NHL power rankings: The Winnipeg Jets have hit rock bottom
The holidays are officially in the rearview mirror, which means plenty of teams are at the halfway marks of their seasons and are in for condensed schedule stretches as the Olympics get closer and closer. Speaking of which, many teams announced their rosters for the tournament in Milan, aaaaaaaand so many players have already been lost to injury. Not a great start in that department, but maybe that will give some teams second chances to amend their mistakes (*cough*Bill Guerin*cough*).
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: 31-3-7, +72
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st
Scott: In a matchup that could have been considered a true test for the Avalanche against the Panthers, the Avs proved they’re a failure of an organization by losing their third game in regulation. What a horrible team. They’re going nowhere.
But in all seriousness, it’s insane that we are now halfway through the Avs’ season and they’ve only left a game without a point just three games. And they just became the fourth team in NHL history to win 10+ games twice in one season. They’ll be put to the test with Devon Toews and Gabriel Landeskog set to miss some time, but this team can pretty much cruise to the playoffs right now, so I wouldn’t be too worried. Heck, this team could probably use some rest, and better to go cold now than right before the playoffs.
Hunter: The two double-digit win streaks stat is even more impressive when you consider they did it within the first 40 games of the season.
One point re: Brock Nelson making the initial U.S. Olympic men’s hockey roster: Nelson should be thanking Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland for acquiring him ahead of the Trade Deadline last season. Getting to play a middle-six role for Colorado has rejuvenated his career in a way I don’t think any other team could have for the 34-year-old center, who now has 18 goals and 33 points with a 62.6 xGF% that ranks third among all forwards in the league.
USA Hockey GM Bill Guerin leaving Jason Robertson off the roster is unforgivable, but I can be a bit more forgiving for someone like Nelson, who doesn’t look out of place in a bottom-six role with the best in the world.
Scott: Ehhhhh, I still think Nelson is a stretch over some of the players left off, but not nearly as egregious as J.T. Miller or Vincent Trocheck.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Record: 25-13-3, +32
Last Week: 4th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 3rd
Hunter: Winners of seven straight, the Lightning beat each of the California teams during their west-coast road trip last week. While Nikita Kucherov continues to put up cartoonish numbers, including a five-point night against the Sharks that gives him 59 on the season, Darren Raddysh nearly reached career highs in every category before the new year, with 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points. Seriously, he’s third in goals and tied for sixth in points among all NHL defenders, as well as a sixth-ranked 6.8 xG, and no one has given it a second thought.
P.S. In petty sports news, how pissed would you be if you’re a Tampa sports fan and Tom Brady, the guy your Buccaneers gave a chance after his unceremonious departure from the New England Patriots, shows up for hugs and kisses and Stanley Cup pictures with the in-state rival Panthers? Doesn’t this bother anyone else?! Or am I looking too far into this and no one in Florida really cares?
Scott: I think Tom also celebrated with the Lightning during their Cup wins, so he paid his dues.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
Record: 25-14-3, +13
Last Week: 2nd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd
Hunter: The Hurricanes had just one regulation win in five games last week, giving up five or more goals in all three losses. The biggest news came last Monday when the team revealed Pyotr Kochetkov will likely miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery. When it came to Carolina’s healthy netminders, Frederik Andersen was borderline unplayable, giving up five and four goals in his two appearances, respectively. Dating back to Nov. 11, Anderson is 0-7-2 with an .840 save percentage and has given up at least four goals in five of those nine games.
Brandon Bussi’s six-goal night against Montreal was a blip on the radar, and he still possesses a 14-2-1 record with a reasonable .906 SV% and 4.0 GSAx. But the Hurricanes will be in a world of hurt if they rely too heavily on a rookie goaltender. For all the talk about the Oilers and Golden Knights needing a goaltender, it’s Carolina who may end up being the most desperate.
4. Dallas Stars
Record: 25-9-8, +29
Last Week: 3rd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 4th
Scott: I had half the mind to congratulate the Stars for the fact that, despite how much we’ve talked up the Avs this season, the Stars have hung around in the race for the Central Division, Western Conference and the Presidents’ Trophy. But after five losses in a row, they now sit 11 points back of Colorado. They’re still very good (and currently holding down second), but that dip has put them behind the eight-ball in terms of winning the Central. And the last thing Dallas wants is to face Minnesota.
