-(2).jpg?w=2560 "Bleacher Report")
NHL Power Rankings for Opening Night of the 2026-27 Season
Merry Christmas, hockey fans.
Exactly 107 days since the Carolina Hurricanes skated the Stanley Cup around the ice at T-Mobile Arena, 10 of the NHL's 32 teams will begin their quests to be the last one standing when the 2026-27 season comes to an end next summer.
Five games make up Tuesday's Opening Night schedule, with puck drops on the agenda in Raleigh, Toronto, Boston, Edmonton, and Las Vegas.
B/R's hockey staff tempered its giddiness just long enough to contemplate a set of Power Rankings just in time for the new season's arrival.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
32. Vancouver Canucks
1 of 32
The good news for Manny Malhotra? He's a head coach in the NHL. The bad news? He's head coach of the Canucks, who are widely expected to have the worst record in the league at the end of 2026-27.
31. Calgary Flames
2 of 32
The "Battle of Alberta" games will be fun and Dustin Wolf is on his way to becoming a homegrown stud in the net. But beyond fleeting reasons for interest and optimism, it'll probably be a long season in Calgary.
30. Seattle Kraken
3 of 32
Let's face it. There hasn't been a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Kraken since they went for 100 points and made the playoffs in the franchise's second season. Chances are it won't be happening this season either.
29. Chicago Blackhawks
4 of 32
Connor Bedard isn't the only young stud on the Chicago roster, but he's the one who matters the most. Which makes it even more concerning that coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard isn't close to practicing after a summertime injury.
28. Nashville Predators
5 of 32
It's not just old guys. But there may not be enough young guys on the Nashville roster to make the Predators viable in the Central. Mavrik Bourque, 24, went from 11 to 20 goals in two full-time seasons in Dallas and arrived via trade in July.
27. St. Louis Blues
6 of 32
The Blues were near the bottom of the league in offense last season, averaging 2.80 goals, but they do have emerging young skill players. That puts the onus on Joel Hofer, who started 43 games last season, to be a reliable No. 1 in the net.
26. Detroit Red Wings
7 of 32
Adding a few more teams to his "yeah, I'd play there" list makes it more likely a trade-requesting Dylan Larkin's zip code will soon change. But whether he stays or goes, it's not likely to do much to get the Red Wings past a decade of irrelevance.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets
8 of 32
Precocious center Adam Fantilli is locked up through 2032 at $13.75 million per season, but Zach Werenski isn't. And it's the reigning Norris Trophy winner's status that's going to be a constant issue until he's either extended or traded.
24. Winnipeg Jets
9 of 32
Connor Hellebuyck's status has cast uncertainty over Winnipeg's season. After he did not report to training camp and was suspended by the club, his future with the Jets appears unclear amid continuing trade speculation.
If he is unavailable, Winnipeg will face a significant challenge in recapturing the form that made it a Presidents' Trophy contender.
23. New York Islanders
10 of 32
Matthew Schaefer is a bona fide star but there's not too much to get excited about beyond him. The only player on the team to exceed 60 points in 2025-26, Mathew Barzal, is not guaranteed to play on opening night thanks to a left knee issue.
22. Los Angeles Kings
11 of 32
Here's a question. Are the Kings, as currently constituted, good enough to compete in the Pacific Division and the West as a whole? Artemi Panarin is a star, but only one player (Adrian Kempe) on the team for all of 2025-26 exceeded 50 points.
21. Boston Bruins
12 of 32
The Bruins put the over in overachievement last season, registering 100 points during the regular season before going seven games with Buffalo in the playoffs. But let's face it. There's not a lot in the cupboard beyond new captain David Pastrnak.
20. New York Rangers
13 of 32
There are a lot of possibilities in New York. The Rangers could miss the playoffs for the third straight time since winning a Presidents' Trophy. Or, newcomer Pavel Dorofeyev could be the impact player he's been in the preseason. Stay tuned.
19. Ottawa Senators
14 of 32
It certainly doesn't help Ottawa's prospects for 2026-27 that its most impactful player in 2025-26, Brady Tkachuk, is now playing in Florida. Can Linus Ullmark (.891 save percentage last season) approach his All-Star and Vezina form of 2022-23?
18. Toronto Maple Leafs
15 of 32
Like the Rangers, the Maple Leafs have a variety of possible results for the 2026-27 season. If Auston Matthews rediscovers 60-goal form and Sergei Bobrovsky is what he was in Florida's playoff runs, it'll be a fun year in hockey-mad Toronto.
