The 2026-27 NHL league year is upon us. It's time to take our first look at where teams rank following a busy start to the offseason that began before the draft and has only continued through the opening of free agency.
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. Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes haven't made a single splash transaction-wise this offseason, other than failing to sign John Carlson after acquiring his rights. That said, Carolina has over $11 million in cap space and is fresh off a 16-3 postseason run that culminated in a Stanley Cup victory.
2. Florida Panthers
Florida took a year off but will start the 2026-27 campaign with Aleksander Barkov and Brady Tkachuk added into its top six. That alone is enough to overpower a highly questionable Radko Gudas contract and a risky bet on Jacob Markstrom in goal.
3. Colorado Avalanche
Although the Avalanche have only made minor moves this summer, they still have a superstar core and Stanley Cup aspirations. Colorado may not run away with the Presidents' Trophy again, but the team is well-positioned to be a threat in the Western Conference, as always.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay added some speed in Ilya Mikheyev, some grit in Jeffrey Viel, and a legitimate power-play quarterback in Carlson. The Lightning are primed to push for an Atlantic Division title once again.
5. Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens haven't added any players but locked up Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes with tidy contract extensions. After this spring's run to the Eastern Conference Final, Montreal should have plenty of confidence to remain a contender next season.
6. Minnesota Wild
The Wild still haven't found their long-coveted center, though they have every other piece in place to withstand the Central Division gauntlet. If Bill Guerin finds a way to land Dylan Larkin this summer, Minnesota is likely to rise a few spots in our next rankings.
7. Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights simply know how to win, and they don't care that everyone hates the way they do it. It will be fascinating to watch how first-year head coach Ryan Craig influences the club after John Tortorella's short yet memorable stint behind the bench, but don't expect Vegas to take a step back next season.
8. Dallas Stars
The Stars whiffed on Zach Werenski, had to give up on a promising young forward in Mavrik Bourque, and are battling a messy situation with restricted free agent Jason Robertson. Until that's settled, whether through an extension or a trade, it's difficult to gauge the vibe in Dallas.
9. Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton finally ridded itself of Darnell Nurse's albatross contract and made shrewd additions in Ryan Shea and Frederik Andersen. The Oilers still have over $7 million in cap space to keep making moves that appease Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and controversial new head coach Mike Babcock.
10. Washington Capitals
Washington loaded up by adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, and Vincent Desharnais while retaining Alex Ovechkin. The Captials have long been stuck between contention and a rebuild, but kudos to them for being aggressive in free agency and on the trade front in an attempt to construct a winning roster with the NHL's all-time goals leader still around.
11. Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres have mostly subtracted from the roster that won the Atlantic Division in April, and it's fair to wonder if last season's magic will carry into the fall. Although Buffalo has $8.7 million in cap space and a dynamite core in place, it will need to prove that last year wasn't a mirage in the league's deepest division.
12. Utah Mammoth
Utah added quality veterans in Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee and took a swing on a young goalie in Sebastian Cossa. There's a lot to like about this Mammoth roster, but defensive depth could become an issue.
13. Toronto Maple Leafs
Few teams have been as busy as the Maple Leafs since John Chayka took over as general manager. There are mixed reviews about whether his vision will work, but with Gavin McKenna, Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, and a revamped bottom six, plus a new head coach in the fold, there's definitely a path for Toronto to return to playoff contention.
14. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks have lost four of their top six defensemen and a young center in Mason McTavish so far this offseason. It will be a certified disaster if they lose Leo Carlsson via Philadelphia's lucrative offer sheet, too.
15. Boston Bruins
The Bruins added some much-needed top-six help in JJ Peterka, but Boston hasn't done much else to escape fringe-contender status. Another year solely relying on Jeremy Swayman's excellence likely won't cut it.
16. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks wowed with an amazing draft and then laid an egg in free agency by committing a combined $17.5 million to Nurse and Jacob Trouba on July 1. San Jose undoubtedly needed minute-munchers on the back end. However, those contracts could become dicey in a few years when the club is projected to hit its stride as a contender.
