NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands After the 2025 Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers officially ended the 2024-25 NHL season on Tuesday night with a 5-1 defeat of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It's the second consecutive year the Panthers have hoisted the Cup with a defeat of the Oilers, coming 359 days after they'd done so in an all-or-nothing seventh game before another revved-up crowd at Amerant Bank Arena.
And with the victory lap comes the B/R hockey team's final chance to power rank the 32-team field, with 32 points awarded for a first-place vote all the way down to a single point for a team getting a 32nd-place vote.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
32. Chicago Blackhawks
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New coach Jeff Blashill has a high-profile supporter in Hall of Famer Chris Chelios, who won two of his three Norris trophies with the Blackhawks from 1990-99.
"Very accountable, good structure, getting the point across and worked really well with the young kids," Chelios said, "which should be a great situation with all these kids the Blackhawks have acquired over the past couple years."
31. Seattle Kraken
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The perception of new coach Lane Lambert is that he's a defense-first guy, but he's eager to suggest the Kraken will focus hard on scoring, too.
"Yes, we'll be strong defensively, but we will also create offense," he said. "We'll play fast, we'll be aggressive, we'll be at the net in the offensive zone, we'll shoot pucks.”
30. Nashville Predators
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The 2024-25 regular season was a disaster, but some of the Predators' stars are recognized as elite and were included on preliminary rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Captain Roman Josi was picked for the Switzerland team and goaltender Juuse Saros is set to play for Finland at the Games in Milan, Italy.
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29. San Jose Sharks
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The Sharks didn't win the draft lottery, but they will still wind up with the No. 2 overall pick and likely have a shot at center Michael Misa, the top-ranked North American forward after producing 134 points in 65 games with Saginaw of the OHL.
Misa could add another offensive weapon to a young core that already includes Macklin Celebrini (first overall in 2024) and Will Smith (fourth overall in 2023).
28. Pittsburgh Penguins
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It'll be the first time as an NHL head coach for Dan Muse, but it's not as if Pittsburgh's new bench boss doesn't have experience. He was an assistant with two Presidents' Trophy winning teams, Nashville in 2017-18 and the New York Rangers in 2023-24.
"From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL," Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said, "Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential."
27. Philadelphia Flyers
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It's already been a busy offseason in Philadelphia, and the Flyers kept the momentum going by signing forward Noah Cates to a four-year contract extension worth $16 million.
Cates' 37 points were seventh on the team in 2024-25 and his plus-3 rating was second. He was a fifth-round draft pick in 2017 and has played 235 NHL games.
26. Boston Bruins
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Marco Sturm spent parts of five NHL seasons as a player with the Bruins, and he will draw on that organizational experience now he's been named the team's 30th head coach.
"It will definitely prepare me a little bit better," Sturm said. "The people and the fans here are so passionate, I have a lot of respect for that. They let you know if you’re not playing well, but I also know they are behind you when things are going well. For me, it’s all about it being up to us to get back to playing to our identity and our culture."
25. Buffalo Sabres
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The Sabres will rely on a stockpile of young players to try to end the league's longest playoff drought, and one of the brightest lights in the pipeline is Finnish forward Konsta Helenius, who was named to the AHL's Top Prospects team for 2024-25.
Helenius, who turned 19 in May, was the youngest regular in the AHL with the Rochester Americans and had 14 goals and 21 assists in 65.
24. Detroit Red Wings
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Veteran goalie Cam Talbot has played on eight NHL teams, and he seems genuinely excited about the prospect of returning for a second season with the Red Wings, whom he led in games (47), wins (21) save percentage (.901), shutouts (2), shots against (1,295) and saves (1,167) last season.
"Communication and accountability, on and off the ice, (coach Todd McLellan and assistant Trent Yawney) just bring so much of that," he said. "You could tell, when they came in, things started to change. I think the whole group is looking forward to starting fresh and from training camp next year."
23. Anaheim Ducks
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An attractive core of youngsters got a jolt of veteran presence with the trade that brought 34-year-old center Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers for Casey Terrance and a third-round pick in this month's draft.
"It's an incredibly deep roster," Kreider said. "They've got some fantastic vets with great track records of winning in the prime of their careers and they've got a wealth of young talent of speed, of size of skill."
22. New York Rangers
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The trade that sent Kreider to the Ducks ended a prolonged era with the Rangers, who drafted the now-34-year-old with the 16th overall pick in 2009. He spent 13 seasons with New York and had 326 goals and 582 points in 883 games.
"We want to thank Chris Kreider for all of his contributions to the Rangers organization over his stellar career," GM Chris Drury said. "(Kreider) has been an integral part of some of the most iconic moments in Rangers history, including setting multiple franchise records and helping the team advance to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final."
21. New York Islanders
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The name Bowness was already a familiar one in the Islanders' organization and it leveled up with the hiring of Ryan Bowness as the team's assistant general manager and director of player personnel.
The son of former New York coach Rick Bowness spent three years with Ottawa as assistant and associate GM and previously served in a number of roles with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers, including a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017.
20. Vancouver Canucks
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He's not coached a game yet, but Adam Foote has already begun leaving fingerprints on the Canucks with the hiring of Kevin Dean, Brett McLean and Scott Young as assistant coaches.
"Putting this staff together was an enjoyable process and a rewarding experience," Foote said. "I talked to a lot of great hockey people and formed many important relationships. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to help me through this exercise."
19. Columbus Blue Jackets
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GM Don Waddell hopes this offseason will be less eventful than last year's for a variety of reasons, but it's not like he won't be busy working his blueprint after the team fell two points shy of an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
"You always have to look to see how you can make yourself better," he said. "I think we have great leadership on this team. We proved that last year, with all the things that happened to this franchise. We want to be better at every position we possibly can, particularly if we can land the top-six forward (and) a defenseman. If it's not one of our own unrestricted free agents, somebody else in the marketplace."
18. Calgary Flames
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Longtime Calgary executive Peter Hanlon made the jump from one department to another with his move from VP of communications to assistant general manager.
Hanlon previously worked with the Toronto Maple Leafs' AHL franchise in St. John's, Newfoundland and later worked at the AHL's head office before joining the Flames in 1997-98.
17. Utah Mammoth
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It will be a while before he makes a big impact on the NHL level, but the Mammoth took a step toward the future by inking 6'5" center Gabe Smith to an entry-level contract.
He had 39 points in 52 regular-season games in the Quebec major junior league with Moncton, then added 22 points in 19 playoff games.
"We're just so thrilled about drafting Gabe," Utah GM Bill Armstrong said. "He's somebody that's gotten better every single game he's played this year."
16. Montreal Canadiens
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Defenseman Lane Hutson had a record-breaking first season with the Canadiens and he was rewarded for it with the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.
Hutson was the first-place choice on 165 of 191 ballots and was no lower than second on the other 26. He became Montreal's first Calder winner since Ken Dryden in 1972 and outpaced Calgary's Dustin Wolf and San Jose's Macklin Celebrini.
15. St. Louis Blues
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Left-shot forward Radek Faksa came over from Dallas in a trade last summer and he played 70 games with the Blues in the final season of a five-year, $16.25 million contract he'd signed with the Stars in 2020. But GM Doug Armstrong said he and Faksa have talked about prolonging the relationship.
"He and I had a good conversation," Armstrong said. "It's something that I want to reflect back on. We want to grow, we have young players that we want to grow, but we don't want to disregard what he meant to us."
14. Ottawa Senators
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Senators forwards Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle were among the NHL'ers given an early pass to the 2026 Winter Olympics when they were selected to preliminary rosters for Team USA and Germany, respectively.
Tkachuk's father, Keith, was a four-time Olympian and earned a silver medal in 2002. Stützle played for Germany at world junior championships in 2020 and 2021 and the 2025 IIHF world championship.
13. Minnesota Wild
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Defenseman Zeev Buium, selected 12th overall by the Wild in 2024, caught the eye of Minnesota GM Bill Guerin for his play with Team USA at the 2025 IIHF world championship. The 19-year-old also played four games in the Wild's first-round playoff series against Vegas.
"It's just a steady progression," Guerin said. "Each situation he gets thrown into he keeps getting better. He was in and out at the start here, but he just keeps finding his way into the lineup, and then he keeps finding more ice time for himself. He's a smart kid. He figures it out."
12. New Jersey Devils
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The bad news, as Devils fans already know, was that star forward Jack Hughes was lost for the season with a shoulder injury in March, harpooning any chance that the team would make a serious playoff run.
The good news is that the 24-year-old is back on the ice and handling the puck in drills as if he hadn't missed a moment. Hughes has been limited to 62 games in each of the past two seasons while posting a combined 144 points.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Nikita Kucherov's outstanding 2024-25 season wasn't just recognized by fans and media members. His playing colleagues acknowledged it, too, by voting him a second-time winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most outstanding player.
Kucherov, who also got the award in 2018-19, led the league in assists (84) and points (121) in 2024-25, earning his third Art Ross Trophy. He also led the league in points per game, power-play assists and power-play points.
10. Los Angeles Kings
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It doesn't ease the sting of a fourth consecutive playoff loss to Pacific rival Edmonton, but Kings veteran Anze Kopitar got some love in the postseason when he was voted the winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
It's a third time win for Kopitar, who became the 10th player in league history to earn it three times and the second Los Angeles player to do so, following Wayne Gretzky in 1991, 1992 and 1994. Kopitar also won it in 2016 and 2023.
9. Washington Capitals
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Spencer Carbery can officially claim to win everywhere he goes now that he's become the first to capture coach-of-the-year honors in the ECHL, AHL and NHL.
Carbery was the fourth coach in Capitals history to win the NHL's Jack Adams Award after a season in which the team went 51-22-9 to take first in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference and second overall in the NHL.
Washington improved by 20 points in his second season behind the bench.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
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A seven-game loss to Florida in the postseason's second round kick-started the predictable talk in Toronto about what the team's roster will look like next season, given the imminent free agency of "Core Four" forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares, among others.
"I haven’t thought about anything next," Marner said. "In the coming weeks, I’ll sit down with my wife and start talking and trying to figure out the next step.”
7. Vegas Golden Knights
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It's about to be a busy stretch for Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon, who has just $9.6 million in cap space to work with and will have to make decisions on five players who are reaching unrestricted free agency and four more who are restricted.
"We'll make those decisions, and then depending on how that goes, that can dictate to some extent what you do on July 1 with free agency," McCrimmon said. "But we're going to do everything we can to make our team better."
6. Colorado Avalanche
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They didn't make it beyond a thrilling first-round series with Dallas, but the Avalanche did welcome captain Gabriel Landeskog back for five games after he'd not suited up since the team's Stanley Cup win in 2022.
"There's only one Gabe Landeskog in the world," teammate Nathan MacKinnon said. "That kind of person and player. We missed him. There was a big hole in our room for three years and it’s nice to have him back and it means the world to all of us."
5. Winnipeg Jets
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The Jets will likely start the 2025-26 season without team captain Adam Lowry after the 32-year-old forward underwent hip surgery shortly after the team's elimination from the playoffs by Dallas.
Lowry had 34 points in 73 regular-season games and four in 13 playoff games for Winnipeg, which won the Presidents' Trophy with 116 points. The team said Lowry will need 5-6 months of rehabilitation and is expected to make a full recovery.
4. Dallas Stars
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A conflict with franchise goaltender Jake Oettinger during the Western Conference Final against Edmonton was the final straw when it came to coach Pete DeBoer, who was let go after reaching the final four with Dallas in three consecutive seasons.
"It's a decision we have to make and we're very comfortable with our decision," GM Jim Nill said. "We look forward to the next step. I'll start the process now of interviewing coaches and go from there."
3. Carolina Hurricanes
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Defenseman Jaccob Slavin saw his profile spike during a stellar performance in the 4 Nations event in February and his regard around the league was proved with high finishes in the voting for both the Lady Byng and Norris trophies.
Slavin got 33 first-place votes for the Lady Byng and finished fourth behind Anze Kopitar, Jach Eichel and Brayden Point. He was eighth in the voting for the Norris but was a top-five finisher on 26 ballots.
2. Edmonton Oilers
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It'll be another miserable summer in northern Alberta, where the Oilers will lick their wounds after another deep playoff run that ended in a somber handshake line.
But there's business to be handled for GM Stan Bowman, who'll need to come to an agreement with restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard, a potential offer-sheet target.
Also on the agenda is an extension for Connor McDavid, who'll enter the final season of an eight-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2017.
1. Florida Panthers
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They finished third in their division, fifth in their conference and 11th overall in the league. But none of that matters for the Panthers, who can claim modern dynasty status after winning a second straight Cup in their third straight final-round appearance.
Sam Bennett became a well-timed goal-scoring machine in the playoffs given he's approaching unrestricted free agency on July 1.
And it will be interesting to see if fellow imminent UFA Brad Marchand leaves town after arriving via a deadline deal in March and providing precisely what was needed to lift the champs to another title.
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