Nine grueling months, 82 games, three rounds of playoff hockey, all comes to a storybook ending for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, who find themselves in a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
To get here, the Florida Panthers easily handled the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, defeating them in five games to book a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
In the Western Conference Final, the Edmonton Oilers took down the Dallas Stars in five games, and will look for redemption in the Final, where they were defeated in seven games by the Panthers a year ago.
With the Stanley Cup Final upon us, here’s Sportsnaut’s latest NHL Power Rankings.
Related: NHL Games Today: 2025 Stanley Cup Finals Schedule, Dates, Times, and Results
1. Florida Panthers – SCF vs EDM
The Florida Panthers remain the team to beat, as they continue to defend their 2024 Stanley Cup championship with authority. After dispatching the Lightning in five games and rallying from 2–0 down to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round, trouncing them 6–1 on the road in Game 7, the Panthers made quick work of the Hurricanes, defeating them in five games. Now, their championship mettle will be put to the maximum test against Connor McDavid and Co., in a highly-ainticipated rematch of last year’s seven-game Final.
2. Edmonton Oilers – SCF vs FLA
After falling behind 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1, the Edmonton Oilers have been nearly perfect with a 12-2 record since, advancing in Round 2 and the Western Conference Final in just five games each. It’ll be a tall task defeating the defending Stanley Cup champions, but if Stuart Skinner continues to play well, the Oilers continue to get depth scoring, and the tandem of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl do what they do best, then the Oilers could very well get their redemption.
3. Dallas Stars – Eliminated in WCF by EDM
The Dallas Stars saw a solid run come to a disappointing end when they are eliminated in just five games in the Western Conference Final by the Oilers. Their season ended with a note of controversy after franchise goaltender Jake Oettenger was pulled in the first period after he allowed up two goals on two shots, and coach Peter DeBoer roasted him after the loss.
4. Carolina Hurricanes – Eliminated in ECF by FLA
The Carolina Hurricanes looked primed to take a run at the Panthers after dispatching the best regular season team in the East in the Washington Capitals, but they, like many, couldn’t solve Florida’s suffocating and aggressive style of play. They fall in five games, and continue to look for answers when it comes to getting over the hump and reaching the Finals. They’ve been a constant lock to make playoffs for roughly seven years now, but they’ve only managed one Conference Final victory.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs – Eliminated Round 2 by FLA
The Toronto Maple Leafs were outplayed at home in Games 5 and 7 by Florida, but they still pushed the defending champs to seven games and snagged a huge Game 6 road win. Their competitive effort makes them the best of the second-round exits. Now, with the offseason ahead, big questions remain, especially about unrestricted free agent Mitch Marner’s next move.
Related: Maple Leafs GM admits ‘there’s some DNA that has to change’ after latest playoff failure
6. Winnipeg Jets – Eliminated Round 2 by DAL
The Winnipeg Jets, coming off a franchise-best season and a Presidents’ Trophy, fell to the Stars in six games, dropping the 2–1 OT decider and finishing 0–6 on the road. After their historic first-round comeback, they simply couldn’t find another road win. Above all, huge respect to Mark Scheifele, who scored the lone goal in Game 6 less than 24 hours after his father’s passing.
7. Washington Capitals – Eliminated Round 2 by CAR
The Capitals’ five-game loss to Carolina was a shock after their historic regular season, as they couldn’t crack the Hurricanes’ lockdown defense. Still, Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal run and his commitment to return next season to chase and surpass 900 NHL goals give plenty to celebrate.
8. Vegas Golden Knights – Eliminated Round 2 by EDM
The Vegas Golden Knights are another team that seemed poised to make a deep run after defeating the Minnesota Wild in six games in the first round. It wasn’t out of the question to see Edmonton advance here, but to do so in five games was a shocker. Vegas has one of the more talented and deep rosters in the NHL, and many picked them to go the distance. But their top guns went silent in the second round. That’s the nature of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
9. Colorado Avalanche – Eliminated Round 1 by DAL
It’s hard to drop the Colorado Avalanche down to ninth on this list, but they fell after being regarded as one of the favorites to win it all. They, too, had a two-goal lead in the third period of Game 7, but late-game heroics by Rantanen sparked an epic comeback for the Stars. Let’s face it, this was a Conference Final matchup that was played out in Round 1, and it’s a shame that such a great team was sent home so early.
