ClutchPoints’ NHL Power Rankings, Week 10: Hughes Bowl means more in 2025-26

It’s not very often a franchise-altering player gets traded in the middle of a National Hockey League season — that is, it wasn’t very often until Mikko Rantanen was shockingly sent from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes in January of 2025. That was a bit of an outlier, until he was moved again, this time to the Dallas Stars, less than two months later.

Could a similar situation be brewing in 2025-26? As the Vancouver Canucks continue to spiral out of playoff contention, the Quinn Hughes rumors have taken on a life of their own — and brothers Jack and Luke have made it very clear they’d love to get one of the league’s best defensemen added to a formidable New Jersey Devils roster. Hughes still has another season remaining on his contract after this year, but if things don’t change quickly in British Columbia, it’s hard to see him wanting to sign a long-term deal with the franchise.

For that reason, the first Hughes Bowl of this campaign just seems to mean a little bit more heading into Week 10. No, Jack Hughes will not be playing when the Canucks visit the Devils for a Sunday matinee clash at the Prudential Center, as he continues to recover from hand surgery. But it will be an intriguing hockey game nonetheless, with multiple reports already confirming that New Jersey has touched base regarding the availability of the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner. And they aren’t the only ones.

If a blockbuster trade occurs that sends Hughes out of Vancouver — whether to Newark or elsewhere — it would send shockwaves throughout the league, just as the Rantanen saga did. But nothing seems imminent as of right now. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on as December rolls along.

The holiday season is now well underway, and it goes without saying that the movement in ClutchPoints’ latest NHL Power Rankings is significant after a packed seven days. There may not be a new No. 1 in Week 10, but there certainly is a new No. 32 — and a ton of change in between. Let’s discuss.

Previous 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings: Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1

1. Colorado Avalanche (no change)

The Avalanche’s quest for regular-season immortality went off mostly without a hitch in Week 9, the only snag being the team’s second regulation loss of the 2025-26 campaign. Considering that took 25 games — and it was a 3-0 showing otherwise — Colorado remains entrenched as the NHL’s best team over a week into December. Jared Bednar’s troops played back-to-back matinees over the weekend, and if you haven’t seen Nathan MacKinnon (the sport’s best player right now) score an absurd overtime winner against the Rangers at MSG on Saturday, here’s your cue. That sealed a 3-2 win, which was the same final score against the Flyers in Philly 24 hours later. It’s now 22 victories in 28 games, and Valeri Nichushkin is back in the lineup, making things even scarier. It’s a battle of first vs. worst on Tuesday, as the Avalanche travel southeast to play the Predators in Smashville.

2. Dallas Stars (+1)

The Stars deserve a ton of credit; they’re skating stride-for-stride with the Avalanche through 30 games, a task that has been impossible for every other team. Dallas has won eight of 10 games, not lost in regulation since mid November, and improved to just three points back of their main Central Division rivals. The squad will have to deal with another brutal absence, as Tyler Seguin suffered a significant ACL injury that will cost him the rest of the season. That’s hugely disappointing for a player who continues to make an impact at both ends of the rink, and for a team that just lost one of its more important players long-term for the second straight regular-season. Despite that, the Stars just keep on winning, and they should have Thomas Harley and Matt Duchene back in the lineup before the New Year. Replacing Seguin will be tough, but this roster has the talent to stick at the top of the Western Conference without him.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (-1)

After climbing to the top of the Atlantic, the Lightning stumbled last week, losing three straight games in regulation — two to the Islanders and one to the Penguins. Tampa Bay remains at the top of the division, but the hold is precarious, with the Bruins tied and the Canadiens and Red Wings each just a point back. It’s crowded, like most of the Eastern Conference, and things won’t get any easier during a four-game road trip that begins in Toronto on Monday and continues in Montreal, New Jersey and Long Island before the week is out. Victor Hedman is back in the fold, which is excellent, but Andrei Vasilevskiy was placed on IR, which is the opposite. It’ll be up to Jonas Johansson and Brandon Halverson to help right the ship in the interim.

