Ranking NHL Pretenders Most Likely to be Sneaky 2026 Playoff Contenders

The beauty of the early part of the NHL season is that for every team that's been a regular in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that's off to a great start, there are a few others who have been jonesin' to get back to the postseason who are making a case to be there when the regular season wraps up in April.

While it's no surprise to see teams like Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado, and Dallas at or near the top of their divisions, it's something else to see the likes of Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Seattle closer to the top of the standings than the bottom. Not much was expected from teams like that, and yet here they are, making us wonder what it'd be like if they actually got to the playoffs.

Are they actually going to get to the postseason, or are they pretenders still in playoff contenders' clothing? There are still a lot of games to be played, but we're going to try to get to the bottom of this by ranking these playoff hopefuls and wannabes from least realistic to most.

8. San Jose Sharks

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Macklin Celebrini

We are huge fans of what GM Mike Grier is doing in San Jose. From stockpiling picks the past few years and having some lottery luck on their side to making savvy trades to snag other players higher up in the Draft, they wanted to fill out their pipeline.

They're building something fun in the Bay Area.

With Macklin Celebrini exploding this season and rising to the occasion befitting a No. 1 pick, the Sharks and their offense are looking much more dangerous a lot sooner than some expected. With William Eklund and Will Smith joining Celebrini on the attack, San Jose isn't dwelling in the cellar and is instead giving teams fits trying to contain all of them.

While the forwards and some of their defenders are rising to the occasion, other areas of the team still need time to ripen and make the Sharks fully formidable in the Western Conference, namely their goaltending. Yaroslav Askarov is part of their youth movement, but he's getting an honest-to-goodness trial by fire in the NHL this year. Usually, teams that have goalies earning their experience on the fly don't get to hang around too long in the playoff race.

We love what the Sharks have cooking, and once the goaltending and the rest of the defensive structure catch up, they'll be a menace in the NHL. Right now, however, we'll get to see just how far Celebrini can take them as they escape the rebuilding years.

7. Philadelphia Flyers

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Trevor Zegras

We were not at all expecting to be discussing the Philadelphia Flyers so soon as a team that could throw its hat in the ring for the postseason. After all, they're in a sort of halfway space between wanting to be in the playoff picture and rebuilding, and that's usually a confusing position to be in.

But a funny thing happened at the start of the year. Trevor Zegras arrived and became an instant sensation, and provided the offensive spark they've been looking for outside of Matvei Michkov. The full-team approach to offense is working, as Zegras jumped right in with Travis Konecny, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, and Bobby Brink to score goals, and they're getting blue-line production from Cam York, Travis Sanheim, and Jamie Drysdale alike.

Even better, Dan Vladař arrived to play goal, seized control of the net from Samuel Ersson, and gave the Flyers steady, solid goaltending. With new coach Rick Tocchet running the show in his old stomping grounds as a player, there's reason enough to get hyped about the Flyers, especially playing in the Metropolitan Division that, outside of Carolina and New Jersey, is a hot mess.

The Metropolitan is the exact kind of division that opens things up enough so that if a team gets hot enough, they can wrangle up enough points to either push for third place or get ahead of Atlantic Division teams for the wild card, because that division is a constant brutal battle.

The Flyers' depth is a bit questionable, but if they wanted to dare to dream, they have some players they could trade to improve their chances, should it come to that.

6. Seattle Kraken

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Matty Beniers

The Kraken have gotten off to a start that has us wondering if they've rediscovered the formula that worked so well in the franchise's second year in the league when they put up 100 points and advanced to the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

Seattle has gotten solid, consistent goaltending from Joey Daccord, and although their offense is a bit lacking right now, timely goal scoring and goalies who don't lose games for them make them a team that can steal points throughout the season.

Although the overall lack of offensive punch is a substantial concern, it can be addressed through trades. Then again, with new coach Lane Lambert, the dedication to playing tough defense and making life easier on the goalies is how they'll go about things. Frankly, that's not the worst strategy for a team that lacks dynamic offensive weapons.

What's really concerning, however, is that their stats don't support the idea that this team can keep playing like this and succeed. They get outshot regularly at 5-on-5, and opposing teams tend to get much better-quality chances than they do often.

Then again, if they're able to keep games close, force a lot of three-point games by going to overtime and steal some OT or shootout wins, that's a recipe for sneaking into the playoffs.

5. Boston Bruins

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David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie

Admit it, you all thought it was fun to watch the Bruins sink to the bottom of the Atlantic Division last season.

You can even admit to feeling emboldened by these feelings when they opened the season slowly and looked like a team that was going to struggle throughout the year en route to beginning a rebuild.

And yet, here we are looking at the Bruins sitting high in the Atlantic standings. They've gone 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, won six in a row, and the confidence that goes with that kind of run has them feeling good about things.

They've watched goalie Jeremy Swayman find his game and grow better each game. Morgan Geekie's evolution into a big-time goal scorer has helped make their center position look much less dire, and David Pastrnak's consistent supply of offense keeps the engine running. Add in the return of Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm on the blue line and, uh-oh...are the Bruins back?

They could be, but watching Elias Lindholm go down with an injury is worrisome because their depth all over the place is still questionable. New coach Marco Sturm has provided them with a stouter defensive structure that allows them to better hang onto leads and frustrate opponents. That kind of structure can help make up for a lack of depth, so long as everyone is pulling their weight.

But the Bruins are bagging points and making opponents miserable while doing so, and that kind of thing can go a long way towards sneaking into the playoffs. Swayman's presence allows them the leeway to have less-than-great offensive nights so long as he holds it down.

What's worrisome for Boston is that their advanced stats at 5-on-5 aren't great, and those have a funny way of correcting themselves over the long haul.

