1 Gift for Every NHL Team During the 2025 Holiday Season
Santa can't do it all himself, right?
So the B/R hockey staff decided to help out the guy in the red suit by working the rinks and coming up with holiday gifts for each of the NHL's 32 teams.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Anaheim Ducks: Blue-Line Stability
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Full marks to anyone who expected to reach Christmas Day with the Ducks in first place in the Pacific Division.
But staying there will be a problem if they don't find a way to limit overall shots and high-danger shots against, which makes a high-end rearguard a welcome gift under the tree.
Boston Bruins: Someone Else to Score
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The good news is that the Bruins entered Tuesday night's games with the fifth-most goals (118) in the NHL. The bad news is that 39 of those goals have been scored by two guys—Morgan Geekie (25) and David Pastrnak (14)—and only one other player (Pavel Zacha) has as many as 10.
Given that Boston actually has a minus-1 goal differential through 37 games, that's got to change.
Buffalo Sabres: General Manager Magic
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The Sabres haven't made the playoffs in 14 years and got off to a rough start this season, to the point where GM Kevyn Adams lost his job on Dec. 15. Into the gig stepped ex-Columbus executive Jarmo Kekäläinen, whose Blue Jackets were five-time postseason participants, and Buffalo hasn't lost since.
Can the spike continue into the homestretch? That's the dream in Western New York.
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Calgary Flames: More Holiday Mojo
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Flip the calendar back and the Flames were nearly as dreadful as dreadful gets, establishing a foothold in the basement of both the NHL's overall standings and B/R's Power Rankings.
But it's been a different story since mid-November, when decorations were hung and Calgary's fortunes changed. Its 2.05 goals per game through Nov. 15 were last, its 3.29 goals per game since are eighth.
Carolina Hurricanes: Rookie Renaissance
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It's a good thing the Bruins and Florida Panthers have stable situations in goal, because they'd otherwise be kicking themselves about Brandon Bussi.
The 27-year-old was let go by both teams but he's shown out with the Hurricanes since signing in October. If he's able to put up something resembling his initial 11-1-0 run through the springtime, he'll go down as one of the league's most unheralded heroes.
Chicago Blackhawks: Bedard Bounceback
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The Blackhawks have essentially been lousy since their run of three Stanley Cups in six years ended in 2015 and they were rewarded for the mediocrity with a chance to grab Connor Bedard.
The phenom transitioned to a star in the first 31 games of his third NHL season before a shoulder injury shelved him. Chicago's hopes to return to relevance depends almost solely on how fast the kid comes back.
Colorado Avalanche: Status Quo
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The Avalanche had played 35 games entering Tuesday night and had lost exactly two of them in regulation.
Considering their team had scored the most goals and allowed the fewest goals per game, it'd seem particularly greedy for Colorado fans to want anything other than more of the same. If they get it, it's parade time in Denver.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Special Teams Success
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The Blue Jackets were among the league's biggest positive surprises last season and they'd at least played the role of a would-be contender through the pre-Christmas portion of 2025-26, but the important numbers don't necessarily support the cause.
Columbus had not only allowed 17 goals more than it had scored through 36 games, but the 76.2 percent success rate on the penalty kill was only 30th best. That's not ideal.
Dallas Stars: One Step Beyond
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The Stars are the second-best team in the league behind Colorado and their all-around prowess both on offense and in keeping opponents off the scoresheet is beyond debate.
But given they've made three straight appearances in the Western Conference Final, none of happens between now and May will matter unless they advance. Welcome to the pressure-cooker, Glen Gulutzan.
Detroit Red Wings: Goals or Goalies
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The Red Wings, on this Christmas Eve, appear more likely to end a playoff drought than at any time during Steve Yzerman's GM tenure. But something's got to give to make it last. Detroit's 3.08 goals per game before Tuesday were 13th in the league but its 3.16 goals-against average was 20th.
Either more scoring depth needs to appear or perhaps it's time for goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa (14-1-0, 1.68 GAA, .936 save percentage in the AHL) to make an appearance.
Edmonton Oilers: A Bit of Everything
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It's easy to point out flaws with the Oilers. Despite two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final, they clearly could use consistent goaltending, consistent scoring from players not named McDavid or Draisaitl, and consistent stretches of defensive play without egregious giveaways in their own zone.
