The Stanley Cup playoffs, drafts and end of free agency compressed NHL schedule means that most of July and August is… a little late.
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However, it is also the perfect time to update the power rankings for all 32 teams heading towards 2025-26!
In addition to the latest 1-32 polls, this edition includes the top storylines for each team during the summer holidays.
How to Rank: A panel of ESPN Hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors will send in a 1-32 poll based on how strong each team will be in the 2025-26 season.
Note: Previous rankings for each team refer to the final 2024-25 edition released on April 11th. The odds for the Stanley Cup are per ESPN bet as of July 24th.
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Ranking before the playoffs: 11
Stanley Cup Odds: +600
The Panthers gave another epic celebration at the Stanley Cup, then re-signed Big 3 pending free agents Aaron Eckbrad, Sam Bennett and Brad Merchand. Is 3 peat possible?
Ranking before the playoffs: 10
Stanley Cup Odds: +850
The second straight loss in the Stanley Cup final resulted in a small amount of self-reflection. Damocles proverb sword rests on Conor McDavid’s potential free agency franchise in 2026. Find a better solution at the goal.
Rankings before the playoffs: 3
Stanley Cup Odds: +1000
Another trip to the Western Conference Finals wasn’t enough to save Peter DeBorer from the job he was replaced by former star manager Glengltsang in July. What will the first full season of the Mikko Lantanen era look like?
Pre-playoff rankings: 7
Stanley Cup Odds: +800
Given all the re-signments this offseason, there weren’t many free agents that made an impact. But one of the top signed Hurricane. How will Nikolaj Ehlers deploy on the Rod Brind’Amour system? And can he make a difference in the next postseason?
Rankings before the playoffs: 4
Stanley Cup Odds: +850
Same old knight. The biggest fish in the free agency pond this offseason was Mitch Marner, and certainly, the Vegas front office has found a way to land him. It presents a club’s salary cap status, but it’s not new either. Marner will visit Toronto on January 23rd.
Ranking before the playoffs: 1
Stanley Cup Odds: +2500
The incumbent trophy winner as the regular season champion lost a key player this offseason with the Nicolaji Ehlers, but perhaps due to health concerns he won the sport’s biggest X-factor at Jonathan Too, a three-time Stanley Cup winner who hasn’t played since the 2022-23 season.
Rankings before the playoffs: 5
Stanley Cup Odds: +750
For the Juggernaut Dallas Stars, the first playoff loss is a bit misleading. I believe AVS resolved the second-line center dilemma with the 2024-25 trade addition Block Nelson contract, but is there enough depth to run another cup?
Rankings before the playoffs: 6
Stanley Cup Odds: +2000
A seemingly strange quest continues to win another Stanley Cup in Toronto. So far, it’s been the ups and downs of the offseason. The Leafs lost Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with Vegas, but they ticked out one of the best deals of the summer with Matthew Neese’s new agreement. As always, it is a high-class drama at the “center of the hockey universe.”
Rankings before the playoffs: 2
Stanley Cup Odds: +3000
Alex Ovechkin began the 2025-26 season as the NHL’s greatest goal leader ever, three from the 900. This team hopes to go further than the second round, and will likely give Ovi another cup for his Hall of Fame resume.
Pre-playoff rankings: 9
Stanley Cup Odds: +1400
Lightning continues to skillfully massage the roster within the pay cap boundaries. It continued this offseason as they expanded to score Janni Gode and Göjge’s Goncarves. Another long playoff run is possible, but at some point on the road they will have to beat their rivals from South Florida.
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Bettman shares the success of the four-country tournament with McAfee
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman took part in The Pat McAfee Show, detailing the success of the 4 Nations face-off tournament.
Ranking before the playoffs: 8
Stanley Cup Odds: +2000
After signing veteran depth to the free agency roster, the Kings created the NHL’s best scheduled release video. It was already an exciting summer!
Ranking before the playoffs: 13
Stanley Cup Odds: +4000
At one point, the Wild thought they would sign Minnesota natives Brock Nelson or Brock Boser (or both). Instead, each re-signed the 2024-25 team. If the veteran forward can find a previous scoring touch that has almost escaped this past season, introducing Vladimir Tarasenko could be one of the offseason def-test moves.
Ranking before the playoffs: 15
Stanley Cup Odds: +1600
Aside from some depth adjustments, the Devils have done nothing so far in the offseason so far, but Jake Allen’s re-signing may prove to be one of the wise roster moves. How will Luke Hughes’ next contract affect the remaining decisions?
Ranking before the playoffs: 12
Stanley Cup Odds: +5000
It has been a relatively quiet offseason so far for St. Louis after the playoff appearances of this past season. And for now, the club doesn’t have the cap space to sign anyone on a bold offer sheet.
Ranking before the playoffs: 14
Stanley Cup Odds: +3500
Senator Steve Staios shows that he likes what he has on the roster and expects to grow from within. The club’s most notable move was for veteran forward Claude Giroud to re-sign his one-year contract.
Rankings before the playoffs: 17
Stanley Cup Odds: +6000
Fresh from a somewhat surprising Stanley Cup playoff appearance, the Canadiens made one of the boldest moves of the offseason by trading two first-round picks with 25-year-old defender Noah Dobson, leading him to an eight-year contract. Does the playoffs mean HABS every year now?
Ranking before the playoffs: 20
Stanley Cup Odds: +3000
The Rangers found K’Andre Miller’s trade destination after the decision was made to switch coaches from Cup winner Peter Rabiolet to Cup winner Mike Sullivan and not re-sign the restricted free agent. Meanwhile, they landed defensive man Vladislav Gavlikov, one of the top free agents available. Is it enough to get back to the postseason mix?
Rankings before the playoffs: 16
Stanley Cup Odds: +15,000
GM Craig Conroy told reporters that another GM who clearly believes growth will come from the inside out, the player he targeted in free agency his front office signed elsewhere doesn’t feel like he needs to spend more than $15 million just to spend his cap space. All the young people on the team are not Dustin Wolf, the finalist of the Calder Trophy, so he can work on something.
Ranking before the playoffs: 19
Stanley Cup Odds: +4000
Although there has been no playoff hockey in Utah in the past spring, GM Bill Armstrong has pulled many different levers this offseason and put his team in the best place to bring the team into 2026. The team is slower.
Ranking before the playoffs: 21
Stanley Cup Odds: +10,000
Little Caesar Arena has not yet held a playoff game. Is this the season when the drought ends? Detroit had been knocking on the door this past season. GM Steve It-Twoman has probably met the organization’s greatest needs this summer by trading with veteran goaltender John Gibson.
Ranking before the playoffs: 18
Stanley Cup Odds: +6000
Based on how the Canucks finished the 2024-25 season, this summer’s continuity didn’t seem like the best option. But aside from the changes in coaching (from Rick Totchet to Adam Foot) and dealing with Evander Kane, that’s mainly the current situation. That said, Brock Boser’s re-signment was an easier option than trying to trade players who scored 65 goals in the past two seasons.
Pre-playoff rankings: 22
Stanley Cup Odds: +10,000
Surprisingly, many of the blue jackets remained in the playoff races until the final week of the season. This is thanks to Zach Welensky’s Noristtrophy Finalist Campaign. The club added some depth this offseason – Charlie Coyle and Mileswood are especially useful when making the 2026 playoffs. But will there be additional movement on the sleeves of GM Don Waddell by October?
Ranking before the playoffs: 23
Stanley Cup Odds: +10,000
The new GM Mathieu Darche was not embarrassed in the first few weeks of work. Following Noah Dobson’s trade, he and his companions drafted the A+ class, according to ESPN’s Rachel Dorely, adding the X-factor forward to Jonathan Druan. This is a rising team.
Ranking before the playoffs: 24
Stanley Cup Odds: +10,000
At some point, the duck reconstruction is over and the day may come earlier than many suspects. GM Pat Verbeek has been extremely busy this summer, adding Chris Kreider to the deal and sending Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia in another swap. The Ducks also added Michael Granland to their free agency. He is important to their playoff chances. And if that wasn’t all good, they got a top five talent in the draft class with a No. 10 pick at Roger McQueen and sent him to Disneyland to celebrate.
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Ducks Draft Pick Roger McQueen celebrates at Disneyland
Roger McQueen arrives at Disneyland and celebrates being drafted 10th by the Ducks.
Ranking before the playoffs: 29
Stanley Cup Odds: +10,000
Boston’s offseason business includes drafting future franchise center James Hagens, who will add depth primarily around the edge and play another season at Boston College. Are there any major deals in the store?
Ranking before the playoffs: 25
Stanley Cup Odds: +20,000
At one point, the longest playoff drought in North American Big 4 professional sports leagues ends. Is that the season? The Sabres don’t look better on paper than they did in 2024-25. It could be even worse considering JJPeterka was trading with Utah.
Ranking before the playoffs: 28
Stanley Cup Odds: +7500
The Flyers began the offseason by hiring franchise legend Rick Totchet to take over the back of the bench. They then drafted a class of nine players, all playing like him (or built like he was in his playing days). Meanwhile, they traded for Trevor Zegrass. Trevor Zegras could have been the biggest stolen of the offseason.
Rankings before the playoffs: 27
Stanley Cup Odds: +30,000
Kraken has patiently built a balanced roster with long-term success in mind. Can they finally turn the corner in 2025-26 after the offseasons at Mason Marchment and Ryan Lindglen?
Ranking before the playoffs: 30
Stanley Cup Odds: +10,000
The predator was an unquestionable winner of free agency in 2024 and missed the country mile playoffs in 2024-25. In contrast, the 2025 offseason included several modest moves that helped get them back on track, including the Nicholas Hague trade and the signatures of Eric Howla and Nick Purvics.
Ranking before the playoffs: 26
Stanley Cup Odds: +20,000
It is unknown how long the trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Letan will stay on the ice, and what rumors picked up is that two, two or three can end their NHL careers elsewhere. GM Kyle Dubas is busy stocking the cupboards of Prospect, a process that continues all the way to the opening night, as Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust are frequently mentioned in trade rumours.
Ranking before the playoffs: 32
Stanley Cup Odds: +50,000
The Shark is probably still a year away from his serious run at the playoff spot, but GM Mike Greer added plenty of talent to his roster this summer. No. 2 Pick Michael Mida has the talent to hit ice this season. Shark also signed veterans Dmitry Orloff and John Klingberg, adding experience to the defense that was lacking in that regard.
Ranking before the playoffs: 31
Stanley Cup Odds: +50,000
Perhaps the biggest move not yet made by Chicago this summer is the extension of the contract for franchise center Connor Bedard, who will become a restricted free agent next summer. Other than that, GM Kyle Davidson was mostly pleased with developing his younger roster and made no major additions.
