Carolina Hurricanes Take No. 1 Spot in Preseason NHL Power Rankings

SEO Title: Hurricanes Open as No. 1 in Preseason NHL Power Ranking

SEO Description: Carolina begins as the top-ranked club after its Stanley Cup run, while training-camp questions stretch from Seth Jarvis’ recovery to goaltending battles, new coaches and remade blue lines.

Carolina has carried the Stanley Cup momentum into the preseason rankings, opening at No. 1 with 234 points and 11 first-place votes. The Hurricanes sit ahead of Colorado, Dallas and Florida as camps turn from summer celebration to the harder work of setting lines, sorting depth charts and getting healthy for opening night.

Hurricanes set the preseason pace

The Hurricanes finished last season 53-22-7 and begin this one as the team to beat. Their immediate camp checklist is not short: forward Seth Jarvis is recovering from shoulder surgery and will miss at least the start of the season, restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned, and Carolina has been linked to trade discussions involving Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

A shorter camp and reduced preseason schedule could help the champions avoid spending too long thinking about a Cup hangover. But the defending champs will need to reset quickly if they are going to make a serious repeat push.

Colorado, coming off a 55-16-11 season and a Presidents’ Trophy, was second with 225 points. Two voters placed the Avalanche first, while Montreal and Florida received one top vote apiece. For Colorado, the key question is mental rather than tactical: whether the club has fully moved past a Western Conference Final loss shaped by injuries and a surging Vegas Golden Knights team. Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon still headline a roster built for another long spring.

Preseason Super 16

Pittsburgh received 17 points, followed by Toronto with nine, Ottawa with eight, New Jersey with seven and the New York Islanders with one.

Camp notebook: the biggest questions around the league

1. Dallas Stars: Tyler Seguin’s right-knee recovery will be watched closely. The 34-year-old tore his ACL on Dec. 2, 2025, underwent surgery two weeks later and disclosed a June setback on Sept. 8. He is skating, but may not be ready when the season begins. A healthy Seguin remains a productive piece for a Stars club that finished third in the ranking.

2. Florida Panthers: The Panthers need to fold Brady Tkachuk, Garnet Hathaway, Radko Gudas and goalie Jacob Markstrom into a group with championship expectations. Camp will reveal how the new faces fit on the forward lines, which young players can take larger roles and whether the blue line can preserve Florida’s aggressive possession game.

3. Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Craig takes over behind the bench after Vegas lost leading scorer Pavel Dorofeyev. The Golden Knights must replace that offense while Craig establishes his systems and manages the Carter Hart-Adin Hill tandem.

4. Montreal Canadiens: Management has already made a move for veteran winger Chris Kreider, but the second-line center spot remains the glaring issue. Oliver Kapanen impressed last season before fading late in the regular season and playoffs. The Finn may still get another shot because Montreal has few obvious alternatives.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman is back after a personal leave connected to his mental health kept him out of the end of last season and the playoffs, when Tampa Bay exited in the first round. John Carlson arrives to replace Darren Raddysh, who posted 70 points in 73 games and is now with Toronto. The power-play deployment bears watching: Raddysh scored 10 of his 22 goals with the man advantage, and coach Jon Cooper must decide whether Hedman and Carlson share one unit or drive separate groups alongside Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov.

6. Minnesota Wild: Jesper Wallstedt has a real opening to seize the starter’s net while Filip Gustavsson recovers from hip surgery and is expected to miss the beginning of the regular season. Minnesota’s tandem posted a 2.81 goals-against average, fourth-best in the NHL, and a .903 save percentage, third-best, last season. Gustavsson’s difficult finish included four or more goals allowed in five of his last six starts, plus four goals on 22 shots in his only postseason appearance, a 5-2 loss to Colorado in Game 2 of the second round. Wallstedt, the No. 20 selection in the 2021 draft, enters his age-24 season with a chance to help Minnesota chase its first conference-final berth since 2003.

7. Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo made the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2011, but it must replace the 108 combined points lost with Bowen Byram, now in Chicago, and Alex Tuch, now in Washington. Defenseman Olen Zellweger, acquired after recording 22 points for Anaheim, could provide more offense. Center Noah Ostlund, 22, posted 27 points in 60 games and has signed an eight-year, $52.8 million contract. The Sabres need him to keep climbing.

8. Washington Capitals: Coach Spencer Carbery has a packed integration job with Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner and defenseman Vincent Desharnais joining the roster. Tuch, Kyrou and returning winger Ryan Leonard usually play the right side, so one will be moved left for balance. Veteran players with at least 100 NHL games can play only two preseason contests, limiting the time available to test combinations in games.

9. Edmonton Oilers: Mike Babcock returns to an NHL bench for the first time since 2019-20. His largest early choice is how to deploy Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl: together on one devastating unit or centering separate lines. McDavid has said he wants greater stability in the combinations so each line has the chance to build chemistry.

10. Utah Mammoth: Utah reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and added forwards Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck, strengthening an attack that should already be in good shape. The more pressing concern is defense after Sean Durzi and Ian Cole departed. Dmitri Simashev may be asked for more after logging one assist and 15:06 of ice time across 28 NHL games last season. Sebastian Cossa, acquired in a trade and signed for two years, is expected to back up in net despite having only one NHL game on his résumé, from 2024-25.

11. Philadelphia Flyers: Matvei Michkov led all NHL rookies with 26 goals in 2024-25, then fell to 20 last season amid inconsistent play, conditioning questions and scrutiny of his relationship with coach Rick Tocchet. Michkov said he took offseason preparation more seriously this summer. Philadelphia needs a return closer to his rookie scoring level to get back into the playoff field.

12. Anaheim Ducks: Anaheim snapped a seven-season playoff drought by improving offensively from the bottom three in goals to 13th last season. Now the Ducks need the defensive half of that step forward after allowing the NHL’s fourth-highest goal total. Radko Gudas, John Carlson and Olen Zellweger were traded, while Jacob Trouba left in free agency. Jackson LaCombe, Drew Helleson and Pavel Mintyukov return, Nick Jensen has joined the group, and prospects Tristan Luneau, Tyson Hinds and Stian Solberg will battle for jobs. Luneau appears best positioned for a full-time role.

13. Boston Bruins: JJ Peterka is the new name to circle. Boston acquired him from Utah for two first-round picks at the 2026 draft after a down season with the Mammoth. He could open beside David Pastrnak on the top line, a pairing that would give the Bruins a needed offensive lift as they pursue a second straight playoff berth.

14. San Jose Sharks: The Sharks improved by 34 points last season but still allowed 3.54 goals per game, 30th in the League. Their blue-line overhaul brings Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse, physical veterans with 185 combined playoff games. Macklin Celebrini and San Jose’s young scorers can provide the flash; Trouba and Nurse were brought in to make the club tougher to play against and finally end a seven-year playoff drought.

How the ranking was built

Fifteen ballots produced the Super 16. A first-place selection was worth 16 points, second place was worth 15, and the scale continued down through the 16th slot. Carolina drew the clear majority of top selections, but Colorado’s strong support and first-place votes for Montreal and Florida show how little room there is for a slow start once the puck drops.