NHL Power Rankings: March 2025

NHL Power Rankings: March 2025

At the bottom of our final power rankings before the trade deadline, there’s an obvious theme: consensus. Trey Daubert and I not only have the same range of teams ranked from 22-32, but all of them are in the same place except for two, and those teams are only separated by one spot each.

Elsewhere, there is a lot of streakiness surrounding the National Hockey League. Though February was a short month for regular season action due to the spectacular Four Nations Face-Off, there’s still quite a bit of movement in the middle of the pack and even some amid the cream of the crop. Before everything changes after Friday’s 3 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, here are our thoughts on the league’s landscape.

32. Chicago Blackhawks

Andrew: 32; Trey: 32

The team has gotten worse since our last rankings, and it will probably get worse by our next rankings (looking at you, Ryan Donato). Retaining $2.5 million until 2030 isn’t ideal, but the Blackhawks got good value for Seth Jones, who will be 31 years old when next season begins. Spencer Knight is having a darn good season and if he lives up to his first-round pedigree, Chicago may have its goalie of the future. The Blackhawks have five first-round picks and seven second-rounders over the next three drafts. Kyle Davidson needs to use them wisely — and I’m not just talking about finding the right prospects.

31. San Jose Sharks

Andrew: 31; Trey: 31

Their big sell-off came right before our last rankings, although they continue to run the goalie market with Vitek Vanecek on the move. The good news is that Macklin Celebrini has become the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy.

30. Buffalo Sabres

Andrew: 30; Trey: 30

I’m skeptical the Sabres are planning to do much at the trade deadline. Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway are their most likely trade chips yet there’s been lots of talk throughout the season about both re-signing. Either way, trading them won’t move the needle.

29. Nashville Predators

Andrew: 29; Trey: 29

They got good value for Gustav Nyquist, which is all you can hope for now. Barry Trotz hasn’t figured out the building-up aspect of being a general manager, so here’s hoping he can at least handle the building-down part. On the former point: Steven Stamkos hasn’t scored a point since Jan. 23.

28. Pittsburgh Penguins

Andrew: 28; Trey: 28

Few teams, if any, have looked for since the resumption of play than the Penguins. They’ve surrendered at least four goals in five of their first six games back and five or more in four of them. Any hopes that Erik Karlsson salvaged his trade value at Four Nations have quickly plummeted, too. The real question is whether they choose to sell high on Rickard Rakell.

27. Seattle Kraken

Andrew: 27; Trey: 27

According to Dom Luszczyszyn’s player cards on The Athletic, most of Seattle’s defensemen have the most negative value, even though Seattle has never been a high-scoring team. Combining those facts makes it easy to see why the team has struggled so much this season. Brandon Tanev should be on the move and so should Yanni Gourde, who should go for a pretty penny barring any health questions.

T-25. Anaheim Ducks

Andrew: 26; Trey: 25

Somehow, the Ducks crept above hockey .500 in February, which should tell you a lot about how flawed the NHL’s points system is. They only need one more win to match last season’s total, although much of that is on their goaltending. I’ll believe a John Gibson trade when I see it, though.

T-25. New York Islanders

Andrew: 25; Trey: 26

It’s time for the Islanders to pick a direction, and there seems to be an obvious one to choose. I know rebuilding isn’t in Lou Lamoriello‘s DNA, but it’s hard to see a path to this team reaching the lofty heights of the Metropolitan Division. I think I know a team that has its eyes on Brock Nelson.

.@Rupper17, @KevinWeekes and @jasondemers5 have made their #NHLTradeDeadline predictions!

What moves do you want to see made between now and Friday? pic.twitter.com/axQHgdgln7

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 4, 2025

24. Montréal Canadiens

Andrew: 24; Trey: 24

One player who won’t be moved at the deadline is Jake Evans, who signed a four-year, $11.4 million contract. Evans is shooting a career-high 20.3 percent but that’s a good contract even accounting for regression with the cap on the rise. Kirby Dach‘s injury is a real shame, though, and it’s fair to wonder how much of a part of the Habs’ future he is.

23. Philadelphia Flyers

Andrew: 23; Trey: 23

Goaltending has made it moot, but the Flyers have been one of the league’s top defensive teams this season, currently hovering around the top five in shots and 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60. I’d rather see a Rasmus Ristolainen trade to clear a spot for Emil Andrae, although there may be traction on the latest round of Scott Laughton rumors this time.