17. Pittsburgh Penguins
16 of 32
Yes, the Penguins were a 98-point team in 2025-26. But can they be that good again, without any major additions? Pittsburgh scored the third-most goals in the league last season but there's not a goalie on the roster who's a proven starter.
16. New Jersey Devils
17 of 32
Many teams would envy that the Devils don't have a rostered goalie making $2 million. Then again, the trio of Jake Allen, Nico Daws and Remi Poirier doesn't inspire confidence. Perhaps a healthy Jack Hughes can net 50 on the other end.
15. Anaheim Ducks
18 of 32
The Ducks got to the playoffs and took down the two-time defending Western champs in the opening round, but their blue line took an offseason hit and keeping Leo Carlsson (at $18 million annually) didn't help the salary structure.
14. Philadelphia Flyers
19 of 32
We'll also file the Flyers in the "were they really a 98-point team last season?" column. There is some young talent in Matvei Michkov, 21, and Porter Martone, 19, but unless they make a prolonged impact in 2026-27, it figures to be a regression.
13. San Jose Sharks
20 of 32
Are the Sharks the Ducks of 2026-27? Given 10 forwards and four defensemen younger than 30, it's not a bad bet. Macklin Celebrini, 20, was named captain and both Michael Misa, 19, and Ivar Stenberg, 18, were noticeable in the preseason.
12. Buffalo Sabres
21 of 32
The franchise that was starving for a playoff berth finally got one after 14 seasons and now the focus shifts to a first Cup. It may not come in 2026-27, but the Sabres are young enough and good enough to be title relevant for years to come.
11. Utah Mammoth
22 of 32
Look at the rosters around the league and you would be hard-pressed to find a team with more young, productive and now NHL-proven talent than the Mammoth.
They're in tough in a loaded Central, but who would want to play them in April?
10. Washington Capitals
23 of 32
Well, you can say a lot of things about the Capitals, but you can't say they're just standing pat with Alex Ovechkin. Washington signed both Boone Jenner (from Columbus) and Alex Tuch (from Buffalo) on the first day of free agency.
9. Edmonton Oilers
24 of 32
Edmonton enters the season under intense scrutiny following its decision to hire Mike Babcock. The Oilers were sharp in the preseason, and a more disciplined approach on the blue line and in net could materially raise their ceiling in the standings.
8. Minnesota Wild
25 of 32
Make no mistake, the most persistent questions will be about Quinn Hughes until he's either moved or decides to extend his stay in Minnesota. But any team with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy in its top-six forward group is capable of big things.
7. Vegas Golden Knights
26 of 32
It's a weird situation in Vegas, where Ryan Craig heads behind the bench with a team that made a Cup Final appearance with an interim after firing its coach in late March and beating the West's No. 9 team by just nine points. Which is reality?
6. Tampa Bay Lightning
27 of 32
From 2020 to 2022, it was a foregone conclusion that the Lightning would reach the Cup Finals, which they did three straight times and hoisted twice. Now, after four straight first-round exits, is it a foregone conclusion they're out of the loop?
5. Dallas Stars
28 of 32
OK, the Stars would love to win a Central title and set up an easier April run. But ask a Dallas fan if regular-season items mean anything after three straight losses in the West Final and last spring's first-round flop. It's Cup Final or bust in Texas.
4. Montreal Canadiens
29 of 32
If the NHL had a WWE-like NXT division, the Canadiens would be its champion. Simply put, no city in the league boats a more attractive cache of young talent. And the add of Chris Kreider and his 348 career goals on the cheap was huge.
3. Florida Panthers
30 of 32
Sure, they missed the playoffs in 2025-26 so the Panthers are destined to be a non-factor in 2026-27. Don't you believe it. Adding Brady Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov (from injury) to a veteran core makes them an instant title threat. Again.
2. Colorado Avalanche
31 of 32
There are regular-season monsters and playoff monsters. The Avalanche, particularly in 2025-26, were the former. Colorado earned points in 66 of 82 games and beat the NHL field by eight points, but unless it ends in the Cup Final, it's all moot.
1. Carolina Hurricanes
32 of 32
It was the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup to lose at this time last year, and they did not lose it. Can they repeat this season? We'll see. They return a championship-winning core, and having already won the 16 games required to capture the Cup, there is no reason to think they cannot do it again.
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