Way-Too-Early Report Cards for Every NHL Team After First Week of 2025-26 Season
The 2025-26 NHL season is officially one week old on Tuesday, so let's give out some early grades for the first impressions we have received from each team.
This is merely an opening-week progress report on what each team has done in an early sample size, and many of these grades will change as the season progresses.
It is not a definitive grade on what each team looks like, its potential upside this season, or what it will do in the standings. It's just a view through the first week now all NHL sides have played at least two games.
It is not hard to identify which teams will struggle this season and which ones might make the Stanley Cup race through the spring. So, let's go team-by-team through the league and give out a quick grade for each of them.
Anaheim Ducks: B
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There's a lot to like about the Ducks start to this season.
They mostly controlled the pace of play against both Seattle and San Jose, and they had a 65 percent expected goals share in those two games.
Their young forwards are also off to strong starts with Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, and Cutter Gauthier all putting up big numbers through the first two games.
Whatever you think of their offseason additions of Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider, the young forwards (and defenseman Jackson LaCombe) are going to dictate the direction this season takes.
It's only two games, but it's a solid start.
Boston Bruins: B
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If the Bruins were out to prove the 2024-25 season was the outlier and they can still be a playoff team, a 3-1-0 start through the first four games is a good place to start.
The process behind those wins hasn't been great from an underlying numbers standpoint (they are 26th in the NHL in expected goal share through the first week), but it's still early, and those numbers can still be noisy.
There are still some big roster construction questions, especially as it relates to their lack of a true No. 1 center, but the most encouraging sign is the fact that starting goalie Jeremy Swayman has looked good.
He had a disastrous 2024-25 season after signing an eight-year contract extension, and they need him to rebound if they are going to have any sort of a chance at getting back into the postseason.
So far, so good on that front.
Buffalo Sabres: F
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They are only three games into the season, and there are already whispers about players potentially wanting out while fans are chanting for general manager Kevyn Adams to be fired.
Maybe Adams does need to be fired. He has, objectively, done a poor job.
Maybe the Lindy Ruff reunion isn't the answer. There's only so much he can do with this roster.
They can keep changing general managers and coaches all they want, though. If the same people are in charge of the hiring, the results are likely to remain the same. Because they have always remained the same, that has been the one constant here for the past 15 years, and that issue is not going away.
At least you have Josh Allen, Buffalo, because your hockey team (from an organizational and ownership standpoint) does not seem to care.
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Calgary Flames: C
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The Flames had a nice comeback shootout win in the season opener at Edmonton, but there are still some big concerns with this team overall.
Specifically, where is the offense going to come from?
They were one of the worst goal-scoring teams in the league a year ago, which was a major reason they fell short of the playoffs. They just needed a bit more. And then they didn't do much to address it in the offseason. They have just six goals in three games.
The bigger concern is that Dustin Wolf hasn't been great so far. He was outstanding as a rookie, and the Flames made a significant financial investment in him this offseason. It's also a huge risk, given his limited track record in the NHL and the unpredictability of goalies. They need him to be as good as they think he is.
Carolina Hurricanes: A
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Expectations are extraordinarily high for the Hurricanes this season, especially after a big offseason that saw them add Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller to the roster.
They also still have more than $10 million in salary-cap space—with plenty of trade assets—at their disposal for in-season additions.
It is unfair to put Stanley Cup-or-bust expectations on any team (because all but one is going to bust in that instance), but the Hurricanes are pretty close to that level.
Their 2-0 start has largely met expectations. They've controlled play, defended well, and some of their top players have shone. Seth Jarvis is off to a great start with three goals, while Miller has looked to be everything the Hurricanes want him to be on defense.
Chicago Blackhawks: D
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If you want to be optimistic, you could look at the fact that all three Blackhawks losses were decided by a single goal and could have easily gone either way depending on a bounce or two.
You could also say they do at least have one win against an improving Utah team on Monday night.
