NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands After the 2025 Trade Deadline
Just when it looked like the NHL's Eastern Conference playoff picture was beginning to come into focus, it changed.
The New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings have begun to skid at a difficult time in terms of the postseason, falling two and four points below the cutline, respectively, and four spots apiece in B/R's Power Rankings for the week.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche are experiencing life on the positive side in the West and with the voters, who spiked the Blues by four spots and the Avalanche by three while awarding 32 points for a first-place vote down to a single point for last.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Votes were tallied after games played on Tuesday, March 11.
32. San Jose Sharks
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Previous Ranking: 32
Overall Record: 17-40-9
It was another poor week in Shark Land, where San Jose's Tuesday loss to Nashville was its third in a row.
The Sharks won their first two games of 2025 but have since gone 4-17-3 in their last 24, falling six points behind Chicago for last overall in the league.
The team is in line for the top overall draft pick for the second straight season, which would be the sixth time it's happened in NHL history.
31. Chicago Blackhawks
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Previous Ranking: 31
Overall Record: 20-35-9
A lost season remains lost in Chicago, but the Blackhawks got a glimpse of the future when their No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, defenseman Artyom Levshunov, debuted on Monday in Colorado.
The 19-year-old from Belarus logged 20:55 of ice time across 24 shots and had three shots in his curtain-raiser, which ended in a 3-0 loss.
30. Buffalo Sabres
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Previous Ranking: 29
Overall Record: 24-32-6
The Sabres dipped their toes in the trade water with a deal that brought former 35-goal scorer Josh Norris from Ottawa with Jacob Bernard-Docker for two players and a 2026 draft pick.
Norris picked up his first point with Buffalo in a Monday win over Edmonton, hustling to force a turnover and feeding Tage Thompson for the decisive goal in the third period.
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29. Nashville Predators
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Previous Ranking: 30
Overall Record: 25-32-7
It's a bit too little and far too late, but there's some positivity brewing in Nashville thanks to a strong stretch in which the Predators have won four in a row and five of their last seven.
In this week's weird stat alert, a Tuesday defeat of San Jose was the team's 13th in a row, which is the second-longest run against one team in franchise history. Nashville beat St. Louis 14 straight times from 2005-06 to 2006-07.
28. Seattle Kraken
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Previous Ranking: 28
Overall Record: 27-34-4
A weekend on the East Coast was predictably tumultuous for the Kraken, who won at Philadelphia on Saturday before dropping a 4-2 decision at Washington a day later.
The loss to the Capitals dropped Seattle to 0-10-0 in the second half of a back-to-back series in 2024-25.
The team has two more scheduled back-to-backs this season, on March 18-19 (in Chicago and Minnesota) and April 7-8 (in Los Angeles and Utah).
27. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Previous Ranking: 27
Overall Record: 26-31-10
The Penguins are far removed from the playoff race but they're still determined to be a factor, as evidenced by a two-game win streak that included a defeat of Pacific-leading Vegas on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh had defeated Minnesota, which is currently in a Western playoff position, on Sunday. The wins were their first against a would-be postseason participant since a defeat of Los Angeles on Jan. 20.
26. Philadelphia Flyers
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Previous Ranking: 26
Overall Record: 27-31-8
It's that time of year again in Philadelphia, where the Flyers dropped a 5-2 verdict to visiting Ottawa on Tuesday to extend a skid to five games.
Philadelphia was in the thick of the Eastern playoff race last season before a late swoon left them four points below the cutline. It's not as much of a factor in 2024-25, though, with the team entering Wednesday's games eight points off the pace and with five teams between it and Columbus.
25. Anaheim Ducks
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Previous Ranking: 25
Overall Record: 28-29-7
The good news is that goalie Lukas Dostal made 36 saves in a Tuesday game against the high-flying Washington Capitals. The bad news is that he allowed six goals in the same game, which ended in a 7-4 loss.
It was the 11th time this season that the 24-year-old was on the losing end of a game in which he made at least 30 saves, with six of those losses coming in regulation and five in OT or a shootout.
Entering Wednesday, Anaheim's shots-against average of 32.2 was the highest in the league.
24. New York Islanders
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Previous Ranking: 23
Overall Record: 29-28-7
Want to know what went wrong for the Islanders in a 4-1 loss at Los Angeles on Tuesday night? Look no further than the stat sheet.
New York was 0-for-8 on the power play against the Kings and allowed a pair of short-handed goals. The team's 12 percent success rate with a man advantage was last in the league entering Wednesday's games.
23. Detroit Red Wings
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Previous Ranking: 19
Overall Record: 30-27-6
Scoring has suddenly become the issue for a Red Wings team that had lost six straight heading into Wednesday while netting just 11 goals (1.83 goals per game)—more than a goal per game off its previous average of 2.90.
"A good point is to bear down in front of the net, bury our chances, and we'll have a good chance at having a good stretch," forward Alex DeBrincat said.
