NHL power rankings: Just how good are the Maple Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime at PPG Paints Arena.

Credit: © Charles LeClaire

It’s been a few weeks, hasn’t it? After a brief break to enjoy some international hockey, we’re back with more power rankings for the final stretch of the regular season, and we’ve already been thrown into the deep end with the Trade Deadline only days away. We’ve already seen some more moves since the break, highlighted by the Seth Jones trade on Saturday, but I’m sure there will be a lot more where that came from before Friday.

Hunter Crowther and I continue to navigate through the results so far this season with another week of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six stats (points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. On the other hand, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together, we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 42-15-4, +71
Last Week: 2nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: We’re baaaaaaaaccckkk! I know, the Jets lost their last two games, and they were against two of the weaker teams in the league. But you know what’s impressive? The 11-game winning streak that preceded it. This team has had three separate winning streaks of at least seven games, which when you say out loud sounds like you’re talking about a top-tier Canadian Hockey League team. Also, Mark Scheifele has goals in three of his last four games. I wonder if he felt a touch of envy after seeing Josh Morrissey lift a trophy over his head earlier this month.

2. Washington Capitals

Record: 38-14-8, +58
Last Week: 1st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Hunter: I could wax poetic about Alex Ovechkin’s goal-scoring ways and how he’s just 11 away from passing Wayne Gretzky. But the Capitals have lost three straight games and Logan Thompson has looked awfully average, allowing at least three goals in five of his last six starts. Their top-six forward group is quite good, but it feels like they’re lacking enough depth to get beyond the second round. I still like Washington, but they’re giving “first-round upset” energy, and I don’t like that.

Scott: With how many teams that are still fighting for the Wildcard spot, the unpredictability to who their opponent will be certainly leaves that door wide open.

3. Dallas Stars

Record: 39-19-2, +51
Last Week: 4th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: The Stars have won four of their five games since coming back from the international break, and they’ve been scoring plenty, recording at least four goals in each of their last seven games. They acquired Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci a month ago, but they still have more than $4.5 million in cap space ahead of Friday’s Trade Deadline. Do they look for more offense or beef up their blueline?

Scott: Also, if Jason Robertson wasn’t already back, he is now. He’s now climbed back to a point-per-game pace and looks more like the guy who tore up the league in 2022-23, giving them the game breaker they’ve desperately needed in their playoff runs. That line with Robertson, Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston looks unbeatable some days.

4. Florida Panthers

Record: 37-21-3, +33
Last Week: 5th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: Seth Jones playing 25 minutes a night and making $9.5 million a year? Terrible usage and a terrible contract. Seth Jones playing between 17 and 20 minutes a night with some power play time and costing you just $7 million – with the cap skyrocketing over the next few seasons? Now we’re talking. The rich get richer, and it feels like Jones could really thrive in a disciplined system like Florida’s.

Scott: It’s not a Daily Faceoff power rankings if I don’t talk about my fantasy hockey team, and boy do I feel glad about taking a gamble on Jones to round out my defense. He was doing solid already in Chicago, but he’ll certainly put up some points on the Panthers.

5. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 36-18-6, +33
Last Week: 7th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Hunter: Winners of five of their last six, the Golden Knights are at the top of the Pacific Division. Lots is made about Jack Eichel’s production, mostly from me, trying to hype him up in the Hart Trophy conversation. But Tomas Hertl, last year’s big trade deadline acquisition, has looked like an elite power forward in the last few months, having a fantastic January and now scoring three goals and two assists in his last five games. I want to see the guy who looked unstoppable with the Sharks in their 2019 playoff run.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 38-20-2, +22
Last Week: 10th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Scott: I still don’t quite know what to make of this Leafs team. On one hand, they’ve just won five games in a row, and have done so in a lot of different ways, a good sign that they can overcome adversity in the playoffs. But under the hood, they lost the expected goals battle in four of the five wins, with the exception being against the Blackhawks, whom they absolutely should be dominating. The Leafs have seen their scoring depth improve, but they could still use some extra juice and maybe a bit more help on defense, and the rumoured solution to that is… reuniting the Schenn brothers?!? I just don’t have a lot of confidence in this team at this point unless they show signs of more consistency.

Hunter: I get that feeling too, and this team is benefiting from the Panthers’ inconsistency and the rest of the division eating each other. They’re at the top of the division on March 3! I’ve gone back and forth on whether they should just throw everything at the wall and go for it, but if not now … Calle Jarnkrok is coming back from injury, but no, that’s not the same as a trade deadline acquisition. That’s an injured player returning. If Max Domi can continue this recent offensive push he’s had, then that’s one less bottom-six piece to worry about. But Scott’s right: they need consistency.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 35-20-4, +55
Last Week: 12th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Hunter: Eight straight wins? Nikita Kucherov about to hit 100 points again? Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli riding that 4 Nations Face-Off high? Baby, the Lightning got a stew going. I thought this team was going to either lose in the first round for the third straight year or miss the playoffs entirely, but this team, man, they’re good. I want the Maple Leafs to win the Atlantic Division just so the Lightning and Panthers have a seven-game series.