Hunter: This 2025-26 campaign is the season from hell. How can a team lose five straight and still be second place in a division behind a team on pace for the greatest single-season result in league history?! It makes no sense, damn it!
I’ve complained enough about Robertson’s exclusion from the U.S. roster, as I’m sure most of you reading this have, as well, but one player off to a slow start through the first half is Matt Duchene. After a 30-goal 2024-25 season that earned him a four-year extension, Duchene has three goals on the season and just two since returning from injury Dec. 7. He got on the board late against the Blackhawks on Thursday, but coaches and management are hoping to see more as we enter the new year.
Scott: It would be hilarious if, after being so underpaid for the Stars those two seasons he played on a one-year contract, Duchene fell off the second he got term on his contract.
5. Minnesota Wild
Record: 25-10-8, +23
Last Week: 7th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 5th
Hunter: After all the hustle and bustle of the Quinn Hughes trade, the Wild have (slightly) fallen back to Earth. They won two of four games last week, but earned points in each of them with both losses coming in shootouts. Matt Boldy has four goals in his last five games and goes into the week ranked second in the NHL in goals, which I had to double/triple check after typing because it still seems unbelievable.
At some point, his 18.3% shooting percentage will fall closer to the combined 11.8% he averaged through his first four seasons. Minnesota’s middle-six forwards like Marcus Johansson (one goal in 10 games) and Vladimir Tarasenko (one goal in last seven) will need to fill the void.
Scott: I will say, nothing sums up the history of the Wild as a franchise than the fact that it took Hughes 11 games to set a new franchise record on Friday for assists from a defenseman in a game with four, and he tied their record for most points.
6. Florida Panthers
Record: 22-16-3, -1
Last Week: 8th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 8th
Hunter: Since mid-December, Sam Reinhart has played like one of the league’s best forwards, with eight goals in his last 10 games. Seth Jones was injured early in the Winter Classic (more on that in a bit) and didn’t play in Sunday’s 2-1 win against the Avalanche. The Panthers will be at a disadvantage if he’s out for an extended period of time.
As for the Winter Classic … I try not to pile on the beating the league takes on social media whenever they host outdoor games in “non-traditional” hockey markets. The novelty of these events has worn off, but for fans of the home team, it’s a moment to celebrate the market and the franchise’s history, no matter how short or long it is. Also, if you’re a player who’s played hundreds, maybe thousands of games in your career, it’s the rare regular-season contest you’ll never forget.
That being said … when Matthew Tkachuk and Sasha Barkov — both injured and not having played yet in 2025-26 — brought the Stanley Cup out on stage while Role Model performed during the first intermission, I felt myself age 20 years and turn into “old man yells at cloud.”
Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk brought out the Stanley Cup for @rolemodel's first intermission performance 🕺🏆#WinterClassic | @FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/abuFwmrlWD
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 3, 2026First of all: Why are they still allowed to parade the Cup around? We’re halfway into the following season, the Stanley Cup is not a fantasy football trophy that collects dust at home for the entire year. Once everyone has their day with it in the summer, it’s time to build a bridge and get over it.
Secondly: If you’re Tkachuk and Barkov, why would you want to be seen holding the Cup, especially in a situation like that? Your teammates are in the middle of a game, one of them just took a puck to the neck and left, and you’re dressed up as make-a-wish kids getting to meet the cast of Miami Vice.
The whole thing was corny and came off like a bunch of drunken frat boys, which is even sadder when you consider Tkachuk and Barkov are married with mortgages. I’m even more perplexed that Barkov took part in it — Tkachuk you would expect, because he follows the Jake-and-Logan Paul route of leaning into being hated and obnoxious, but Barkov? The Sunshine State’s version of Jonathan Toews?
Lame. So, so lame. But hey, at least they beat the Avs in regulation.
Scott: Honestly, when you’ve won two straight Stanley Cups, been to three straight Finals and are still in playoff contention without your two best players, you can do whatever you want with the Cup. Maybe it ages poorly if they lose this year, but until then, another team has to pry it from their cold, dead hands, even if that’s on a stage with Role Models playing.
Hunter: Scott, the hockey gods do not approve of the Holy Grail being paraded without merit.
Scott: Considering what the hockey gods do approve, I care not for their opinion.
