perhaps a new coach bump will be enough to get them into at least third place in the weak Pacific Division.
16-10: Capitals Have Difficult NHL Trade Deadline Decisions
16. Washington Capitals (Previously: 19)
15. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 11)
14. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 14)
13. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 12)
12. Boston Bruins (Previously: 10)
11. New York Islanders (Previously: 15)
10. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 13)
Heading into the 2025-26 NHL season, I expected the Capitals to be a playoff contender. Sure, they probably wouldn’t be able to replicate the prior year’s success when everything went right, but they still should have firmly been a top-three team in the Metropolitan Division. However, things have been a bit mixed, and they find themselves six points back on the Islanders despite playing one more game. This has put Washington in that weird spot where they can still make the playoffs, but they also need things outside their control to fall their way. Due to this, it’s hard to predict what they could do next at the deadline, if anything.
In general, the teams in the middle of the Rankings have started to separate themselves from the bottom. The Ducks have pushed the Oilers out of second place in the Pacific Division, and if they keep this up, they may be able to grab the division from a middling Golden Knights team.
I’m also fairly impressed by the Mammoth, who are doing what they need to keep hold of the first Wild-Card in the Western Conference. This team really feels like it is coming together, and they have the assets to take a big swing at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. If they make the right moves, they may be able to lock their playoff spot down and bring postseason hockey to Utah.
9-1: Hurricanes Keep Pushing the NHL’s Best
9. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 8)
8. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 7)
7. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 9)
6. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 4)
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 3)
4. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 5)
3. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 1)
2. Dallas Stars (Previously: 6)
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 2)
Heading into the Olympic break, the Hurricanes were one of the hottest teams in the league. Impressively, they have managed to maintain this run, as they are now 8-0-2 in their last ten games played, including a big win over the Lightning, who were the previous best team in the league.
It’s also worth pointing out that Carolina has a war chest of picks and cap space available to make a blockbuster deal should they choose to do so this week, meaning they could significantly augment this already talented core of talent. Keep an eye out for the Hurricanes, as they can shake up the NHL off the ice in the coming days.
For the remaining teams at the top of the Rankings, it feels like the coming days will be about finding ways to open up cap space while justifying trading future assets to win now. Everyone here should have a clear path to the 2026 Playoffs, barring an unexpected turn of events, so it’s more about building your best path forward.
Really, I am most excited to see what the Sabres and Red Wings do this week, as it has been a long time since either team has been a pure buyer at the deadline. I could see these franchises taking at least one big swing to shore up their rosters to go on a deep playoff run. They have the assets and prospect pool to do so, after all, so why not take a swing now if the right player is available?
2026 NHL Trade Deadline Is Here
There is arguably no more exciting time on the NHL calendar than trade deadline week. Every minute that moves us closer to Friday could hold that franchise-altering deal to either prepare for a playoff push or accelerate a rebuild.
Related: 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
I expect a lot to happen in the coming days that will shift the balance of power across the NHL. Hopefully, general managers will get creative and give us some unique deals to really bring together the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Make sure to keep an eye on THW to see all the news as it breaks and be prepared for a fun few days watching the trade boards!
