Then there were … 16. Expanded playoff formats across all sports makes that sound far less dramatic, but The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. It has been an incredible season of hockey with young players establishing themselves as the superstars of the future, stunning trades that took us aback, and an Olympic break which was absolutely devoid of any political drama whatsoever.

The field is now set with 13 teams from the USA and three from Canada trying to capture the most difficult prize in team sports. This year everything is up in the air with the Florida Panthers crashing to earth, meaning we will see a new team hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. Let’s look at the full field and rank them from the most-likely to win it all, to the least.

No. 1: Colorado Avalanche

The President’s Trophy (awarded to the No. 1 regular-season team) has been a serious jinx when it comes to winning the biggest prize in the sport. You have to go back to 2013 to find the last time a team won both the President’s and the Stanley Cup — but I’m not going to let superstition get in the way with this pick.

The Colorado Avalanche are a phenomenal team. Finishing with 54 wins and 116 points they’d have an even more dominant record if not for a late-second injury to Cale Makar that has sidelined him while this team waited for the playoffs to start. Anchored by Nathan McKinnon, the best player in hockey, the Avs have so much high-end talent on their roster that they seem primed for the playoffs.

It’s very difficult to find a discernible weakness here, with Colorado finishing the season with a preposterous +97 goal differential. At this point the only thing stopping them from going all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals appears to be if Makar’s injury lingers, but it shouldn’t — and they are absolutely the favorites to do it all.

No. 2: Carolina Hurricanes

Nobody else in the NHL approaches hockey the same way as the Carolina Hurricanes, which is both their biggest blessing and their worst curse. Coach Rod Brind’Amour’s brand of hockey puts a premium on even, multi-line play without an emphasis on star players. It’s for this reason that superstars often choose to avoid the Canes in free agency, but this team found its missing piece with Nikolaj Ehlers, who moved past a slow start to the season to become the most consistent player on the team.

Boasting SIX 50-point players this season is something few in the league can claim, including the mighty Avs. Carolina is incredibly deep, attacks from seemingly anywhere, but as a result, also lacks the top-end star power often needed to carry a team to the cup. Couple that with incredibly shaky goaltending and we’re left with a very, very good team that’s unquestionably the best in the East — but lacks that x-factor who can put everyone on their back and carry the team in tough game.

The biggest knock on the Stars is that they play in the same conference as the Avalanche. There’s no question Dallas had a great season by finishing with another 100+ point season, but it’s impossible to look at this team and feel just a little bit let down.

Mikko Rantanen has been very good, but a far cry from the 55-goal monster he was in Colorado, scoring netting just 22 on the year. He’s made up for that with his passing, where Wyatt Johnson has been the biggest goal-scoring benefactor, but a lack of solid center play outside of Johnson really makes this team stand out from the field.

Having good center play is absolutely critical in the playoffs, and it’s for this reason that the Stars lag just a little behind. Relying too much on their wings to push the tempo of the game hasn’t been a recipe for success, and it feels like this team is just one puck distributor away from being able to cement themselves as Stanley Cup favorites.

No. 4: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning are more or less the same team they’ve been for several years now. For whatever reason the organization just keeps running it back and trying again, without a lot of adjustments being made to their core. This is fine with the caliber of players Tampa has in Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Matthew Hagel, and Andrei Vasilevskiy in net — but beyond those guys the team falls off a cliff.

We’re left with a team in the East that has a higher top-end than some of its competitors, but much weaker depth. That’s more or less the rub on the Lightning and why they fall to 4th in our rankings.

It’s really, really fun to see the Sabres back in the NHL Playoffs for the first time since 2011 and the team has all the trappings of a unit that can continue to build of this season. The core issue is that they’re too young and too inexperienced to be considered high-level contenders quite yet. Playoff hockey might as well be a completely different sport, which tends to chew up teams that aren’t ready for the tactical grind.

It was extremely tempting to put the Sabres above the Lightning considering regular season success, but I think Tampa and Carolina both have the ability to reach down and find a gear the Sabres are still lacking.

The Wild would be higher on this list if not for the division they play in. They have a lot of top-end talent with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Quinn Hughes — but too often this team relies on stellar netminding to eke out games.

It’s going to be very difficult to grind out games hovering around the league average in goals-for and goals-against when you have to go through the Stars and Avalanche to make it to the cup. This was a big, necessary step forward for the Wild to get off the treadmill from being an easy Wild Card out, but they still lack some line depth to really make a deep run.

The good news is they have a stellar prospect pool coming up, it’s just a touch too early for them.

No. 7: Montreal Canadiens

It’s wonderful that the Canadiens are back in the playoffs. There’s just something special about the Bell Centre being full for playoff hockey, and having another original six legend back in the hunt just makes it all feel more special.

