The first few weeks of the NHL season are always so much fun. From game to game, any team will look like a Stanley Cup contender, or a bust who should be trading everything not nailed down to take a run at whatever top talent they can grab at the draft. Overreactions are plentiful this time of the season, but you also see too many people writing off slow starts as nothing to worry about. Remember, points in October count the same as points in April, even if those late-season games feel like they count for double.
Now, all this to say, trying to make heads or tails out of these small sample sizes from each team is not an easy task. Even since last week, a few teams have turned their early-season storylines on their heads, with surprising winning and losing streaks from the best and supposed worst the league has to offer.
Due to all of this, my Rankings are going to look a bit more jumbled than normal. Right now, there are only a handful of truly elite teams, and I think I can make a strong argument that most of the league is playing bad hockey even by early-season standards. This is going to create a larger bottom section of the Rankings than normal, as I am struggling to see how some of these teams will get back into the playoff hunt given their current level of play.
Week 2 of the 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings. (The Hockey Writers)
However, as we approach the 10 games played mark of the season in the coming weeks, this picture will continue to become more clear. For now, all we can do is review our notes and try to make the most of a cloudy picture with Week 2 of THW’s Power Rankings!
32-19: Most of the NHL is Struggling for Consistency
32. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 29)
31. Calgary Flames (Previously: 20)
30. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 25)
29. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 14)
28. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 31)
27. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 27)
26. Nashville Predators (Previously: 23)
25. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 32)
24. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 15)
23. New York Islanders (Previously: 28)
22. Boston Bruins (Previously: 10)
21. New York Rangers (Previously: 18)
20. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 26)
19. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 30)
The bottom of the Rankings are a bit crowded this week. As I mentioned earlier, I think a lot of teams are playing poorly right now, and if not for the overtime point, things would look much more dire for most of the NHL. For example, the Sharks haven’t won a game yet in the 2024-25 season, while the Flames, Kings, and Lightning all have only one win each. On top of this, the Senators, Ducks, and Predators have relapsed after what looked like strong starts to the season, and there was a point where I had the Rangers dead last overall after they got shut out at home for a record-setting third-straight game to open the season.
However, there are some real bright spots at the bottom this week. First, I have to call out Matthew Schaefer, the 2025 first-overall draft pick, who is shattering all expectations for New York. The 18-year-old defenseman is setting records by the day, and he already looks like a star blueliner the franchise will build around for years to come.
Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Keeping in New York, the Sabres finally found life this week by winning twice in impressive fashion. With 11 goals scored in two games and Josh Doan looking ready to take a big step forward in his NHL career, the maligned franchise will hopefully be able to build on these wins for a change. Here’s hoping they make it happen.
Oh, and to cap off the week, the Bruins lost their fourth game in less than seven days, which has wiped away any goodwill I had for the team after their strong start to the season.
18-8: Potseason Dreams for the NHL’s Mid Teams
18. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 8)
17. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 7)
16. Florida Panthers (Previously: 1)
15. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 11)
14. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 21)
13. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 22)
12. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 17)
11. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 19)
10. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 12)
9. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 16)
8. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 24)
Losing streaks will happen throughout the regular season, but this has been an exceptionally brutal week for some of my pre-season favorites. After strong starts to their season, the Panthers lost four straight games, where the Oilers and Wild both lost three in a row. Had these stretches of play occurred in January, it would be easy to write them off as just the doldrums of the season, but when there’s so little of a body of work to reference, it’s difficult to justify keeping any of these teams in the top half of the Rankings. I expect them all to bounce back, but that’s never a guarantee, of course.
Heading in the right direction, however, are the Red Wings, Canucks, and Canadiens, who all at different points this week had three, four, or five-game winning streaks. The Red Wings, in particular, have looked impressive, as they are getting consistent goaltending out of their tandem of John Gibson and Cam Talbot. Should this hold up all season, watch out, because playoff hockey could finally return to Hockeytown, USA. It’s been a long time, but early returns are looking positive.
John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
Also, a fun note, the Kraken are one of four teams without a regulation loss to open to 2024-25 NHL season. With a 3-0-2 record through their first five games, Seattle looks like a team that can compete with the best teams in the league, but I’m still not ready to put them in the top section of the Rankings until they can start winning more games in regulation.
7-1: NHL’s Best And it’s Not Close
7. Dallas Stars (Previously: 2)
6. Washington Capitals (Previously: 9)
5. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 13)
4. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 5)
3. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 6)
2. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 3)
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 4)
The difference between the top seven teams in the NHL and the rest of the league is stark so far in the 2025-26 NHL season. Three of the top teams haven’t lost in regulation yet, as the Hurricanes, Avalanche, and Golden Knights have been dominant forces on the ice in recent weeks. Behind them, the Jets, Devils, and Capitals have all been incredible in their own right, with each of these teams logging four-game winning streaks at points this week. The rare losses these teams have suffered have often been against each other, and those were close /overtime games more often than not.
Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal, center, looks on after scoring against the Los Angeles Kings. (William Liang-Imagn Images)
The only team I left in the top this week who struggled is the Stars, who dropped two straight games. However, I’m not ready to panic about these losses just yet. Dallas played really well in their first few games of the season, and I still believe this is one of the best teams in the NHL. I’ll give them a pass this week, but if these struggles continue, I’ll have to move them further down the Rankings.
Exciting Start to the 2025-26 NHL Season!
Well, the 2025-26 NHL season is off to a roaring start! With a full slate of games last week, I think we got to see some of the best and worst the league has to offer.
Related: Top 10 Highest-Scoring NHL Games of the Modern Era
With so many games on the calendar, it’s hard not to be excited about the coming weeks despite there being 10 more days in October. I know I’m enjoying this earlier start to the season, and I hope every out there is having a great time feasting on this full NHL calendar!