22. Boston Bruins

Andrew: 22; Trey: 22

For the first time in forever, the Bruins became sellers by dealing Trent Frederic and Max Jones to the Oilers. If Boston misses the playoffs for the first time since 2016, it will be interesting to see if the team firmly shifts its focus to the future. With Brad Marchand week-to-week after a scary hit, that’s looking quite likely right now.

21. Ottawa Senators

Andrew: 21; Trey: 19

When you think you can trust the Senators, a five-game losing streak puts their playoff spot in peril. I still think it’s smart to buy in some aspect given the team’s eight-year drought, not to mention how good Brady Tkachuk (and even Jake Sanderson) looked on Team USA.

T-19. St. Louis Blues

Andrew: 18; Trey: 20

The Blues are at the anti-Senators, a team that looked dead in the race only to rattle off a 5-0-1 run before Sunday’s loss to Dallas. Brayden Schenn is the hot name right now, and while I’m surprised he’s getting this much buzz given his contract (three years left at $6.5 million at age 33, with full trade protection this year and a 15-team no-trade list starting next season). But after the Seth Jones trade, anything is possible.

T-19. New York Rangers

Andrew: 20; Trey: 18

Here’s the good news: J.T. Miller looks like a fit, quieting any fears of the worst-case scenario of acquiring a highly paid veteran with significant term on his deal. But it hasn’t made the Rangers much better as a team. Maybe the Ryan Lindgren trade can be an addition by subtraction given his struggles this season.

18. Columbus Blue Jackets

Andrew: 14; Trey: 21

They pulled out an emotional win (thanks to a controversial late game-winner) in their first outdoor game, a spectacular spectacle for a team that deserves every good thing that comes its way. Lots of them still are, although the Ivan Provorov situation is a tough call. The previous regime had no problems holding pending UFAs for a playoff run in 2019, although Don Waddell always begs a tough bargain.

T-16. Utah Hockey Club

Andrew: 16; Trey: 17

Utah has quietly pushed back in the playoff hunt in the last month, finishing February on a three-game win streak. I’d expect owner Ryan Smyth to give general manager Bill Armstrong full go to make some additions, especially given the franchise hasn’t truly bought during a season since acquiring Taylor Hall during the 2019-20 season.

T-16. Calgary Flames

Andrew: 19; Trey: 14

Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost haven’t been able to provide many answers to the Flames’ offensive woes, and Calgary is finally starting to look like the team we thought they’d be at the start of the season. Given their tweener position and lack of quality pending UFAs, it feels like this will be a quiet deadline for the Flames.

15. Vancouver Canucks

Andrew: 17; Trey: 15

No player’s stock fell further during the Four Nations Face-Off than Elias Pettersson (the forward, duh), whose total lack of production raises real concerns about how easy it will be to get him back to 101-point form. But at least they added another questionable long-term commitment by betting on Kevin Lankinen‘s career year being sustainable. His track record is solid, but who knows if he’ll be able to handle the workload a $4.5 million goalie needs to, especially given he’s closing in on 30 years old?

14. Detroit Red Wings

Andrew: 15; Trey: 16

Things are still going pretty smoothly in the Todd McClellan era as the Red Wings still hold a playoff spot after their tough Stadium Series loss. Like with Ottawa, Steve Yzerman should be very motivated to buy, and the Red Wings have even more justification to make a move. Dylan Larkin‘s Four Nations performance shouldn’t go unrewarded.

13. Minnesota Wild

Andrew: 13; Trey: 13

Life without Kirill Kaprizov isn’t easy. The Wild haven’t scored more than three goals in regulation since the Four Nations break (which at least bought Kaprizov some time to heal). Gustav Nyquist may not recapture his 75-point from a year ago (although he was a nice pickup for the Wild at the deadline in 2023, albeit under a different coach). But remember, this is largely a house money year for the Wild, although it could become more than that if they splurge on another rental like Brock Nelson.

Minnesota Wild Acquire Gustav Nyquist From Nashville Predators

12. Los Angeles Kings

Andrew: 12; Trey: 11

After a disappointing January, the Kings took a step back in the right direction last month. It helps to have Drew Doughty anchoring the blue line once again. LA still feels like a tweener team, but the state of the teams behind this is chaotic enough that their playoff hopes are pretty secure.

11. New Jersey Devils

Andrew: 10; Trey: 12

Let’s talk about the Devils. All of their underlying numbers still look good, but Columbus is just four points behind them for third in the Metro with two games in hand. The Kings were in a similar spot a month ago and things look fine now. But there’s one key difference: Jack Hughes is out long-term, which at this stage could easily mean the rest of the regular season. We’ll find out what the rest of the Devils are made of over the next five to six weeks.

