As there are teams that could regress every season, there are also ones that could take steps forward and build off what they started in 2024-25. That doesn’t necessarily mean playoffs, especially if you were in the basement of the NHL standings, but eventually there has to be progress. Here are five teams that could take steps forward during the 2025-26 campaign.
Utah Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth are on the cusp of being a threat in the Western Conference. They finished last season with 38 wins and 89 points and had some of the best underlying metrics in the NHL, totaling an expected goals share (xG%) just above 53 percent, placing them in the top 10 of the league. Now, they’ll look to build on it and break a long playoff drought that dates back to their Arizona Coyotes days.
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General manager Bill Armstrong has built an exciting young core for the Mammoth. Clayton Keller has been one of the more underappreciated players in the NHL for a few years, but he now has some support alongside him. Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther are budding into star players, and they have a deep prospect pool with some exciting talent on the way.
Even though the Mammoth lost some key pieces like Michael Kesselring and Nick Bjugstad this offseason, they still added JJ Peterka, Brandon Tanev, and Nate Schmidt. I wouldn’t peg the Mammoth as Stanley Cup contenders by any stretch, but they should throw their hat into the ring of playoff contenders. FanDuel has the Mammoth’s over/under at 93.5 for next season, which would put them on the cusp of a playoff spot. But I think they hit the over and snag one of the two wild-card positions.
San Jose Sharks
Not every team that takes a step forward necessarily has to make the playoffs, and the San Jose Sharks are a perfect example. Granted, it’s hard to be much worse than the Sharks were last season, but GM Mike Grier has done well to improve the supporting cast around Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, two players who will likely be the franchise’s next cornerstones.
Grier was busy in free agency, signing Jeff Skinner, John Klingberg and Dmitry Orlov. The Sharks’ blue line was a mess this past season, so adding Orlov and even Klingberg, who played well enough for the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, should help. Skinner had a down season with the Oilers, but it wouldn’t shock me if he rebounds and lights the lamp more often alongside Celebrini or Smith.
The Sharks also acquired Alex Nedeljkovic from the Pittsburgh Penguins to help shield Yaroslav Askarov, who’ll likely receive much more significant playing time in the NHL this season. Add more young talent that the Sharks have acquired through the draft, and they should be entertaining next season. The playoffs would be a shock, but improving from 52 points to around 70 may be achievable, especially if Celebrini and Smith continue to progress.
Anaheim Ducks
The Sharks’ counterparts in the Pacific Division, the Anaheim Ducks are also prime contenders to take a step forward in 2025-26, and they could even play meaningful games post-trade deadline. The Ducks finished last season with 80 points, and that was despite playing some unstructured hockey under former head coach Greg Cronin.
Taking over for Cronin is Joel Quenneville, who’ll likely implement a system better tailored to some of the Ducks’ promising young talent. That young talent includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Olen Zellweger and Mason McTavish, who should all flourish under Quenneville. The Ducks were one of the worst five-on-five teams in the NHL under Cronin, and that too should change under Quenneville.
Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish celebrates (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
GM Pat Verbeek also made a couple of notable external additions, acquiring Chris Kreider in a trade with the New York Rangers and signing Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract in free agency. Granlund has been a 60-65 point player over the last two seasons and is a decent playmaker. At worst, he and Kreider should add some more offense.
FanDuel has the Ducks’ over/under at 80.5, which seems low. I wouldn’t bet on them making the playoffs, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re what the Mammoth were a season ago. That’s a team that looks competitive and plays well down the stretch, but falls short of a playoff spot with something around 89-90 points.
New York Rangers
The Rangers were arguably the most disappointing team of the 2024-25 season. After finishing with 55 wins and 114 points during the 2023-24 season, they totaled just 39 wins and 85 points this past season. They were just the fourth team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy then miss the playoffs the following year.
But while the Rangers missed the playoffs, it’s not because they lack talent. Yes, they are getting older, and much of their core is on the wrong side of 30, but they still have Artemi Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox and J.T. Miller. They should have enough high-end talent to compete for a playoff spot, and a new coach should help.
After parting ways with Peter Laviolette early this offseason, the Rangers hired Mike Sullivan to replace him. The Penguins haven’t had much postseason success since their last Stanley Cup championship nearly a decade ago, but that probably wasn’t Sullivan’s fault. Their roster aged and declined over time, leading GM Kyle Dubas to start a full-scale rebuild this offseason.
That’s why Sullivan should help the Rangers. He’ll have a more talented squad to work with than he did in his final couple of years in Pittsburgh, and we know he can still coach based on what he did with Team USA at the Four Nations Face-off in February. The Rangers’ Cup-contention window is probably closed, but they should still compete for a playoff spot in a very weak Metropolitan Division. After totaling just 85 points a season ago, it wouldn’t be a shock if they total 95+ and at least secure a wild-card berth in the East.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils were a playoff team last season, but barely, as they qualified with 91 points, just two more than the Columbus Blue Jackets. Health was a significant reason they stumbled into the playoffs, as Dougie Hamilton, Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler all missed the final month to two months of the season, though Hamilton and Siegenthaler did return for the playoffs.
Assuming they have better health luck, the pieces are in place for them to improve on the 91 points they totaled last season. The key is Hughes, who’s a borderline top-10 center when healthy, staying on the ice. He’s produced at 90-plus point paces the last few seasons, so playing 75 to the full 82 games would do wonders for the Devils in a weak Metropolitan Division.
The Devils have the goaltending to compete with the better teams in the East after re-signing Jake Allen to remain as Jacob Markström’s backup. They were top five on both the power play and the penalty kill last season and should be among the better special teams clubs again. And it’ll be Year 2 of Sheldon Keefe behind the bench, so the Devils should be more comfortable in his system after what was apparently a grind for some players in Year 1.
FanDuel has the Devils’ over/under at 98.5 for the coming season. They’re not Stanley Cup contenders as constructed today, but they should push for 98-100 points if they remain relatively healthy.
Progress isn’t always linear, but whether it’s building through the draft, adding through free agency and the trade market, or some combo of the three, these teams are well-positioned to take steps forward and be more competitive than they were during the 2024-25 season.
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
