NHL power rankings: What is the solution to the Leafs’ struggles?
With Hunter Crowther
The holidays are here, with the NHL set to break for a few days as players look to celebrate with their families. Take that time to get a few days off from watching hockey and following the news cycle yourselves, because it’s about to get busy. We’re almost halfway through the season now, and suddenly the Olympics start right after that, and then the trade deadline is right after that, and then there’s the playoffs! It’s about to get hectic, so enjoy some time to yourselves!
Hunter Crowther and I 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 %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 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. On the other hand, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.
1. Colorado Avalanche
Record: 26-2-7, +61
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st
Hunter: Three games, three wins, water is wet, death, taxes, you already know what it is. Of their three victories last week, it was their 5-1 win over the Wild that was most impressive, as Nathan MacKinnon became the first player this season to record both his 30th goal and 60th point (Connor McDavid recorded his 60th point a bit later on Sunday). The Avalanche snapped Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak and reminded the Wild that even with the addition of Quinn Hughes, it’s a long way to the top if you want to rock n’ roll.
Bonus thought: I’ve called Joel Quenneville the runaway choice for the Jack Adams Award over and over this season, and with the Ducks leading the Pacific Division as we approach the midway point of 2025-26, all the ingredients are there for the media to vote that way. It’s always felt like the most narrative-driven award handed out, given to the bench boss who clinches a playoff berth for a non-playoff team in their first season, or for the coach whose team takes the biggest jump in terms of points.
But rarely does the coach whose team has the best regular-season record win it. In fact, since Quenneville himself won in 1999-2000 with a Blues squad that won the Presidents’ Trophy, only two coaches have earned coach of the year honors after their team finished at the top of the standings.
That’s why starting this week, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar is the clubhouse leader for Jack Adams favorites going into the holidays. Colorado is at or near the top in every traditional or advanced stat metric you can think of, and beyond superstars like MacKinnon and Cale Makar being on pace for career highs, they are getting production from up and down the lineup. It’s hard to improve on the 49-win, 102-point season that Colorado achieved in 2024-25, but that’s what we’re getting from Bednar and co. If that doesn’t earn him some love for the Jack Adams, I don’t know what would.
2. Dallas Stars
Record: 25-7-5, +36
Last Week: 3rd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd
Hunter: The Stars won all four of their games last week, despite getting outplayed at even strength for large chunks of it. The Ducks dominated at 5-on-5 in both shot attempts and expected goals on Friday, but the Stars scored four times in the first period and never looked back. Those possession woes were on full display against a desperate Leafs squad Sunday in a game that was 1-0 for the first 45 minutes, but thanks to elite goaltending from Jake Oettinger and a late offensive surge, Dallas won 5-1. If Dallas can tighten up their defensive game and continue to produce offensively, they could contend for the top spot in the Central Division.
Scott: Yeah, if the Leafs in their current state are outshooting you for stretches, you’ve got defensive issues. That pairing of Thomas Harley and Ilya Lyubushkin, and I’ll give you a hint as to why: it’s not because of the guy who played for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year. Get Harley a proper defense partner, and this team might be in better shape in their own zone.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
Record: 22-10-3, +18
Last Week: 2nd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 3rd
Scott: As far as weeks go for the Hurricanes, last week was not a good one. They took care of business with a 4-1 win over the Predators on Wednesday, but then dropped back-to-back games to the Panthers and Lightning while blowing 3-0 leads in both games. To make matters worse, Seth Jarvis got hurt against the Panthers and is set to miss a decent chunk of time, which is a big blow to the Canes’ lineup. It’s not the end of the world for a team that’s still quite strong, but yikes, talk about worst-case scenarios.
4. Minnesota Wild
Record: 22-10-5, +19
Last Week: 8th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 5th
Scott: The Quinn Hughes effect is real! After acquiring the defenseman last Friday, the Wild won their first four games with the Norris Trophy winner, and for the most part, some competitive teams in the Bruins, Capitals, Blue Jackets, and the Oilers. Of course, the true test was Sunday’s matchup against the Avalanche, and Colorado showcased that they are still the best team in the Central, West, and NHL. It was a stark reminder that Minnesota isn’t quite at Cup contender status yet, even with Hughes. Still, they’ve been playing excellent hockey since the trade, even analytically, so they’re on the way up.
