We made it. This is the final Weekend Rankings of the season. There\u2019s still a couple of games left, and a few things still left to figure out over the next few days, but we\u2019ll leave the final cleanup to the Friday guys. For our purposes, we\u2019ve reached the finish line.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019ve followed this feature over the years, you know what that means: Today\u2019s the day you get an expanded Top 16, plus the Gold Plan standings down in the bottom five section.<\/p>\n
But first, I\u2019m going to be honest with you \u2014 I thought it would be a fun gimmick to use the bonus five section to go back and find my five dumbest rankings of the year. Nobody\u2019s perfect, and you have to be able to laugh at yourself, or so I\u2019ve been told. And sure enough, a quick look at the archives turns up more than a few weird calls. But when I dug a little deeper, I\u2019m not sure I can really blame myself for some of those misfires. This season was just really, really weird.<\/p>\n
Or at least, that\u2019s the story I\u2019m going to tell myself. You can decide if it sounds reasonable, as we dig through the five rankings from the season that stand out with the full benefit of hindsight as being, um, not completely accurate.<\/p>\n
Bonus five: Weirdest (but maybe not wrong?) rankings of the season<\/p>\n
5. The Panthers rankings first in week one \u2013 It\u2019s not a great look when you call a team the Stanley Cup favorite and then they miss the playoffs by almost 20 points. Then again, was this really a terrible call? Don\u2019t forget, they weren\u2019t just the two-time defending champs \u2014 they started the season 3-0-0<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. The Jets ranking first in week four \u2013 OK, this one\u2019s a bit tougher to defend, since there\u2019s a big difference between having three games to work with and having three full weeks. Still, the defending Presidents\u2019 Trophy champs were 9-3-0 to start the year<\/a>, so I\u2019m not sure anyone saw the collapse coming. In hindsight, this was the peak \u2014 this is the week they\u2019d score two goals while being swept on a three-game California road trip, starting a stretch that would see them win just six of 30 while losing Connor Hellebuyck to injury.<\/p>\n 3. The Ducks in the bottom five in January \u2013 This one looked a lot worse even a week or two ago, when it seemed like Anaheim was going to cruise to first place in the Pacific. To my credit, I\u2019d been a preseason believer and kept them out of the early bottom fives. But I finally pulled the chute<\/a> in mid-January, with the Ducks having lost nine in a row to plummet to fake .500. At the time, I don\u2019t think anyone was arguing. In hindsight, they were about to win seven straight.<\/p>\n 2. The Devils ranking second in November \u2013 I\u2019d forgotten that the Devils started the season 8-1-0. This ranking was from a few weeks later, when they\u2019d just earned back-to-back wins over the Canadiens and Penguins to move to 11-4-0. Believe it or not, that briefly put them in first place overall in the league<\/a>. They\u2019d win two of their next three, but the weird Jack Hughes restaurant injury was just about to blunt their momentum \u2014 pretty much permanently, as it turned out.<\/p>\n 1. The Sabres spending six weeks in the bottom five \u2013 There\u2019s no better symbol for just how unpredictable the 2025-26 season turned out to be than the Sabres, who were bad enough to finally get their GM fired before deciding it might be fun to be the best team in the world for the next few months, just as a treat. It\u2019s one thing for a team that ends up being good to show up in the bottom five in week one, but another entirely for them to be there six weeks in a row through mid-December. But is it? In my defense, six weeks might be fewer mentions than those Sabres deserved. And for the record, I never had them any worse than fourth in the bottom five. What I\u2019m trying to say is that I was being an optimist<\/a>.<\/p>\n OK, on to the main event\u2026<\/p>\n Road to the Cup<\/p>\n The five 16 teams with the best chances of winning the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n Man, I spend all season ranking five teams as Cup contenders, then we finally get to the weekend where I get to list everyone only to have the hockey media\u2019s assignment editor announce that there are indeed only five<\/a>. Ah well, let\u2019s do this anyway.<\/p>\n And yes, we\u2019re listing 16 teams even though there are more teams than that still mathematically alive. Does that mean we\u2019ll have to get cute in a few spots? It sure does, but that\u2019s never stopped us before.<\/p>\n As per tradition, each spot gets exactly two sentences.