10. St. Louis Blues – Eliminated Round 1 by WPG
After soaring into one of the final playoff spots in the back half of the regular season, the St. Louis Blues almost took down the Presidents’ Trophy winners. As in 1.6 seconds away. They held a 3-1 lead with two minutes remaining in Game 7, but the Jets pulled off a miracle comeback and won it in double overtime to advance, sending the Blues home heartbreakingly.
11. Los Angeles Kings – Eliminated Round 1 by EDM
The Kings jumped to a 2–0 lead as expected, but then collapsed, making costly errors, backing off against McDavid and Draisaitl, and failing to solve Pickard. They dropped four straight and bowed out in six games. It’s a head-scratcher given their start, but L.A.’s already shifting gears with Ken Holland as their new GM.
12. Tampa Bay Lightning – Eliminated Round 1 by FLA
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a tough draw going up against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers, but not many people had this one ending in five games. Just when it looked like Tampa Bay had the edge, the Panthers came storming back and eventually won Game 5 to make quick work of their rival.
13. Minnesota Wild – Eliminated Round 1 by VGK
Many counted the Minnesota Wild out of this one from the start, calling for a sweep at the hands of the Golden Knights. That was nowhere near the case, as Minnesota actually looked like the better team for a good portion of this series. It also looked like they had the best player in the series; Kirill Kaprizov was outstanding. Minnesota has now become the first team of all the major U.S. sports to make the playoffs in eight out of 10 years and lose in the first round each time. Ouch.
14. Ottawa Senators – Eliminated Round 1 by TOR
The Ottawa Senators made things interesting after falling behind 3-0 to the Maple Leafs in the first round, forcing a fifth and even sixth game in this series. When it came to winning a third straight, they couldn’t match up to Toronto’s big guns, who showed up when it mattered most. That being said, Brady Tkachuk and the Sens showed some serious fight as they look to build on their first playoff berth since 2017.
15. Montreal Canadiens – Eliminated Round 1 by WSH
The Montreal Canadiens faced a tall task matching up against the Capitals in Round 1. Though they were eliminated in five games, they put up one hell of a fight. Even in the losses, the Canadiens were in it most of the way, and a coupleof bounces here and there easily could have pushed this series to a sixth or seventh game. Big props to the Canadiens and head coach Martin St. Louis, who have a very bright future ahead of them.
16. New Jersey Devils – Eliminated Round 1 by CAR
Though they were without injured star Jack Hughes and dealt with several injuries to their defense corps throughout this series, it was clear that the New Jersey Devils just didn’t stack up against the Hurricanes in every facet of the game, except goaltending, where Jacob Markstrom was terrific for New Jersey. It was a disappointing end to the season for the Devils, but they’ll be back and fully healthy, ready to give it another go.
17. Calgary Flames (41-27-14) – Eliminated
The Calgary Flames were the best team in the NHL to miss the playoffs, at 15th League-wide. It was a close race between them and the St. Louis Blues as they both finished with 96 points, though St. Louis won the tiebreaker with more regulation wins. Still, the Flames should be proud of their season, and have plenty to build around, starting with rookie goalie Dustin Wol,f who was incredible and is a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
18. Vancouver Canucks (38-30-14) – Eliminated
The Canucks’ drama-filled season ended with them missing the playoffs after trading J.T. Miller, and now GM Jim Rutherford reveals Quinn Hughes wants to play alongside his brothers—Vancouver or New Jersey. Meanwhile, Adam Foote has been promoted to head coach, replacing Rick Tocchet.
19. Columbus Blue Jackets (40-33-9) – Eliminated
The Columbus Blue Jackets ended the season with a strong push, making it all the way until game 82 before being eliminated from playoff contention. While they won’t be fighting for the Stanley Cup, the entire team and organization deserve their flowers for playing as well as they did in light of the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy. Columbus has a bright future ahead as it looks to break into the postseason in 2025-26.
20. Utah Hockey Club (38-31-13) – Eliminated
The Utah Hockey Club missed the playoffs by seven points, but now at least has a nickname: the Mammoth. It had to have been a difficult adjustment for the players coming over from Arizona and beginning a new franchise this season, but they didn’t do all too badly. Utah is a young team with a core led by Clayton Keller that should only improve next season.
21. Detroit Red Wings (39-35-8) – Eliminated
The Detroit Red Wings were close to landing a playoff berth, but came up five points short in the wild-card race in the Eastern Conference. Captain Dylan Larkin stirred the pot on Detroit’s breakup day when he said that he and the team were unhappy with general manager Steve Yzerman’s decision not to add ahead of the trade deadline. We’ll see what kind of response warrants as the offseason begins for Detroit.