Hunter: I made the effort to watch each Wild game this week, and there was a noticeable jump in their performances. Beyond the likes of Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko had four goals in three games; Brock Faber looks like a shot of adrenaline was injected into him, Joel Eriksson Ek is getting shots on net, and Ryan Hartman plays the type of relentless, absolute pain-in-the-ass style that helps teams win in the postseason. They’ve got some juice, but they’re a piece or two away from sitting with the Avs at the Big Boy Table.
Scott: They’re ninth in 5v5 expected goal share since Hughes’ debut, which is already a step up from their ranking of 20th before that. They’re almost there; they need another piece or two to really put them in Cup contender status.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
Record: 16-8-10, +1
Last Week: 4th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 6th
Scott: I can’t say I was sad to see the Golden Knights finally sputter a bit when they dropped three straight games last week. I wouldn’t say they’re the Cup contender that I thought they’d be at the start of the season (nor do they deserve to be), but they’re still playing relatively good hockey, outside of their goaltending. They need Adin Hill to come back sooner rather than later to stabilize things a bit, especially as Edmonton has finally caught up with them.
6. Detroit Red Wings
Record: 21-13-3, -3
Last Week: 7th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 4th
Scott: No, you aren’t dreaming, the Red Wings are currently sixth in our power rankings. This might actually be the highest they’ve been in the four-year history of these power rankings after American Thanksgiving. But with seven wins in their last nine games, they’re not only on a roll, but they’re also continuing to establish themselves as one of the better teams in the Atlantic Division. A recent driving force in that has been Moritz Seider, who might be a dark horse candidate for the Norris this year. Cale Makar is the frontrunner, but don’t count Seider out either. If he hasn’t caught your attention yet, he probably will with Germany in the Olympics.
Hunter: It still feels like Seider doesn’t get enough respect around the league, so I appreciate Scott giving him some love this week. His 27 points rank ninth among defenseman, and his 56% even-strength Corsi ranks just outside the top-20 among blueliners. It’s going to be insane when Germany beats the U.S. Feb. 15 in Game 3 of the preliminary round, and it’s Seider leading the way.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
Record: 19-13-3, +19
Last Week: 5th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 7th
Scott: So Quenneville or Bednar will likely win the Jack Adams Award, but you know who should maybe get a shot at it this season? Jon Cooper. Well, he should be a Jack Adams candidate every year. Still, since no one knows how to vote for that award, the only time the actually good coaches get a chance to win is either if their team is running away with the league (Bednar), they’re with a new team and seeing significant progress with a surprising team (Quenneville), or if they’ve been winning while dealing with injuries. Cooper’s had to deal with that last one with Tampa this year, and yet they’re still playing like one of the better teams in the league. Cooper has never won the Jack Adams, which is a crime, so what better way to do so than when the narrative has worked in his favour this season.
Hunter: Everything I wrote about Bednar in the Avalanche blurb applies to Cooper, who took his team to four Stanley Cup Finals in eight seasons and was nominated for the Jack Adams just once during that span (in 2019).
8. Florida Panthers
Record: 19-14-2, 0
Last Week: 11th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 10th
Hunter: The Panthers beat up on their Sunshine State brother last week, getting ahead 4-0 over the Lightning and winning 5-2, then following up with wins over the Kings and Hurricanes. We’ll give them a pass for the 6-2 loss to the Blues, especially when you consider Sergei Bobrovsky had the night off. Florida will face the Hurricanes on Tuesday, then get a much-needed four-day Christmas break before a three-game homestand that starts this Saturday against Tampa Bay.
