Ranking Every NHL Team in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Ranking Every NHL Team in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Photo by John Locher, AP. All rights reserved

Happy Playoff Day! The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs have arrived. It’s been a crazy season, from goalie fights, to the parity in the East, to late-season firings. The Buffalo Sabres snapped their 14-year playoff drought, the longest in NHL history. Meanwhile, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers missed the cutoff, as it’s the first time a defending champion has done so since the 2014–15 LA Kings.

In the West, the year-two Utah Mammoth clinched a spot for the first time in their short history, and the first time the Coyotes/Mammoth organization has made it since the 2020 playoffs. The Anaheim Ducks ended their seven-year playoff drought, a huge step forward in their rebuild.

With eight new teams punching their tickets to the playoffs, it’s natural to ask who the best team is, who the biggest dark horse is, etc. With all 16 teams clinching a spot, it’s time to rank every team going into the spring dance, from the worst team to the best team.

16. LA Kings

The Kings have always been a pesky team in the West. Forward Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty continue to add to their Hall of Fame resumes (they’re already first ballot Hall of Famers, in my opinion). Their veteran roster, on paper, is a solid playoff team, especially with the acquisition of forward Artemi Panarin in February.

However, they’re the second wild card team in a historically-weak division and conference. Sitting at 90 points, they would’ve been 13th in the East and eliminated from the playoffs entirely. They have 20 points accumulated from overtime and shootout losses, the most in NHL history.

Los Angeles is 28th in power play goals, 30th on the penalty kill, 12th in goals against, and 26th in goals against. They won’t be an easy out, especially with it being Kopitar’s final playoff appearance.

15. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are emerging out of their seven-year rebuild. It’s been a tough few years for Ducks fans, with constant roster turnover and a lack of free agent spending. However, with veteran additions in Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, and Chris Kreider throughout the season, along with the rise of Cutter Gauthier’s success, the Ducks are back in playoff territory.

Although it’s great to see the Ducks back in the playoffs, they’re still missing the X-factor. 33 losses in regulation isn’t ideal, but it’s acceptable in the Pacific Division. Only four players hit the 20 goal mark: Cutter Gauthier (41), Leo Carlsson (29), Beckett Sennecke (23), and Chris Kreider (22). Their goaltending situation, although promising, isn’t the greatest. Lukas Dostal posted a 3.10 Goals Against Average (GAA) with an .888 save percentage (SV%). Backing up Dostal is Ville Husso, posting a 3.21 GAA and an .887 SV%.

Anaheim is a young, hungry team, led by longtime head coach Joel Quenneville, and will certainly make noise for years to come. However, they come in at 15 on the list for the losses they accumulated and the inexperience they have.

14. Utah Mammoth

The tusks are up in Utah as the Mammoth clinched the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. Utah is an intriguing team. Young, hungry, and they have a bit more veteran presence than Anaheim. Owner Ryan Smith is in win-now mode. Looking at this team, their only real weakness is health. Sean Durzi, Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain have all been injured. Other not-so-great stats are their power play and penalty kill numbers. They rank 18th on the power play and 19th on the penalty kill. They’re not fantastic on special teams, but the Mammoth can outweigh that with their goals for, where they sit at 12th in the league.

Honestly, there really aren’t a lot of problems with Utah. Strong team all around with solid goaltending, veterans with Cup experience, and high-scoring players. The only reason they aren’t ranked higher is the teams in front of them.

13. Ottawa Senators

The first team from the Eastern Conference on my list ranks at no. 15. Ottawa has been battling juggernauts in the East all season, and yet, they claimed the second wild card spot. The group is led in points by Tim Stützle, posting 83 points in 80 games.

They have the star power to win a few games, but ultimately, I believe Carolina will dominate them in the first round. They have a young, exciting team, but I do believe they need more depth and star-power going into next season.

12. Philadelphia Flyers

Rocky Balboa once said, “Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth,” and I think that accurately describes the Flyers this season. The Flyers are back in playoff contention since 2020, and are looking for a deep run since their 2010 Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

The Flyers are gritty, but they lack a true number one point-getting player. They lacked a point-per-game player this season, as their leading scorer, Travis Konecny, notched just 68 points in 77 games. Former Duck Trevor Zegras finished his first season in Philadelphia with 67 points in 81 games.

While they lack a true, franchise player, they’re still a team to watch in the East, as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a first round, Pennsylvania showdown.

11. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers come in at 11th on my list. The Oilers will always be in contention with Connor McDavid. They have strong players around him, such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and of course, Leon Draisaitl when he comes back healthy.

Their goaltending is one of the worst tandems in the NHL, sitting at 25th in the league with a 3.23 GAA. Although they made a mid-season goalie swap with Pittsburgh, trading Stuart Skinner for Tristan Jarry, it hasn’t worked well for them.

This team has made back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, so it won’t be an easy task to take them on.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby is back in the playoffs as the Penguins will take on the Flyers in the first round. Many people, including myself, had them ranked towards the bottom of the league, fighting for the first overall pick. Instead, they’ll be fighting for another summer with Lord Stanley.

