With the 2025-26 NHL regular season ending on Thursday, April 16th, this means we are one week away from the start of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs! Most hockey fans will tell you that the first round of the postseason is one of the most exciting times in all of sports, as there is a tremendous amount of great hockey happening every night.
Although the playoffs are still days away, we actually have a clear picture of who will participate in the postseason. After a tense Saturday with 15 games played, seven of the eight teams in the East officially punched their tickets, while in the West, six of the eight were locked out.
However, we still don’t know who will win the Pacific and Atlantic Divisions, and the only matchup that feels like a sure thing is the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild. So, with only two games left on the calendar, there is still a lot to play for throughout the NHL, which hasn’t been the case in recent years.
So, one last time, let’s jump into Week 24 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings, as we eagerly await the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs!
32-19: Kings Prove Their 2026 NHL Playoffs
32. Toronto Maple Leafs (Prev: 28) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
31. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 32) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 30) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
29. New York Rangers (Previously: 27) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
27. Florida Panthers (Previous: 29) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
28. Calgary Flames (Previously: 25) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
26. Seattle Kraken (Prev: 31) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
25. San Jose Sharks (Previous: 24)
24. Winnipeg Jets (Previous: 23)
23. Nashville Predators (Previous: 22)
22. St. Louis Blues (Prev: 21) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
21. New Jersey Devils (Prev: 20) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
20. Anaheim Ducks (Prev: 17)
19. Los Angeles Kings (Previous: 26)
The whole season I was disappointed with the Kings who were one of the teams I was watching in 2025-26, good and bad. Between an offseason change in their general manager, an exciting free agent signing, and the announcement of Anze Kopitar’s retirement after 20 seasons in the league, the franchise has had a lot going on that was expected to match.
On the ice, however, nothing went as planned, as the team played erratically, fired their coach, and should have been out of the playoff race. Somehow, the Kings still found a way to keep themselves in the hunt thanks to an overtime loss and a weak Pacific Division. With an NHL-record 19 overtime losses, a four-game winning streak, and help from every team around them that fell along the way, they control their own destiny and look poised to bounce back in the postseason.
Somewhere at the bottom of the Rankings, one of the best stories of the season happened in Toronto. Objectively, the Maple Leafs have been a firestorm on the ice, and are out of the playoff race. However, the team needs to finish with the fifth overall pick or better to avoid sending their 2026 first-round pick to the Boston Bruins for the 2025 trade.
I don’t care if you’re a fan of either team or a passionate hater of both; this is an interesting example of what can happen if you sell futures at the wrong time. It wouldn’t be the first time a top pick was mistakenly traded, but it would still be a disaster if Toronto decided to win their remaining games for no reason and send Boston the sixth overall pick. So, if nothing else, the Maple Leafs’ remaining games will be must-watch for all the wrong reasons.
18-8: Red Wings Miss Playoffs Again
18. Detroit Red Wings (Prev: 14) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
17. Boston Bruins (Previous: 8) – Clinched Playoff Berth
16. New York Islanders (Prev: 16) – Eliminated from Playoff Contention
15. Columbus Blue Jackets (Prev: 18)
14. Washington Capitals (Prev: 15)
13. Edmonton Oilers (Previous: 11) – Clinched Playoff Berth
12. Utah Mammoth (Previous: 12) – Clinched Playoff Berth
11. Vegas Golden Knights (Prev: 19) – Clinched Playoff Berth
10. Pittsburgh Penguins (Prev: 9) – Clinched Playoff Berth
9. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous: 10)
8. Ottawa Senators (Prev: 13) – Clinched Playoff Berth
For the second time in three seasons, the Red Wings will miss the season after having a great start to the season before injuries derailed their comeback. Back in January, the team was a long way off, but played well enough to look like a lock for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. However, despite adding talent at the 2026 Trade Deadline, Detroit just kept losing games and couldn’t regain their form.
Now, you have to have the Steve Yzerman interview as the Red Wings miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season. Yzerman is a living sports legend, but he also has to show results on game days. The NHL gets better when Detroit competes for the Stanley Cup, and it’s still hard to imagine that ‘Hockeytown’ hasn’t hosted a playoff game since opening their nine-year arena. I expect to see some changes this offseason.
When it comes to playoff teams, we’re all set in the Eastern Conference. Without the Flyers’ upset, they will claim third place in the Metropolitan Division, joining the Bruins and Senators, who also claimed their spots this week. Boston should be a little worried, though, as they’ve lost five straight games and aren’t looking good at the moment, despite a big win over Columbus on Sunday.
Outside of the West, the Golden Knights are 5-0-1 under John Tortorella, so it looks like their experiment last season was a huge success. With this late season growth, they have once again taken first place in the Pacific Division and look poised to continue their deep run. Not bad for a group I wrote a few weeks ago.
However, a late season coaching change does not guarantee success. The Islanders, despite scoring 91 points so far, were eliminated from Sunday’s contest. This is a bit of a shame given how well the team has played throughout the 2025-26 NHL season, but a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games sealed their fate.
7-1: Hurricanes advance in NHL
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (Prev: 4) – Clinched Playoff Berth
6. Minnesota Wild (Prev: 5) – Clinched Playoff Berth
5. Dallas Stars (Previous: 7) – Clinched Playoff Berth
4. Buffalo Sabers (Prev: 6) – Clinched Playoff Berth
3. Montreal Canadiens (Previous: 1) – Clinched Playoff Berth
2. Colorado Avalanche (Previous: 3) – Clinched Playoff Berth
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous: 2) – Clinched Playoff Berth
With it being the final week of the 2025-26 NHL season, it only feels right to put the Hurricanes first in the Rankings. Last month, Carolina sat in second place, constantly winning games and piling up points, but it was also overtaken by winning teams.
However, with another solid three-game winning streak under their belt and the top spot in the Eastern Conference all but secured, it was time to move Carolina into first place. Don’t sleep on this team in your postseason bracket, as it looks like it’s time for the Hurricanes to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
This week also saw the Avalanche wrap up the 2026 Presidents’ Trophy. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long, as Colorado led the league for most of the season. However, now you get to ask about the curse of the President’s Trophy, which, while not a thing at all, will continue to be a thing until the best team in the league wins the Stanley Cup again.
The 2025-26 NHL Season Is Almost Over
Once again, I want to thank the readers for another great NHL season. These Rankings are a fun game that I always look forward to putting together each week.
Related: NHL Rumors: Roy’s Future, DeBrincat Move, and Maple Leafs Talk to Fans
From the Olympics to last season’s head coaching firing to a league-changing blockbuster trade, the 2025-26 season has truly had it all. Who knows what the 2026-27 season will bring, but for now, let’s all turn our attention to the 2026 NHL Playoffs and the start of the best season of the year!