9. Los Angeles Kings
Record: 15-10-9, -2
Last Week: 10th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 8th
Scott: The Kings have been spiraling of late, dropping four games in a row before a 2-1 win over the Lightning on Thursday, although they were outplayed quite a bit by Tampa in that game. Los Angeles also freed up some salary cap space by moving on from Phillip Danault’s $5.5 million cap hit, so it’ll be interesting to see how they look to add to the team with the new cap room. Maybe this time, they’ll get that impact scoring winger that they’ve desperately needed for years.
Hunter: Among the top trade candidates on Daily Faceoff’s most recent trade board, the only one that really stands out is Steven Stamkos, so I wonder if Ken Holland and co. try to think bigger. Who’s the name we’re not thinking of? Artemi Panarin out of New York? Filip Forsberg in Nashville (more on him later)? Would the Penguins move on Bryan Rust? I feel like there’s always a big trade we never even consider, and that’s what the Kings — or maybe the Stars with Tyler Seguin’s LTIR money — will do.
10. Washington Capitals
Record: 19-12-5, +18
Last Week: 9th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 12th
Hunter: The Caps have lost six of their last eight, including back-to-back defeats to the Red Wings over the weekend. Despite losses in four of his last six starts, Logan Thompson posted a .934 SV% during that span, which is higher than his season average. While most have written Tom Wilson’s name in pen on the Canadian Olympic roster, we’re starting to see a decline in his offensive game. After scoring 16 goals with a 27% shooting percentage through the first 27 games of the regular season, he’s scored once in his last nine.
Also, you know who isn’t getting enough Team Canada love? Jakob Chychrun. His 14 goals are tied with Zach Werenski for the most among NHL defenders, and his 28 points are just outside the top five at his position.
11. Anaheim Ducks
Record: 21-13-2, +5
Last Week: 6th (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 15th
Hunter: The Ducks closed out a five-game Eastern Conference road trip Tuesday with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets, giving them just one regulation win during the trip. In their first game back at Honda Center, Lukas Dostal gave up four goals on seven shots in the first 14 minutes against the Stars, with Petr Mrazek faring no better, giving up four of his own. As mentioned in the Dallas blurb, Anaheim performed well in possession and expected-goals metrics, but that means nothing when the final score is 8-3. We might be putting the Ducks lower if it weren’t for Pavel Mintyukov’s game-winning goal with less than four minutes left against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Scott: I’ve hinted at there being a bit of regression looming for the Ducks, so losing badly like that isn’t the worst thing. It just means they dealt with a decent chunk of that regression in one loss!
12. Ottawa Senators
Record: 18-13-4, +7
Last Week: 20th (+8)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 9th
Scott: Ottawa may not sit in a playoff spot as I say this, and they’re also behind Edmonton and Montreal in the standings, but I still think they’re the best team in Canada right now. They might be the best defensive team in the league, and with Brady Tkachuk back, they’re offense is in full gear. If they could just get Linus Ullmark to turn things around, this team will be in a solid spot come April.
Hunter: I say this as someone who lives in Toronto and, by proxy of postal code, absorbs Leafs content each and every day: The Senators are one of my favorite teams to watch. Tim Stutzle is one of the most dynamic players to watch in the game, and every English-speaking Canadian east of Oshawa should own a Jake Sanderson sweater, because he is electric at both ends of the rink. His $8.05-million cap hit through the 2031-32 season is one of the biggest steals in the league, especially as the salary cap continues to grow. As Scott mentioned, if Ullmark can continue to play as he has in the second half of December, Ottawa can be one of the horses of the East.
13. New York Rangers
Record: 18-16-4, -5
Last Week: 13th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 14th
Hunter: I wrote last week that the Rangers had room to get points with games against the Canucks, Blues, and Predators. They responded with … one win, an overtime victory over St. Louis. It was odd to see a team play five times in a single week, with two back-to-backs in that span; I know the league is trying to squeeze in games with the Olympic break, but five games in seven days would leave a group exhausted, especially with the fifth game being one that kickstarts a five-game road trip that follows.
Anyway, the Rangers are right there in the wild card race in the East, but they cannot continue to leave points on the ice. Also, they have one regulation win since Nov. 29, a span that covers 12 games.
Scott: Hey, a five-game week meant that Rangers players were a great target for streamers in fantasy hockey! I have no complaints there!
14. Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 17-10-7, +4
Last Week: 12th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 13th
Scott: The Flyers have hit a bit of a rough patch, dropping five of their last six games, but I think it was expected to see them slow down a little bit with how good but surprising their start to the season was. To be fair, they’ve been up against some good teams during this slump, with Vegas and Carolina being the first three losses, and a hot Sabres team and a sleeping giant in the Rangers for the latter two after their win over Montreal, so they may also just be showing their ceiling with this current stretch.
15. Edmonton Oilers
Record: 18-13-6, -2
Last Week: 17th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 17th
Scott: Before I start, I’d just like to clarify that I do not root for injuries, nor do I find a player in pain being funny or entertaining. That said, you can’t deny that Tristan Jarry getting hurt after only three games is hilarious, specifically for the Oilers. They paid as much as they did to get him, with the known possibility of his injury concerns, and then they paid for those concerns almost immediately. Who would have seen that coming? Now they may make another move to fix this problem, but at the same time, Connor Ingram wasn’t horrible in his NHL return against Vegas on Sunday. Still, the Oilers’ goaltending situation remains interesting this season.
Hunter: I may or may not have made a cackling sound at the news of Jarry being out for a minimum of a few weeks … however, I do appreciate some on social media, including our own Jason Gregor, pointing out that the 30-year-old has missed a total of 40 games through his eight-year career. No, he’s not technically “injury prone,” but narratives can be more powerful than the truth, and if fans and pundits have difficulty cutting through what’s true, imagine what the players think.
Scott: To correct myself, it’s that he’s been hurt in the playoffs a couple of times that has caused issues for Pittsburgh in the past. Of course, he hasn’t been great in the playoffs when he’s been healthy either.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins
Record: 15-11-9, -6
Last Week: 14th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 11th
Hunter: When the Oilers poured onto the ice last Tuesday against the Penguins to celebrate Leon Draisaitl recording his 1,000th career regular-season point, there was a moment when I thought: “Stuart Skinner should get in there.”
1000 Points for Leon Draisaitl. #Oilers pic.twitter.com/ml2vFvjTK6
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) December 17, 2025I’m mostly joking, if only because the hockey world and pundit class would lose their collective minds over a goalie congratulating the player who just scored on him, never mind the fact they had been teammates for the better chunk of the last five years and had just gone to two Stanley Cup Finals together. Yeah, yeah, they’re all professionals, there are no friends in the business world, and I’m sure Skinner’s Penguin teammates wouldn’t be too thrilled. But still, the image alone would be worth it.
Speaking of accomplishments, Sidney Crosby achieved two on Sunday, passing Mario Lemieux for eighth on the NHL’s all-time points list, as well as becoming the all-time points leader in the Penguins’ franchise history. Crosby is now just 31 points away from tying Steve Yzerman for seventh on the all-time list, and 47 points from tying Marcel Dionne for sixth.
17. Montreal Canadiens
Record: 19-12-5, -5
Last Week: 16th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 18th
Scott: The Canadiens have been so-so these past few weeks, losing five of their last nine games, but barely playing .500 hockey has been good enough for the Atlantic Division in recent weeks. They also added Danault to their lineup as a potential solution to their hole at 2C, so we’ll see how that works out for Montreal when he gets healthy. He still hasn’t scored this season, but at the very least, he remains a sturdy defensive presence and can contribute in that regard.
18. Utah Mammoth
Record: 18-17-3, +5
Last Week: 19th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 16th
Scott: The Mammoth have returned to form a little bit recently, winning four of their last six games, and that’s put them back in a playoff spot for the time being. The fact that they’re doing this while Logan Cooley is out is all the more impressive, but they’ve also benefitted from playing in a conference that’s a bit more top-heavy. Right now, they’d be the fourth-worst team in the Eastern Conference, just a point ahead of Buffalo. It still feels like there’s another gear to this team, especially with how their numbers look under the hood.
