Welcome to our first edition of the 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings powered by Sportloqiq.<\/p>\n
We are nearly one month into the season, and there have been some surprises across the league as teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a>, Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, and Utah Mammoth<\/a> are off to hot starts while perennial playoff teams like the Florida Panthers<\/a>, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>, and Los Angeles Kings<\/a> sit in the bottom half of the league.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look at where the Canadian teams stand and what we can expect from them in November.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Jets<\/a> are off to a blazing start as they look to prove that those who favoured divisional rivals Colorado Avalanche<\/a> and Dallas Stars<\/a> as Stanley Cup picks were wrong.<\/p>\n Mark Scheifele<\/a> is leading the charge with a league-best 20 points in 12 games. Meanwhile, Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> has been outstanding in goal. The reigning league-MVP ranks eighth in save percentage at .921, but his play is even more impressive when you consider the quality of shots he\u2019s faced.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck ranks second in goals saved above expected at 12.6, behind a Jets team that has not been as strong defensively as it was last season.<\/p>\n Winnipeg ranks in the bottom five in slot shots, cycle chances, rebound chances, and high-danger chances against, yet sits third in goals-against average. The Jets are missing some key players due to injury, and Hellebuyck has kept them near the top of the standings with his play.<\/p>\n Turning to Montreal, how about those Canadiens? The Habs have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in the first month of the season.<\/p>\n Cole Caufield<\/a> is tied for the league lead with 10 goals, Nick Suzuki<\/a> leads the league in assists with 16, and the Canadiens are tied with the Jets for the best points percentage – .750 – in the NHL.<\/p>\n Ivan Demidov<\/a> has been electrifying, tied for the rookie scoring lead with 10 points, while Jakub Dobes<\/a> is off to a 6-0-0 start with the fourth best save percentage in the league. Like the Jets, the Canadiens\u2019 goal differential – sixth – is quite a bit higher than their expected goal differential – 18th \u2013 so don\u2019t expect Montreal to still have a .750 points percentage at the end of the month. However, there is no denying this team is a legitimate threat to make noise in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n Switching to Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> are the third and final Canadian team to crack our top 10, coming in at number nine. Unlike the Jets and Canadiens, the process has been stronger than the results for the Oilers.<\/p>\n Edmonton sits fourth in expected goals and 18th in actual goals per game. The Oilers are second in the NHL in offensive-zone puck possession and cycle chances but surprisingly rank 25th in rush scoring chances. The speedy Oilers led the NHL in this area last season.<\/p>\n The good news for Oilers fans is that Edmonton struggled to convert its chances even more last October, and with Zach Hyman<\/a> nearing a return, expect this team to start scoring at a higher rate soon.<\/p>\n Ranking 16th on our list are the Ottawa Senators<\/a>. Sitting right in the middle of our list is an appropriate spot for a 6-5-2 team that has been difficult to figure out to this point.<\/p>\n With captain Brady Tkachuk<\/a> out of the lineup, the Senators have done their best to keep pace in the Atlantic Division. That said, the Sens have posted some interesting underlying numbers. Ottawa ranks eighth in goals per game but 24th in expected goals, a sign that the offence it\u2019s creating is likely not sustainable.<\/p>\n That said, the Sens sit eighth in expected goals against and 30th in actual goals against. Linus Ullmark<\/a> has struggled to start the season, and the Senators would have a better record with even average goaltending. Ullmark will have the biggest say with respect to where this team sits once it gets its captain back in the lineup.<\/p>\n The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> come in at 25 on our list. At 6-5-1, the Maple Leafs rank 23rd in points percentage, 18th in goal differential per game, and 26th in expected goal differential.<\/p>\n John Tavares<\/a>, Matthew Knies<\/a>, and William Nylander<\/a> are all averaging well over a point per game. Auston Matthews<\/a> has six goals in 12 games, which puts him on a 41-goal pace. From there, there is a steep drop in offence from the team\u2019s forwards. Nick Robertson is the next highest-scoring forward with six points in 11 games.<\/p>\n Defensively, Toronto has taken a step back from where it ranked last season when it finished top 10 in goals against. The Leafs sit 28th in goals against and 22nd in expected goals against. Defending the rush has been a particular sore spot, with only four teams allowing more rush chances and only one team allowing more goals off the rush.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a tough start to the season for the 6-7-0 Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, who sit 31st on our list. The Canucks record would be worse if not for the stellar play of goalie Thatcher Demko<\/a>, who has been brilliant to start the season. Demko\u2019s 12.8 goals saved above expected ranks first in the NHL on a Canucks team with the worst expected goal differential of any team in the league.<\/p>\n