NHL power rankings: Another week, another late-season coaching change with Isles swapping Roy for DeBoer

Apr 6, 2026, 08:44 EDTUpdated: Apr 6, 2026, 08:47 EDT

New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy walks off the ice after their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.

Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

With Mike Gould

So we’re just throwing caution to the wind at this point and firing staff left and right now?

While the Toronto Maple Leafs firing Brad Treliving wasn’t a pure stunner considering the state of the team, the timing was still an interesting one. And it looks like the New York Islanders took notes from the Vegas Golden Knights and are chasing a last-minute coaching bump. It has worked for Vegas through three games, so we’ll see how the rest of the season plays out now that coach-firing etiquette has been thrown out the window.

We at Daily Faceoff navigate through the season with another year of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six stats (points %, 5v5 goal differential, 5v5 xGF/60, 5v5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. Additionally, with teams now beginning to clinch playoff spots, no team that has clinched can finish behind a team that hasn’t.

Oh, and we have Mike Gould joining us this week, who will go off his own intellect and pure vibes. Together, we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 50-16-10, +91
Last Week: 1st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Mike: The Avs are still my Cup pick, no doubt about it, but losing to the Canucks and Blues in the same week certainly isn’t the best look. I’m really curious to see whether Nazem Kadri settles into a bit of a rhythm here in the next few games … he’s still been a bit too hot-and-cold for my liking since the trade, including a zero-point, minus-5 game against Vancouver. Really great player, and the Avs will need him to be firing on all cylinders if they want to recapture the magic of 2022.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 49-22-6, +47
Last Week: 4th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Scott: We’ve been ragging on the Hurricanes’ goaltending in recent weeks, but this week was a better one for them all around. They won three straight games before dropping a 6-3 score to the Senators, and got good goaltending from Brandon Bussi in their first win over the Blue Jackets, and solid netminding from Frederik Andersen in the second. It’s not enough for me to be fully confident in their goaltending in the playoffs, but it’s better than what we’ve seen in recent weeks. The team in front is still great, though.

Mike: I don’t think Carolina has the star power to go all the way, but they’re still dangerous. If Seth Jarvis can find another gear, it might just be enough to tip the scales.

Scott: To be fair, Sebastian Aho has been close to a point-per-game for his entire playoff career, as has Andrei Svechnikov in the last two playoff runs, so the stars have been showing up, they just lack the depth scoring to get over the hump.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 48-22-6, +66
Last Week: 3rd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Scott: After it looked like the Sabres were going to lay claim to the Atlantic Division, the Lightning have now won four of their last five games and pulled ahead in that race, and have a game in hand. While their loss to Montreal on Tuesday put the Habs in the race for the Atlantic title, they’ve held strong against other teams in a playoff race during this streak in the Sens, Preds, Pens, and Bruins.

Mike: I mentioned Oliver Bjorkstrand in my recent column about pending UFAs who need to finish strong. It just hasn’t been a fit for him in Tampa. Fortunately, he seems to be the one big outlier.

4. Minnesota Wild

Record: 44-21-12, +33
Last Week: 5th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Mike: Minnesota’s win over Detroit on Sunday basically summed up their season. Start hot, overcome adversity, and come up big in the end. And as usual, it all started and finished with Kirill Kaprizov, who scored goals No. 41, 42, and 43 of his season in the 5-4 win. I really like the makeup of this Wild team at every position, save for their rather ordinary center group, and if they can get past Dallas in the first round, they could go extremely far.

5. Dallas Stars

Record: 45-20-15, +47
Last Week: 2nd (-3)
Mike’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Mike: And here are the Stars, who didn’t do enough to improve at the deadline for my liking, but still boast a formidable group. Wyatt Johnston has leveled up yet again, with 41 goals on the year, but he and his teammates didn’t get any in their 2-0 loss to Colorado on Saturday. It’s a shame that only one of these three Central Division teams will make the West Final, but it’ll only make that victorious team all the more special.

6. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 45-22-10, +27
Last Week: 7th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Mike: Cole Caufield is one of my favorite players to watch in all of hockey, and I really felt for him when he couldn’t score his 50th of the season in front of his home fans against New Jersey on Sunday. Good news: Caufield will have three more chances to hit that milestone in Montreal before the Habs head back out on the road. This is a really fun team, and it definitely helps their case that we’ve seen Caufield and Nick Suzuki go on a Cup run before.