19. New York Islanders
Record: 19-13-4, +2
Last Week: 15th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 19th
Hunter: Apologies to Islander fans for trying to compliment the team in the previous edition of the power rankings, because obviously it jinxed them and led to three losses last week. A quick look at the score sheets could make it seem like they were close games, but New York was outpossessed and outexpected-goals each night. As I said last week, the Islanders’ playoff chances hinge on how they perform without Bo Horvat in the lineup. If the previous three games are any indication, it doesn’t look good.
20. New Jersey Devils
Record: 20-15-1, -6
Last Week: 18th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 21st
Scott: For the past month or two, a lot of the conversation around the Devils has been “wait for Jack Hughes to get back, then they’ll go back to how they were with that hot start”. Well, it might be one game, but Hughes is back, and they still lost to Buffalo. In fact, Hughes scored, but was their only contributor in the 2-1 loss. The Devils aren’t in the clear yet, and they still need to add a couple of pieces if they want to return to form.
21. Buffalo Sabres
Record: 17-14-4, -6
Last Week: 24th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 20th
Hunter: Don’t do it, Buffalo. Don’t make me … beli- agghhh, I can’t do this again. The Sabres have won six straight and have looked like a legitimate playoff contender during that span, generating quality scoring chances and getting all-world goaltending from Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Lyon’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, and with a 5-1-0 record with a .924 SV% in December, he could fetch a big return. Then again, would Lyon provide more value wearing a Sabres’ uniform?
Scott: They’re 15th in 5v5 expected goal share this season, so they have all the makings of a playoff team if they can finally just do the thing and actually make it. While I do agree that Lyon may be playing too good to be dealt, the Sabres have too many goalies in the pipeline to justify keeping all of them, and Lyon feels like the easiest and least consequential piece to move.
22. Boston Bruins
Record: 20-16-1, 0
Last Week: 22nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 22nd
Scott: Are we finally witnessing the Bruins fall back to the team we expected them to be to start the season? They’ve lost three straight games and four of their last five, have fallen out of a playoff spot, and they also have three strong teams in the Panthers, Senators, and Rangers on their heels. They had a fun start to the year, but David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie and Jeremy Swayman can only carry this team so far.
Hunter: Did anyone see Ridley Greig feed Pastrnak an uppercut? I’m sure he just wanted to get his frustration out after getting side-swiped by Nick Jensen on the draw, but the Bruins’ forward took on someone who’s had a few scraps in his short career. It was also his first fight since he and Matthew Tkachuk went after one another in the playoffs in 2024.
23. Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 14-15-6, -19
Last Week: 25th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 24th
Hunter: I know they’ve lost seven of eight and are last in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, but I give the Blue Jackets full marks for going out and acquiring Mason Marchment. The league standings are a mess with seemingly every game being a three-point affair, and if a team can string together some wins, they’re right back in it. Also, with four goals in 29 games, I’m sure Marchment was looking for a fresh start elsewhere. If he can be the 20-goal/40-point player we’ve seen in his last few seasons, it’s a great deal for Columbus.
Scott: When I saw their lines announced for Saturday’s game, I couldn’t deny that they have a deep forward group after that trade. If they could figure out their defense next, they’ll be set.
24. Nashville Predators
Record: 15-16-4, 19
Last Week: 31st (+7)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd
Hunter: The Predators have played better in December and are now 7-3-0 through 10 games this month, highlighted by three wins last week. Filip Forsberg has six goals and 10 points in his last seven games, including his first hat trick since April 2024 on Monday against the Blues. I still think they’ve dug too deep a hole, but considering they’ve just five points out of a wild-card spot and their two games this week are against teams that are ahead of them … yes, there’s a chance …
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: 15-15-5, -9
Last Week: 21st (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 26th
Scott: Genuinely, what do the Leafs even do right now? Sunday just saw them play their best effort in recent games and they still lost 5-1, and that was after a game against the Predators in which I jokingly said “the loser should have to fire their coach”. Their only win in the last six games saw them play horribly for 50 minutes against a Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks, only to squeak out a late comeback.
