NHL Power Rankings: 1 player who needs to step up for each team
Welcome to the second edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2025-26 season.
In this instalment, we identify one player who needs to step up for each team.
Jump to:
ANA | BOS | BUF | CAR | CBJ | CGY | CHI | COL | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA | LAK | MIN | MTL | NJD | NSH | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SEA | STL | SJS | TBL | TOR | UTA | VAN | VGK | WPG | WSH
1. Colorado Avalanche (8-1-5)
Previous rank: 3
Brock Nelson. The Avs didn't trade a haul and then extend Nelson just to watch Sam Malinski outscore him. Nelson's off to a slow start with three goals and five points, but with the role he's locked into and the talent around him, it's likely only a matter of time before he's getting on the scoresheet more often.
2. Winnipeg Jets (9-4-0)
Previous rank: 10
Alex Iafallo. Secondary scoring is the Jets' biggest issue, and they could use more than two goals and three assists out of their fifth-highest-paid forward.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (7-2-3)
Previous rank: 2
Brett Howden. In the first season of a five-year, $12.5-million contract, Howden has failed to live up to the billing, recording two points in eight games. Usually a reliable two-way player, he's also struggled defensively with a 43.2% expected goals share - third-worst on the team.
4. New Jersey Devils (9-4-0)
Previous rank: 9
Ondrej Palat. Father Time comes for us all. Palat, 34, has one assist in 13 contests and is no longer an effective top-nine forward in the NHL. He has two years left at a $6-million cap hit, so the Devils need to figure out a way to maximize what the two-time Cup winner has left.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0)
Previous rank: 5
Andrei Svechnikov. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour called out Svechnikov amid the Russian's disastrous start to the campaign. After being relegated to the fourth line and not registering a point until Game 9, Svechnikov's lack of production threatens to limit the Hurricanes' ceiling unless he steps up as a difference-maker.
6. Montreal Canadiens (9-3-1)
Previous rank: 14
Sam Montembeault. The Canadiens are soaring as one of the NHL's most electrifying teams to watch and sit atop the Atlantic, yet Montembeault sports an .855 save percentage. Although Jakub Dobes has been lights out, Montembeault's struggles could undermine the Habs' momentum.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (6-5-2)
Previous rank: 6
Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Lightning traded two first-round picks to land Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde at last year's deadline. Bjorkstrand got hurt and didn't play in the postseason, and he's now in the midst of a 10-game pointless drought.
8. Utah Mammoth (9-5-0)
Previous rank: 18
Lawson Crouse. Utah's top six is humming, but depth scoring would go a long way toward making the Mammoth a legitimate threat. However, Crouse, a three-time 20-goal scorer and the team's fifth-highest-paid forward, has been limited to just four points in 14 games this season.
9. Detroit Red Wings (9-5-0)
Previous rank: 21
John Gibson. Detroit's prized offseason acquisition has failed to stabilize the club's goaltending, posting an .890 save percentage in eight appearances. While the Red Wings have a playoff-caliber offense, their netminding hasn't been up to snuff yet.
10. Dallas Stars (7-3-3)
Previous rank: 7
Mavrik Bourque. After losing veteran depth pieces in the offseason, the Stars were counting on a breakout season from their 2020 first-rounder. However, Bourque hasn't been up to the challenge, recording only three points in 13 games.
11. Florida Panthers (6-6-1)
Previous rank: 1
Sam Bennett. The Conn Smythe winner hasn't stepped up in Aleksander Barkov's absence, which could be moving him closer to the bubble for Team Canada. Bennett has two goals and four points, and he's been outscored 10-3 at five-on-five.
12. Edmonton Oilers (6-5-4)
Previous rank: 4
Trent Frederic. Oilers management took a leap of faith when it signed Frederic to an eyebrow-raising eight-year, $30.8-million contract this summer. The deal hasn't paid dividends yet, as Frederic has one goal and no assists in 15 games.
13. Anaheim Ducks (8-3-1)
Previous rank: 24
Pavel Mintyukov. The former top-10 pick is in his third season and still waiting to take off in the NHL. Mintyukov's average ice time has decreased each year, and his 41.5% expected goals share at five-on-five highlights his difficulty in making a consistent impact.
14. Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-1)
Previous rank: 8
Auston Matthews. Twelve points in 14 contests from the second-highest-paid player in the NHL just won't cut it. The production is one thing, but the Maple Leafs are also getting outplayed during Matthews' minutes - that can't happen.