Scott: And we’ve seen how Juraj Slafkovsky performs in the spotlight at the Olympics.

7. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 46-23-8, +35
Last Week: 6th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Mike: Yes, yes, my beloved Sabres. They’re just so much fun. I still don’t know if they necessarily made the perfect call in choosing Logan Stanley as their trade deadline prize, but it’s also not unreasonable. They’ve lost a couple of games in a row, but I think they’ll be fine. Their depth is just so good. Buffalo fans worship their heroes, and if this Sabres team goes on a real run, I’d bet we’ll see a lot more Josh Doan and Mattias Samuelsson jerseys start to pop up around their rink.

Scott: I’m surprised you didn’t take the time to celebrate the fact that there is officially an x beside the Sabres’ name in the standings. After months of “this team looks promising, but we can’t say they’re a playoff team for sure yet”, they are officially a playoff team. I can’t wait to see how loud Buffalo is in the playoffs.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 40-22-16, +30
Last Week: 8th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Scott: Outside of a 6-3 loss to the Lightning on Thursday, the Penguins were an offensive juggernaut this week. In four wins over the Islanders, Red Wings, and Panthers, Pittsburgh outscored the competition 27-10, including a 14-6 edge over the Panthers in a home-and-home on the weekend. Even if you want to include the Lightning loss, it was 30-16. As a result, they’ve put themselves six points clear of the two playoff spots up for grabs, and have a playoff spot all but officially secured.

Shoutout to Rickard Rakell during this stretch. He had seven goals and eight points in the five games, a performance which really boosted the Pens, and probably won some people fantasy championships (he was the difference-maker in mine).

9. Ottawa Senators

Record: 40-27-10, +20
Last Week: 9th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Scott: Since the Olympic break, the Senators have gone 12-5-3, which has not only allowed them to climb back into a playoff spot, but their recent stretch of 6-3-1 has kept them there while other Eastern Conference playoff contenders have slumped. They had lost four of five before their 6-3 win over the Canes on Sunday, so they’ll need to at least improve on that, but they control their own fate for the time being.

Mike: I just want to give a shoutout to Lassi Thomson, who is finally turning into an everyday player for this Senators team nearly seven years after being drafted. It might just be because of their recent rash of injuries, but it’s been a fun story to follow.

10. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 39-26-12, -3
Last Week: 15th (+5)
Mike’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: In an Eastern Conference playoff race where every team has struggled and lost more than they’ve won, the Flyers continue to stay hot and are clearly peaking at the right time. With a 14-5-1 record in their last 20 games, they’re now not only in a playoff spot, but they’re also in third in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders, Blue Jackets and even the Capitals are creeping behind them. So they aren’t in the clear yet, but they’re certainly in a good spot to sneak into the playoffs.

Mike: I have to eat my words a little on Dan Vladar, who never impressed me in Calgary but has brought just enough stability to keep this Flyers team afloat through thick and thin. This is a weird group, but they’ve got spunk — and Porter Martone is already a lot of fun.

11. Boston Bruins

Record: 43-26-9, +19
Last Week: 10th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Mike: I certainly didn’t expect the Bruins to be in this position so deep into the season, but it’s not surprising who’s leading the charge: David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. It’s also been fun to see this level of resurgence from Viktor Arvidsson, who is having one of the quietest 24-goal, 51-point seasons in the NHL. I think they’re the epitome of first-round fodder, but these Bruins have given their fans some reasons to cheer.

12. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 39-29-9, +8
Last Week: 16th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Mike: The Oilers only have the Pacific Division to thank for where they’re at this season. They’d be outside the playoff picture in the East, and they’re only one point up on Utah, the fourth-place team in the Central. And their shot, chance, and expected goal metrics this season have been, well, ordinary — for their standards. If they don’t get Leon Draisaitl back for the first round, I don’t know if Edmonton will be the favorites against Vegas or Anaheim.

13. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 35-26-16, +7
Last Week: 17th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Scott: We’re now three games into the John Tortorella era in Vegas, and the Golden Knights are… 3-0-0 in that span. Well, you can’t say the coaching change didn’t do what management wanted it to do. Shockingly, Vegas is eighth in shooting percentage and ninth in save percentage in the league in the last week. So that has done more of the heavy-lifting to return this team to form, all while their metrics have continued as usual, and a hat trick and five-point game from Mitch Marner on Thursday certainly doesn’t hurt either. The Golden Knights wanted a coaching change bump with this move, and that’s what they’ve got so far.

Mike: Tortorella couldn’t have asked for an easier first eight opponents with Vegas. I’m not surprised to see them winning these games. I still don’t know if they made the right call giving up consecutive first-round picks to reclaim the magic of the Noah Hanifin-Rasmus Andersson pairing, though.

14. Utah Mammoth

Record: 40-30-6, +30
Last Week: 18th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Mike: The Mammoth are a decent young team, and they could become an elite one if their stars can develop more of a defensive side to their games. Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are still pretty one-dimensional, but that one dimension is extremely good. Guenther, in particular, is going to be one of the most formidable goal-scorers in the league for a long, long time. I’m just curious to see how the Mammoth handles J.J. Peterka, who really hasn’t been a great fit since coming over from Buffalo. Ironically, the guy they could use the most is Josh Doan — a gritty two-way forward who is tailor-made for the playoffs.

15. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 41-31-5, -14
Last Week: 13th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Mike: I still think the Ducks will end up winning the Pacific, but that loss to the Flames on Saturday was ugly. Joel Quenneville’s coaching style seems to work for some guys on this team a lot more than others. I’m not sure how much longer Mason McTavish will hang around if he keeps playing so far down the lineup. Nevertheless, Q’s approach seems to be working just fine for Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, and Beckett Sennecke, so it’s tough to complain.

16. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 40-29-8, -9
Last Week: 12th (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: With a 7-10-2 record since the Olympic break, the Red Wings continue their free fall out of a playoff spot, highlighted by losses in six of their last eight games. Their .421 points percentage in this span is the fifth-worst in the league, with only the Panthers, Leafs, Kraken, and Canucks doing worse.

There are some reports that Steve Yzerman may still keep his job after this season, and I just don’t see how that is justified at this point. This has been the Red Wings for several seasons now, and changes need to be made if they finally want to get over the hump.

Mike: There are a number of valid reasons for this Red Wings team to ditch Patrick Kane, but that mind-numbingly stupid penalty against the Wild on Sunday should be the last straw. That was unbelievable to watch in real time, and it genuinely might cost Detroit the playoffs this year.

17. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 38-27-12, +3
Last Week: 11th (-6)
Mike’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: After the Blue Jackets were one of the hottest teams in the league since hiring Rick Bowness, they’ve cooled off significantly, losing seven of their last eight games. I still think their underlying numbers since the coaching change indicate a strong team playing well, but they’re paying the price for their middling start before the coaching change. Just a little bit better, and they’re in a playoff spot right now. They can’t afford to slump any longer with five games remaining in their season, especially after how last season played out.

18. New York Islanders

Record: 42-31-5, -3
Last Week: 14th (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Scott: The Islanders just couldn’t let the Golden Knights sit in the spotlight. While the shock of a late-season coaching change isn’t quite as big the second time around, the decision to move on from Patrick Roy surprised many, especially with how hiring Pete DeBoer is a long-term decision for the Isles. It’s definitely an upgrade (New York was probably the worst team contending for the playoffs, save for the Kraken), but it still feels a bit confusing to make the move now, outside of the fact that they’re on a four-game losing streak. Like Vegas, this isn’t going to impact systems at this point of the season, but if it gives the team that “coaching change bump” to come out of this race with a playoff spot, that’s all the Isles will want. Hopefully, DeBoer doesn’t blame Ilya Sorokin for any losses the rest of the way, with how he’s stood on his head all year.

19. Washington Capitals

Record: 39-30-9, +8
Last Week: 19th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Mike: They’re three points back of the Senators with one more game played, but I still don’t really buy these Capitals as a playoff threat. It’s easy to compare them to the Penguins, who have written the book on “one last ride” this season, but Alex Ovechkin has never been as good of a play-driver as Crosby and Malkin and Washington’s depth just hasn’t stacked up against Pittsburgh’s this year. Ryan Leonard is a very good young player, but the Caps need more, and the only way they’ll get them is to sell off their other key pieces once Ovi is done.

20. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 31-26-19, -26
Last Week: 20th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Scott: If you want a shining example of a team that shouldn’t be in the playoff race, it’s the Kings. They just set an NHL record for most overtime losses in a season with 19, and have also gone to overtime 31 times in total. They actually only have 19 regulation wins as well, so it’s just as likely that they’ll lose in overtime as they’ll win in regulation. But funny enough, this team is actually pretty good; they’re just incredibly unlucky, but also lucky with their bad luck. They’re 11th in 5v5 expected goal share and have the sixth-best 5v5 xGA per 60 minutes, but they also have the fourth-worst shooting percentage and a 19-6-19 record in one-goal games. While some may call them frauds for all of their overtime losses, they might actually be exactly where they deserve to be, if not lower than they should be.

21. Nashville Predators

Record: 36-31-9, -22
Last Week: 21st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Mike: This team might make the playoffs. The Predators. These Predators. The team that looked like it was falling to pieces in real time under Andrew Brunette and Barry Trotz. The team that looked like it was going to have to sell Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly for pennies on the dollar. The team that looked like it would always regret trading Yaroslav Askarov to keep Juuse Saros. Well, somebody has to win that second wild card spot…

Scott: Did you think this team was the second-worst in the league this season?

Mike: At one point, I thought they might be the worst.

22. St. Louis Blues

Record: 33-31-12, -33
Last Week: 26th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: Nothing sums up how bad the Western Conference playoff race is and how bad all the teams in the playoff bubble have been than the fact that the Blues are back in the playoff race. With a 12-2-3 record in their last 17 games, the Blues have clawed to within three points of a playoff spot with six games remaining in their season. It’s not quite the hot streak they went on last season to sneak into the playoffs, but it’s pretty close. Let’s see if they can do it a second time in a much more competitive playoff race.

Mike: It would be quite something if the Blues made the playoffs and the Red Wings didn’t after how that Justin Faulk trade went down. Also, if they did make it, would Joel Hofer start over Jordan Binnington?

Scott: Don’t forget after trading Brayden Schenn, too! And yeah, the smart choice would be to go with Hofer, but we’ve already seen how much Doug Armstrong-led teams like to overuse Binnington because he’s a “big-game player”, so we all know they’ll go with the latter the second Hofer falters.

23. New Jersey Devils

Record: 40-34-3, -16
Last Week: 23rd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Mike: The Devils are basically dead in the water already, but they’re starting to rack up some points and maybe make a late go of things. Still, they’re seven points back with five games to play. Not happening. In a few years, we’ll probably be looking at the Timo Meier trade as the point when this all went wrong, right?

24. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 33-31-12, -17
Last Week: 24th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Scott: I mean, the Jets aren’t out of the playoff race yet, as they sit three points back of Nashville with six games remaining, so my prediction after the trade deadline isn’t wrong yet. But, my reasoning for the bold take was largely due to an improvement in team performance without Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley, which… has not happened, so I’m going to consider my prediction a bust even if it’s technically still in play.

Mike: I still don’t think Stanley is quite as bad as the numbers have often shown. But if I were a Jets fan, I’d be really worried about the team circling back to him this summer. They need to keep as many spots open for the kids as possible. Elias Salomonsson should only be the start of the youth movement in the ‘Peg.

25. San Jose Sharks

Record: 36-32-7, -36
Last Week: 27th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Mike: The Sharks, who are objectively nowhere close to being a playoff-caliber team, are only two points back of Nashville for the final playoff spot in the West. If they get there, it’s almost solely a testament to Macklin Celebrini’s otherworldly play as a 19-year-old sophomore. He’s having one of the craziest “solo act” years we’ve seen from anybody since Pavel Bure with the 2001 Panthers.

26. Seattle Kraken

Record: 32-32-11, -27
Last Week: 25th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Scott: I mentioned earlier how bad the Red Wings have been since the Olympic break, but the only team in playoff contention doing worse than them is the Kraken. In that time, the Kraken are 5-12-2, with a .316 points percentage that ranks second-worst after the Canucks. When you’re comparable to Vancouver, that’s not a good thing.