Oh, and Craig Berube, whose whole schtick is playing structured defense and being a motivator, has seen his team fail to play structured defense for most of his tenure (goaltending bailed them out last year), and now he’s admitting that he doesn’t even know how to motivate the team. Yes, the core is rotten at this point, but he’s basically telling Brad Treliving to fire him at this point.
It feels like something is going to change, and yet I have no idea what it could be because it feels like everyone is to blame. Maybe it’s Berube gone. Maybe Treliving gets the axe for putting together this middling team. Maybe another core player is run out of town. Or maybe after all this complaining, all that happens is they shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic and move a depth player or two (although joking aside, trading some of them for picks and letting some Marlies get a chance wouldn’t be the worst move). The dam feels close to bursting and I am ready to see the chaos spill out.
Hunter: What do you even say at this point? William Nylander has no goals in his last 11 games, Morgan Rielly is making plays that would get you healthy scratched in the postseason, and Auston Matthews, the greatest player in their franchise’s history, looks like he could get you 40 goals if he played a full 82-game season.
I said this after the loss against the Predators and will say it again here: If Matthews, the NHL’s only two-time 60-goal scorer of the 21st century, looks like a generic top-six forward in his two seasons with the new coach, then it’s time to get rid of the coach. I have no doubt there’s some ailment that’s affecting how he skates or shoots the puck, and to blame it all on “bad mojo” or “mind games” is nonsense. Still, the Leafs are treating any potential injury Matthews has like it’s the Manhattan Project. It’s on a need-to-know basis, so that leaves us with no choice but to treat his lack of production like he’s having one of the sharpest declines we’ve ever seen from a superstar in this league.
If that’s the case, then Berube needs to go immediately. I was among the many who said it was time to move on from Sheldon Keefe following their loss to Boston in 2024, and underlying numbers be damned, Berube got the Leafs a division title and Game 7 appearance in the second round, the best this team has done since 2004. But we’re near the midway point of this regular season and the Leafs are closer to a lottery pick than a playoff berth, and you can only hang your hat on injury excuses and “yeah but’s” and “what if’s” for so long until change is needed.
26. Calgary Flames
Record: 15-17-4, -11
Last Week: 26th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 27th
Hunter: The Flames won two of three games last week, including an impressive 6-3 victory against the Golden Knights over the weekend. I still have no illusions about what this team is and what they should be doing (sell, sell, sell!) but two wins at home should keep fans happy. After early-season struggles, Dustin Wolf has looked strong in December, posting a 5-1-0 record and only giving up 14 goals in his last seven appearances.
27. Winnipeg Jets
Record: 15-17-3, -4
Last Week: 23rd (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 29th
Hunter: It’s starting to feel like the Jets are running out of time. They lost all four games last week, and dating back to Nov. 21, have lost 13 of their last 16 contests. Connor Hellebuyck’s return has boosted their crease, but the team only scored more than two goals once in their four losses.
Also, while this is far from the most significant reason the Jets are losing, the Jonathan Toews-Jets experiment may have run its course. Like most hockey fans, I was excited to see the Winnipeg native sign with his hometown team, but it’s been hard to watch him play in the last two months. Toews has just one goal and two assists in his last 27 games, and he’s only played more than 11:52 just once in his last seven. While he went into Sunday night sixth on the team in expected goals with 7.8, that number drops to one in his last 10.
Scott: The worst part about the Toews experiment is that every game they let this continue costs them money next season. At the 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60-game marks for his season, he gets $500k in performance bonuses, which will carry over into next season depending on how close Winnipeg is to the cap this season. He’s already got an extra $1 million, do they really want to risk another $1.5 million just to continue this experiment?
28. Vancouver Canucks
Record: 15-17-3, -16
Last Week: 32nd (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 25th
Scott: Did anyone else predict that after the Canucks dealt their best defenseman, they’d be undefeated? Sure, it’s only four games, and they haven’t exactly faced a true test in terms of their opponent, but it’d be hilarious if, after committing to a rebuild, the Canucks went on enough of a run to ruin their draft odds once again.