4. New York Islanders

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Matthew Schaefer and Mat Barzal

Under the previous regime on Long Island, we'd have to stay wary of the Islanders because, with Lou Lamoriello in charge, any scraping and fighting for points and a dedicated defensive team could steal a playoff spot and make fans outside of Long Island groan.

But with Mathieu Darche in charge now, we're not entirely sure what the Islanders are capable of, and that makes them a team that will be hot after a wild-card spot.

The Islanders have been emboldened and rejuvenated by the arrival of rookie phenom defenseman Matthew Schaefer. He's provided an element to their blue line that the team hasn't had in ages, and he's given his teammates someone to rally around all the same.

The boost has rubbed off on many of their top players who had been more or less dormant the past couple of years, too. Bo Horvat is off to a monster start (12 goals in 16 games) while veteran Kyle Palmieri and offensive leader Mathew Barzal are jumping into the attack again, too. With support guys like captain Anders Lee, Emil Heineman (who they got from the Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade), and Jean-Gabriel Pageau all contributing as well, the Isles look kind of deep up front.

They've still got Ilya Sorokin in goal, and with David Rittich backing him up, that's a tandem that should be able to seal things up when things get leaky in front of them. Although that hasn't been the case just yet, Sorokin's history has enough great games and seasons to make teams hope the Isles don't reach the postseason.

Pretending or not, this team is a dark horse to watch in the Metropolitan Division where anything can shake loose.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

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Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi

The biggest thing working against the Chicago Blackhawks and their pursuit of the postseason this year is the gauntlet they'll have to run in the Central Division to be able to get there, but with some of the areas of strength they've shown early on this season, they might be able to weather all of that to break back into the playoffs.

Connor Bedard's awaited breakout season appears to be happening. His 25 points in 16 games are outstanding and have him running in the same crowd as Nathan MacKinnon on the league leaderboard. Although the assumption was that this kind of season would happen last year, the fact that it's happening now means it's arrived just in time for the entire group in Chicago to take a big step forward.

Bedard is helping lift his teammates all over the place —from Tyler Bertuzzi to Andre Burakovsky —and, with fellow young star Frank Nazar doing damage alongside Ryan Donato and Teuvo Teräväinen, it means Chicago can roll multiple lines that can score regularly.

What's arguably just as important as Bedard's rise to superstardom is goalie Spencer Knight taking over the net. Knight has been scorching hot to start the year with a .926 save percentage and the most goals saved above expected in the NHL (13.3). Knight is unquestionably Chicago's top goalie right now, and if this is how he'll play all year, the 'Hawks will be the last team on anyone's wish list in the playoffs.

There is a "but" to all this, however. Chicago's overall defensive play needs more refinement, and if they continue to bleed shots against the way they have, they risk burning out both Knight and backup Arvid Söderblom by having to stand on their heads. Their defense (and team in general) is young, and leakiness is to be expected. That said, an elite young player and a goalie that's playing out of his gourd can do a lot of very good things.

2. Utah Mammoth

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Dylan Guenther

The time of the Mammoth's arrival has been brewing since they were ready to bolt the desert as Coyotes, but at long last, their time appears to be at hand. The taste of the playoff race the Utah Hockey Club had last season was instructive for the group, giving them an idea of what it takes to be a playoff contender. Although the lesson learned last year was "get red-hot the way the Blues did," that's not always going to work out that way.

The Mammoth jumped out in a big way, spurred on by a seven-game winning streak in which they piled up goals and came up big in the close games. Of course, since that streak ended, they've dropped five of their last six games and got a harsh taste of reality.

What's going well for them is that their best players are coming up big. Nick Schmaltz is having a great start to his contract year, and their young core of Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and JJ Peterka are firing on all cylinders with Mikhail Sergachev helping push them from the blue line.

What isn't going as well as they'd like is their goaltending, with Karel Vejmelka and Vitek Vaněček hovering around league-average save percentages. It goes without saying that if they're going to be able to stand out in the battles in the Central Division against Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, and Winnipeg, they're going to need a lot better from their netminders.

That competition within the division is also a big reason to hesitate when thinking about whether or not they can break through into the postseason, and when you factor in the wild card race from whomever in the Pacific lands outside the top three there, whew, that's a slog.

However, Utah does a lot of things well at 5-on-5, including puck possession, quality shots, and scoring chances. That's enough to keep them in games and knock off lesser opponents. If they find consistency and get better goaltending, the Mammoth could become a real problem come playoff time.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

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Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Evgeni Malkin

Boy, this is unexpected.

After watching the Pittsburgh Penguins the past few seasons while their future Hall of Fame stars got older and the overall lack of depth only seemed to keep hurting them as they continued to fall short of the postseason, we resigned ourselves to believing we wouldn't see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang back in the playoffs in Pittsburgh again.

But a funny thing happened when they hired first-time NHL head coach Dan Muse to lead the way. The Penguins immediately got exponentially better.

Crosby and Malkin turned back the clock and led the team in points. Erik Karlsson looked more like the guy we used to know, who piled up points and created offense off the rush. New guys Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau kept finding the net and, most importantly, Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs kept stopping shots.

Whether this hot start is real or not will be worth watching closely, given the stardom surrounding the team, but any team that has Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Karlsson can win enough to make the playoffs. Age might be chasing them down, but the smarts and the ability are all there as long as their bodies allow them to use them.

They're getting outstanding goaltending and but they're also suffering with poor shooting luck and their 5-on-5 PDO sits at the baseline of 1.000. Some of the advanced stats don't exactly jive with how they're playing, but they're taking care of business and look like a completely different team even though most of the roster is still the same from a year ago.