NHL Power Rankings: Team Rankings 2025

With the NHL scheduled to begin their postseason on April 17th, there’s only a little more than a week left in the regular season.

And the answers to all our questions about whether teams are contenders or pretenders in the league are starting to come in, with a quarter of the league’s teams now eliminated from the playoffs. 

Here’s where the team power rankings stand as of April 8.

NHL Power Rankings 2025

1. Stars

The Dallas Stars have not only stuck around for a second week in the number one spot of these rankings but they’ve also moved into the number one spot in BetMGM’s odds for Stanley Cup winner. 

There’s some good reasoning behind this, beyond the fact that previous favorite, the Florida Panthers, have had a difficult stretch recently. 

Despite back to back losses, the Dallas Stars are 7-1-2 in their last ten games and are actually challenging the Winnipeg Jets for the top spot in the Central Division. They’re just five points behind the Jets now. 

Dallas seems to still be waiting on some more goal production from Mikko Rantanen. In his last five games, Rantanen’s only contributed one goal. If they can make that happen, they’ll continue to be viewed as a favorite for the Stanley Cup. 

2. Golden Knights

Amid a crowded Pacific Division leaderboard, the Golden Knights have taken control, leading the Kings by a healthy five points. Their 8-2-0 record over the last ten games is also one of the best in the NHL. 

But compared to previous seasons, this year’s Vegas team is a little less hyped, with a week and a half left until the postseason. There weren’t any major LTIR controversies at the trading deadline, and their veteran core seems to be aging while some younger teams are challenging in the Western Conference. 

The Golden Knights’ most glaring weakness is their penalty kill. Despite having the league’s best power play percentage (29.7%), they rank in the bottom ten in PK%. 

Still, they’re one of the top teams in the NHL. Is it good if your team is at the top without playing their best hockey, or is that a sign of an upset waiting to happen?

9. Capitals

The biggest news in the hockey world, and maybe sports in general, right now is undoubtedly Alexander Ovechkin grabbing Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record over the weekend.

It’s even gotten to the point where ESPN’s First Take took the opportunity to use Ovi’s record to bash LeBron James. Literally asking the question, ‘How does this affect LeBron’s legacy?’ That’s how you know you’re a big story. 

Expect the Capitals to become one of the biggest bandwagon and public money teams after Ovechkin’s week atop the headlines. Could Washington turn that into a Stanley Cup appearance amid a weaker Eastern conference? That depends on how they look against the Florida Panthers if/when that matchup happens. 

12. Senators

A few weeks after being all but written off as a contender to make the playoffs, the Ottawa Senators are on the brink of making their return to the postseason after an eight-year drought. 

Back at the trade deadline, a moment that feels years away at this point, I recommended that the Senators be sellers and even consider moving on from Brady Tkachuk. 

Now, that Team USA brawler is going to make a lot of people in Ottawa happy. 

Also worth mentioning is Linus Ullmark’s impressive first season with the Senators, during which he’s posted a 2.68 GAA and a .911 save percentage. 

With the Bruins eliminated from contention, conversations will be had — likely on Boston sports radio — about whether they traded the wrong guy this summer.

16. Wild

The Minnesota Wild are like the main character in a bad action movie. 

The Wild had dropped four in a row before beating Dallas 3-2 on Sunday night. They’re holding onto the final Wild Card spot in a Western Conference race that was supposed to be better than it is. But with no real momentum left for Utah, Calgary, or Vancouver, it looks like Minnesota will end up in the playoffs. 

Somehow, they’ve survived getting shot, stabbed, thrown off buildings, etc. just to shout mediocre punny quips at the villain. And for what? Why can’t this movie (or season) just be over?

19. Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are peaking at the right time. 

They’re currently riding a five-game winning streak, including two wins over the Panthers and three wins over some of the worst teams in the NHL. Before that, they had dropped five in a row. 

But with that lousy stretch now hopefully in the rearview mirror and with the Canadiens holding the final Wild Card spot in the East, they should be poised for a run that’ll give their young core some solid experience. 

Another subplot for their end of the season run is whether rookie defenseman Lane Hutson grabs the Calder Trophy, something he’s now favored for on BetMGM.