A 7-2-1 record in their last 10 represents a step up after an awful start, but it'll take consistency to make a third SCF trip possible.
Florida Panthers: Relevant Rehab
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The two-time defending champs made season-starting news for all the wrong reasons when they lost both team captain Aleksander Barkov and lightning rod Matthew Tkachuk with long-term injuries.
Their start was uneven but a 7-2-1 run of their own through the last 10 before Tuesday indicates that the rest of the guys can hold the fort until the stars return. If they're in the mix when they do, watch out.
Los Angeles Kings: More Offense
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The Kings entered Tuesday with the second-best goals-against average in the league at 2.51, trailing only front-running Colorado. But the problem they're having and the reason it's not translated to better than a fourth-place standing in the Pacific is that they're simply not scoring either.
Only Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala have as many as 10 goals and the team's 2.51 per game won't be enough.
Minnesota Wild: Realignment
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It's pretty hard to find fault with the Wild so far, given that they're third overall in the league and they'd gone 5-1-0 in their first six games since the all-in deal that brought former Norris-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes from Vancouver.
But they're also third overall in the Central, meaning beating both the Stars and Avalanche in the playoffs might be needed just to make the conference final. Help!
Montreal Canadiens: Dryden (or Roy) 2.0
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Turns out Edmonton isn't the only Canada city where goaltending is holding back an otherwise powerful team. Move 3,500 kilometers east and you get to Montreal, where the Canadiens possess an enviable collection of young, skilled players.
But the sub-.900 save percentages from Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault necessitated the callup of 21-year-old Jacob Fowler to save the day. Sacre bleu!
Nashville Predators: Let's Make a Deal
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The Predators were the league's biggest flop last season after acquiring free agents Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and others and winding up 30th in the overall standings.
They were tied for 27th heading into Tuesday night's games, so rather than bringing in more bodies, the biggest hope should be that GM Barry Trotz can find a partner willing to take one or two vets off his hands.
New Jersey Devils: A Healthy Jack Hughes
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Center Jack Hughes, a former No. 1 overall pick, has been a point-per-game player on the NHL level for his last four full seasons and produced 10 goals and 20 points through his first 17 games this season during which the Devils were 12-4-1.
Then he was injured at a dinner and missed 18 games during which they went 8-10-0. He's as important to his team as any player in the league, but he's got to stay healthy.
New York Islanders: A Season of Schaefer
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The Islanders won the draft lottery to get the chance to pick Matthew Schaefer, with the dream that the young defenseman would provide the same sort of jolt to his team as guys like Hughes, McDavid, Bedard and others had in their rookie years.
It's been just about that good, with the 18-year-old establishing himself as a Calder Trophy frontrunner and the team maintaining a playoff position through the first half. All a Long Islander can ask is that it continues.
New York Rangers: Home Away from Home
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It's gotten almost comical at this point. Not only were the Rangers just 5-10-3 through their first 18 games at Madison Square Garden, but they'd been shut out six times and scored just 35 goals there overall—an average of 1.94 per game.
Meanwhile, they were 13-6-1 on the road through Monday and in a position where even two more road wins would have them in a playoff spot.
Ottawa Senators: Ullmark Uptick
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Getting Linus Ullmark from Boston was a transcendent move for the Senators prior to last season and the stability he brought to the goal crease helped the team return to the playoffs after a seven-season absence. So it was natural that further ascension was expected in 2025-26. But Ullmark hasn't performed as expected, instead posting an .884 save percentage through Monday.
He's won four straight starts, though, and his full-fledged return could mean a big second half in Canada's capital city.
Philadelphia Flyers: Make Nice with Michkov
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Coach Rick Tocchet doesn't want to talk about it, but his relationship with second-year forward Matvei Michkov is the 5'10", 172-pound elephant in the room.
The 21-year-old Russian has just nine goals in 35 games after netting 26 as a rookie, and a recent exchange between the two on the bench has drawn predictable attention. Getting it handled is needed for the Flyers to have season-long staying power.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Stop the Bleeding
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The Penguins were one of the league's best stories while running up a 14-7-5 record as Sidney Crosby chased Mario Lemieux's all-time franchise point-scoring record.
But to say the wheels have come off is an understatement. No. 87 got the record, but the team had gone 1-5-4 in 10 games heading into Tuesday, fallen out of a playoff position and seen the first three games of the Stuart Skinner experiment yield three losses and an .831 save percentage. Paging Santa!