22. Boston Bruins
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Previous Ranking: 24
Overall Record: 30-28-8
Rallying from two goals down to defeat the defending champs has a way of buoying the confidence, and that's where the transaction-ravaged Bruins find themselves after a 3-2 defeat of Florida on Tuesday.
"We're just trying to build the momentum we haven’t had the whole year," defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. "I think you get a couple of wins, you start feeling great, you feel confident inside the group. I think that's a good thing. Something's brewing, for sure."
21. Utah Hockey Club
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Previous Ranking: 22
Overall Record: 28-25-10
The artists formerly known as the Coyotes will stray from their Delta Center home three more times this season, in matching three-game series.
Utah got three of a possible four points on its most recent road trip, winning at Detroit on March 6 and losing in OT at Chicago the following night.
20. New York Rangers
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Previous Ranking: 16
Overall Record: 31-28-6
There are no good times for a slide, but it's a particularly inopportune moment for the Rangers, who have gone 0-2-2 in their last four and found themselves two points below the Eastern cutline entering Wednesday.
New York had gone 7-3-0 in its previous 10 games before the recent stretch, in which it has allowed 16 goals. The team's 3.06 goals-against average is 20th in the league after its 2.76 mark was seventh last season.
19. Montreal Canadiens
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Previous Ranking: 20
Overall Record: 31-27-6
It's been a few years since the Canadiens played meaningful springtime hockey, but it appeared to be imminent heading into Wednesday thanks to runs of 6-1-1 in their last eight games and 8-1-1 in the last 10.
Montreal has missed the playoffs in three straight seasons since reaching the Stanley Cup Final and losing to Tampa Bay in 2021.
18. Vancouver Canucks
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Previous Ranking: 18
Overall Record: 29-24-11
It's another week on the margins for the Canucks, who dropped a 4-2 game to visiting Montreal on Tuesday and entered Wednesday having not scored more than three goals in a game since late January.
Vancouver was down 3-0 before scoring against the Canadiens and remained the only team in the league to have not rallied to win (0-19-4) when trailing after two periods.
17. St. Louis Blues
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Previous Ranking: 21
Overall Record: 31-27-7
The Blues have picked up five of a possible eight points through four games of what will be a six-game road trip, including wins in Los Angeles and Anaheim before an OT loss to the Kings in a return three days later.
"The blocked shots, the sacrificing for each other ... that's winning hockey," coach Jim Montgomery said. "We just keep playing like this, we’ll keep getting good results."
16. Calgary Flames
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Previous Ranking: 15
Overall Record: 30-23-10
The Flames were shut out twice on a six-game road trip but returned the favor in their return home on Saturday, blanking visiting Montreal, 1-0, thanks to 26 saves from goalie Dustin Wolf.
It was the 23-year-old's third shutout of the season, establishing a team rookie record and tying him for the league's rookie lead with Ottawa's Leevi Merilainen.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets
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Previous Ranking: 13
Overall Record: 31-25-8
It's getting to be crunch time for Columbus, whose Tuesday loss in New Jersey was its third in four games after a four-game win streak.
The Blue Jackets have been outscored, 14-5, in the three losses and entered Wednesday just two points ahead of Montreal, the Rangers and Boston for the final Eastern playoff spot.
14. Ottawa Senators
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Previous Ranking: 17
Overall Record: 34-25-5
The Senators haven't made the playoffs for seven straight seasons, but you go ahead and tell them they should be feeling the pressure down the stretch in a tight Eastern race.
Instead, the young guns in Canada's capital have won four straight after a 5-2 decision at Philadelphia on Tuesday, which came on the second night of a back-to-back that started with a 2-1 triumph over Detroit.
13. New Jersey Devils
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Previous Ranking: 14
Overall Record: 35-25-6
It's a little step but an important one for the Devils, whose 5-3 defeat of visiting Columbus on Tuesday gave them their first consecutive victories since late January. New Jersey is 7-8-0 since those two wins.
"It's a huge win in the standings and just the morale in the locker room," defenseman Luke Hughes said.
12. Minnesota Wild
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Previous Ranking: 9
Overall Record: 37-24-4
There's nothing like a visit from a top-flight team to enhance focus and it was a successful recipe in Minnesota, where the Wild shook off two straight losses to defeat Colorado on Tuesday and climb within three points of the Avalanche in the Central Division.
"When we play a strong game that is focused on attention to detail and good awareness and we have a strong compete level and we get that throughout the lineup, that's when we're a hard team to play against," coach John Hynes said. "We've been kind of building towards that. I would say coming out of the break that was probably our best game."
11. Edmonton Oilers
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Previous Ranking: 11
Overall Record: 37-22-4
Expect the "should they have gotten a goalie?" questions to intensify in Edmonton, particularly after Stuart Skinner gave up seven goals on 48 shots (.854 save percentage) in his first two post-deadline starts.