4. Washington Capitals (+5)

The Capitals just continue to win prolifically, and it was difficult to not place them in the top-three of the NHL Power Rankings in Week 10 — a place they’re well-deserving of. Washington has surged to the top of the Metropolitan Division with a sparkling 18-9-3 record after winning 10 of 12 games dating back to November 17. It’s an incredible heater for Alex Ovechkin and company, and he’s up to 911 career goals. With Charlie Lindgren on the shelf, Logan Thompson has been getting the lion’s share of starts, and he continues to prove why he’s one of the best goalies in the NHL. Fresh off a 2-0 shutout win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday evening, he’ll be back in between the pipes against the Hurricanes on Thursday following a three-day break.

5. Carolina Hurricanes (-1)

Speaking of the Hurricanes, Carolina is right there with Washington, currently three points back for the division lead with two games in hand. That’s despite a down stretch that’s seen the team hover around the .500 mark over the last month or so. Frederik Andersen continues to struggle, but Pyotr Kochetkov being back is key, although he struggled in his return from injury. The Canes lost 4-1 to the Sharks on Sunday, just a day after they doubled up the Predators 6-3. Now 17-9-2, they’ll look to start stringing a couple of wins together — as they did earlier in the season — beginning on Tuesday night against the Blue Jackets.

6. Anaheim Ducks (+1)

With both Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek on the shelf, Ville Husso has done a more than admirable job in the Ducks’ crease over the last week and a half. He has started six straight games and won four of them, which is quite impressive considering he probably wasn’t sure if he would get the call up from American Hockey League San Diego at all this season. His run as the starter shouldn’t last long, but he’s done a great job, and Anaheim is back in charge of the Pacific Division at 18-10-1. Sunday night was especially encouraging, as the Ducks hammered the slumping Blackhawks 7-1 to end the week strong.

7. Vegas Golden Knights (+1)

Carter Hart is officially back in the National Hockey League, and he showed solid form in his first two games for the Golden Knights. The 27-year-old made 27 saves in Tuesday’s shootout win over the Hawks, and 21 more in a 3-2 OT victory over the Rangers on Sunday. Akira Schmid shut out the Devils in between — his former team — and the two figure to split starts in the continued absence of Adin Hill. The rotation is working, for now at least, as Vegas has won four straight games to improve to 14-6-8. After winning the first two games of the road trip, they’ll continue the Eastern swing against the Islanders, Flyers and Blue Jackets, and expect Hart to get the nod against his former Philadelphia team on Thursday.

8. Minnesota Wild (-3)

The Wall of Saint Paul finally showed some cracks last week, as Jesper Wallstedt allowed four goals on 20 shots in a 4-2 loss to the lowly Canucks on Saturday. Considering it came four nights after a huge shutout over the Oilers, we aren’t at all worried about the young netminder. But Minnesota losing two games in a row and three of four is a bit more concerning, although it came on the heels of seven straight wins. It looks like Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson will split starts for the foreseeable future, and the pair of Swedes together form one of the NHL’s best tandems. A four-game road trip reaches its conclusion on Monday night, with the Wild playing the Kraken in Seattle before returning to the State of Hockey.

9. Florida Panthers (+1)

The Panthers badly needed a couple of Stanley Cup Playoff heroes to step up in the regular season, and finally, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe have arrived on the scene. The two have combined for 11 points in eight total games, helping Florida secure a back-to-back set over the Blue Jackets and Islanders on the weekend. Of course, Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart continue to lead the charge, and all of those skaters playing at the top of their game is key right now. Saturday’s game was wacky, with the Cats beating the Jackets 7-6 in OT. It’s still been a disappointing start to the year at 14-12-2, but considering the injury troubles, it could be worse. And they’re still just four points out of the division lead.