7. Detroit Red Wings
Record: 24-15-4, -7
Last Week: 6th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 10th
Hunter: After beating a lowly Jets squad by the skin of their teeth, the Red Wings lost both games in a home-and-home with the Penguins. Credit to them for pulling a late game-tying goal in the first loss, earning a point in a highly contested Atlantic Division race. Lucas Raymond will be happy he was named to Sweden’s Olympic men’s roster, but Detroit will need more from their top point producer, who has just one goal in his last 15 games.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins
Record: 20-12-9, +4
Last Week: 13th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 6th
Hunter: Last week, I called on the Penguins to continue losing so we could finally see the much-needed rebuild in Pîttsburgh take place. But after dropping nine of 10 games, the Penguins have won five straight, capped by a 5-4 overtime win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday, with Sidney Crosby scoring the game winner. Now with 24 goals on the season, Crosby enters the week tied for fifth in the NHL, and with 47 points in 41 games, is on pace to finish with his 21st season of averaging more than a point-per-game.
Scott: I clearly like the Penguins with my sixth-place ranking, but don’t be mistaken, I’m currently mad at them, as their comeback win cost me a win in fantasy this week.
9. Vegas Golden Knights
Record: 17-11-12, -2
Last Week: 5th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 12th
Hunter: With five straight losses and eight in their last nine games, it’s not looking good in Vegas. Carter Hart has looked awful in the last few weeks, giving up at least four goals in four of his last five appearances. He allowed five goals on 12 shots before getting pulled against the Wild, then their loss to the Blues, he allowed three goals on seven shots midway through the second period. He settled down for most of the second half … before giving up a juicy rebound for Brayden Schenn to bury with 93 seconds left in the third.
Akira Schmid hasn’t looked much better, losing his last three starts and giving up a combined 12 goals. It’s more clear than ever that the Golden Knights’ goaltending is as much of a liability as its ever been, and Adin Hill ain’t walking through that door any time soon. It doesn’t help that Mitch Marner only has nine goals at the halfway point, but that’s another topic for another day.
Scott: I see Hart is making the PR nightmare that was signing him worth it. Karma sucks sometimes, doesn’t it Vegas?
10. Washington Capitals
Record: 21-15-6, +14
Last Week: 9th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 9th
Scott: The Caps find themselves in a stretch where they’ve lost nine of their last 12 games, including three of four last week to the Panthers, Senators and Blackhawks, with a 6-3 win over the Rangers on New Years Eve being the lone bright spot. I’ve cited their defensive issues in the past, and they just keep getting worse. Logan Thompson’s performance has slipped a bit as well, which is likely a reason for the lack of wins, but with a .915 save percentage and a league-leading 19.31 5v5 goals saved above expected, he’s still one of the best goalies right now, and certainly worthy of starting for Canada at the Olympics.
11. Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 21-12-7, +8
Last Week: 16th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 7th
Hunter: I’ve been more tepid on the Flyers than my power rankings colleague, but I’ve been impressed with their play in the last few weeks. Travis Konecny has five goals and nine points in his last nine games, while Dan Vladar has been impressive in the crease, posting a 15-6-3 record with a .910 SV% and 8.6 GSAx, the latter ranking ninth among goalies with at least 20 games played.
Unfortunately, we’re still waiting for Matvei Michkov to find his offensive footing, with just nine goals and 23 points, including one goal in his last 16 games. Some assign the blame to head coach Rick Tocchet, who seems to be quick to bench Michkov after he takes a penalty. While Philly fans must be ecstatic to see their team compete, at some point, Tocchet has to just let the kid run, or the Flyers may have to re-evaluate what to do with the 21-year-old this summer.
12. Ottawa Senators
Record: 20-15-5, +4
Last Week: 10th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 13th
Scott: Week one of life without Linus Ullmark… hasn’t gone as bad as expected. They dropped a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets to start but then bested the Capitals and the Jets to round out the week and keep afloat in the playoff race. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise they can insulate their performance without Ullmark, as they do boast the best defense in the league with a 2.24 5v5 xGA/60. Leevi Merilainen hasn’t even been that great with an .877 SV%, which goes to show how well the Senators protect him to get the wins.
