For those of you keeping an eye on the calendar, this week is American Thanksgiving! Traditionally, this holiday marks a perfect point on the schedule when you could say that we were no longer in the early season, but in that second quarter, when hot or slow starts really begin paying off. Typically, 77 percent of teams in a playoff spot at the start of Thanksgiving go on to make the postseason.
However, this would be in a normal NHL season… but 2025-26 is far from typical. Due to a condensed schedule caused by the 2026 Olympic Games, things feel a bit more jumbled. Injuries are ripping through the league, and it feels like the gap between the best and worst teams is much smaller than normal in the East and much larger in the West.
With everything in mind, there’s still a lot to take from the standings. For example, as of Nov. 24th, the best team in the East (Carolina Hurricanes) and the worst team (Toronto Maple Leafs) are separated by 9 points. Out West, that gap is a chasm between the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators, who have 21 points of separation.
I’m going to hold off on making any big predictions until we know exactly what the standings look like coming out of American Thanksgiving, but I’m already seeing some big storylines that will shape the rest of the season. From teams powering their way to the top of the standings, or crashing down them, there’s going to be a lot to unpack. So, let’s take a look at Week 7 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings.
32-22: I’m Done With the Rangers
32. Nashville Predators (Previously: 31)
31. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 27)
30. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 30)
29. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 29)
28. Calgary Flames (Previously: 32)
27. New York Rangers (Previously: 18)
26. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 28)
25. Florida Panthers (Previously: 25)
24. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 17)
23. Washington Capitals (Previously: 26)
22. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 20)
Fool me once, shame on me… Last week, I promoted the Rangers out of the bottom of the Rankings after they had a great week with wins at home and on the road, which made me think that they were moving out of their early-season funk. Well, they returned the favor by putting together a terrible week of hockey, where they lost four games in a row.
This included games where key players put together embarrassing performances, including this absolute joke of a shift by J.T. Miller that caught fire on social media. It’s hard not to feel a bit burned right now, as I wanted to believe New York would be a playoff contender with their strong roster, but that just hasn’t come to fruition.
When it comes to the mainstays on this section of the Rankings, the Flames, Predators, Blues, Canucks, Maple Leafs, and Sabres all feel pretty set in this section. Yes, the Flames won three-straight games, but two of those wins came against teams in the bottom of the Rankings, so it feels like more of a symptom of their matchups than a sign of future success. However, this winning streak may have fooled their management, who are rethinking trading key pieces off their roster. Sure…
Speaking of, I am excited to start hearing trade rumors early this season. While I don’t expect Auston Matthews to be moved (Even if the conversation is starting), Kiefer Sherwood could be a blockbuster target to emerge after his strong start. Keep an eye on this in the coming weeks.
21-8: Canadiens Hit an Early Season Wall
21. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 22)
20. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 9)
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 13)
18. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 10)
17. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 24)
16. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 7)
15. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 19)
14. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 16)
13. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 15)
12. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 21)
11. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 4)
10. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 12)
9. New York Islanders (Previously: 14)
8. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 11)
One of the big stories from the first 15 games or so of the 2025-26 NHL Season were the Montreal Canadiens. The surging franchise got out to a hot start after making the 2025 Playoffs, and they looked like they might be the team to beat in the Atlantic Division. However, a five-game losing streak this week capped off a 3-4-3 stretch where they suffered numerous major injuries.
If not for a dominant win against the moribund Maple Leafs, things would look even worse for Montreal. But for now, the Canadiens need to rebuild and get back to their winning ways if they hope to keep up in the playoff hunt.
Another struggling team are the Jets, who were already having a relatively tough season before they lost 2025 Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck for three to four weeks. This sort of injury will complicate even the best teams, so now we have to see if Winnipeg can keep up without one of their star players.
There are a lot of great teams in the middle of the Rankings, however. The Islanders, in particular, are putting together an incredible November. A few weeks ago, they looked a bit lost on the ice, but now find themselves second-overall in the Eastern Conference. Also, I wanted to highlight Matthew Schaefer for being one of the best stories of the NHL this season, both on and off the ice, with his recent tribute to his mom. This young man is going to be a Superstar and could become one of the faces of hockey.
7-1: Wild Return to the Top of the NHL
7. Boston Bruins (Previously: 5)
6. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 2)
5. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 23)
4. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 8)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 6)
2. Dallas Stars (Previously: 3)
1. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 1)
Sometimes, I’ll admit, I’ll have favorites heading into the NHL season. For example, the Wild were eighth in my first Rankings of the season, as I thought they would be a Stanley Cup contender. However, they had a terrible few weeks, and fell all the way down to the low 20s with a five-game losing streak. Due to this, I tried not to overreach after they looked great in a few games coming out of that stretch.
Well, I’m ready to overreact now. Over their last 10 games played, however, Minnesota have been one of the best teams in the league, going 8-1-1 along with a five-game winning streak. Not only that, but they have shut out four of their last seven opponents, and Jesper Wallstedt has taken over their net with a 6-0-2 record and a .935 save percentage. Some real rockstar stuff from the rookie netminder.
Elsewhere, the Avalanche continue wreaking havoc across the NHL. They still have only one loss in regulation, and as such, they will remain at the top of the Rankings. Easy.
The Hurricanes and Stars are both racking up points as well, with big point streaks and all-around great play (minus this bad situation) that you would expect from two of the best teams in the league. In another season, it would be competitive at the top of the standings, but Colorado is just that much better than everyone else right now, and it’s not really even close.
American Thanksgiving Creating NHL Deadlines
While American Thanksgiving may not be an official deadline on the NHL calendar, it feels like it could be a true point of reflection this season. Injuries are rocking the league, and there are unexpected struggling teams that could be looking to make midseason changes to their rosters.
Related: NHL Rumours: Svechnikov Unhappy, Texier to Habs & Carlo’s Value
Honestly, I already expected a move to take place, similar to how we saw coaches fired in mid-November last season. General managers have shown a bit of restraint so far, but I don’t know if they will be able to wait much longer. If a big trade hits before December, I’ll be sure to break it down next week here on THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings!