An unfortunate side effect of the condensed 2025-26 NHL regular season schedule due to the 2026 Olympic Games is injuries. Even in the best of times, hockey is a violent sport that will cause injuries throughout a grueling 82-game season, but when you have tired teams traveling to play three to four games a week, with typically at least one back-to-back in that mix, the odds of injury go way up.
Despite knowing that injuries were going to play a major factor this season, I can’t help but feel like this was a particularly brutal week. For starters, some superstar names suffering injuries included Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes, who suffered a freak accident off the ice. Other key players missing time this week included Thatcher Demko, Charlie McAvoy, Nick Foligno, Valeri Nichushkin, Tomas Harley, Victor Hedman, and Drew Doughty, just to pick a few names off the list.
All this to say, many games haven’t reflected the best each team has to offer from their core rosters. Many teams are dipping heavily into their AHL depth, and, somewhat understandably, that is causing mixed results on the scoresheet. This has also created trivia nights while watching games, as I’ve had to ask multiple times, “Who is that?” after a big goal.
However, despite all the injuries, the NHL season doesn’t stop. You have to be ready for the next man on your roster to step up at any time, and some franchises are still finding ways to thrive in this scenario, while others are floundering. So, with an injury-riddled week behind us, let’s look at Week 6 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings.
32-25: Meltdown Time For the Maple Leafs
32. Calgary Flames (Previously: 31)
31. Nashville Predators (Previously: 32)
30. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 30)
29. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 20)
28. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 29)
27. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 25)
26. Washington Capitals (Previously: 24)
25. Florida Panthers (Previously: 23)
Since the start of the 2025-26 NHL season, no team has looked less impressive than the Maple Leafs. Sure, they lost a major piece of their core this offseason, but they still had a roster that I thought was solid on paper, especially if one or two of their offseason trades paid off. However, at no point this season has the team looked slightly on the same page, as they have been terrible offensively, defensively, and in the net.
I have been slightly overrating them based on past experiences, but this recent five-game losing streak has finally given me all the ammunition I needed to drop them back into the bottom of the Rankings. At this rate, they may be there a while.
Speaking of teams I overrated heading into the 2025-26 NHL season, the Canucks and Capitals are both having miserable starts through their first roughly 20 games, with each team near the bottom of the standings. The Capitals are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games played, while the Canucks are 4-4-2. With a stretch of poor play like this, it’s very possible that both of these teams miss the playoffs this season, which would be a real shock for Washington after their nearly perfect season last year. However, things change fast in sports.
24-10: Golden Knights Struggling Early
24. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 17)
23. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 28)
22. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 21)
21. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 16)
20. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 15)
19. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 19)
18. New York Rangers (Previously: 27)
17. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 26)
16. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 12)
15. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 6)
14. New York Islanders (Previously: 22)
13. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 13)
12. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 9)
11. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 18)
10. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 11)
It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking that a player or team that started the season hot will continue to play at that same level all 82 games, especially when you don’t watch that team on a regular basis. This can create a scenario where you have to adjust your expectations, because that team 20 games into the season can be very different than they were, say, eight games in.
This season, the Golden Knights are that team for me. Through the first two weeks, they were the most offensively gifted team, Jack Eichel was going to win the Hart Trophy, and the race for the Pacific Division was going to be locked up by the new year. However, Vegas have gone 3-3-4 in their last 10 games, and they are just hemorrhaging chances at an alarming rate. Simply put, I never expected this franchise to be outside a playoff spot anytime this season, and while I think they work their way back in again, it’s still a shock to see them on the outside at any point.
I also have to put some respect on the New York Islanders, who are surging up the standings and my Rankings after a solid four-game winning streak (which ended on Sunday). Every week, Matthew Schaefer sets a record, and the once offensively dull franchise has a shine to them I haven’t seen in a few years. I’m not sure if it can be sustained all season, but they are a surprisingly fun team to watch that could continue to raise the bar each night.
Other teams I’m struggling to place this week are the Kraken, Red Wings, Rangers, and Flyers. The Kraken feel like a middle-of-the-road team playing in a bad division, so their point totals may be a bit inflated. The Rangers got their first home win of the season this week and went briefly on the road to roaring success. Philadelphia is doing just enough to keep their head above water, while Detroit blew a three-goal lead to the Sabres to mark a stretch of play where they went 1-3-1 before beating New York on Sunday.
Overall, I think all of these teams still have to prove that they should be considered contenders, since they simply haven’t played consistently this season.
9-1: Veteran Teams Returning to the NHL’s Top
9. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 5)
8. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 2)
7. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 7)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 4)
5. Boston Bruins (Previously: 8)
4. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 14)
3. Dallas Stars (Previously: 10)
2. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 3)
1. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 1)
This week felt like revenge for some of the older teams in the NHL that looked out of it three weeks ago. In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, the Kings and Bruins took over first place in their respective divisions, on the back of all-around great play at all ends of the ice.
Unlike some of the young franchises that broke into the top of these Rankings in recent weeks, I look at these two teams and see more than just a handful of good games that will quickly regress. These teams are filled with talent who know how to win, even if they struggled out of the gate. Now, if L.A. can just clean up their home record, they may be the best team in the NHL.
When it comes to teams returning to reality, the Canadiens and Ducks both hit a bit of a speed bump this week. After hot starts, these teams suffered three-game losing streaks, which will happen, especially with young rosters who are still finding their way through the rigors of a full NHL season. I still think both teams can recover and stay in the hunt for their respective division titles, but this is just a reminder that it is incredibly difficult to keep winning all season long.
Finally, until the Avalanche lose another game in regulation, they will remain at the top of the Rankings. With a record of 8-0-2 in their last 10 games played, this team is dismantling the best the NHL has to offer, and they look unstoppable through their first 19 games of the season.
20 Game Mark Approaching Across the NHL
I think we can officially say that it is no longer early in the NHL season. Over the next week, most teams will play their 20th game, and with American Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s going to be hard to ignore where teams are at in the standings, both positively and negatively.
Related: Maple Leafs Can’t Trade Their Way Out of This Mess
For some franchises, the next seven to ten days may decide the near future, as I could see coaching changes or a potential big trade coming down before the end of the month. Last season, teams didn’t wait to make changes, after all, and for some, those big swings paid off. The NHL is a copycat league, and with little patience for losing, there’s no reason to believe teams will stand idle for long.