10. Montreal Canadiens (+1)

The Canadiens have begun to come out of their first real slump of the season, following up seven losses in eight games by winning five times in eight tries between November 22 – December 7. That has Montreal back on track in the Atlantic, and just a point out of the division lead. A 4-3 loss to the Blues at home on Sunday was disappointing, but it came on the heels of back-to-back wins over a couple of north of the border brethren in the Jets and Leafs. The Habs will play in the Heritage Classic in 2026 in Winnipeg against those same Jets, on October 25, 2026 at Princess Auto Stadium. That should be a spirited tilt, but Marty St. Louis’ team is focused on the present, and continuing to hold onto a playoff spot over a tough four-game week.

11. New Jersey Devils (-5)

The Devils have been struggling mightily without Jack Hughes, and the lack of goal scoring is a direct result of not having the superstar in the lineup. New Jersey has lost five straight games, all in regulation, and only scored seven times in that span. They were also shut out twice. Yikes. It’s the worst stretch of the season for Sheldon Keefe’s team — by far — who haven’t been able to buy a win since the calendar flipped to December. Things don’t get any easier against a couple of difficult opponents in Week 10, that being the Senators, Lightning and Ducks being followed by the first Hughes Bowl of the season on Sunday. The Devils took a hit in the NHL Power Rankings in this edition, and if they can’t right the ship, they’ll sink even further next Monday.

12. Boston Bruins (+3)

Huge credit to the Bruins, who have continued to hang around at the top of the Atlantic despite missing superstar David Pastrnak for the last five games. Boston won three of those tilts, improving to 17-13-0 and right at the precipice of the division lead. Jeremy Swayman looks back to form, while Morgan Geekie continues to score prolifically; he’s still second in the league with 22 in just 30 games. This roster has a chance to hang around a playoff spot all year, and that will be especially true if Pastrnak produces like his usual self when he returns. He has a chance to play on the B’s current road trip, which begins in St. Louis on Tuesday before making stops in Winnipeg on Thursday and Minnesota on Sunday.

13. Edmonton Oilers (+3)

The Oilers are just too talented of a team offensively to be getting shut out, but that’s exactly what happened against Wallstedt and the Wild on Tuesday. It was clear that was unacceptable for Connor McDavid and co; Edmonton proceeded to beat Seattle 9-4 and Winnipeg 6-2, proving they can indeed score goals. Make that four wins in six tries for the Oil, who are starting to come around after another difficult start to another regular-season. The highlight for the club this week is a visit to a couple of hockey-crazed markets. After playing the Sabres and Red Wings at home, they’ll head to Toronto to play the Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday before visiting the Bell Centre and Habs on Sunday. Despite the overall struggles, they’re still just six points back of the division lead.

14. Detroit Red Wings (-2)

Some weeks, the John Gibson-Cam Talbot tandem works. But most weeks it really doesn’t, and it’s been brutal in December. It’s holding the Red Wings back, who have lost five of their last seven games, while allowing 30 goals in that stretch. That’s not a recipe for any kind of success for this Detroit team, which is just desperate to get back to the dance next April. They at least ended the week strong, beating the Kraken 4-3 on the road, a place where they’re going to get familiar. They’ll play four more away from Motown — in Vancouver, Calgary Edmonton and Chicago, in that order — before returning to Little Caesars Arena early next week. They’re still in solid shape at 15-11-3, but as we’ve learned, things can change quickly in the Eastern Conference.

15. Philadelphia Flyers (+2)

The Flyers are continuing to impress in 2025-26, and they’re looking similar to the iteration of the team that hung around a playoff spot right until the bitter end in 2023-24. Philly has won six of nine games, and the most recent, a 3-2 loss to the Avalanche, saw them play a hard game against the best team from start to finish. At 15-9-3, they’ve officially put the league on notice, and they’re getting some respect in the NHL Power Rankings. What an addition Trevor Zegras has been; he leads the team with 26 points in 27 games. Highlighting Week 10 is Carter Hart’s return to the City of Brotherly Love, and how he will be received by the crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday is anyone’s guess.