So, with all due respect to Montreal, they’re not ready yet. I’m giving them an outside chance because they are better than several Eastern Conference teams on this list, with a penchant for rising to the occasion, but they’re also average in a lot of key areas like power play, penalty kill, and goals against.

This makes the Habs a little one-dimensional. They have five core players, with the third and fourth lines being a major liability. That makes the Canadiens a team to watch in the future, but not quite yet.

Lack of wing strength (aside from David Pastrňák) is a major weakness for the Bruins who lack those reliable 2nd and 3rd scoring options. In order to win in these playoffs they need stellar play from the defense, and the centers to win their individual battles — which is certainly possible for a game of two, but not in a seven-game series.

Leading up to the playoffs the Bruins lost three straight games to Eastern Conference playoff teams. They were competitive in each game, but it did underscore the weaknesses of this roster, which is still a few pieces away. Another case of it just being a touch too soon, the Bruins have a really strong prospect pool coming down the pipeline.

No. 9: Las Vegas Golden Knights

It isn’t often you see a team fire its coach less than a month before the playoffs when they’re still in the hunt, but making the switch to John Tortorella was a bold move that had huge results down the stretch. The Knights went 7-0-1 with Tortorella as head coach, finally finding the gear that Vegas has been missing this season.

Goal scoring has been the big issue for this team throughout the season, with scoring being down across the board from a year ago. In 2024-25 the Vegas was 5th in the NHL in goals scored, but that fell to 14th this season. This was compounded by also allowing more goals than a year ago, making this just a much weaker team in general. Tortorella could work his magic, but this team is starting to show its age a little.

Utah have been another feel-good story this year with the Mammoth having expansion team success and making the playoffs in just their second season. A team that loves to grind out games with strong forechecking and reliable defense, the team ranked 10th in the NHL this season in both goals allowed and goals scored.

Just making it this far is a major accomplishment. There’s also a very real chance they could win an opening series against the Golden Knights, who are substantially weaker this season than in year’s past. The issue is that eventually the Pacific Division has to face the Central, which is where the Avs, Stars, and Wild are located.

No. 11: Pittsburgh Penguins

You have to be a die-hard Pens hater not to like the romance of Sidney Crosby getting another shot at playoff hockey, which could be one of the last in his career. This is an old team that leans far too much on Crosby to still make things happen at age 38, without enough youth support behind him.

This has more or less been the story of the Penguins for the last several years, as they’ve struggled to build out their roster in a way that can compete consistently. An emotionally-charged opening series against the Flyers will likely lead to the winner facing Carolina in the second round, and it’s near-impossible to see them making it past the Canes.

The Senators found their way into the playoffs as the final wild card in the east and boast a deep roster with a varied attack. The problem putting them any higher is twofold: Firstly, they have substantial goaltending issues that have plagued the team this season, and secondly, they face the Hurricanes in the opening round.

The Oilers are the same team they’ve been for years now. Connor McDavid is arguably the best player in hockey, Leon Draisaitl is a monster, and Evan Bouchard is one of the best offensive blueliners in the game. This team is a mess defensively, and it’s been for a while now. Ranking 25th in goals allowed, Edmonton has to overwhelm on the offensive end to win. With this playoff field it’s just not going to work.

No. 14: Philadelphia Flyers

So much about the Flyers doesn’t make sense. They’re below the league average in goals scored and allowed, their goaltending is inconsistent, and there’s a lot to love about this team — but just not yet. The future is so bright in Philly with Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov, but the playoffs are often determined by veteran talent that can even out a roster and bring much-needed stability. That’s something the Flyers lack right now, and it’s tough to see them making a deep run.

This was a building block season for the Ducks that achieved its goals. One of the youngest teams in hockey, there was huge growth from Anaheim’s stars who are in their early 20s, showing incredible promise for the future. This team doesn’t have what it takes to hang in the playoffs hight not, but wait a few years, and with some smart moves this will be a potential Stanley Cup winning team.

No. 16: Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are in because the depth of the west is incredibly weak. I know that sounds harsh, but with a -22 goal differential this season and a roster lacking impact players means they’re going to be eaten alive by the Avalanche in the opening round. It is what it is.

Sure, anyone can win the Stanley Cup so long as they make the playoffs — but is that really true? At this point we know there are contenders and pretenders in every postseason, and while it’s really cool to see Sidney Crosby in playoff hockey again, nobody is giving the Penguins a legitimate chance to raise the cup.

Today we look at the seven teams best poised to actually take it all home when the dust settles, from the clear favorites to the long shots.

No. 1: Colorado Avalanche

The Avs have been the best team in hockey this year, and it’s not particularly close. Anchored by Nathan McKinnon and Cale Makar, Colorado found a new gear in 2025-26 with the addition of Martin Necas. While Necas arrived last season as part of the Mikko Rantanen trade with Carolina, he really found his footing this season and meshed with the team.

