Who Looks The Strongest Heading Into 2025-26?

The NHL’s 2025-26 season is officially a month away for the league’s Canadian squads.

After six American teams face off on Oct. 7, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs duel on Oct. 8, followed by the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers later that evening. Talk about a red-hot start to the campaign.

The Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks start their seasons on Oct. 9.

Most Canadian teams made notable changes this summer. It’s time to rank them in order from most competitive to least.

1. Winnipeg Jets

Major additions: Jonathan Toews, C; Gustav Nyquist, LW; Tanner Pearson, LW

The Lowdown: The Jets were the NHL’s regular-season champions last year. While they lost a valuable piece in left winger Nikolaj Ehlers, their overall offense might not be worse off.

Why? Because of the signing of veteran Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews.

The 37-year-old hasn’t played since April 2023, and though that time off may work against Toews, having him as its second-line center could prove to be one of the best off-season coups of any team if we see some vintage Toews.

The Jets also have the NHL’s best goalie and most valuable player in Connor Hellebuyck and a stacked lineup in front of him, including Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti. Even summer acquisition Gustav Nyquist is only two seasons removed from a 75-point campaign before recording 28 points last year. If he bounces back somewhat, he could be a great secondary scorer.

Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff still has $3.9 million in salary cap space. Even if he doesn’t make any other additions, he’s constructed and maintained one of the NHL’s most dangerous squads. They’ll begin the season as Canada’s biggest Stanley Cup threat.

2. Edmonton Oilers

Major additions: Andrew Mangiapane, LW; Isaac Howard, LW

The Lowdown: The Oilers won the Western Conference for the second straight playoffs, but they also lost the Cup final to the Florida Panthers each time.

Change was inevitable for Edmonton, and it was most noticeable in the Oilers’ group of forwards.

Gone are veteran wingers Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, Corey Perry, Connor Brown and Jeff Skinner. In their place are wingers Andrew Mangiapane, Isaac Howard, David Tomasek and center option Curtis Lazar. Matt Savoie could also graduate to the NHL.

So while Edmonton has taken a step back overall in terms of experience, Mangiapane provides steady two-way play, and Howard and Savoie could even give the Oilers more skill in the bottom six. Tomasek, who led the Swedish League in points last year, can demonstrate versatility, whether it’s providing depth scoring or using his size to defend.

That said, the Oilers are Canada’s second-highest-rated team on this list because they have two of the top five players on the planet in centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and their defense corps is as strong as it has been in recent memory.

Ultimately, Edmonton’s goaltending is inferior to Winnipeg’s, which is why we put the Jets ahead of the Oilers here. But in the NHL’s weakest division, the Pacific Division, Edmonton should feast on its opponents and easily secure home-ice advantage by season’s end. After that, it’s up to their veterans to make the final competitive step.

As the year begins, the Oilers have an embarrassment of riches, and they deserve to be near the top of any list of Canadian teams.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

Major additions: Nicolas Roy, C; Matias Maccelli, RW; Dakota Joshua, LW

The Lowdown: The Maple Leafs suffered arguably the biggest roster hit of any NHL team with the departure of superstar Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights.

While there are some Chicken Littles out there moaning about the sky falling on Toronto, the truth is the Leafs finished first in the hyper-competitive Atlantic Division last season. The changes they have made – bringing in rugged winger Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks, playmaking right winger Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth and acquiring two-way center Nicolas Roy from Vegas – are almost assuredly going to keep the Leafs in the hunt for top spot in the division.

The other areas of the Leafs’ roster haven’t changed, most notably, in terms of their deep defense corps and the excellent goaltending tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. So while Toronto may not make as many highlight reels without Marner, this remains a well-above-average group that can do some damage in the regular season and potentially beyond.

4. Vancouver Canucks

Major additions: Evander Kane, LW; Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D; Adam Foote, coach

The Lowdown: Putting the Canucks ahead of two teams that made the playoffs last season isn’t so much a comment on the changes Vancouver has made this summer as much as it is about GM Patrik Allvin re-signing star right winger Brock Boeser to a contract extension.

Adding edgy left winger Kane from the Oilers will help make Vancouver a tougher team. But if they stay healthy, we’re betting the Canucks will get bounce-back seasons from key veterans, including star center Elias Pettersson and goalie Thatcher Demko.

There’s more than enough depth and skill on the Canucks for Vancouver to challenge not only for a playoff spot in 2025-26 but to also battle for home-ice advantage.  

5. Ottawa Senators

Major additions: Jordan Spence, D; Lars Eller, C

The Lowdown: The Senators had a breakthrough last season, finishing fourth in the Atlantic and getting into the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

While their first-round exit at the hands of the arch-rival Maple Leafs was a measurement of how far this Sens team still has to go before they can be considered a front-runner to win the Cup, Ottawa’s core of young players is only getting better. That should keep a playoff berth well within reach in 2025-26.

Ottawa’s additions have changed the periphery of their lineup, but the Senators have the foundation to be a playoff team once again and improve their play once they get there. And although they’re not yet on a level with the Jets, Oilers and Leafs, they’re not that far off from that level, either. 

6. Montreal Canadiens

Major additions: Noah Dobson, D; Zack Bolduc, LW; Joe Veleno, C; Sammy Blais, LW

The Lowdown: The Canadiens were ranked No. 1 in THN.com’s Summer Splash rankings of every team’s off-season because they added a No. 1 defenseman in former New York Islanders blueliner Noah Dobson, as well as dynamic young winger Bolduc in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. They didn’t have to create roster holes to bring in either of the two.

The Habs unexpectedly made the playoffs last year, but expectations have now increased for them. It won’t be easy to get back into the playoffs this coming year, but Montreal’s competitive bar has been raised, and their fan base should expect to see them get to the next step in their competitive trajectory.

7. Calgary Flames

Major additions: none

The Lowdown: In the eyes of more than a few observers, the Flames overachieved last season – and even then, they failed to make the playoffs. That may be the same fate for them in 2025-26, especially given that Flames GM Craig Conroy made no changes of consequence this summer.

This isn’t to say that Calgary doesn’t have important building blocks for the long-term. Certainly, goalie Dustin Wolf is a star on the rise, and proud veterans, including center Nazem Kadri and left winger Jonathan Huberdeau, will exhibit a professionalism that will serve their youngsters well. But the Flames are very much a work in progress. Until they demonstrate they should be higher on this list, Calgary will be the Canadian team with the furthest to go to be a true Cup threat.

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