NHL power rankings: Is everything OK with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

We’re three weeks into the NHL season, and… there still aren’t many conclusions to confidently draw from teams. Utah and New Jersey are surprising, while Toronto, St. Louis and Minnesota are disappointing, but who’s to say where those teams end up? So join us in the chaos of another early-season edition of the power rankings!

Hunter and I begin to navigate through the results so far this season with another year 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.

And be warned: the chaotic nature of the start of the season will result in some interesting rankings in the early editions, particularly in the numbers on my end. While I’d like to think Hunter’s rankings, still based on expectations and mine, based on the scattered reality so far, clash in a way that best sums up the season, people definitely won’t be happy. But with each passing week, it becomes less chaos and more, “This is who these teams are.”

1. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 5-1-4, +7
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: It’s amazing how good the Avalanche are when they actually have depth. I’ve been iffy on this squad the past few seasons as they took a step back from their Stanley Cup-winning season, but they’ve really stepped up their game this season, and look set to be one of the top contenders in the league. Of course, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar firing on all cylinders doesn’t hurt either.

2. New Jersey Devils

Record: 8-1-0, +13
Last Week: 5th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: This is the Devils team I thought we were getting last season before they experienced injuries and underperformance. Jack Hughes is playing like the Hart Trophy-caliber player we expected, while Jake Allen has stepped up in Jacob Markstrom’s absence, posting a .923 save percentage and giving up more than two goals just twice this season. Also, seeing Connor Brown carve out a role for himself and provide depth scoring is what New Jersey needs if they want to go on a playoff run. 

Scott: Now if only they could find a better option than Ondrej Palat on their top line.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 6-2-0, +9
Last Week: 2nd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: Yes, this team does bleed, with losses to the Golden Knights and Stars this past week, but they had an exciting 5-4 win over the Avalanche sandwiched in between … although they nearly blew a 4-1 lead in the process. Don’t look now, but Sebastian Aho has scored in four of his last five games. Also, Frederik Andersen has been fine in net, and Brandon Bussi has been a serviceable backup, but when will Pyotr Kochetkov return?

4. Utah Mammoth

Record: 8-2-0, +13
Last Week: 7th (+3) 
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Scott: You have to respect the confidence of the Mammoth so far this season. They don’t care if you’re the Avalanche or the Sharks, Utah will walk into the rink with the exact same blistering pace. They still have some defensive kinks to work out, but the youth are looking as good as ever, and Karel Vejmelka has been steady in net so far this season.

Hunter: Would the owner of the “Nick Schmaltz tied for the league lead in points three weeks into the season” ticket please stand up? 

Scott: To be fair, there’s at least two points every season where Schmaltz leads the league in scoring over a three-week span, this is just the first time it’s happened in the first three weeks.

5. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 5-1-3, +6
Last Week: 3rd (-2) 
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: Welp, they committed to Carter Hart and signed him for not one, but two seasons. Hopefully that blows up in their face.

6. Washington Capitals

Record: 6-3-0, +6
Last Week: 4th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Hunter: Henry Hill once said, “Everybody takes a beating sometime.” That’s what came to mind when the Capitals were beat up by the Senators in a 7-1 thrashing. Beyond the score, Washington only had 13 total shots on the Ottawa net. Eeesh. They still had two decisive wins earlier in the week against the Kraken and Blue Jackets, and they’ve only had two losses since dropping the regular-season opener. 

Wait, Alex Ovechkin still hasn’t scored his 900th yet? Tick tock, Ovie! 

7. Dallas Stars

Record: 5-3-1, -2
Last Week: 6th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Hunter: The Stars were bullied by Columbus then got burned by a great Darcy Kuemper performance against L.A., but came back strong with wins over the high-tempo Hurricanes and underwhelming Panthers. It’s a long season and there’s going to be stretches of good and bad hockey, but it feels like Dallas knows they’re near the top of the league and the regular season is a mere formality. 

