Folks, welcome to the 2025-26 NHL season!
Summer has come and gone and hockey season has officially returned. It was a pretty quiet offseason after the Florida Panthers hoisted their second Stanley Cup in as many years, besting the Edmonton Oilers once again. And now, the slate has officially been reset to zero as we begin a new season of hockey where anything can happen.
While many hockey fans are excited at the prospect of a new season, there are no doubt some who are overwhelmed at the idea of an 82-game season spanning half a year. A lot of hockey is set to be played between October and April and unfortunately, not all of it will be good. So, to get ready for another hockey season, let’s take a look at which clubs deserve your attention and which ones you can skip entirely outside of highlights.
Here are all 32 NHL teams ranked — in tiers! — from least to most watchable for the 2025-26 season.
There are a lot of talented young players in the league’s basement. Matthew Schaefer — the 2025 No. 1 overall pick — will be making his major league debut for the Islanders. Connor Bedard should be electric in Chicago. The Sharks have a treasure trove of fun, young talent in Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa. And it finally feels like the year Matvei Michkov will pot a Michigan goal for the Flyers after multiple failed attempts last season.
That being said, these teams are good for a few highlights and are not worth tuning in for otherwise.
This tier — named so for a great quote from the movie Knives Out — is full of questions. Many of the teams here could go in either direction, from full blown meltdown to surprise playoff contender. Despite being a tier above the bottom feeders, the teams here might end up being the most interesting stories this season based on how fascinating they are.
The Penguins, for example, are a team riddled with questions about their aging core with Sidney Crosby leading the charge and a new head coach to boot. Was the Bruins disastrous last season a fluke or their new normal? Could the Predators rebound after being crowned offseason champions two summers ago then falling flat on their faces? Are the Canucks profoundly broken or have they finally turned the corner from a fractured locker room? Was the Blue Jackets surprising run last season a mirage or has their rebuild timeline accelerated?
More likely than not, many of the teams here will end up in the bottom half of the league. But the chaotic journey — not the destination — is the real draw in this tier.
The majority of NHL teams sit here in the murky middle, fighting for playoff spots with the true contenders. Any one of these teams here could make some noise on any given night with their talent, but they all have glaring weaknesses that place them in the middle of the pack.
The most fascinating team to watch here will likely be the Rangers, who imploded in spectacular fashion last season, missed the playoffs and ended up hiring former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan as their new bench boss. The Canadiens too will be an interesting watch, as Montreal could finally step out of their rebuild and turn into a force in the Atlantic. Anaheim as well could take a step forward into contention, but we’ve said that many a time before with this young club and it’s yet to come to fruition.
Expect all the teams in this murky middle to be enjoyable watches most nights, though whether or not they will be playoff hopefuls remains to be seen.
Now we’re cooking with gas!
All of the teams in this tier are bonafide playoff contenders who are worthy of your eyeballs on any given night. Between recent Stanley Cup champions in the Lightning and Avalanche, last years’ Presidents’ Trophy winner in the Jets, two clubs filled with talented youth in the Devils and Kings, and a Hurricanes squad always near the top of the Eastern Conference, you can’t really go wrong tuning into any of these teams.
The Oilers and the Panthers have starred in the last two Stanley Cup Finals. Yes, the Panthers might have taken a few hits with long-term injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, but they’re back-to-back champions and will be must-watch television all season.
Meanwhile, the Stars continue to be one of the NHL’s most exciting teams, even if they’ve been unable to advance past the Western Conference Final for three straight seasons. The Maple Leafs always bring the drama and this year especially will be one to watch now that Mitch Marner is no longer on the team.
Speaking of Marner, the Golden Knights have been a dynamic team for years and that trend will likely continue now that they traded for and signed the former Maple Leaf to an eight-year deal in the offseason. The first meeting between Marner and his former team? Circle January 15, 2026 on those calendars!
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