Hunter: I really liked their effort against the Capitals, especially after going down 2-0 following a back-breaking goal at the end of the first period. Claude Giroux scored the game-winning goal late in the third period; it’s nice to see the 37-year-old veteran continue to be productive at this stage of his career, as he’s on pace for another 50-plus point season.
It’s also good to see Fabian Zetterlund find the back of the net in December and carry it into the new year. Last season, I thought Ottawa made one of the sneakiest acquisitions at the trade deadline by getting him from the Sharks, but he only scored twice in 20 games after being acquired, then went pointless in the playoffs. Now with 10 goals on the season, he could approach his career high of 24 if he picks things up in the second half of the season.
13. Montreal Canadiens
Record: 23-13-6, 0
Last Week: 17th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 11th
Hunter: After winning three of four games last week, the Canadiens are neck-and-neck with the Lightning and Red Wings at the top of the Atlantic Division. It was actually their first game of the week that felt the most satisfying, a 3-2 overtime victory over the Panthers which saw Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki score late in the third to tie it before the Montreal captain scored in OT for the win (the fake-slap pass from Lane Hutson is what really made it). While Caufield being left off the U.S. Olympic men’s roster felt like one of many wrong choices from USA Hockey, Suzuki making Canada’s initial group was the right choice, and it’s good to see star players get rewarded.
14. Edmonton Oilers
Record: 20-16-6, -4
Last Week: 14th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 16th
Scott: The Oilers had the perfect chance to run away with the Pacific Division with the recent struggles to Vegas, Anaheim and Los Angeles, so it’s only fitting that they also see their game slide with three losses in their last four games, all during a stretch against some weaker teams in the Flames, Jets, Bruins and Flyers (although I guess we have to rethink grouping the Flyers in that category at this point). They got the win over the Jets at least, but it’s a missed opportunity for Edmonton that they may regret down the stretch.
15. New York Rangers
Record: 20-18-5, -3
Last Week: 14th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 15th
Hunter: The Rangers lost four of five going into Friday’s Winter Classic, with Mika Zibanejad struggling to find the back of the net, scoring just three times in his previous 15 games. That’s why New York fans breathed a collective sigh of relief after the Swedish forward, who was named to his country’s Olympic men’s roster earlier in the day, had a game for the ages, scoring three goals and two assists for the fourth five-point game of his career. Despite being seventh in the Metropolitan Division, they’re four points back of third in the division and two points back of a Wildcard spot.
Scott: I wonder how Adam Fox felt as the American selections for the Olympics for the Panthers and Rangers were honored before the start of the game, especially when it included two teammates he’s better than (Miller and Trocheck) and the defenseman he should have made the team over (Seth Jones).
Hunter: I wish oddsmakers and betting apps could construct a wager along the lines of: “Adam Fox will win the Norris Trophy for the second time once he’s traded from the Rangers.” I’d throw an entire paycheck on that.
16. Buffalo Sabres
Record: 21-15-4, -1
Last Week: 18th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 14th
Hunter: In the category of “Sentences I never thought I’d say”: The Sabres have finally lost a game. Buffalo’s 10-game winning streak was snapped over the weekend after a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jackets. Since their streak started Dec. 9, the Sabres went from dead last in the Eastern Conference to fifth in the Atlantic Division and just two points back of a Wildcard spot. Tage Thompson had seven goals and 14 points during the winning streak, which may have tipped the scales for USA Hockey to add him to their men’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
17. Anaheim Ducks
Record: 21-17-3, -7
Last Week: 15th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 17th
Hunter: *BEEP BEEP BEEP* You hear that? That’s the sound of all the hockey reporters and pundits, including yours truly, backing off from all the praise we provided the Ducks for the majority of the season.
They’ve lost five straight and nine of their last 11. Their spot at the top of the Pacific Division was scribbled in pencil and they’re another week’s worth of losses away from losing a playoff position. Some underlying numbers and a 98.4 PDO suggest Anaheim is a highly productive team that’s snakebitten, as they’re in the top-10 for expected goals, expected goal differential and Corsi.
Another point of concern is Lukas Dostal, who has given up at least four goals in each of his last four starts. Since returning from injury in early December, Dostal is 2-6-1 in nine appearances, posting an .842 SV% and a goals saved above expected of minus-eight.