8. Florida Panthers

Record: 5-5-0, -3
Last Week: 14th (+6)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Scott: Imagine saying even a few weeks ago that the Panthers would be the good guys in a matchup with the Golden Knights, but considering recent events, Florida was, and they handed Vegas their first regulation loss of the season. The Panthers are still struggling without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, but it really shows how great this team has been for the past several years that “struggling” is just an ordinary playoff team.

Hunter: There’s some justice in the world seeing the Panthers look ordinary, even if it’s only temporarily, but credit to Brad Marchand for continuing to produce at a high level, even if it’s a small sample size. Seeing him still fight in front of the net and win puck battles, or antagonize without regard for the opponent, it would have been easy to put your feet up and wait for April. There’s no one who takes the nickname ‘Rat’ and wears it as proudly as he does. 

9. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 7-3-0, +6
Last Week: 8th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Hunter: Looking back at some of the Canadiens’ recent games, you can make a case that they should have won the two they lost against the Rangers and Oilers, respectively. Sure, they blew a 5-3 lead with 10 minutes to go against Edmonton, but Montreal controlled the pace for chunks of the game. Ivan Demidov was everyone’s Calder Trophy pick going into the year, and while there’s flashes of growing pains, he’s producing at a top-level rate. One request for the chef in the back: Let’s see a little more out of Noah Dobson. If he can find some of that Long Island production, Habs fans will be laughing. 

Scott: In defense of Dobson, expecting him to produce like he did with the Islanders where he was the guy is a tall task when Lane Hutson is in the way. Instead, Dobson’s value will come in his own zone, and he’s done well there so far.

10. Ottawa Senators

Record: 4-4-1, -4
Last Week: 21st (+11)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Scott: Ah, the beauty of the early stretch of the regular season. Earlier this week, the Sens looked to be in big trouble early on in the season. But two wins later, including a blowout 7-1 victory over the Capitals, and Ottawa is already back in the playoff hunt. Even with the injury to Brady Tkachuk, the Senators’ underlying numbers look solid and indicate that their rocky start was just a blip on the radar. Of course, Shane Pinto sharing the league lead for goals helps cover up what they were missing from Brady.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 6-2-1, +8
Last Week: 18th (+7)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Scott: I’ll admit that my sixth-place ranking of the Penguins is a flaw in my system, as it’s driven more by their record and their offense. They’ve struggled defensively, and that should weigh down their play a lot more. But screw the numbers, it’s so much fun seeing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin playing like their old selves, particularly the latter. Is it 2015 or 2025? You have to enjoy vintage Geno while you can.

Hunter: Never in my years of working for DFO did I expect to hear Scott say “Screw the numbers,” but here we are. While his sixth-place ranking is absurd, it has been a treat watching Crosby and Malkin produce, and even Erik Karlsson seems to have some extra whip on his passes. At some point, reality will set in, but let’s enjoy it while we can. 

12. New York Rangers

Record: 3-5-2, -4
Last Week: 12th (0) 
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Hunter: Despite losing all three of their games this week — at home — I still don’t think the Rangers are as bad as their record suggests. Igor Shesterkin was brilliant through his first six starts and only struggled in his last two, and the team as a whole is third in expected goals percentage, despite being tied for 25th in actual goals. Mike Sullivan is just 10 games into his time with Broadway, and the results will come.

Scott: Yeah this is some brutally bad luck to start the year. Buy your Rangers stocks now, because once they figure out how to score consistently at home, it’s over.

13. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 4-3-1, 0
Last Week: 17th (+4) 
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: Are the Ducks a perfect team? No, they’ve already seen their defensive game return to what it was last season (send your prayers to Lukas Dostal). Are the Ducks fun to watch? Hell yes. Those aforementioned defensive struggles have led to some chaotic games, including their 7-5 win over the Bruins last Thursday. I may have to make a habit of staying up to watch Anaheim this year.

Hunter: You should, because I’ve been doing exactly that. Ironically, I wasn’t able to watch their east-coast road matchup against the Bruins, but watched the replay during breakfast the following day and loved watching the back and forth between the two teams. Also nice to see Mikael Granlund, who has bounced around the league a bit in the last few years, find his way back to California and produce with the Ducks. 

14. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 4-4-2, -3
Last Week: 11th (-3) 
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Scott: Okay everybody, Connor McDavid finally scored his first goal of the season. Can we all calm down now? Anyone freaking out over the Oilers right now clearly hasn’t followed them the past few seasons. They’ve always started off the season slowly, and the fact their struggles haven’t been because of Stuart Skinner should be a sign of hope… unless this means that he’s going to suck when the rest of the team turns it around and they’re still struggling. Maybe Edmonton should panic a bit then.

Hunter: Even if their struggles weren’t entirely assigned to Skinner, the idea they’re going to stick with him the remainder of the season is a sign that it’s time to panic. Slow starts that become habitual eventually bite you in the ass, and while Edmonton is good enough to sleepwalk to the postseason, bad habits through the regular season will end your year in April instead of June. 

15. Seattle Kraken

Record: 5-2-2, 0
Last Week: 13th (-2) 
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Hunter: I fully expected the Kraken, like a rocket ship manned by Homer Simpson, would come crashing down to Earth. But credit to them, and more specifically, Joey Daccord, for earning two wins against playoff teams like the Oilers and Jets. What’s impressed me is that no one has really blown ahead in terms of scoring: Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle have eight points each, but it feels like on any given night, someone different is going to contribute. 

16. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 4-4-0, 0
Last Week: 22nd (+6)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Hunter: Last week, I said the Blue Jackets players other than Kirill Marchenko need to score goals, and obviously, head coach Dean Evason told his players to read our column. Dmitri Voronkov potted three this week, Adam Fantilli found some production against the Stars and Kent Johnson, fresh off a 2024-25 season that saw him hit career highs in all offensive categories, has spilled ink on the scoresheet in three of his last four games. It’s still early — how long do we get to say that? — but it will be interesting to see how many wins Columbus can rack up before December. 

17. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 6-3-0, +8
Last Week: 9th (-8)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Scott: Okay, I know that Hunter and I had our early differences on the Jets last season, and I slowly pivoted towards thinking they were a contender. But my “doubts” last season were that they were a playoff team that wasn’t losing to start the year. This season, they have the worst 5v5 expected goal share – worse than the Sharks – with a 39.88% clip. It’s still early, but that is very concerning. Connor Hellebuyck can only do so much. This team needs Adam Lowry and Dylan Samberg back ASAP.

Hunter: While I’m not as worried as my friend Scott, I can acknowledge that they don’t look nearly as good as last season, and I’m feeling underwhelmed by their depth. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are cooling off a bit, and beyond the obvious in Gabe Vilardi needing to score more, there’s no clear cut choice who can step up. “By God, that’s Cole Perfetti’s music!” 

Scott: Too bad he’s hurt.

18. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 6-3-0, +1
Last Week: 10th (-8)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Hunter: Despite the tough losses to the Sabres and Islanders, and an even uglier start to Saturday’s game against the Blues, the Red Wings stormed back from a four-goal deficit to beat St. Louis 6-4 at home. They may have fallen back to Earth, but fans can take some solace in that, as of Oct. 27, Detroit is in a playoff spot. Oh, and Dylan Larkin has six goals and 13 points through the team’s first nine games. That seems like a good thing. 

Scott: Also, the underlying numbers still indicate this team isn’t as bad as they usually are. Not great, but certainly worthy of being in the playoff hunt.

19. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 4-3-3, -4
Last Week: 24th (+5)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: I’m genuinely surprised that the Kings’ on-ice play has been as subpar as advertised going into the season, but it’s not because of their defense. They’re still top 10 in 5v5 xGA/60 despite how much they’ve massacred their blueline on paper, and they learned their lesson with the Cody Ceci-Brian Dumoulin pairing and have separated their three liabilities (those two and Joel Edmundson) and are playing them with their three good defensemen. Meanwhile, they’re still struggling to score, although no Anze Kopitar will certainly play a role in that.

20. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 4-3-1, +2
Last Week: 26th (+6)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: If the Flyers really want to commit to this whole rebuild thing, they need to stop hiring coaches that raise their floor. Rick Tocchet might be an early dark horse candidate for the Jack Adams Award, because he’s turned a team that looked like a lottery contender into the team that leads the league in 5v5 xGA/60. Seriously, who expected a team with Dan Vladar and Sam Ersson as their goalies to be ninth in goals against per game?

21. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 3-4-2, -4
Last Week: 20th (-1) 
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Scott: The longer the Lightning struggle to defend off the rush and create movement up the ice from their back end, the more I worry if they’re even a playoff team, never mind the Cup contender that many thought they could be going into the season, including me. They may need to pivot quickly and find a puck-moving defenseman on the market before it gets late early.

Hunter: I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop, which in hindsight is a weird expression we use so frequently. The two wins this week against the Ducks and Golden Knights may be what jettisons a losing streak for the Lightning, but at the same time, every dynasty eventually comes crashing down. Is Tampa Bay closer to what they were in the first round of last spring’s postseason? Or are they still the offensive juggernaut that’s dominated the Eastern Conference for a decade?

22. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 5-5-0, -2
Last Week: 19th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Hunter: There’s flashes when you’re watching the Canucks and marvel at the talent on this team, where a shift makes you appreciate the beauty that is hockey. Even Elias Pettersson, whose struggles in the last year and change have been well documented, had moments this past week where you laughed out loud and remembered how skilled he is. There’s flashes where they can’t defend in their own zone and, despite living more than 4,000 kilometres away, I can hear the exasperated sighs from Vancouver fans. Hopefully the overtime win on Sunday sparks something. 

23. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 4-4-1, -2
Last Week: 16th (-7) 
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Hunter: If the Maple Leafs didn’t beat the Sabres on Saturday, this week would have been a full-fledged disaster. Hell, it still could be. They have looked awful at times this season and the narrative largely around them has been, “What’s their identity?” We’re more than 10 percent into the season and still don’t know. But when Jake McCabe took a run at Bowen Byram on Saturday, then dropped the gloves with Alex Tuch and literally dropped him, it was a moment that felt cathartic for Leaf fans. The team brought in bigger, more physical players in the offseason, but it hasn’t felt like they’ve played rougher. So to see someone initiate contact then essentially one-punch someone is exactly what they need. Maybe the game has evolved to a point where that type of mindset is antiquated; or maybe, you just need to punch someone in the mouth. 

Scott: It should be a bit concerning that they’ve had some soft matchups to start the season and haven’t really done anything with them. And then the two times they’ve played legitimately good teams in Montreal and New Jersey, they’ve looked out of place and very slow. Considering the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series, Toronto sports has been the personification of, “Do you want to know the terrifying truth, or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?”

Hunter: Springer dinger! Springer dinger! Springer dinger! Springer dinger! 

24. St. Louis Blues

Record: 3-4-1, -9
Last Week: 15th (-9)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: The Blues may be the best worst team in the NHL. As in, of the group of teams in the lower end of the standings, they still look the best. They just can’t get a save right now, with Jordan Binnington looking ugly, and Joel Hofer somehow looking 10 times worse than that. Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler have also been cold, and considering they were St. Louis’ big adds over the course of the 2024-25 summer and season and key difference makers, it’s no wonder that their slumps have affected the team a bit.

25. New York Islanders

Record: 4-3-1, +2
Last Week: 28th (+3) 
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Hunter: Forget about the Islanders winning four of their last five, which is no doubt impressive but is far from the main story on Long Island: How good is Matthew Schaefer? Yeah yeah, No. 1 overall pick, arguably one of the smartest and most mature players ever taken in the draft, I get all that. Through his first first eight games, he’s got seven points and is averaging 23:12 of ice time – and there’s almost no panic in his game. Everything is smooth and thoughtful, the antithesis of what you expect from an 18-year-old defenseman in the NHL. What a treat to watch. 