The Oilers beat Dallas in Mikko Rantanen's first game with his new team but then lost in Buffalo to a Sabres team that had dropped six straight, with Skinner making 20 saves to 32 for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
10. Los Angeles Kings
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Previous Ranking: 12
Overall Record: 34-20-9
The Kings have been waiting on 22-year-old Quinton Byfield to become a decisive force and the 2020 No. 2 overall pick is heading that direction amid a goal-scoring streak that stretched to four games in a Tuesday win over the Islanders.
He's the third player in franchise history to score in four straight games under the age of 23, joining Anze Kopitar (2008-09) and Matt Luff (2018-19). He's on pace to equal his career high of 20 goals, established last season.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Previous Ranking: 7
Overall Record: 37-23-4
A 4-1 loss to Carolina on Tuesday was its second straight after a run of 10 wins in 11 games, but that wasn't the biggest concern for Tampa Bay, which saw Nikita Kucherov leave after the second period.
The Russian forward had 15:17 of ice time across 13 shifts against the Hurricanes and was a minus-2 for the second straight game. His 92 points entering Wednesday were third in the league behind Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon (102) and Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl (97).
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
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Previous Ranking: 6
Overall Record: 38-22-3
A five-game win sequence quickly disintegrated into a three-game skid for the streaky Maple Leafs, who rebounded with an OT win at Utah after blowing a three-goal lead in the Monday finale of a brief road trip.
Mitch Marner and William Nylander have remained hot throughout the tumult, with the former riding a seven-game point streak (five goals, four assists) and the latter producing points in six straight (three goals, five assists).
7. Colorado Avalanche
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Previous Ranking: 10
Overall Record: 39-24-3
The six-game win streak came to an end, but the Avalanche did manage a point by getting to a shootout before losing, 2-1, to Minnesota on Tuesday.
Colorado is 9-3-1 in 13 games since Feb. 1 and its 19 points since then are tied with Dallas for tops in the Western Conference. Its 2.00 goals-against average since that date is third in the league behind only Florida and Winnipeg.
6. Carolina Hurricanes
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Previous Ranking: 8
Overall Record: 39-22-4
The Hurricanes were labeled a loser at the deadline after unloading Rantanen for a less-proven player, but it's not been reflected in subsequent results, which show Carolina is 2-0-0 since the deal and has won five straight since a loss to Edmonton on March 1.
The Hurricanes defeated Tampa Bay, 4-1, on Tuesday and have allowed two or fewer goals in each of the five victories. Their 2.68 goals-against average for the season was sixth in the league entering Wednesday.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
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Previous Ranking: 4
Overall Record: 38-19-7
Points in five of their last six games (4-1-1) have enabled the Golden Knights to establishing some breathing space—five points entering Wednesday—atop the Pacific Division.
Vegas has won the division title three times in seven seasons since it arrived as an expansion team for the 2017-18 season.
4. Florida Panthers
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Previous Ranking: 5
Overall Record: 40-22-3
Only the hosts' three-goal, third-period rally in Boston kept the Panthers from stretching their latest win streak to seven games, instead resulting in a 3-2 loss to the Bruins.
Florida had won six in a row and was particularly dominant in the last four, outscoring its opponents by a 12-1 margin with shutouts against Calgary, Columbus and Buffalo.
The loss in Boston came in the first contest of a 20-game ban for defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has been suspended for violating terms of the league's performance-enhancing substances program.
3. Dallas Stars
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Previous Ranking: 3
Overall Record: 42-20-2
The Stars were consensus winners at the deadline thanks primarily to the acquisition of Rantanen, who came from Carolina for a player (Logan Stankoven) and five picks across three drafts.
Rantanen hit the ground running with goals in each of his first two games with Dallas, matching his goal total in 13 games with the Hurricanes after they'd gotten him from Colorado.
2. Winnipeg Jets
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Previous Ranking: 1
Overall Record: 45-17-4
There's been a simple recipe for success all season in Winnipeg and it wasn't lost on the new guys after the Jets recorded a 2-1 win over the visiting Rangers on Tuesday.
"It's not by mistake that they're in this position in the standings," said defenseman Luke Schenn, who debuted with the team after going from Nashville to Pittsburgh to Winnipeg during deadline week. "The biggest thing I noticed is how much structure there is and how much detail there is on the defensive zone. Guys are in position and defending first. At the end of the day, that's what wins in this league."
1. Washington Capitals
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Previous Ranking: 2
Overall Record: 43-14-8
It's another week and another streak for the Capitals, who have reeled off five straight after exploding for seven goals in a Tuesday visit to Anaheim.
Washington now has five 20-goal scorers after Dylan Strome reached that mark against the Ducks. Meanwhile, Logan Thompson is four wins away from tying Jose Theodore's franchise record for wins (32) by a first-year Capital.
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