But why should you be optimistic about this operation at this point? It's just not a particularly good roster. While there is some promising young talent, the rest of the roster is so bad that the team still seems far from contention. It's hard to look past any of that, especially when they were soundly outplayed over the course of those three one-goal losses to open the season.
Another long season is ahead here. There might still be a couple more until they start finding ways to add serious talent around the young players.
Colorado Avalanche: A
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Just a solid start from a Stanley Cup contender doing the things you expect to see from a Stanley Cup contender.
Nathan MacKinnon looks sensational, but that is to be expected.
The really intriguing start here belongs to Martin Necas. He is coming off a career year offensively and is off to an even better start through four games with eight points (three goals, five assists).
He is playing for a big payday after this season as a potential UFA. Averaging two points per game is a good way to make an impression early in the season.
Columbus Blue Jackets: C
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There is a lot to like about this Blue Jackets team and a few things to not like.
On the positive side, they boast one of the NHL's best collections of young talent, and their young core has the potential to form the foundation of something special. Several of them are off to strong starts this season, including Kirill Marchenko, who has already scored four goals this season.
They are also still loaded in salary-cap space.
That's one of the frustrating things about this team, though. They seemed to miss a big opportunity to add a big piece this offseason, and they are still putting a flawed roster on the ice that may not be able to make up the gap between them and the playoff teams.
Losing two of their first three games is not the most encouraging start, either.
Their special teams have been a nightmare, erasing some otherwise solid 5-on-5 play.
Dallas Stars: A
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Two games, two wins. Can't really ask for much more from the Dallas Stars.
Especially when their best players, and the players they are counting on this season, have mostly been outstanding.
Mikko Rantanen had another revenge game against Colorado, while Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston each have two goals through the first two games.
The Stars are the Western Conference version of Carolina, where they are trending into Stanley Cup-or-bust expectations.
With a full season of Rantanen on this roster, those expectations are only going to increase. After being the 1B player to Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado for the first part of his career, this is his chance to show he can be the top guy for a Cup contender. His brief time with Dallas has been a strong argument that he can be a success.
Detroit Red Wings: B
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While teams like Carolina and Dallas are under pressure to win a championship, the Red Wings are under pressure to just get back into the playoffs.
Or at least they should be.
Their start this season has been a bit of a mixed bag, though.
They were blown out in Game 1 by Montreal, blew out Toronto in Game 2, and then stole a game from Toronto in Game 3 they had no business winning.
Given their inactivity during the offseason, it's still hard to be overly optimistic about this situation unless some young players make significant strides this season.
Edmonton Oilers: B-
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Losing a 3-0 lead at home to Calgary, thanks in part to some sloppy play and a big mistake from starting goalie Stuart Skinner, is a potentially scary window into the flaws that still exist on this roster for crunch time.
The Oilers have established themselves as a serious contender, and they accomplished their biggest offseason goal by getting Connor McDavid signed to an amazingly team-friendly contract.
They need to take advantage of the flexibility McDavid has given them by filling in some of the holes that still exist on the roster.
It is an outstanding team, but it still has some flaws.
Florida Panthers: A
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Losing Aleksander Barkov for potentially the entire regular season and Matthew Tkachuk for at least the first couple of months seemed like a big deal. On paper, it is.
It has not yet been a big deal on the ice.
The Panthers are showing off their depth this season and not missing much of a beat without their two best forwards.
It helps that they have another potential top-line center on their roster in Anton Lundell, who can step into a bigger role and help fill Barkov's absence.
Will they have enough juice to three-peat? That is asking a lot. But they are still going to be there in the Stanley Cup discussion.
Los Angeles Kings: D
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The Kings had one of the NHL's worst offseasons, and it has produced an ugly start that has seen them go 1-2-1 through four games.
Losing Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence on defense and replacing them with Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci was an awful sequence of moves that only weakened the team's biggest strength: its defense.