Scott: I don’t want to say something so hyperbolic so early on in the season, but Schaefer is playing as a legitimate #1 defenseman for his team, something we rarely see from a blueliner that young. Even Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes had their defensive warts in their rookie years, but Schaefer’s transition to the NHL has been seamless.

26. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 4-4-1, 0
Last Week: 31st (+5) 
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Hunter: Hunter stood over his desk, pouring the tumbler full once more, taking a drink himself from the bottle, then wiped his mouth and turned his head to the screen. There was distress in his eyes, and the confusion from the numbers and data was so jarring, he struggled to verbalize his thoughts. 

“Are…” he tried to speak, failed, then took a drink, then tried again. “Are … the Sabres … not terrible?”  

Scott: Reports of the Sabres’ demise after their 0-3 start were very premature. This team is far from perfect, but there is a lot to like about this group, and this has been without Michael Kesselring, who I think will have a bigger impact (defensively) on their blueline than some people may expect.

27. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 4-3-2, +3
Last Week: 30th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Hunter: The Blackhawks are 4-2-2, which is … technically .500? I think? Maybe slightly above? Frank Nazar is settling in as a No. 2 NHL center, leading in points and takeaways, and allow me to perform my semi-annual “Praise Ryan Donato” routine: five goals in his last five games — he now leads the team — and he’s helping generate chances for both himself and his linemates. Spencer Knight and his .937 save percentage may be masking some of Chicago’s issues, but fans should be happy they’re showing improvements. 

Scott: “Semi-annual praise Ryan Donato routine” he calls it, after dedicating last week’s blurb to him as well.

Hunter: Look back to last season, I was actively rooting for him! A Harvard boy, at that! 

28. Nashville Predators

Record: 4-4-2, -6
Last Week: 23rd (-5)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Hunter: Last week, I said it felt like the Predators were unreadable. This week? Still unreadable. They’ll get walloped by the Ducks and Stars, put up strong efforts against the Kings and Canucks, then leave me wondering when changes are coming to Smashville. It felt like GM Barry Trotz was staving off an uncomfortable conversation with head coach Andrew Brunette in 2024-25. This season, he may not have any other option. 

29. Minnesota Wild

Record: 3-5-2, -11
Last Week: 25th (-4) 
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: Wow, the Wild really were just a hot power play in a trench coat to start the season. They really just haven’t been generating anything in any other facet of the game. They can’t even blame it on bad goaltending like they have in past seasons, as Filip Gustavsson somehow has a positive 5v5 goals saved above expected despite an .897 save percentage. Jesper Wallstedt hasn’t been amazing, but even he was just weighed down by Sunday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Sharks.

30. Calgary Flames

Record: 2-7-1, -14
Last Week: 29th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Hunter: Yeah yeah, the Flames beat the lowly Rangers Sunday night, but can you believe their only win before then came in the regular-season opener, and it only came because Stuart Skinner was doing his best impression of Stuart Skinner? Dustin Wolf hasn’t been very good, giving up three or more goals in five of his last nine starts, but what was more frustrating was him giving Calgary 25- and 26-save performances and the team giving him zero goal support. If the Flames want any chance at making the playoffs, they will need to average more than five points every 10 games. 

31. Boston Bruins

Record: 4-6-0, -3
Last Week: 27th (-4)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: As someone who had to watch the 2022-23 Bruins hold the top spot in the power rankings for a majority of the season, it’s weird seeing them this low. But it’s where they deserve to be. They just don’t have any redeeming qualities outside of an OK penalty kill, particularly their offense sans David Pastrnak. This team is so bad, Brad Marchand was in tears when he made his return to Boston last week. That was the reason he was crying, right?

32. San Jose Sharks

Record: 2-5-2, -13
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Scott: The Sharks may be bad, but so far this season, they’ve ensured themselves as appointment viewing with a 33% chance of 10+ goals in a game with a 7-6 overtime loss to the Ducks in game two, a 6-5 win over the Rangers on Thursday, and another 6-5 win over the Wild on Sunday. I sure like those odds for a fun time, don’t you?!

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