Scott: Even if the Panthers win the division, I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up being the second round matchup in the Atlantic.

Hunter: So you also think the Lightning beat the Leafs in 7?

Scott: As it twas written in the ancient texts.

8. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 35-21-4, +21
Last Week: 3rd (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Hunter: Any time a team loses five straight games and has no regulation wins in nine, you’d be right to worry. But this Oilers team? It feels like the regular season just doesn’t matter, because we know what to expect when it matters most. Edmonton will find their groove just in time for Round 1, and we’ll be asking ourselves if they make it to June. Next Saturday’s game against the Stars will be must-see TV.

Scott: Is Connor McDavid okay? He was struggling heading into the break, but I would have hoped that a strong showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, capped by having his Golden Goal moment, would have turned his game around coming back. And yet, in five games, he doesn’t have a single 5v5 point. I’d say that that’s a tad concerning.

9. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 35-22-4, +25
Last Week: 8th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Hunter: First off: no, don’t trade Mikko Rantanen. I don’t care if he’s only scored two goals in 11 games with the Hurricanes, he’s one of the greatest playoff performers in the post-salary cap era, and general manager Eric Tulsky signalled that he was going all-in when he made the move. Second: they’ve lost six of their last nine games, and they’re entering the “lose home-ice advantage in the playoffs” territory. They need some points.

10. New Jersey Devils

Record: 33-23-6, +32
Last Week: 6th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Hunter: We’re writing this just hours after Jack Hughes left Sunday’s game with an injury, and we don’t know the extent of his injury, but regardless, the Devils aren’t very good right now. They win, they lose, they win, they lose: they haven’t won or lost two in a row since January, covering a stretch of 12 games. Their record in 2025 is 9-10-3, and they’re just four points ahead of the Blue Jackets, which is not a sentence I expected to type in March.

Scott: Getting Jacob Markstrom back should hopefully help them a bit, but if Hughes’ injury is as concerning as Sheldon Keefe made it sound, I’d be wary of not just their chances of staying in the top three in the Metro, but of staying in the playoffs. They looked so good to start the year and are still performing like a playoff team under the hood, but their play has definitely slipped.

11. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 31-19-8, +12
Last Week: 9th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: After back-to-back wins returning from the break, the Kings have now lost their last three games. I still love this team’s defensive game, but with another matchup against the Oilers seeming to be all but certain, they need some kind of a scoring punch, so it will be interesting to see what they try to do at the deadline. Considering that, I’m certainly not surprised to see that they’ve reportedly talked with the Hurricanes about Mikko Rantanen.

12. Minnesota Wild

Record: 35-22-4, -3
Last Week: 11th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Scott: The Wild have had a rough go of it lately on the injury front. Kirill Kaprizov is out longer than they originally expected him to be, they lost Joel Eriksson Ek last week, and then Jonas Brodin is hurt yet again after missing Sunday’s game against the Bruins. Bringing back Gustav Nyquist stops the bleeding a bit, but that’s still a lot of quality going out. Minnesota has managed to play .500 hockey in recent weeks, and that should be good enough to make the playoffs, but they might find themselves in a Wildcard spot before they know it at this rate.

13. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 35-24-2, +16
Last Week: 13th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Hunter: I’ve written this before, but it feels like the Avalanche are coasting off the talent of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, because beyond them and recent acquisition Martin Necas, they have no depth. Does general manager Chris MacFarland think it’s worth parting with pieces and making a run? Another question: do you have to while you have MacKinnon and Makar in their primes and making just $21.6 million between the two of them?

14. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 30-22-8, +9
Last Week: 19th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Hunter: I mentioned earlier that the Capitals feel like the annual division winner that could get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. On the other side of that spectrum, the Blue Jackets are the Wildcard team that could provide that first-round upset. Winners of four straight, after losing four straight, after winning three straight, this team is highly volatile but also highly entertaining. They have the first Wildcard spot in the East and are just four points back of the Devils in the Metropolitan. How can you not root for this team?

15. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 27-22-11, -19
Last Week: 14th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Hunter: I don’t know what’s wrong with Elias Pettersson, but we’re past the point of it being a crisis. I’m not doubting his effort, but for God’s sake, he’s scored just once in his last 20 games. In a league with a salary cap, you can’t even give him the “fresh start elsewhere,” because who wants to take on seven more years at $11.6 million? At least Jonathan Huberdeau had the excuse of being traded and having to adapt to a new market – Pettersson was drafted by Vancouver and has spent the last seven seasons there, reaching the highest of highs and offering the team a glimmer of hope. But this? This is just sad. And yet somehow, they’re still in a playoff spot. Go figure.