<\/p>\n 16. The last wild-card team in the West \u2013 It will probably be the Kings, although the Predators still have a shot and the Sharks and Jets are at least technically alive. Congratulations to whichever team makes it, you\u2019re going to lose to the Avalanche in three.<\/p>\n 15. Boston Bruins \u2013 They\u2019ve been a great story and Jeremy Swayman will give them a chance against anyone. Winning a round wouldn\u2019t completely shock me, but four feels like too much to ask.<\/p>\n 14. Anaheim Ducks \u2013 They\u2019ve been one of the season\u2019s biggest surprises, and I\u2019ll never pass up an opportunity to say that I called it way back when. But they\u2019re not winning the Cup.<\/p>\n 13. The third-place team in the Metro \u2013 The race looks like it\u2019s going to go down to the wire, with the Flyers, Capitals and (barely) Blue Jackets all in the mix. Any of those teams could beat the Penguins, and I might even nudge the Caps up a spot or two if they can pull it off, based on the Logan Thompson factor.<\/p>\n 12. Pittsburgh Penguins \u2013 They\u2019ve got a winnable first-round matchup, a legitimate \u201cnobody believes in us\u201d story they\u2019re rightly leaning into<\/a>, and the tantalizing potential of a Last Dance-style narrative if they can get some real traction. I just can\u2019t talk myself into them winning more than a round, but I really wish I could.<\/p>\n 11. Utah Mammoth \u2013 They\u2019re going to be a very trendy pick to win the Pacific Division as a crossover wild-card team. Probably a little too trendy given how Edmonton and Vegas are finally starting to wake up, although the Mammoth are at least trying to please the hockey gods<\/a>.<\/p>\n 10. Vegas Golden Knights \u2013 They just haven\u2019t clicked all year long, despite a loaded roster. Still, this feels like the first team we\u2019ve hit where you can imagine a realistic path to a championship, especially when you mix in the John Tortorella factor.<\/p>\n 9. Minnesota Wild \u2013 They\u2019re definitely better than the ninth-best team in the league. But after a season of the Central\u2019s big three all feeling like legit contenders, we\u2019ve finally hit the point where one of them has to pay the playoff format tax.<\/p>\n 8. Montreal Canadiens \u2013 This is a fun team that sure seems to be having one of those seasons where a lot of things break just right. I\u2019m still not quite sure how that translates to winning more than a round or two, but they\u2019ll be must-watch while they try.<\/p>\n 7. Ottawa Senators \u2013 This is higher than you probably expected, but I\u2019ve been trying to sound the alarm here for a while now, including on last week\u2019s pod<\/a> when I planted my \u201cThe Senators are winning the Metro\u201d flag. They might ruin that by staying in the Atlantic, but either way, this is an extremely dangerous team if they can get even decent goaltending from their (checks notes) recent Vezina winner.<\/p>\n 6. Buffalo Sabres \u2013 You know I love you guys<\/a>, Sabres fans. You also know there have been some warning signs on the dashboard all year long, and that the Habs and Lightning make the path out of the Atlantic look daunting, so this is about the best I can do.<\/p>\n 5. Edmonton Oilers \u2013 Somebody has to come out of the Pacific, and whoever it is will have as good a shot as anyone in the final four. My money is on the Oilers, although that\u2019s based on the assumption that Leon Draisaitl makes his return at some point in Round 1.<\/p>\n 4. Tampa Bay Lightning \u2013 Yes, I\u2019m picking the grizzled veterans over the division\u2019s cast of upstarts, despite what the standings might say. Mainly because I hate fun and whimsy.<\/p>\n 3. Carolina Hurricanes \u2013 Looking at the path in front of them, this might be the single best chance they\u2019ve had under Rod Brind\u2019Amour, which gives this spring an added \u201cnow or never\u201d vibe. I\u2019m leaning towards now, especially if they get Boston instead of Ottawa.<\/p>\n 2. Dallas Stars \u2013 That comeback win over the Wild<\/a> to all but clinch home ice was their closing argument, and it was enough to lock down second spot. Pierre has been lobbying forever to have the Stanley Cup final played in May, and I\u2019m starting to think he may get his wish this year when the Stars and Avs face off in the second round.<\/p>\n 1. Colorado Avalanche \u2013 The path out of the division is brutal, but we don\u2019t have to get cute here. Make it 21 consecutive weeks on top of the rankings for the Presidents\u2019 Trophy winners.<\/p>\n Not ranked: Detroit Red Wings \u2013 If the grimacing emoji was a hockey team<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bottom five<\/p>\n The five teams headed towards dead last, and the best lottery odds for a shot at Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg.<\/p>\n The idea behind this section is a year-long attempt to predict which teams will end up at the bottom of the league. But with just a few days left, you don\u2019t need me anymore. The standings page<\/a> tells us everything we need to know.<\/p>\n So instead, we like to use the final bottom five section of the year to update the Gold Plan standings. If you\u2019re new to the Gold Plan, it\u2019s an alternate system for determining draft order \u2014 teams are ranked based on how many points they accumulate after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, meaning bad teams get a head start but everyone has to actually win their way to a high pick.<\/p>\n The Gold Plan is used in the PWHL<\/a>, and I\u2019ve been making the case for years that it would be an improvement over the NHL\u2019s system. Not everyone agrees, but a lot of smart people do<\/a>. There are also some fair objections, which I tried to address back in the day<\/a>.<\/p>\n So how would the race for the top pick look in a world where the NHL had the Gold Plan? Well, it\u2019s fair to say that this year wouldn\u2019t rank especially high for suspense.<\/p>\n 2025-26 Gold Plan Standings<\/p>\n TeamFirst dayGPWLOTPTS<\/p>\n Rangers<\/p>\n 26-Mar<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 12<\/p>\n Canucks<\/p>\n 23-Mar<\/p>\n 11<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Devils<\/p>\n 08-Apr<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Panthers<\/p>\n 05-Apr<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Flames<\/p>\n 08-Apr<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Blackhawks<\/p>\n 03-Apr<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Maple Leafs<\/p>\n 03-Apr<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n Kraken<\/p>\n 12-Apr<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n Red Wings<\/p>\n 12-Apr<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n Blues<\/p>\n 12-Apr<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n Yeah, the Gold Plan race has been all Rangers this year. Or at least it would be, if the results of all the games stayed the same, which they wouldn\u2019t \u2014 that\u2019s half the appeal of the system, that it would motivate teams to actually try down the stretch instead of sleepwalking their way through the final weeks.<\/p>\n But even if it did play out this way, it would mean Rangers fans would have spent the last few weeks cheering their team on while they rolled to a potentially franchise-defining pick, instead of feeling annoyed that each win was just hurting their draft odds. I think that\u2019s a better system; maybe you agree, maybe you don\u2019t. For now, it\u2019s a thought experiment and nothing more.<\/p>\n That does it for another year. Thanks to every who read, shared, commented and otherwise joined in the fun. We\u2019ll be back next season, when it will be way too early and we\u2019ll be mostly wrong. Until then, enjoy the playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We made it. This is the final Weekend Rankings of the season. There\u2019s still a couple of games…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[1419,64,63,5789,6581,7525,3615,7520,7522,3936,7521,3064,3275,3274,7526,7524,5790,7523,7519,5791,3617,575,6597,3065,4785,7527,3066,85,3935,4788,2370,7528,2371,7529,4791,6000],"class_list":{"0":"post-604108","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-anaheim-ducks","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-boston-bruins","12":"tag-buffalo-sabres","13":"tag-calgary-flames","14":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","15":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","16":"tag-colorado-avalanche","17":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","18":"tag-dallas-stars","19":"tag-detroit-red-wings","20":"tag-edmonton-oilers","21":"tag-florida-panthers","22":"tag-los-angeles-kings","23":"tag-minnesota-wild","24":"tag-montreal-canadiens","25":"tag-nashville-predators","26":"tag-new-jersey-devils","27":"tag-new-york-islanders","28":"tag-new-york-rangers","29":"tag-nhl","30":"tag-ottawa-senators","31":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","32":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","33":"tag-san-jose-sharks","34":"tag-seattle-kraken","35":"tag-sports","36":"tag-st-louis-blues","37":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","38":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","39":"tag-utah-mammoth","40":"tag-vancouver-canucks","41":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","42":"tag-washington-capitals","43":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}