18-year-old (no, that’s not a typo) Ben Kindel had a strong first season in the NHL, posting 35 points in 77 games. The Penguins will look to last year’s first round pick to produce in the playoffs.

Their depth worries me. 12 skaters put up less than 10 points all season (five skaters failed to register a point, but only in a small sample size). Their goaltending is also worrisome, as Skinner’s final stats in Pittsburgh were a 2.99 GAA and an .885 SV%.

I’m just happy that Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are all back in the playoffs.

9. Boston Bruins

From missing the playoffs last season to clinching the first wild card spot in the East this season, the Bruins are back. David Pastrnak hit the hundred-point mark for the fourth time in his career. Morgan Geekie had an incredible season, scoring 39 goals and 68 points total.

The biggest question I have for the Bruins is if their depth scoring can hold up against a potent Sabres squad. Time will tell, but it’s nice to see Boston back in the playoffs.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights are the most interesting team in the playoffs. Four weeks ago, they were looking like a wild card team at best, with their playoff hopes slipping entirely. General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made the bold move of firing Bruce Cassidy, and replacing him with John Tortorella. Since the coaching change, Vegas has looked like themselves again, going 7–0–1 under Tortorella to finish the season, and clinching their fifth Pacific Division title in their history.

Carter Hart has made a strong case to be the Golden Knights’ starter in the playoffs, winning six straight games under Tortorella and posting a .925 SV% in that span.

Their biggest concern is if they can keep up their success and scoring in the playoffs. Vegas certainly has their spark back, but can they make a deep run? Time will tell.

7. Montreal Canadiens

Olé, olé, olé! The Canadiens are back in the playoffs for the first time since their Stanley Cup Finals run in 2021, losing to Tampa Bay in five games. This postseason, they’ll face Tampa Bay once again, this time in the first round.

Honestly, this team is solid. Their offense is potent and could easily score 3–4 goals a game. Cole Caufield is playing Cole Caufield hockey, going into the playoffs with 51 goals recorded this season.

However, if Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki get shut down by their playoff counterpart, can the team around them still deliver? Most teams fold when their star players are shut down defensively, so I have to ask that same question about Montreal.

This team is young and exciting, but they’re also playing the ominous Tampa Bay Lightning.

6. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota’s gone Wild (see what I did there?) as they’re headed to the playoffs once again. The acquisition of Quinn Hughes in December has really bolstered this team. Hughes’ first season in Minnesota was great, putting up 53 points in 48 games on the blue line. The gold medalist is making the playoffs for the first time since 2024, and third time in his career.

The concern I have with the Wild is simply their playoff history. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2015, and haven’t made the Western Conference Final since 2003.

The ghosts of Wild past are haunting this team, but if known ghost-whisperer Quinn Hughes can talk to them, maybe they’ll beat Dallas in the first round. In all seriousness, this is a very good team, but their spring success is shallow.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning will always be a threat in the East. Despite roster turnover and age, Tampa Bay still managed to reach 50 wins this season. Nikita Kucherov played out of his mind this season, reaching 130 points. Franchise goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy posted a .912 SV% and a 2.31 GAA in 58 games this season, and somehow that’s not the most games he’s played in a season in his career.

The only reason they’re not higher is because of the teams in front of them. Personally, I have this team making the Stanley Cup Final.

4. Buffalo Sabres

I applaud you, Sabres. What a turnaround it’s been for this team. After 14 years without playoff hockey, Buffalo is back playing meaningful hockey.

This group is potent offensively. Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson are leading the way offensively. Captain Rasmus Dahlin put up a career best 74 points in 77 games this season.

I can’t put them higher simply because of the inexperience they have. However, this team is exciting, and Sabres fans should feel great.

3. Dallas Stars

A lot of people, including myself, thought Dallas would dip in the standings with new head coach Glen Gulutzan. The Stars went right back to success, hitting the 50 win mark once again.

This team will always be a contender, similar to Tampa Bay. They’re facing a rowdy Minnesota Wild team, and if they advance, they’d play the Avalanche. It won’t be easy at all, but this team is a top 3–5 team in the league for a reason.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes quietly put up a fantastic season, winning 53 games and winning the Metropolitan Division with ease.

However, they’ve struggled in the playoffs recently. They’ve lost to the Florida Panthers twice in three years, and the Rangers in the 2024 playoffs. The Hurricanes won’t have to worry about those two teams this postseason, but they still need to play at a high level.

Carolina is deep and powerful, and they can absolutely go on a run.

1. Colorado Avalanche

The Presidents’ Trophy winners are rightfully number one on my list. Night after night, they’ve shown that they’re the best team in the league. Nathan MacKinnon had the second-best season of his career, posting 127 points in 80 games. Martin Necas had the best season of his career, scoring a hundred points in 78 games.

I have no concerns with this team, other than my own team potentially playing them. We’ve seen the Presidents’ Trophy curse, but Colorado looks like they can break it this season.