18. Los Angeles Kings
Record: 17-14-9, -4
Last Week: 11th (-7)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 19th
Scott: The Kings have lost eight of their last 11 games now, and are looking more and more like the team that I thought they would be at the start of the season. They’re still really good defensively, and Darcy Kuemper has stabilized the team a bit going 1-1 since his return, but it does feel like they’re behind the eight-ball a bit in an arms race in the Western Conference.
Also, while I understand Canada wanting to bring back their entire defense corps from 4 Nations, Drew Doughty sticks out like a sore thumb with each passing year. He’s fine, he probably won’t cost Canada too much, but it would have been nice to see them use the spot on one of several other great options (see next blurb).
19. New York Islanders
Record: 23-15-4, 0
Last Week: 19th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 18th
Hunter: Each week we write about the Islanders, we try to find something to write about other than Matthew Schaefer. Then again, one of my new year resolutions is to stop making resolutions I know I can’t achieve.
With three goals last week, including the overtime winner against the Leafs over the weekend, Schaefer has looked about as confident and elite as any defender in the league, regardless of age or experience. With 12 goals and 28 points through 42 games, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick has more goals in the NHL than he did in 79 combined regular-season and playoff games with the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League.
It may have been unrealistic to expect the old guard of Hockey Canada management to take an 18-year-old defender on the Olympic men’s roster, but if Schaefer continues at this rate, there’s no question who the next man up will be in case of injury.
Scott: Doug Armstrong: “Alex Pietrangelo, right?”
20. Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 18-16-7, -10
Last Week: 22nd (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 21st
Hunter: An up-and-down week for the Blue Jackets saw them lose a game to the Devils where Columbus was the better team in all facets of the game (well, except, y’know, goals) but follow it up with a 5-1 win over the Sabres where they snapped Buffalo’s 10-game winning streak. All the good will and momentum from the win evaporated after blowing a 4-1 lead to the Penguins on Sunday, losing 5-4 in overtime.
Columbus remains last in the conference, and while no one is “out of it” in the East, it may behoove management to wave the white flag early and sell some of their assets for a premium.
21. Utah Mammoth
Record: 19-20-3, +5
Last Week: 21st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 20th
Scott: How low can it get for the Mammoth? They’re lucky they play in the Western Conference where, despite how amazing the top teams are, the floor for the playoffs is significantly lower, so they’re two points out of a playoff spot instead of last place in the East. Yes, Logan Cooley is hurt, but it feels like this group needs a spark if they want to stay alive in the playoff race. Just how long is Andre Tourgny’s leash?
Hunter: The Mammoth are approaching that dangerous territory of a team that simply exists but never crosses your mind. This was what the Wild were for a chunk of the 2000s, especially if you were doing one of those Sporcle tests where you name all the teams in the NHL, but spent two minutes trying to come up with that last team.
It’s also weird how there’s only four teams in the Western Conference with a positive goal differential: The three kings in the Central Division … and Utah. Go figure.
22. New Jersey Devils
Record: 22-18-2, -10
Last Week: 20th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 23rd
Scott: I think Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes is a perfect summary of Luke Hughes’ season, as he somehow managed to score not one, but two own goals, one being a “shot on net” while the other was a failed puckhandle in front of his net. It’s not that Hughes has been horrible, but with many Devils fans hoping for him to take the mantle of 1D, especially with Dougie Hamilton now a shell of his former self, he hasn’t quite managed to do so. It’s a big reason why the Devils have struggled this year, as along with a lack of scoring depth up front, they lack a true top defenseman despite how deep their blueline is.
23. Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: 19-15-7, -1
Last Week: 23rd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 24th
Scott: Over the last few weeks, I was very curious to see how the conversation surrounding Auston Matthews would be when he surpassed Mats Sundin’s goals record. He put himself within breathing room before the start of the holidays, but with the team so inconsistent, Matthews even more inconsistent, and the fans fed up with the regular season accolades while the playoff struggles continued, I could have seen a lot of the reaction being “who cares?” Thankfully, the reception was much warmer, largely due to six goals in four games and five goals in four periods to break the record. Despite his inconsistencies over the last four years, he’s still been one of the top goal scorers in the league, and maybe this recent stretch is a sign that he’s back.
Hunter: Scott, are you saying … we should bring out the “We Are So Back O’Meter”? Because I’ll dust it off right now and crank it to an 11 if we think Matthews, who now has a team-leading 20 goals and is producing at a rate that would equate to 46 in an 82-game season, is back to even three quarters of his peak. What’s stood out to me during his recent string of production is the enthusiasm he exhibits with each goal: He loves to score.
