10. Washington Capitals
Total points: 107
“With Alex Ovechkin heading into his 21st and potentially final NHL season, the Capitals would like to make it a special one. They’ll need their players who enjoyed career seasons in 2024-25 — forwards Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun — to match or exceed those performances this season after finishing first in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Hurricanes in the second round. Washington’s only additions thus far this offseason have been bottom-six forward Justin Sourdif (trade with Panthers) and depth defenseman Declan Chisholm (trade with Minnesota Wild). It also re-signed forward Anthony Beauvillier, but it has so far been unable to add a wing to play in the top six. Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said they tried ‘to do something big’ without confirming it was Ehlers, who signed with the Hurricanes.” –Tom Gulitti, senior writer
11. New Jersey Devils
Total points: 71
“The Devils made a few subtle additions, signing veteran forwards Brown and Evgenii Dadonov, who each will help bolster 5-on-5 scoring in the middle of the lineup. Goalie Jake Allen signed a five-year, $9 million contract to remain in New Jersey and is expected to continue to be a fine complementary piece alongside Jacob Markstrom. New Jersey is also hoping rookie forwards Arseniy Gritsyuk and Shane Lachance will help generate more secondary scoring. Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (knee) will miss the start of the season, so it’s vital that Simon Nemec and/or Seamus Casey show consistency as each contends for more ice time.” — Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer
12. Los Angeles Kings
Total points: 63
“The Kings have failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, losing to the Oilers each time. They didn’t make a splash in free agency, but they signed key pieces at all positions. Forward Corey Perry and defenseman Brian Dumoulin, each a Stanley Cup winner, as well as forward Joel Armia and goalie Anton Forsberg, give the Kings more depth. That could help them take the next step in the postseason.” — David Satriano, staff writer
13. Minnesota Wild
Total points: 42
“Yes, the Wild still need a No. 1 center. Yes, there is still uncertainty around restricted free agent forward Marco Rossi. Those are question marks. We know Kirill Kaprizov is one of the NHL’s best forwards. If he can stay healthy all season, he’ll compete for the scoring title. Forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Brock Faber are expected to continue to emerge into stars. So, yes, there are questions, but also plenty of hope the Wild can not only be a playoff team again, but this time make some noise. They haven’t won a round since 2015. There’s also a handful of young players who could be in Minnesota this season, leading to more optimism about the present and the future. Zeev Buium, a 19-year-old defenseman, and 21-year-old forwards Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov could be impact players this season.” — Rosen
14. Ottawa Senators
Total points: 36
“The Senators have a benchmark now of being a playoff team. Anything short of that this season will be unacceptable. They qualified last season, ending a drought that began in 2018. They have made only minor tweaks to the roster in the offseason, adding defenseman Jordan Spence in a trade with the Kings and signing veteran center Lars Eller, who should fill a fourth-line role. So, Ottawa is going to rely on the core that helped it reach the playoffs last season, led, of course, by captain Brady Tkachuk. The Senators need more offense; they qualified despite scoring 2.95 goals per game, 14th among the 16 teams who got in. All eyes will be on middle-six centers Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto to lead the way for secondary scoring behind Tkachuk, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle. Ottawa could be in the market for another scoring forward at some point during the season.” — Rosen
15. Montreal Canadiens
Total points: 34
“Similar to the Senators, the Canadiens also have a benchmark of being a playoff team. They got in as the second wild card last season and although they lost to the Capitals in five games, they showed flashes of what they could be this season, especially with rookie forward Ivan Demidov becoming a full-time player. Montreal will try to tame expectations, it will be difficult to do because of the excitement around a young, exciting team led by one of the most dynamic top lines in the League with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. The addition of defenseman Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders is only fueling optimism and expectations. So too is the thought of what Lane Hutson might do for an encore; the 21-year-old defenseman won the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie last season, when he had 66 points (six goals, 60 assists) in 82 games. For the first time in a long time, the Canadiens will have some pressure to live up to expectations. How they handle that will determine how quickly they can take the next step to become a team that can win in the postseason.” — Rosen
16. St. Louis Blues
Total points: 30
“The Blues qualified for the playoffs last season with a late push. They went 20-4-3 from Feb. 8 to the end of the regular season, a .796 points percentage that was the best in the NHL in that stretch. They then gave the Jets all they could handle in a seven-game series in the first round. Since then, St. Louis has changed its depth chart, adding forwards Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad, while subtracting forwards Radek Faksa and Zack Bolduc. Logan Mailloux, the defenseman acquired from Montreal for Bolduc, has a chance to be a top-four defenseman. The Blues are a threat in the Central Division — not quite as dangerous as say the Avalanche, Stars and Jets — but certainly capable of finishing in the top four and reaching the playoffs again, provided goalie Jordan Binnington continues to come through. He has a chance to be Canada’s No. 1 goalie at the Olympics, so the motivation should be high.” — Rosen