22. New York Rangers (39-36-7) – Eliminated
There was no bigger disappointment in the NHL this season than the New York Rangers. As a result, coach Peter Laviolette was fired after he oversaw a 29-point drop-off on his watch. The Rangers quickly hired Mike Sullivan to begin a busy and important offseason.
23. New York Islanders (35-35-12) – Eliminated
The New York Islanders‘ main priority is to get healthy in the offseason and return with players like Mat Barzal and Ilya Sorokin at full health. But the big story here is that they won the 2025 draft lottery and moved from No. 10 to No. 1 in this year’s draft and then hired Mathieu Darche as general manager to replace Lou Lamoriello.
24. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-36-12) – Eliminated
The clock is ticking on Sidney Crosby’s Hall of Fame career, and the Pittsburgh Penguins want to make the most of what he has left, which includes another shot at the Stanley Cup. They’ll have to make some serious improvements to do that, which is hard to do while keeping the trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang together. We’ll see what Kyle Dubas elects to do this offseason, including hiring a new coach to replace Mike Sullivan.
25. Anaheim Ducks (35-37-10) – Eliminated
The Anaheim Ducks ended a subpar season two games below NHL .500, and subsequently relieved Greg Cronin of his coaching duties. The expectation in the Ducks organization is that they will make the playoffs next season, which is going to take a lot of work, starting with newly hired Joel Quenneville behind the bench. Anaheim is loaded with young talent, and if they can all take a significant step next season, there’s no reason why they can’t contend for a playoff spot.
26. Buffalo Sabres (36-39-7) – Eliminated
The Buffalo Sabres capped off another year of missing the playoffs, though they showed signs of being a good hockey team, especially late in the season when they went on an 8-1-0 run. The problem is how they follow that up with a 1-3-1 stretch to end the regular season. Still, there’s plenty to build on for Buffalo this season, as they begin yet another year-long quest to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
27. Seattle Kraken (35-41-6) – Eliminated
The Seattle Kraken finished their season six games short of NHL .500, and fired coach Dan Bylsma after just one season behind the bench. A surprising move considering he had so much success with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle’s AHL affiliate. The Kraken replaced him with Lane Lambert, who will try to help this young roster grow into a playoff contender.
28. Boston Bruins (33-39-10) – Eliminated
No one expected the Boston Bruins to miss the playoffs this season, let alone finish 28th in the League standings, but that’s exactly what happened after Jeremy Swayman struggled following his contract drama, and the Bruins were forced to eventually trade their captain, Brad Marchand, to the Florida Panthers. Once that happened, the Bruins pretty much packed it up, winning just three games of their last 16. Expect a better effort next season from one of the better teams over the last decade.
29. Philadelphia Flyers (33-39-10) – Eliminated
The Philadelphia Flyers were poised for a solid season when they found out they’d be getting rookie sensation Matvei Michkov earlier than expected. Michkov had a strong season, scoring 63 points, but the Flyers themselves struggled to find wins at a consistent rate. After firing John Tortorella, they’ve turned to former Flyer forward Rick Tocchet as their new coach, who will help build around Michkov to create their core of the future.
30. Nashville Predators (30-44-8) – Eliminated
The Nashville Predators capped off a huge letdown of a season, considering the talent they added in the offseason. Looking ahead, they’ll get a nice reset with a long summer break and a likely top-three pick in the draft as well. With the names on Nashville’s roster, it’s hard to imagine they’ll have another season as bad as this one. Expect them to rise in the rankings come October.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (25-46-11) – Eliminated
It was an all-around bad year for the Chicago Blackhawks, who managed just 25 wins on the season. That being said, they have plenty of young pieces to build around, including Connor Bedard who is a star in the making in the NHL. In just his second season, Bedard logged a career-high 67 points on a struggling team. At just 19 years old, he’s bound to keep improving on those numbers, especially as the team gets better. Chicago will likely have a top-three pick in the draft, with the second-best odds of selecting first overall. They’ve also added Jeff Blashill as their new head coach, who’s had success in the past.
32. San Jose Sharks (20-50-12) – Eliminated
The Sharks, who won just 20 games, are already eyeing the top draft pick and moving on from goalie Alexandar Georgiev. Their lone bright spots are rookies Will Smith (45 points in 74 games) and Macklin Celebrini (63 in 70), two young cornerstones to build around this offseason.
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