As a result, Seattle is all but officially out of the playoff race, with their only saving grace being that they’re tied with the Sharks among the Western Conference playoff bubble teams for the most games remaining. But I’m still not holding my breath on them turning things around, and it’s probably for the best with this franchise. We saw how one playoff appearance sewered this team into mediocrity for several years, just imagine what another one would do to them.

27. New York Rangers

Record: 33-36-9, -9
Last Week: 30th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Mike: After seeing how all the pieces of the figurative puzzle fell so perfectly into place for the Rangers in their last attempt at a rebuild, I don’t feel particularly bad seeing them blow up their draft positioning with this latest stretch of wins. Still, I’m really enjoying watching the emergence of Adam Sykora, who has always struck me as a bona fide middle-six ball of energy in the making. He’s been great in his first stretch of NHL action.

28. Florida Panthers

Record: 37-37-3, -32
Last Week: 22nd (-6)
Mike’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Scott: DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD! After a season mired by injuries and poor play in the second half of the season, the Panthers are officially out of the playoff race, and we will see a different team lift the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2023 (although there’s still a strong chance that the state of Florida ends up in the Final for a seventh-straight season with how well Tampa is playing).

Of course, this is setting Florida up for a good draft pick, which will then give them a cheap, talented player to play on this team after what was supposed to be the start of their salary cap hell, all in a year in which they weren’t going to win anyways with Aleksander Barkov out for the season, so it’s not like this is a punishment for them.

Mike: The Panthers are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch this summer. The word “retool” is often misused by GMs who don’t actually have a core to adjust in that way. But if there was ever a team that actually needs a retool, it’s the Panthers. Obviously, step one is for everyone to get healthy, but they’ll also need plenty of help from their pro scouts. One oddly specific prediction: Victor Olofsson signs in Florida on July 1.

29. Calgary Flames

Record: 32-36-8, -44
Last Week: 29th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Mike: The Flames will be guaranteed only their second top-five draft pick in club history if they finish 30th or lower this season. Right now, they’re three points “up” on the Rangers for that spot with a half-dozen games left to play. We’ll have to wait and see whether they stay there. In the meantime, it’s worth watching Flames games to see Matvei Gridin, who genuinely might become the first Russian star in Calgary since Sergei Makarov.

30. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 32-31-14, -33
Last Week: 28th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: The Brad Treliving era has finally come to an end. While you can read my full thoughts on his tenure here, all I can say is good riddance. It’s quite impressive how quickly he dismantled a core that was contending for Stanley Cups when he arrived, and it may take a full-blown rebuild to fully repair the damage.

While the press conference with Keith Pelley after the firing had its confusing moments, I at least left it with a bit of confidence that they’ll go back to their old ways and bring in a smart, forward-thinking and, in Pelley’s words, “data-driven” general manager. So the Leafs should be in better hands after Treliving just ignored his analytics department for three years. All I have to say is: please, please, please hire Sunny Mehta.

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 28-35-14, -53
Last Week: 31st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: The Blackhawks were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week, this may have been the best-case scenario for them this season. They were in the playoff race longer than they had in recent years, saw significant strides from Connor Bedard, and will still likely finish with the second-worst record and get a top-five pick, one they can either use to draft another high-end prospect or flip for a talent who will help them now.

However, this does mean they’ve wasted Bedard’s ELC years, as he’ll need a new contract and will likely see his AAV climb north of $10 million. There’s not a whole lot the Blackhawks can do about that, especially when they got Bedard at the start of their rebuild compared to the end, like the Leafs and Oilers did with the likes of Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, but it does make taking the next step a bit more difficult.

32. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 22-46-8, -94
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Mike: The Canucks beating Colorado last Wednesday felt like an elaborate April Fool’s joke, but it really happened. It’s the only game they’ve won out of their last nine. They’re bad — obviously much more so after trading Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood, and Tyler Myers — but my major concern about the Canucks is their lack of flippable roster pieces to supplement their asset base. Barring major turnarounds, I just don’t see how they can get out from under those Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko, and Jake DeBrusk contracts.

PRESENTED BY STAKE

Recent Power Rankings

MORE FACEOFF.IN YOUR INBOX.

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER