NHL Power Rankings for the Start of 2025 Training Camp
It's still summer in the U.S. and Canada.
But the arrival of pennant races in baseball and kickoffs in football is a sure sign that something else is drawing closer, too: The 2025-26 NHL season.
Needless to say, the B/R hockey types are rested and ready to get things going once again, so we're starting off with an inaugural Power Rankings list of all 32 teams as they begin trickling into training camp sites around North America.
We took a look at each team and awarded 32 points for a first-place vote down to a single point for a No. 32 spot and put them together here. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
32. San Jose Sharks
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With a playoff drought now reaching six seasons, GM Mike Grier went public with a mandate to accelerate the rebuild. The players are okay with it.
"He did what he did and it's time for all of us to come together," said forward Tyler Toffoli. "Obviously, everyone's doubting us, so I guess it is us against everybody."
31. Chicago Blackhawks
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Perhaps less is more at the start of year three for former phenom Connor Bedard, who said he took some time away from the ice to reignite his passion for preparing and playing.
"You're playing every other day," he said. "You've got to chill out, and I think that's something that you learn as you go and just finding a balance."
30. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Three playoff misses have focused attention on the core of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is in the final year of a four-year contract.
"Our major focus is on treating him right," GM Kyle Dubas said, "pushing him to continue to be at his best this year and do right by him by continuing to communicate."
29. Nashville Predators
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Coach Andrew Brunette is banking on Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, now that they've spent a season in Nashville, to use that identity to boost the Predators out of the doldrums.
"Now it's their team," he said. "I think the pride that comes when you say, 'This is my team,' I think you'll get the best version of them."
28. Seattle Kraken
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New GM Jason Botterill is banking on skill across the forward group, rather than elite top-end talent, to help the Kraken get back to the postseason after two misses.
"We have a good mix of veteran players and young players in our system," he said, "that we should be in a spot where we're battling for a playoff spot."
27. Philadelphia Flyers
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It's all about the kids for coach Rick Tocchet this season, primarily forward Matvei Michkov, 20, who led rookies last season with 26 goals and had 63 points in 80 games. Also penciled in for important roles are 23-year-old Tyson Foerster, who had 25 goals in 2024-25; and Trevor Zegras, 24, who was acquired from Anaheim.
26. Buffalo Sabres
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Any optimism in Western New York as the schedule approaches will likely hinge on improved goaltending from last season, when the Sabres were tied for 29th with a 3.50 goals-against average. It won't help, then, that Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen is working through a lower-body injury and is labeled day-to-day as camp begins.
25. Boston Bruins
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It wasn't a great look for the Bruins, missing the playoffs in the spring, and it's not starting any better with superstar forward David Pastrnak unable to skate at the beginning of training camp due to tendonitis. The company line, however, is that his absence is precautionary in nature, not a sign of a long-term issue.
24. New York Islanders
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The Islanders were in lottery limbo with only a 3.5 percent shot at winning, but the surprise chance to pluck Matthew Schaefer first overall has provided a jolt. "There's been some hope restored and there's a direction with youth involved, and really talented youth," New York TV analyst Cal Clutterbuck said.
23. Detroit Red Wings
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The arrival of goalie John Gibson via trade with Anaheim creates a sound tandem alongside Cam Talbot and gives GM Steve Yzerman some much-needed hope after nine years below the playoff cutline.
"Overall, I think we're a little bit better," he said. "How many points does that translate to in the season? We're going to find out."
22. Anaheim Ducks
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Say what you will about Joel Quenneville, but it's impossible to argue he's been a winner behind the bench.
The 66-year-old hasn't coached in the league since 2021, but he's back to try and steer the Ducks' rise toward respectability. Quenneville is second only to Scotty Bowman in all-time wins and has won three Stanley Cups.
21. Columbus Blue Jackets
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The Blue Jackets were a feel-good story last season after a disastrous summer and they enter 2025-26 with additional goaltending depth, after acquiring 28-year-old veteran Ivan Fedotov from Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick at the 2026 draft. The 6'7", 214-pounder was the Flyers' nominee for the Masterson Trophy in 2024-25.
20. Vancouver Canucks
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Having a brother on another NHL team is a rare occurrence. And when that brother talks about how nice it'd be for the other, Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, to join him, it prompts questions.
"It'd be really fun to play with him at some point," Quinn Hughes said. "But he absolutely loves Jersey, and I'm doing my thing in Vancouver."
19. New York Rangers
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The Rangers didn't just acquire a skilled forward when they plucked J.T. Miller from Vancouver last December; they got a leader, too.
The 32-year-old was named the franchise's 29th captain on Tuesday, and they'll kick off training camp looking to reverse the plummet that took them from first overall to a missed playoff.
18. Calgary Flames
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There are plenty of veterans up and down the roster, but the success of the Flames will be determined by whether the youngsters continue to progress.
Matt Coronato, Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil, each 25 or younger, combined for 99 points in 2024-25 and 24-year-old goalie Dustin Wolf was a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
17. Utah Mammoth
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Goaltender Connor Ingram's stint with the franchise is all but complete, according to GM Bill Armstrong, who said Wednesday that the 28-year-old is likely to be placed on waivers. Ingram was 9-8-4 in 22 games last season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in March. He was cleared in August.
16. Montreal Canadiens
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There's optimism aplenty in Quebec after the Canadiens reached the playoffs last season and arrived at this one with a locker room full of young, talented players.
Defenseman Lane Hutson's Calder Trophy win said the berth ignited added hunger. "We had a taste of it," he said, "and we definitely want more."
15. Ottawa Senators
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The Senators surged to 97 points and ended an eight-season playoff drought last spring before falling to provincial rival Toronto. This year, captain Brady Tkachuk said, the motivation to improve is even stronger.
"We believe we have the potential to accomplish whatever we set out to," he said, "now we have to go out and do it."
14. St. Louis Blues
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The Blues had a painful playoff exit last spring, blowing a two-goal lead in the final two minutes of Game 7 before losing in overtime. So now, it's all about translating the hurt into hunger.
"You're never a playoff team until you are again next year," captain Brayden Schenn said, "and that's kind of the mentality that you have to have."
13. Minnesota Wild
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If you're looking at reasons why the Wild could be a good season in 2025-26, look no further than Kirill Kaprizov. Beyond that, however, it's a mystery.
His contract runs out in June, and he reportedly rejected an eight-year, $128 million offer that would have made him the highest-paid player in league history.
12. New Jersey Devils
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If the Devils can stay healthy, things could be good in the Garden State.
Forward Jack Hughes was lost for the season in early March, and the lineup was depleted elsewhere by the time the team lost to Carolina in the first round.
"To put it succinctly, it's time to take another step," assistant GM Dan MacKinnon said.
11. Los Angeles Kings
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Corey Perry's tenure with the Kings didn't get off to a terrific start, as he injured his knee in a training skate, left the ice in a wheelchair, and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery.
Now 40, Perry signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles in July after playing in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with Edmonton.
10. Washington Capitals
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Alex Ovechkin's chase for the league's all-time goals record helped propel the Capitals to the top seed in the East.
Whether it happens again depends on whether Coach Spencer Carbery can motivate the group.
"It's my job to not only create that hunger from our group," he said, "but also we've got to take it to another level."
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Add veteran Nick Paul to the list of league-wide players who'll be absent for the start of training camp, and, in his case, far longer. The 30-year-old had surgery last week to address an upper-body injury he sustained last season. Paul played through the issues and had 41 regular-season points and two more in the playoffs.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
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There's a new look in Toronto this year with the absence of forward Mitch Marner, who was signed to an eight-year deal and promptly traded to Vegas, and Brendan Shanahan, who was relieved of his duties as team president after the team was bounced from the playoffs by the eventual champion Florida Panthers in Round 2.
7. Winnipeg Jets
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It's a welcome back to the NHL for veteran Jonathan Toews, who hasn't played since 2023 but brings his three-time Cup-winning pedigree to his hometown team after 15 seasons in Chicago. "As I got closer and started thinking I can play again," he said, "it was hard to see myself wearing any other jersey."
6. Edmonton Oilers
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Tread lightly around Oilers fan friends these days.
Not only are the Edmonton faithful still smarting after two straight losses in the Stanley Cup Final, but they're entering the early stages of the 2025-26 season without their captain and franchise stalwart, Connor McDavid, under contract beyond June. Could it linger into October?
5. Carolina Hurricanes
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Winger Seth Jarvis is a face of the franchise after signing an eight-year deal with $59.36 million last summer, and he's ended two of the last four seasons with losses in the Eastern Conference Final. This year, though, his intention is clear. "I want this season to end with me lifting the Stanley Cup," he said.
4. Colorado Avalanche
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It's been since 2021 that Gabriel Landeskog was in place and healthy for the Avalanche at the start of a training camp, and the veteran is hoping it'll propel him to a solid season after he missed three years. Now 32, he had four points in five games after returning for the playoffs in the spring.
3. Vegas Golden Knights
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There's a winning mentality in Las Vegas, and it filters down from the front office, which made a significant move in acquiring Mitch Marner from the Maple Leafs along with an eight-year, $96 million contract.
"With every decision that we make," GM Kelly McCrimmon said, "it's about building a team that can win the Stanley Cup."
2. Dallas Stars
31 of 32
New coach Glen Gulutzan loves the skill level but feels an uptick in the physical side of things might help Dallas get past three straight losses in the Western Conference Final. "You can't turn that switch on in Game 83. You have to build it in," he said. "We've got too good of players, but there has to be an element of physicality."
1. Florida Panthers
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It's all sunshine and rainbows in South Florida after two straight Stanley Cups, but the road to a three-peat (the first in the league since the 1982 New York Islanders) encountered its first pothole with news that Matthew Tkachuk is likely out until December with the lower-body issues that have dogged him since last winter.
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