This season, the Kings have already allowed 16 goals, with the Ceci-Dumoulin pairing consistently getting cooked.
It's still a mediocre team offensively, and now it may not even defend as effectively as it did the past few years.
After four consecutive first-round exits to the Edmonton Oilers, they needed a big offseason to get over that hump. They did not seem to have that sort of offseason performance. They will pay the price for that on the ice this season.
Minnesota Wild: B
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The Wild were one of the NHL's best teams in the first half of the 2024-25 season and then had to cling to a playoff spot after a miserable second half.
That second half was the result of a series of brutal injuries, including to Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and several top defenders. They were too much to overcome, ruining a great start.
They are healthy coming into this season, have salary-cap flexibility for the first time in years, and also have one of the NHL's best prospect pools and farm systems.
If they can keep their top players in the lineup, they could be a sleeper contender in the West. They are off to a strong start with two wins in their first three games, with their biggest stars—Kaprizov and Matt Boldy—putting up big numbers.
The only key player who has struggled a little is starting goalie Filip Gustavsson, who has a sub-.900 save percentage in his first two starts. The Wild need him to be good, especially after signing him to a long-term contract extension.
Montreal Canadiens: B
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If you are a Canadiens fan, you have to be excited about the short- and long-term outlook for this group.
They took a huge step forward in 2024-25 to make the playoffs, and they made serious additions to their young core this offseason by adding Noah Dobson and Zach Bolduc to a rapidly improving young group.
By getting defenseman Lane Hutson signed to a team-friendly contract, their best players are all locked in to long-term deals that should give them serious flexibility under the salary cap to keep adding.
This is an exciting team.
The Canadiens are also off to a strong start with wins in two of their first three games, with Bolduc having an especially strong debut by scoring three goals in his first three games.
Nashville Predators: B
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The 2024-25 season began with such high expectations and quickly turned into a nightmare for the Nashville Predators.
It remains unclear what direction this franchise is headed and what Barry Trotz envisions for it, but the team at least had a promising start this season. It's certainly an improvement over the one it had a year ago.
The biggest difference this season has been the fact that starting goalie Juuse Saros has been fantastic through three games.
The 2024-25 season marked the worst of his career, raising concerns as a new contract extension was set to begin this season. Through three games this year, though, he has been their best player, which he will need to be if they are to have any hope of competing this season.
New Jersey Devils: B
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Not only have the Devils won two of their first three games, but they have also done so while playing a pretty difficult schedule.
Defenseman Luke Hughes is off to a great start offensively after signing his long-term contract extension, while Dawson Mercer scored a pair of goals in their 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
When this team is fully healthy, it can be one of the best in the Eastern Conference. The key is keeping everyone healthy. Notably, Jack Hughes has missed significant time on multiple occasions throughout his career.
It's a good team off to a good start. Nothing more, nothing less.
New York Islanders: C-
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Expectations were low for this season, and the Islanders are largely meeting expectations. So it's hard to punish them too much.
However, being one of the only teams in the NHL without a win through the first week is still tough.
It is not all bad, though. Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, looks like he has sky-high potential, and there is a serious influx of young talent into an organization that badly needed it.
It's going to be a long season, but there is some hope for the future.
New York Rangers: B
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They have split their first four games, but one of those losses—a 1-0 loss to the Washington Capitals—was probably their best game of the four.
It was the type of game where if they played it the same way 10 times, they would win eight or nine times. So that's an encouraging start. The process under new head coach Mike Sullivan has largely remained the same, even if the results have not always followed.
That tends to be the opposite of what we see from the Rangers, where the results are there but the process leaves much to be desired.
The key will be sustaining that process with a roster that still has some significant flaws.
Ottawa Senators: C
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The Senators have lost two of their first three games, but they've played a tough schedule and haven't had much puck luck through most of it.
They've generated their share of chances and carried play at times, but they have not yet had the finishing touch offensively (outside of Shane Pinto and his four goals) or been able to get a key save.