“Well yeah, everyone loves to score, dumb ass,” you might be thinking. But it’s not the same for us mere mortals, or the 95% of NHLers Matthews shares the rink with. The Leafs captain is the hockey equivalent of the T-1000, a robot designed to score at will and make the best goalies in the world look foolish. The only two players in the post-Second World War era with higher goal-per-game rates than Matthews are Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux, which means he scores at a better rate than Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, and yes, the new all-time goals leader, Alex Ovechkin.
We’ll need another week or two of production before Matthews is certifiably back, but for right now, fans should appreciate how good he really is.
Scott: Bring it out for Matthews? Maybe. I’m curious to see how he performs in these final games before the Olympics, as well as at the Olympics itself away from Craig Berube’s systems, but the vibes are better with him.
Bring it out for the Leafs? Hell no.
24. Nashville Predators
Record: 19-18-4, -18
Last Week: 24th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd
Hunter: After starting the season 6-12-4, the Predators have gone 13-6-0 since Nov. 26, including three wins in four games last week. The real story out of Nashville is the emergence of Steven Stamkos, who after a slow start has 14 goals and 23 points in his last 19 games, including his 600th career goal on New Year’s Eve against the Golden Knights. Two things can happen: Either the two-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner leads the Predators to a Wildcard spot, or Nashville moves the 35-year-old (and likely eats a chunk of his $8-million cap hit with two years remaining) and gets a healthy package in return.
25. Calgary Flames
Record: 18-19-4, -10
Last Week: 26th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 26th
Hunter: Dustin Wolf looked strong going into the weekend, winning four of five starts and giving up more than two goals just once in that span. But a four-goal night against the Predators on Saturday, including a Nicolas Hague point shot with 29 seconds left in the third, cost the Flames at least one point in a tight Western Conference Wildcard race. His teammates did him no favors, getting outshot 36-23 and dominated in possession and expected goals.
26. Boston Bruins
Record: 22-18-2, -3
Last Week: 25th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 25th
Scott: The Bruins had a holiday season to forget, as they underwent a six-game losing streak that went from a week before Christmas and ended on New Years Eve. That slump-buster was a big 6-2 win over the Oilers in game two of their Western Canada road trip, and they wrapped it up with a 3-2 overtime win against the Canucks on Saturday, with Vancouver-born Fraser Minten scoring twice. They’re still hanging on in the playoff race, but it still feels like a matter of time before they fall out of it with how the team is.
27. Seattle Kraken
Record: 18-14-7, -12
Last Week: 29th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 27th
Scott: Nothing sums up the Kraken better than the fact that Jordan Eberle has been pretty hot as of late with a six-game point streak and six goals and 13 points in 15 games. He’s been Seattle’s leading scorer for most of the season, so clearly he must have a crazy point total, right? Nope, he has just 14 goals and 27 points in 39 games. He still leads the Kraken though. At least they can sell high on him at the deadline! Oh wait, Seattle’s somehow in a playoff spot, somehow only three points out of the lead in the Pacific Division. This team is going to be in the murky middle forever.
Hunter: Readers, see my earlier point in the Columbus blurb re: teams becoming sellers before everyone else. Also, Eberle is about to play his 1,100th career regular-season game, but he’s only reached the Conference Finals once in his career (2020 with the Islanders). There’s plenty of legitimate contenders where Eberle could go and be the wily veteran who scores an overtime goal in game 4 of a series.
28. St. Louis Blues
Record: 17-18-8, -39
Last Week: 28th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th
Scott: Well, the thing finally happened. The thing we all expected. They still gave Jordan Binnington a spot on Canada’s Olympic team despite how bad he’s been this season. It was expected, even if he’s been outperformed by another Canadian goalie on his own team, but now the question is how will Canada deploy him. It’s very clearly a “you earned it after last time” gig, so the assumption would be that he starts game one, but that’s against their toughest opponent in Czechia. Then again, would it be better for Czechia to light him up and then Canada just moves on to Thompson for the rest of the tournament? That will probably be the biggest story for Canada at the Olympics (unless their roster selections keep dropping like flies like Bo Horvat, Tom Wilson and Devon Toews have since the announcement).