29. San Jose Sharks
Record: 17-16-3, -15
Last Week: 28th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 31st
Scott: I’m not going to say my ranking of a team that’s just outside of a playoff spot is harsh, because as I’ve said for quite some time this season, their on-ice play hasn’t fully justified their record. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t an entertaining watch, and I certainly wouldn’t complain if they found a way to sneak into the playoffs and start a track meet with a top-seed team. Do I think that will happen? No. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want it.
30. St. Louis Blues
Record: 14-15-8, -33
Last Week: 27th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 28th
Hunter: I feel like Scott and I have been critical of the Blues for most of the 2025-26 season — and rightfully so, considering they have a league-worst minus-33 goal differential — but after Sunday’s slate of games, they were just three points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Which leads me to this mini-rant: The NHL’s points system is broken. I don’t want to hear about how keeping teams in the playoff hunt beyond Christmas is better for the health of the league, or how letting fanbases falsely believe their team has a shot at playing beyond mid-April is good for the game. If everyone believes they’re in it, then no one will be willing to become a seller and teams will end up trading away a first-round pick for Scott Laughton.
There’s a lot of terrible hockey being played right now, with some games feeling like both teams will just mail in the final 10 minutes and get their overtime point. It’s the type of performances that make you want to pick up a book or go for a walk or spend an evening with a loved one at a fancy restaurant. My god, what have we become…
Scott: Just make it three points for a regulation win. It’s worked for the PWHL so far (except for the New York Sirens).
Also, I’d like to disassociate myself from the opening statement here slightly. While I have been critical of the Blues, I’ve also admitted that their defense has been totally fine amidst all this chaos, so that factor means I’m not entirely surprised to see them sneak into the playoff conversation, especially now that they’re getting good goaltending from Joel Hofer.
Speaking of Hofer, I get that Jordan Binnington’s performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off has earned him a spot for Canada’s Olympic team on merit, but his performance this season has not. How can Doug Armstrong justify sending Binnington to Italy when he’s not even not the best Canadian goaltender on his own team? I’m not saying Hofer should be going, just that Binnington shouldn’t, especially since some quality options have emerged since 4 Nations.
Hunter: Scott, we’ve ripped the Blues for nearly two years now, don’t leave me now! And Armstrong making bad decisions in the past hasn’t stopped him before.
31. Seattle Kraken
Record: 13-14-6, -21
Last Week: 30th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 30th
Hunter: With the Mason Marchment trade, the Kraken appear to have signalled they’re open for business. It makes sense, considering they’ve lost 10 of their last 12 games. What doesn’t make sense is 19-year-old Berkly Catton not being loaned out to Canada’s 2026 World Juniors team. Someone covering the tournament told me the Kraken would rather keep the 2024 No. 8 overall pick with their own coaching and medical staff, but considering Catton has no goals and is averaging around 12 minutes a night through 21 games, wouldn’t you want him to play meaningful hockey at some point this season?
Scott: Don’t let the Kraken not loaning Catton distract you from the fact that Lane Lambert only answered media questions from a writer from the team’s website in a post-game scrum amidst a stretch of nine losses in 10 games. They apologized for it afterwards, but it doesn’t change how the team was trying to avoid accountability in that situation. As someone who’s been in the trenches now, teams, players and coaches gotta answer the tough questions.
32. Chicago Blackhawks
Record: 13-16-6, -13
Last Week: 29th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 32nd
Hunter: As Scott mentioned last week, we knew regression would set in for the Blackhawks, especially after Connor Bedard sustained an injury that would keep him out of the lineup until January. However, the drop off has been far more substantial than we anticipated: the Blackhawks have lost five straight and 13 of their last 16, looking more like the group that scraped the bottom of the league barrel the last few seasons. At least Nick Lardis scored his first-career NHL goal last week; the 2023 third-round pick has been thriving in the AHL during his first professional season, with 13 goals and 26 points in his first 24 games with the Rockford IceHogs.
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