10. Carolina Hurricanes

Andrew: 9; Trey: 10

I didn’t want to drop Carolina after making the biggest midseason acquisition since Joe Thornton. For the record, I still think the move will help them in the long run (and no, I don’t see a world in which they flip Mikko Rantanen). But I wonder if the amount of drama surrounding his status is making things a bit hazy in Raleigh. That should somewhat clear up after the deadline, and the Canes did get a great advertisement for how good Jaccob Slavin‘s extension is at Four Nations. But they’ll need more than that for their first Eastern Conference Final win since 2006.

9. Edmonton Oilers

Andrew: 11; Trey: 5

We’re nearing the time of year when my rankings become less dependent on talent and possibilities and more on stats and actualities. The Oilers get slightly dinged in my rankings after losing five of seven in February and failing to win a game in regulation. Of course, the most notable moment for an Oiler last month also came in overtime…

8. Washington Capitals

Andrew: 6; Trey: 9

Alex Ovechkin has had just three multi-game goal-less streaks in 2025: two of two games and one of three. In other words, he’s locked in, with five goals in seven games since a Four Nations break that benefitted Washington more than any team in the league. I, for one, am excited to figure out who this year’s Michal Kepmnŷ is.

T-6. Colorado Avalanche

Andrew: 7; Trey: 6

So far, so good on the Martin Nečas front, who has looked great so far in Denver. Even Jack Drury has more goals in 13 games as an Av than in 39 games with Carolina (Taylor Hall has one in 12 games as a Hurricane if you were wondering). Now, Jimmy Vesey comes in as the latest depth upgrade, plus an intriguing reclamation project in Ryan Lindgren.

T-6. Toronto Maple Leafs

Andrew: 5; Trey: 8

Well, these rankings were assembled before the Maple Leafs allowed a six-spot to the Sharks on Tuesday. Before that, they had won five straight, lost just once in regulation since Jan. 29, and hadn’t lost by multiple goals since Jan. 22. A third-line center should still be the top priority, though.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Andrew: 8; Trey: 3

Well, well, well. Just when you thought the Lightning had firmly fallen back into second-tier contender status, the Bolts rattled off an eight-game winning streak and haven’t lost by multiple goals since Jan. 28. The usual suspects have been a step above their already strong level, especially, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is tied with Ilya Sorokin for the most games played since the start of that streak and is tied for third in the NHL in save percentage (min. 5 games played). Also, speaking of usual suspects…

T-3. Florida Panthers

Andrew: 4; Trey: 4

I’d rather have Brandon Montour, Spencer Knight, and an extra first-round pick, but maybe things wouldn’t have worked with the cap last summer. Either way, Seth Jones is a very intriguing player who shouldn’t have the shoulder the insanely heavy workload that he couldn’t handle in Chicago (in fairness, he didn’t have much help). It’s a good addition, as is Vitek Vanecek, who is a capable replacement for Knight, albeit with a much lower ceiling.

Chicago Blackhawks Trade Seth Jones To Florida Panthers

T-3. Winnipeg Jets

Andrew: 1; Trey: 7

I’ve finally come around. The team that has had the best record at the end of every month this season is at the top of my penultimate list. The real question is whether Kevin Cheveldayoff goes back to his late 2010s and ponies up a big haul (he traded first-round picks in back-to-back years for Paul Stastny and Kevin Hayes) to get the Jets their first playoff series win since 2021.

2. Vegas Golden Knights

Andrew: 3; Trey: 2

My only question with Vegas was whether they have the goaltending to make a deep run. Unfortunately, I do have to add Shea Theodore‘s Four Nations injury to that list. Vegas has been all over the place without him, allowing five goals in two of their four games back but yielding only one total goal in the other two. Edmonton’s five-game losing streak has given them a small cushion for the Pacific lead, however.

1. Dallas Stars

Andrew: 2; Trey: 1

You could argue that the Stars are the best of the Jets and the Golden Knights combined. They’ve got the goaltending, the stars, and the depth, plus a couple of deep runs in the last five years. I doubt they do much more before the deadline after their big deal with San Jose, but that combined with the riches of talent in Dallas should be plenty to be feared once the playoffs begin.

Follow Us on Twitter! And check out the Vendetta Shop!

Advanced Stats via Natural Stat Trick and MoneyPuck.com