16. Boston Bruins

Record: 28-26-8, -28
Last Week: 15th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: Don’t let my optimistic ranking fool you, because the Bruins’ placement is elevated by their special teams. At 5v5, this team isn’t very good, and with Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm out for a majority of this final stretch of the season, their playoff hopes are in jeopardy. If anyone can overcome it, it’s a Bruins squad that just won’t die, but I don’t love their chances.

17. New York Rangers

Record: 28-26-8, 0
Last Week: 17th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: The Rangers have been acting like an exaggerated version of themselves since returning from the break, as during their 3-2-0 run since coming back, they’ve outplayed their opponent in the two losses, and been outplayed in all three wins. They’re still in the heat of the playoff race even though they’ve now moved on from Ryan Lindgren, so this team’s direction continues to puzzle me. I’m sure we’ll have more clarity on where they stand after Friday.

Hunter: I have this sinking feeling they’ll squeeze into a playoff spot and somehow win a round, then get swept in Round 2, entirely thanks to Igor Shesterkin. In an ideal world, they miss completely and any combo of the Blue Jackets, Senators or Red Wings make it. But the odds always favor those with all-world goaltending.

18. Ottawa Senators

Record: 30-25-4, -2
Last Week: 16th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Hunter: Losing five straight games at the worst possible time ahead of the league’s Trade Deadline? And four of those games against teams in your division? Hey, at least they beat the literal worst team in the league in the Sharks – if they lost that one, we’d be in full-blown catastrophe mode. The injuries have subsided, so at least the Sens are going into March with a healthy group. But they need to rack up points.

19. St. Louis Blues

Record: 29-27-6, -8
Last Week: 22nd (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Hunter: I feel like I haven’t given the Blues enough respect this season, especially for a team that’s just one point back of a Wildcard spot. That said, I still don’t want to give them that respect, mostly because I feel like it’s a buyer’s market and someone is going to wildly overpay for one of, if not both of Brayden Schenn and Colton Parayko. It’s better to plan for the future than waste a week in April.

20. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 30-24-6, -15
Last Week: 20th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Scott: I feel like the last two games may be ones that come back to haunt the Red Wings, dropping back-to-back to the Blue Jackets, a team they are super close with in the playoff race. Detroit is far from out of it, but every point matters in a playoff race, especially when those losses to the Blue Jackets are now an eight-point swing.

21. New York Islanders

Record: 27-25-7, -11
Last Week: 18th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Scott: The Islanders are really going to do the wrong thing here, huh? They’re going to put up enough of a fight to stay in the playoff hunt, not sell at the deadline, and then finish not even close to the Wildcard spots. We all know how stubborn Lou Lamoriello is about selling, so it won’t take much convincing. Then again, Tony DeAngelo has scored multiple own goals in only 12 games, and Ilya Sorokin has a goal now, so maybe they’ll chaos their way to the playoffs. At least with Noah Dobson back, they have some more offensive firepower, which was desperately needed for this squad.

Hunter: There’s going to be a story that comes out the day after March 7 that the Islanders could have gotten a first-round pick for a 33-year-old Brock Nelson, but Lamoriello and co. “had faith in this group” and wanted to make the playoffs. And when they eventually miss the playoffs, or if they’re lucky, get swept in four, we’re going to look back and think, “I’d probably have made that deal.”

22. Calgary Flames

Record: 28-23-9, -21
Last Week: 23rd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Scott: In case you can’t tell, Hunter and I certainly have a team we like more in this race for the final Western Conference spot. The Flames are certainly the better story, but the Canucks are one “Elias Pettersson rediscovering himself” away from pulling away from Calgary. Then again, Vancouver could easily blow up their core in the next week and that scale tips in favor of the Flames, so tune in next week.

Hunter: It’s too bad, because the Flames are definitely the better story. Who wouldn’t want to see Dustin Wolf pull a Cam Ward in the playoffs and drag Calgary deep into the spring? Either way, I’m curious if a team throws a truckful of assets at the Flames to acquire Rasmus Andersson, who has one year left after this current one at $4.55 million.

23. Utah Hockey Club

Record: 27-25-9, -9
Last Week: 21st (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Hunter: Kudos to Utah HC for putting together a few wins and climbing within two points of a playoff spot in March. Also, who says kudos anymore? I don’t think they’re better than any of the Canucks, Flames or even the Blues. But they’re kind of fun to watch? Also, how about Clayton Keller with a five-point game! He’s on pace to finish with more than 90 points.

24. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 29-26-5, -21
Last Week: 26th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Scott: Most of the hockey world pronounced the Canadiens dead after they cooled down from their hot stretch, but the break appeared to be just what they needed. They’ve won all four games since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and they sit just a few points behind the Red Wings for the last playoff spot, so it’ll be interesting to see how committed they are to selling this week.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 27-26-8, -22
Last Week: 25th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Hunter: Did you know the Flyers are only four points out of a playoff spot? Stay with me now. It’s been long speculated that John Tortorella might prefer a move to the front office, and perhaps this season will be his last behind the bench. But let’s say he wants to go out with a last dance. Why not throw logic out with the bath water and let Tortorella find some of that 2004 magic? What’s the worst that could happen?

Scott: Well, they could repeat last season, which was also their worst case scenario: missing the playoffs by a couple of places and not getting a top-10 draft pick.

26. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 24-29-10, -50
Last Week: 24th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Scott: If you didn’t already think the Penguins were dead, winning just one of six games since returning from the break will probably convince you. I know they’ve already made the only sale of value from their pending UFAs after trading Marcus Pettersson to the Canucks, but both Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson could be some great additions for teams that have the cap space. For my money, Rakell is having a Selke-caliber season and Karlsson is having a Norris-caliber season (beyond the big three in that race at least), so they might be two of the few big impact players left on the market.

Hunter: Far be it from me to defend Kyle Dubas, but for all the flak he receives about this underwhelming Penguins squad, I don’t know what people expected. Sure, he went all-in last summer to get Karlsson, but after trading Jake Guentzel and now moving on from Marcus Pettersson and Lars Eller, it’s clear what path they’re going down. Plus, Dubas signed a seven-year deal with Pittsburgh. It’s not like they didn’t envision this attempt at giving the veteran players one last run. You can say it failed and now start planning for the official teardown to commence.

27. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 26-26-7, -29
Last Week: 27th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Scott: Don’t look now, but the Ducks have snuck back in the playoff race. It’s not exactly a battle of giants for this last spot in the West, but Anaheim is just six points behind the Flames and Canucks with a game in hand on both, and that’s after winning only two of five games since the break. I still think this team is one of, if not the worst defensive team in the league and will probably fall off at some point, but they’re here now, aren’t they?

Hunter: Quack, quack, quack, quack, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!

28. Seattle Kraken

Record: 26-31-4, -18
Last Week: 29th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: Is Shane Wright better than Matty Beniers at this point? Despite a slow start from Wright and seeing his ice time fall significantly lower than Beniers this season, Wright has overtaken Beniers in points and has 36 in 58 games. Wright is also in the top 40 in 5v5 points per 60 minutes, and is producing at the same rate as Nathan MacKinnon, John Tavares and Kyle Connor this season. He’s certainly starting to make his presence known in his first full-time NHL season, that’s for sure.

29. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 24-29-5, -12
Last Week: 28th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Scott: Buffalo, what are you doing? You want to turn this team into a playoff team in short order, but also want to sell not just Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn, but JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch as well? Who exactly are Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power supposed to be playing with next season? They already have the longest postseason drought in NHL history; are they gunning for the longest in North American sports too?

30. Nashville Predators

Record: 21-32-7, -48
Last Week: 30th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: I know I’ve spoken highly of the Predators’ underlying numbers in recent weeks (and they’re still better than those of most of the other teams in the Western Conference Wildcard race), but man, what a disappointing team they continue to be. They’ve fallen flat out of the break with losses in four of six games (although the two wins were to the Avalanche and Jets), and to cap off this stretch (and honestly, this season), they allowed a goalie goal from an own goal. It should be interesting to see what Barry Trotz does with this team over the next week and in the summer.

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 18-35-7, -49
Last Week: 31st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: The Blackhawks lost their first four games out of the break but managed to snap that slump with a 6-3 win over the Ducks, yet at this point, it’s not the wins and losses that matter. What is more important for them is that they’ve now moved on from Seth Jones, who very clearly did not want to be there, and got a couple of solid assets in return. Spencer Knight is definitely the most intriguing piece, as the Blackhawks don’t really have a long-term solution in net. Knight hasn’t quite figured out his game yet, but he’ll probably get the playing time in Chicago.

32. San Jose Sharks

Record: 15-37-9, -73
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Scott: However poorly the Blackhawks play, the Sharks seem to be doing one better, as they have yet to win since returning from the break. They were still close games, all being decided by two or fewer goals, but they’ve even managed to build a bit of separation from Chicago at the bottom of the standings. It doesn’t seem like they have much left to sell after the Mikael Granlund/Cody Ceci trade, but we’ll see if there are any takers on someone like Mario Ferraro.

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