With American Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror (Happy belated Thanksgiving to all our American readers), we’ve hit an unofficial checkpoint in the 2025-26 NHL season. Traditionally, roughly 75 percent of teams in a playoff spot at this point in the season go on to make the postseason, which sets up a great reflection point. Of course, this also means 25 percent of teams will fall out of their spots, and given how close things are right now in the standings, this could be a season where more teams drop down than normal.
So, let’s make a few predictions on how the rest of the season will play out from this point forward!
First, I think the Edmonton Oilers (typically the kings of the midseason comeback) will wait too long to address their goaltending and/or defensive deficiencies, and they will miss the 2026 playoffs, wasting a year of Connor McDavid’s sweetheart contract.
For other teams I expect to stay out of the playoff picture, the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers really just don’t have it this season, despite their talented rosters, and I find it hard to imagine either team roaring back in the picture.
For teams on an upward trend, don’t be shocked if the St. Louis Blues rebound back into a Wild Card position by the end of the calendar year. The same can be said about the Florida Panthers, who are still in striking distance despite suffering massive injuries all season, so I expect them to be the first wild card at minimum by the time the 2026 NHL playoffs kick off. Right now, I have both of these teams penciled into my postseason lineup despite poor starts to their seasons.
With a few predictions to whet our appetites, it’s time to get to the meat (turkey?) of the Rankings. So, without further ado, let’s get ready for Week 8 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings!
32-20: Ice Cold NHL Central Division
32. Nashville Predators (Previously: 32)
31. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 31)
30. Calgary Flames (Previously: 28)
29. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 30)
28. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 18)
27. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 21)
26. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 26)
25. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 22)
24. Florida Panthers (Previously: 25)
23. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 16)
22. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 24)
21. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 29)
20. New York Rangers (Previously: 27)
For all the criticism we tend to throw at the Pacific and Atlantic Divisions, I feel like the Central Division deserves to be in the conversation for the worst conference in the NHL. Sure, they have three genuinely great teams at the top, but the remaining five are all ice-cold right now. Between the Predators, Blues, Blackhawks, Mammoth, and Jets, no one has a record above .500 over their last 10 games played, and all five of these teams represent some of the least consistent play we’ve seen this season.
If not for hot starts out of Chicago and Utah, the picture would be much bleaker for the Central Division. For now, though, things look mediocre at best in the overall standings, especially as they have been at the bottom of the barrel for the past two weeks. So much for the Group of Death that many expected to see this season.
Elsewhere, the Oilers were absolutely embarrassed by the Dallas Stars in primetime Tuesday night, shining a massive spotlight on a goaltending and defensive situation that just looks untenable. I know it felt worse because this was the only game on Tuesday night (the NHL schedule is a bit wonky), but it feels like a move has to be made. I can’t imagine they would fire their head coach, though, so it might have to be a change in the locker room.
Despite everything, Edmonton leadership may not believe change is needed, so we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out. This is a lot of drama for a team coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, right?
19-9: Capitals Righting the Ship
19. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 12)
18. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 19)
17. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 17)
16. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 8)
15. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 20)
14. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 14)
13. New York Islanders (Previously: 9)
12. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 13)
11. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 15)
10. Washington Capitals (Previously: 23)
9. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 11)
Last season, everything went right for the Capitals, which led them to one of their best regular seasons in recent memory. In contrast, everything just felt off to start the 2025-26 NHL season for Washington. They were always a step behind, with injuries re-shaping their roster, and a lack of timely scoring haunting them despite playing well at times.
Now it appears that the corner has been turned, as the Capitals are back in the playoff picture with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games played behind superstar performances from Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Jakob Chychrun. Overall, I think this team has even more to give despite this recent stretch of great play, with the Metropolitan Division still being up for grabs.
Another Metropolitan Division team deserving praise this week are the Flyers, who are defying all expectations by playing a stout defensive game and grinding out wins. While I thought they would be an okay team overall, I did not have them in the playoff picture, let alone being in the hunt for the Division title. Right now, they are just a few points out of first place, and one more solid week could move them into contention. Trevor Zegras is also shining with his new team, so that change of scenery trade has paid dividends for Philadelphia.
Now, a team I want to highlight due to confusion are the Kraken, who I just have not been able to place this season. Whenever I look at their play, I see a team that appeared to be middling at best, yet they were always near the top of the standings thanks to the overtime loss point. I started to buy into them last week based on nothing, and I ranked them at eighth. That was a mistake, as this team is right in the middle of the road, especially after a tough week on the ice.
Overall, I found myself asking the question… why are all the teams in the middle of the Rankings so bad this week? I feel like there just isn’t a lot to be excited about from most of these teams, as reflected in most having a below-average record in their last 10 games played. If not for the loser point, many of these situations would be dire, but that point has been keeping teams afloat despite mediocre play.
8-1: Lightning Recovering from a Slow Start
8. Boston Bruins (Previously: 7)
7. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 6)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 3)
5. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 5)
4. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 10)
3. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 4)
2. Dallas Stars (Previously: 2)
1. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 1)
In what feels like classic fashion, news of the Lightning’s demise may have been greatly overstated. Despite a miserable start to the 2025-26 NHL season and mounting injuries knocking out star players, Tampa Bay held steady and rallied around a new core of players like defenseman Darren Raddyish, who has been leading the scoring rush alongside the usual names like Nikita Kucherov.
However, it also can’t be understated that Andrei Vasilveskiy is back to prime form again. He’s won six-straight games, and the Lightning have won their last seven overall. To think this team should get even better when healthy is a scary thought for the Atlantic Division.
Elsewhere, the Avalanche still have only lost once in regulation 25 games into the 2025-26 NHL season. Their record is getting absurd, even if they dropped a point to the Wild this week in overtime, who are also playing fantastic hockey.
I’m also starting to worry about the Devils and Hurricanes, as these teams have been pretty mediocre recently after dominant starts to the season. Injuries can be to blame for both of these teams, of course, but I would still like to see them both have better weeks to get things back on track while fending off the surging Capitals.
Waiting on the NHL Trade Market
I’m still waiting on the NHL trade market to kick off this season. I thought that, due to the condensed schedule, teams would be more willing to make swings earlier than normal. However, with the standings so close right now, general managers are evaluating every situation before giving up on their season.
Related: Gretzky, Ovechkin and the Goalies They Scored On (A Lot)
While a trade feels like it should happen soon, at this rate it might take until the new year before teams are willing to shake up their rosters. The playoff picture is wide open in most divisions, after all, so there could be a case to be made for patience to avoid making a long-term blunder. If a deal takes place, of course, we will be here to cover it next week on THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings!