You have to think the goaltending will turn around, but there are still some depth concerns when it comes to the scoring. The Senators should be expecting the playoffs after making it a year ago, but they're still not a finished team or a complete roster.
Philadelphia Flyers: B-
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This is a fascinating team that will be worth paying attention to, regardless of its competitiveness.
We need to determine whether Rick Tocchet is a capable head coach who has been stuck in some challenging situations, or if his reputation surpasses his actual performance.
Matvei Michkov is one of the most intriguing young talents in the league, while Trevor Zegras gets a chance to hit the reset button on his career.
The Flyers have had a strong defensive structure in place for the past couple of years, but their goalies just haven't been able to get a save. Will they get one this season from a rather uninspiring tandem on paper?
Their first three games have been about as tough as they could be, with two games against Florida and one against Tampa Bay, and they have split them at 1-1-1 for three out of a possible six points. They should be happy to take that.
Pittsburgh Penguins: B-
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Their first two games were better than anybody could have expected, as they not only beat the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, but they also outplayed them.
Then their third game (also against the Rangers) was more of what people expected from the Penguins this season: A lot of bad hockey with bad goaltending.
Sidney Crosby is still great, Evgeni Malkin seems to have found the fountain of youth, and they have some really intriguing young players on the roster, including a pair of teenagers in defenseman Harrison Brunicke and forward Ben Kindel.
They are clearly rebuilding, but have played extremely hard under first-year head coach Dan Muse. There is still a lot of talent here, so they might still win more games than your typical rebuilding team.
San Jose Sharks: C
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The good news is they have two points out of their first two games and have scored a lot of goals. They have been competitive, and their games have been entertaining. Given the franchise's recent trajectory, any progress is a positive development.
The bad news is their defensive play and goaltending have been atrocious.
Both areas will be season-long issues, potentially overshadowing any progress they make with their talented forwards like Macklin Celebrini.
There's a lot of young talent here to be excited about, but they are still the West Coast version of the Chicago Blackhawks. A rebuilding team with a young superstar, some good young talent, but a lot of problems all over the rest of the lineup.
Seattle Kraken: A-
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There shouldn't be overly high expectations for this Kraken team, but they are 2-0 to open the season. They have starting goalie Joey Daccord to thank for that.
Daccord has been outstanding in his two starts, helping the Kraken steal a couple of early points.
They still have to do a better job offensively and hope for players like Matty Beniers and Shane Wright to keep progressing and eventually have breakout seasons. That is their best hope to accelerate their timeline toward contention.
Can that happen? Can Daccord have a big season and bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season?
Those are the big X-factors for Seattle.
St. Louis Blues: B
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After an ugly loss to open their season, the Blues have bounced back with consecutive wins.
They really rediscovered their defensive identity in the second half of 2024-25 thanks to the in-season coaching change that brought in Jim Montgomery and a revamped defense corps around Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler.
Was it a fluke or a sign of things to come this year?
One thing that would help them prove it was not a fluke is if their young forwards, specifically Jake Neighbours and Jimmy Snuggerud, turn into young stars. Both are off to strong starts through three games, and that is an encouraging development.
Tampa Bay Lightning: C
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The Lightning got their first win of the season on Monday by outlasting the Boston Bruins. The big concern through the first week is that they have already allowed 13 goals in three games, while starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has not yet found his stride.
The Lightning are still trying to show their Stanley Cup window is open, and they still have the high-end talent to not only be a playoff team but also potentially make some noise.
The big questions are going to come down to depth, and whether Vasilevskiy has enough left in the tank to be a difference-maker in the playoffs. He has still been really good in the regular season, but his past couple of playoff appearances have been a struggle.
Toronto Maple Leafs: C-
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The vibes are just off here right now.
The Maple Leafs finally made a big change to the core this offseason by dumping Mitch Marner, but the accompanying moves left a lot to be desired.