San Jose Sharks: Complementing Celebrini
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Macklin Celebrini's 54 points in his first 36 games trailed only the likes of McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, so he's doing his part in living up to his status as a No. 1 overall pick. What the Sharks will need to remain relevant in terms of playoff positioning is more from everyone else.
Twenty-year-old running mate Will Smith is holding up his end with 29 points in 33 games, but only one other player (Tyler Toffoli) has as many as 10 goals.
Seattle Kraken: Star Power
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Where some teams are looking for difference-making production from a third, fourth or fifth source, the Kraken would surely settle for one. Seattle's 2.53 goals per game were 29th-best heading into Tuesday and leading scorer Jordan Eberle (22 points) was tied for 125th in the league.
Unlike Bedard in Chicago or Celebrini in San Jose, none of the franchise's recent early draft picks looks ready to transcend.
St. Louis Blues: Second-Half Spike
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Long-term Blues fans will not only point out that the team was last overall a few months into its Stanley Cup championship season in 2018-19, and its second-half performance (26-13-4) on the way to a playoff berth in 2024-25 was among the league's best, too.
So maybe that's helping the mood in St. Louis amid a desultory 14-16-8 start through 38 games to 2025-26.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Find Brayden Point
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Only three players—David Pastrnak (151), Leon Draisaitl (145) and Auston Matthews (142)—scored more goals across the last three seasons than Brayden Point's 139.
But it hasn't continued into 2025-26, with the 29-year-old center netting just six in his first 29 games through Monday amid a difficult start that also cost him seven games with an undisclosed injury. He earned an early ticket to Canada's Olympic roster but hasn't justified it with his play.
Toronto Maple Leafs: A Do-Over
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The Maple Leafs won the Atlantic Division last season and gave the eventual champion Panthers all they wanted before falling in Game 7 of a second-round playoff series.
Then they let Mitch Marner get away to Vegas and things haven't been the same since. Marner has continued his point-per-game ways with the Golden Knights and Toronto entered Tuesday 15th in a 16-team Eastern Conference.
Utah Mammoth: Fast-Track Cooley Comeback
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Twenty-something center Logan Cooley scored 45 goals across his first two NHL seasons but was breaking through while scoring 14 times in his first 29 games—a pace for 40 for the full season—before an upper-body injury shelved him for what's expected to be two months.
Utah has been below .500 (4-5-0) since and its relevance in the playoff race will be boosted by the former No. 3 overall pick's return.
Vancouver Canucks: Steer into the Sell
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The Canucks were the Pacific champs two seasons ago before falling out of the playoffs last season and plummeting to 15th in the Western Conference through 36 games in 2025-26.
They took a step toward rebuilding when Quinn Hughes went to Minnesota for three players and a first-round pick in July's draft. Others could be soon to follow and it'd behoove GM Patrik Allvin to get what he can get for the future.
Vegas Golden Knights: Support the Goalies
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An injury has kept Adin Hill off the ice since October and left the Golden Knights in search of a top-end goalie. They've gotten multiple starts from Carl Lindbom, Akira Schmid and Carter Hart and a combined 2.93 goals-against average since, which is sixth-best in the Western Conference.
Vegas has scored just 2.67 goals per game in that stretch, and it'll take more than that whether it's Hill or one of the others getting the bulk of the work down the stretch.
Washington Capitals: Power-Play Prowess
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The Capitals were the best regular-season team in the East last season and they held a playoff position through Monday's games. Surprisingly, the 2025-26 success has come despite subpar special teams play, with production on the power play (14.7 percent) taking 29th overall and penalty killing (76.8 percent) coming in at 25th.
Career power-play ace Alex Ovechkin has just two with the man advantage and it'll take more than that for a successful second half.
Winnipeg Jets: Keep Connor Healthy
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Connor Hellebuyck's importance to the Jets goes without saying. He won the Vezina and Hart trophies last season as the league's best goalie and its most valuable player, and his 2.48 goals-against average and .912 save percentage are in keeping with his career-long numbers.
But he missed 16 games with a knee injury and Winnipeg, which won the Presidents' Trophy last season, was 6-9-1 in his absence. That's not a good sign and he must be healthy for them to get a playoff berth.
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