Boasting a ludicrous +94 goal differential this season, nobody can match Colorado when it comes to the strength of their top two lines. The only risk for this team making a run to the cup is the severity of Cale Makar’s upper body injury. We know he’s going to miss some playoff time, and if that lingers it could have a huge effect on this team’s chances.

Key strength: Superstar strength out of their first two skating lines, as well as top line defense
Key weakness: Cale Makar is carrying an injury into the playoffs, and that could lead to a slow start

No. 2: Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are more or less the same team that have been a playoff staple for the last eight years. Rod Brind’Amour’s brand of team-focused, no-superstar hockey does a phenomenal job of leading the Canes to amazing regular season results, but tends to falter in the playoffs where individual performance reigns supreme.

Carolina will hope that the free agent addition of Nikolaj Ehlers is the missing piece they needed, and after a slow start Ehlers became everything the team hoped for with 68 points this season. The 2025-26 iteration of the Hurricanes took another offensive step forward with Seth Jarvis taking the next step, and Jackson Blake emerging as a future star — but this team has the worst goaltending of anyone in the playoffs this year, which could be mammoth problem.

Key strength: Four line skating depth with little drop off between lines
Key weakness: Both Freddie Anderson and Brandon Bussi are very shaky in net

The Stars are a very, very good hockey team that too often masquerades as an elite one. That might seem unfair, but it’s tough to deny that the Stars failed to live up to expectations this season despite finishing with over 100 points on the year.

This was a team who were a preseason favorite to win the west, but Mikko Rantanen isn’t nearly as potent a scorer without McKinnon to set him up, and the Stars’ core weakness is a lack of playmaking centers. There’s an undeniable amount of firepower in Dallas, but running the game through the wings hasn’t traditionally been a recipe for success in the postseason.

Key strength: Streaky team who can dominate games when everything clicks
Key weakness: Things don’t click often enough for this team to be consistent

No. 4: Montreal Canadiens

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the NHL is a better place when the Montreal Canadiens are in the playoffs. This new generation of the Habs are brimming with young talent poised to take the next step forward. When you look at this roster you see a team that’s already over-performing expectations, and none of their key players have hit their prime yet.

Entering the playoffs Montreal has one of the strongest home ice advantages in the playoffs, with the Bell Centre being one of the most formidable places to play at the best of times. That edge isn’t likely to be quite enough to mitigate the defensive issues the Candiens are yet to resolve, or make it through with mid-tier goaltending.

Key strength: Goal-scoring potential of Cole Caulfield and Juraj Slafkovsky
Key weakness: Too much youth without enough veteran leadership to make a deep run

The Minnesota Wild understood the assignment in 2025-26. After signing Kirill Kaprizov to a mammoth extension they had to pour more gas on the fire, and did just that by being the biggest in-season buyers by adding one of the NHL’s best defenseman in Quinn Hughes, then bolstering their depth with numerous smaller deals at the deadline.

Hughes has helped transform this team from a back-end playoff hopeful to a legitimate contender. The core issue is that when it comes to scoring Minnesota is wholly reliant on Kaprizov and Matt Boldy to find the net, with the rest of the team lagging far, far behind.

Key strength: Three brilliant playmakers in Kaprizov, Boldy, and Hughes
Key weakness: They’re in the west, which is dominated by the Avs

No. 6: Tampa Bay Lightning

When you have Andrei Vasilevskiy in net there’s always going to be a chance to win games, and the Lightning showed that in 2025-26 by allowing just 222 goals on the year. The problem comes at the other end, where regression from both Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel has put even more pressure on Nikita Kucherov to carry the load for Tampa Bay.

This version of the Lightning is really good, but hasn’t changed dramatically enough to see where they succeed where they’ve failed in the past. Corey Perry is too old to be a difference maker at this point, and the team overpaid to get him at the deadline. As such it feels like the Lightning are headed back to hit the same brick wall. Still, there’s always a chance they can get hot and make a deep run as they have in the past.

Key strength: Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel are two of the best scoring forwards in the playoffs
Key weakness: This looks too much like the same Lightning team that lost in the first round of 2024-25

I hate putting the best feel-good story in hockey so low on the list, but it’s a credit to Buffalo that they make the contenders list at all. The Sabres went from finishing 7th in the Atlantic Conference to 1st this season, as they went from a team who seemed poised pre-season to be sellers and rebuilders at the deadline, to now being a legitimate force.

This team has solid depth, but lacks the high-end talent to really compete just quite yet. The power play unit for Buffalo isn’s fully developed, and once you get past Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch the forwards fall off a cliff.

Key strength: Devil-may-care freedom belief they can beat anyone
Key weakness: Not enough depth to compete just yet