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (8-4-2)
Previous rank: 30
Ville Koivunen. Though it's hard to choose anyone on the NHL's most surprising team, we'll go with Koivunen. He showed promise during an eight-game stint last season, recording seven assists. This year, he has one point in seven appearances while getting chances alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
16. Washington Capitals (7-5-1)
Previous rank: 12
Alex Ovechkin. A slight drop-off after his magical 2024-25 campaign was somewhat expected, but the GOAT goal-scorer surely has more in the tank than just the three goals he's produced in 13 games this campaign.
17. New York Rangers (6-6-2)
Previous rank: 17
Alexis Lafreniere. So much for a breakout season under new head coach Mike Sullivan. Lafreniere hasn't found the back of the net since the second game. He's in the first campaign of his seven-year, $52.15-million extension, too.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets (7-6-0)
Previous rank: 19
Kent Johnson. The 23-year-old has struggled to follow up his breakout 24-goal, 57-point campaign and has only two goals and four points this season. He played barely over 12 minutes in Sunday's loss against the Islanders.
19. Los Angeles Kings (6-4-4)
Previous rank: 11
Phillip Danault. The veteran pivot's scoring has completely dried up over the past year. Danault tallied 43 points last season but scored only eight goals. This season, he has zero tallies and three assists in 14 contests. Even with his defensive contributions, the Kings need some offense from a player who still averages 16:58 of ice time.
20. Ottawa Senators (6-5-2)
Previous rank: 13
Linus Ullmark. It doesn't take being a rocket scientist to know that a .861 save percentage won't suffice for Ullmark in the first season of his four-year, $33-million extension.
21. Seattle Kraken (6-3-4)
Previous rank: 29
Adam Larsson. The Kraken have been pummelled during Larsson's five-on-five minutes. He holds a dreadful 39.39% expected goals-for share and has been outscored 14-6 through 13 games. Seattle needs stronger play from a key top-four defenseman to truly contend for a playoff spot.
22. New York Islanders (6-5-2)
Previous rank: 26
Ilya Sorokin. What's going on with Sorokin? He finished in the top eight in Vezina Trophy voting each of the last four years but has a .879 save percentage through nine games this season.
23. Buffalo Sabres (5-4-4)
Previous rank: 25
Owen Power. With five points in 12 games, the former No. 1 pick still hasn't found his offensive rhythm. More crucially, the Sabres are getting outplayed in Power's minutes, recording a 48.8% expected goals share.
24. Chicago Blackhawks (6-5-3)
Previous rank: 32
Nick Foligno. Chicago's captain has the "C" because of his leadership, not production. Still, zero goals in 11 games is a tough start for a player who scored at least 15 in each of the previous two campaigns.
25. Philadelphia Flyers (7-5-1)
Previous rank: 27
Matvei Michkov. The 20-year-old has one goal through 13 contests after leading all rookies in the category last campaign. Michkov is playing less and generating much less offense than he did in 2024-25. The early fit with head coach Rick Tocchet has certainly presented issues.
26. Vancouver Canucks (7-8-0)
Previous rank: 23
Jake DeBrusk. After potting a career-high 28 goals in his first season in Vancouver, DeBrusk has three in 15 games in 2025-26. That's not enough for a team starving for offense right now.
27. Boston Bruins (8-7-0)
Previous rank: 20
Jeremy Swayman. Boston needed a bounce-back year from its No. 1 goaltender to have any chance of making the playoffs this season, but with an .897 save percentage in nine games, that hasn't happened yet. This is a long-term concern, as Swayman is in the second season of an eight-year, $66-million pact.
28. Minnesota Wild (5-6-3)
Previous rank: 15
Jared Spurgeon. The captain has been at the center of a troubling opening month for the Wild. Spurgeon has been outscored 13-4 at five-on-five - the worst mark in the NHL among players with at least 200 minutes at even strength.
29. St. Louis Blues (4-8-2)
Previous rank: 16
Jordan Binnington. Goaltending, in general, has been horrendous for the Blues. As the No. 1 netminder, it's on Binnington to right the ship. He has an .859 save percentage in 10 games this season.
30. Nashville Predators (5-6-4)
Previous rank: 28
Steven Stamkos. With just two goals and three points in 15 contests, it's hard to imagine a worse start for Stamkos. At 35 years old and on a Nashville team that's going nowhere, his days as an offensive difference-maker are firmly in the rearview.
31. San Jose Sharks (5-6-3)
Previous rank: 31
John Klingberg. The Sharks signed the veteran blue-liner to a one-year, $4-million deal in the offseason to provide offense from the back end. The production has been there with five points in eight games, but he owns an abysmal 31.39% expected goals share.
32. Calgary Flames (4-9-2)
Previous rank: 22
Dustin Wolf. He was Calgary's savior a year ago, but Wolf has been the opposite this season with an .895 save percentage in 13 games. That's the last thing the Flames wanted after signing him to a seven-year, $52.5-million extension in September.