They secured an impressive opening win against Montreal, but then suffered back-to-back losses to Detroit. One of them was a total blowout, and the other was an instance of them giving away a game where they were probably the better side.
In both losses, they surrendered early 2-0 leads. None of that is ideal.
After getting rid of Marner, the Maple Leafs do not have many cards left to play this season if they fail to make a serious postseason run. Fans won't have much patience for a slow start.
Utah Mammoth: C
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Utah opened the season with three consecutive road games, producing some mixed results.
It has allowed only seven goals in those three games, which is encouraging from both a defensive and a goaltending perspective.
However, the Mammoth have also scored only five goals in those three games and have not yet found their rhythm offensively.
They made a huge move this offseason to get JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres, adding another potential 30-goal scorer to their young core that also includes Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Clayton Keller.
It's a good foundation, and there is a lot of hope they can be difference-makers offensively. They just haven't shown it yet.
Vancouver Canucks: C-
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After a disastrous 2024-25 season, there were at least some reasons for optimism that 2025-26 could be different.
They have a new voice behind the bench. J.T. Miller's departure removes a potential headache for Elias Pettersson as the Canucks try to get him right again.
Thatcher Demko seems primed for a bounce-back year in net, and they still have one of the league's best players in defenseman Quinn Hughes.
They were able to bring back Brock Boeser when it seemed like he was leaving.
It's not a totally hopeless or talentless team.
But it's also not a particularly good team, and there are still a lot of holes and concerns here that have been prominently on display over their first three games.
Monday's performance against St. Louis was especially ugly, highlighting many of the issues that plagued last year's team.
Vegas Golden Knights: C
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Say this for the Golden Knights: Their first three games have at least been close. Extremely close.
Each of Vegas' games this season has required overtime or a shootout, with the Golden Knights dropping two of those first three games.
Almost all of their offense has come from either Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, or Pavel Dorofeyev.
Vegas took care of an important piece of business before the season began by signing Eichel to a long-term contract extension, and he has responded with seven points (two goals, five assists) in three games.
Overall, it's a so-so start, but this is still a roster that is well-positioned to make a serious run in the Western Conference, especially after adding Mitch Marner over the summer to give them the top-line scoring winger they desperately needed.
Washington Capitals: B
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It's hard to be upset with the start here if you are a Capitals fan. They have four out of six points, are outscoring teams by a 6-1 margin during 5-on-5 play, and have a 57.4 percent expected goals share.
They are carrying out play, producing results, and have a process to validate the results. They've been good. They've been really good, despite not getting a single goal from Alex Ovechkin yet.
Aliaksei Protas has been their most productive player with four points (two goals, two assists), while rookie Ryan Leonard has already chipped in a goal. That is what should be so encouraging for Capitals fans.
Not only have they rebuilt on the fly to remain as a potential playoff team and contender, but they also have a nice young wave of talent making an impact at the NHL level.
Winnipeg Jets: B-
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The Winnipeg Jets made sure to get potential unrestricted free agent forward Kyle Connor signed before the season, and he is already paying off with a great start offensively through Winnipeg's first three games.
He is one of their best overall players and one of the best goal-scorers in the league, and now they know they have him locked in for the long term.
Overall, Winnipeg has been mostly fine through three games, losing a tough one-goal season-opener to the Dallas Stars and then beating the Kings and Islanders. They weren't overly dominant wins, and some of their underlying numbers are near the bottom of the league, but they managed to secure four points.
The Jets should be considered a strong playoff lock in the Western Conference, and that is where all eyes are going to turn to starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
He has been an MVP and Vezina level player during the regular season, but he has struggled in his past three playoff appearances.
Winnipeg fans enjoy the regular-season success and the fact that he gets them to the playoffs, but now they want to see him get them a championship. He struggled in his first start of the season against the Stars, but bounced big in a big way in his second start against the Kings.
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