29. San Jose Sharks
Record: 20-18-3, -19
Last Week: 30th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 29th
Scott: There are two Sharks-related pieces of news I want to discuss. First, it was great to see Macklin Celebrini actually made Canada’s Olympic team. It had been rumoured for a while, but to see it come to fruition is amazing, and he’ll now be the youngest player to wear the red and white maple leaf. I had him as my fifth-best center of 2025 last week, so there was really no justification for leaving him off at this point.
Second, what was that Alex Wennberg extension? He’s been fine for them the past season and a half with 61 points in 118 games, but at 31 years old, is he really going to keep that up when he’s 32, 33 and 34? I get that the Sharks still have their young core on their ELCs and plenty of cap space to work with, but Celebrini, Will Smith and Yaroslav Askarov will already need new contracts after the first year of that deal, and Sam Dickinson and Michael Misa will need new deals after year two. And that’s not accounting for any other players that enter the fold (hello Igor Chernyshov, who has eight points in his first eight games, has looked great alongside Celebrini and will also need a deal after year two of Wennberg’s contract). By all means, give him that cap hit now if you need to hit the floor, but the three-year term just sounds like an unnecessary headache, even if the cap is rising.
30. Chicago Blackhawks
Record: 17-18-7, -16
Last Week: 32nd (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st
Scott: It’s a bummer that Connor Bedard will miss out on the Olympics this season (barring any injuries to other players), but you can excuse Canada’s decision-making process when they at least brought Celebrini to the team. I will say, Jeff Blashill went about defending Bedard’s defensive game in the wrong way by attacking analytics. Garret Hohl summed it up best here, but analytics give a summary of a player or team’s defensive impact, not so much how well they play defensively. Considering that defense is just the lack of offense, there are many different ways a player can be good defensively. At the very least, Bedard makes up for any of his deficiencies with his offense, and it should have been good enough for Canada regardless.
31. Vancouver Canucks
Record: 16-20-5, -26
Last Week: 31st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 30th
Scott: Fun fact (unless you’re a Canucks fan), do you want to guess who was the Canucks’ top scorer on their payroll before Saturday’s game? Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is taking up more of Vancouver’s salary cap ($4,766,667 in buy out charges) than Toronto’s (a $3.5 million cap hit). That wasn’t an original thought, and it’s since been outdated after OEL went pointless in the Leafs’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders and Elias Pettersson (two points in two games) and Filip Hronek (three points in two games) caught up to OEL’s 25 points, but it just goes to show the state of the Canucks right now.
Hunter: Hahahhahahahhaha. Sorry, excuse me. Hahahahahahaha. That Ekman-Larsson blurb is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. I wish I could recreate the sound that escaped my body when I read what Scott typed. Also, do you want me to tell Canucks management that they’re not getting a first-round pick for Kiefer Sherwood, or should I? Remove a hat trick he recorded Dec. 19 against the Islanders, and he has just two goals in his last 20 games.
Another player I’m curious about is Conor Garland, whose six-year extension with a $6-million AAV and no-move clause for the first three years kicks in next season. In the meantime, the Canucks can trade him between now and July 1 without Garland having any say. Would any team want to take on a long-term contract with that cap hit for a 29-year-old winger whose career high in goals and points are 22 and 52, respectively? Maybe not, but I saw the Leafs trade David Clarkson and his contract, so I’ll believe anything.
32. Winnipeg Jets
Record: 15-21-4, -11
Last Week: 27th (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 32nd
Scott: How do they keep getting worse! Ever since Connor Hellebuyck’s injury was announced, the Jets are 3-14-4, a .238 point percentage. The next closest in that span? The Blackhawks, who were still 7-13-3. I know I’ve said the Jets were bad all season, but the fact that even Hellebuyck can’t save them is telling. Have we ever seen a team go from winning the Presidents’ Trophy to finishing last? The Jets just may do so at this rate.
Hunter: I … I don’t know what to say. Even with the underlying numbers and inflated PDOs and Hellebuyck saving the day, I never thought they’d play this badly. I want to say that there’s no way they’re actually this bad, and that at some point they’re going to go on a winning streak that keeps them out of the very bottom of the league’s barrel, but … can they? Will they?
Scott: This is what happens when you drop Nikolaj Ehlers out of the lineup and replace him with Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist.
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