17. Pittsburgh Penguins
Kyle Dubas has added some fringe pieces to the Penguins, but the club still has over $25 million in cap space to help prove that last season's playoff berth wasn't a fluke. There are too many question marks about Pittsburgh's roster to put the Penguins any higher in our rankings. Most prominently, they currently don't have a goalie signed to their NHL roster.
18. New Jersey Devils
Sunny Mehta's debut summer as the Devils' general manager has been largely positive. Getting out from Markstrom's contract and signing captain Nico Hischier were important pieces of business, and New Jersey may pull off a coup if Utah doesn't match Barrett Hayton's offer sheet.
19. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers were radio silent when the calendar turned to July until they put the whole league on notice with an $18-million AAV offer sheet for Carlsson. Adding a young player of Carlsson's caliber would change Philadelphia's trajectory, though it remains unclear what the Ducks plan to do. If Anaheim matches, does Daniel Briere target a different RFA?
20. Ottawa Senators
Getting ahead of another season of Tkachuk contract hoopla could be considered a win for the Senators. Still, Ottawa lost one of its best players and hasn't done much yet to prove the playoffs are a lock. The Jordan Spence extension and William Eklund trade were promising moves, but more has to happen in Canada's capital to consider the Sens a threat.
21. Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles hired a veteran head coach in Peter Laviolette and then signed a gaggle of veteran players July 1 in an effort to take a step forward in the lackluster Pacific Division. We won't be too harsh on the Kings' approach just yet, as none of the contracts they doled out carry much term.
22. Columbus Blue Jackets
Well, at least Werenski is staying! Trading the reigning Norris Trophy winner would have been a devastating blow for Blue Jackets fans. But the noise around his future with the club isn't likely to go anywhere soon.
23. St. Louis Blues
The Blues traded four draft picks to add McTavish and Brandon Carlo to a roster that had nowhere near enough juice to be a playoff team last season. We're skeptical that will change in 2026-27.
24. Detroit Red Wings
Detroit's offseason outlook hangs in the balance of a potential Larkin trade. Viktor Arvidsson and Keegan Kolesar were decent additions, but a resolution with the captain remains the Red Wings' primary concern.
25. New York Islanders
A boost from new head coach Pete DeBoer and another year of growth from superstar Matthew Schaefer might be enough to make the Islanders a contender in the Metropolitan Division, but New York hasn't done anything to wow us so far this offseason.
26. New York Rangers
The Rangers' defensive corps looks significantly stronger with Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson in the fold for next season, but New York's summer to date has been headlined by a mammoth $77-million contract for Pavel Dorofeyev. If his play in Vegas is revealed to have been a product of the team's litany of star playmakers, the Blueshirts could quickly come to regret this deal.
27. Nashville Predators
Nashville's biggest splash this offseason was luring general manager Chris MacFarland away from the Avalanche. The high-profile executive has only made fringe moves around his new roster thus far, so we can't see the Predators leaping into contender status anytime soon.
28. Winnipeg Jets
Everything in Winnipeg hinges on the future of Connor Hellebuyck. It's difficult to shape your roster when a former MVP and three-time Vezina winner is at risk of playing elsewhere next season.
29. Seattle Kraken
After potentially getting the steal of the draft with Chase Reid at seventh overall, Seattle once again used free agency to spend on middle-six forwards in Bobby McMann and Mackie Samoskevich. There's not enough star power on the Kraken's roster for us to rank them any higher.
30. Chicago Blackhawks
Trading the fourth overall pick for Bowen Byram and subsequently making him the NHL's highest-paid defenseman was absolutely not on our radar for Chicago. The Blackhawks also haven't found Connor Bedard any help up front yet, and until they do, they'll continue to be a bottom-feeder.
31. Calgary Flames
The Flames are clearly still rebuilding and were wise to not blow their cap space recklessly on a weak free-agent market. We're skeptical of the decision to surrender two first-round picks for Simon Nemec, but Calgary still has more than enough draft capital to continue building for the future.
32. Vancouver Canucks
Speaking of rebuilds, the Canucks project to be a lottery team once again next season. Perhaps the new Ryan Johnson-Manny Malhotra regime can build some hope for the future in the meantime.