16. New York Islanders (+2)

The Islanders are trying to adjust to life without heart and soul veteran Kyle Palmieri, and so far, so good. New York has won three of four games, and the three victories were Ilya Sorokin masterclasses. The Russian netminder allowed just one goal over two wins against Tampa Bay, and maybe even more impressively, he allowed just three goals to high-flying Colorado in a 6-3 victory. The Isles are just the second team to beat the Avs in regulation this year, and that is hugely impressive. In the one game that Sorokin sat on the bench, they lost 4-1 to the Panthers in Florida with David Rittich between the pipes. It goes without saying that Patrick Roy will ride Sorokin as much as he can as the campaign goes on, and he’ll be back between the pipes when the surging Golden Knights come to Long Island on Tuesday night — the first of a three-game homestand.

17. Ottawa Senators (-4)

The hope was that the Senators would be better once Brady Tkachuk returned to the lineup, but unfortunately, the team has been mired in a slump since the captain returned. Ottawa has lost four of five games, all in regulation, dropping them to second last in the Atlantic. Of course, they’re just four points out of the division lead, but that looks very far away right now. The Linus Ullmark-Leevi Merilainen tandem has struggled, while the offense has completely dried up, to the tune of just 12 goals scored in five games. There’s a ton of talent on this roster to right the ship, but it’s still been the worst stretch of hockey in Canada’s capital this season.

18. Winnipeg Jets (-4)

All of the people who voted for Connor Hellebuyck to win the Hart Trophy last season are being proven right in real time. The Jets are just not a playoff team without the superstar netminder, and it’s showing in his absence. Winnipeg has lost seven of nine games, in the process dropping out of a playoff spot entirely. Considering they are the reigning President’s Trophy winners, the alarm bells are sounding in Manitoba. There’s just not enough depth scoring, and not good enough goaltending from Eric Comrie, who has lost six of his last nine starts. On a happier note, Nino Niederreiter will play his 1,000th NHL game against the Capitals on Saturday night. The fifth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft has seven 20-goal seasons to his name and has been a reliable middle-six forward for five different franchises over the last decade and a half. Another silver lining to the brutal stretch is that the Jets will host the Heritage Classic next October, although no one around the organization cares too much about that right now.

19. New York Rangers (+2)

With Vasilevskiy and Hellebuyck both on the shelf, Igor Shesterkin might have reclaimed the title as the best goaltender in the National Hockey League. He has won five of his last seven starts, with one of them being a tough overtime loss to the Avalanche in a game that could have went either way. The Rangers have won five of eight and picked up a point in seven of them, culminating in one of their best stretches of the season. This is especially encouraging considering Adam Fox remains on LTIR, and the defense doesn’t look at all the same without him. Vladislav Gavrikov is proving his mettle in the Big Apple after signing as a free agent, while the offense is humming along — kind of like the glory days a couple of seasons ago.

20. Pittsburgh Penguins (+2)

Despite being without Evgeni Malkin for Sunday night’s tilt against the Stars, the Penguins were able to take Dallas to a shootout, and looked just as good as their cross conference foes all night. It’s a trend that Pittsburgh has been able to hang around with even the league’s elite, and they’re on a solid run right now after a tough start to November. The Pens have won four of seven but picked up a point in six of them, improving to 14-7-6. That’s a successful start to the year no matter how you slice it, and Tristan Jarry has regained his reputation as an above-average starting netminder — at least for now. Back at the top of the wildcard race in the Eastern Conference, the front office probably couldn’t have asked for better in the second week of December.

21. Los Angeles Kings (-1)

The Kings have forgotten how to score goals in 2025-26. After sitting in the upper echelon of the National Hockey League with an average of 3.04 goals per game last season, it’s been a much more sobering narrative this time around. Through 28 games, LA is producing just 2.68 goals per game, which is good for 27th league-wide. And they just have way too many passengers. Anze Kopitar (14 points in 23 games) is scoring at one of his worst career paces in his last season, while Alex Laferriere (12 points), Trevor Moore (12 points), Joel Armia (11 points), Andrei Kuzmenko (eight points) and Phil Danault (five points) all need to be much, much better. It’s not surprising that there have been reports the Kings are looking to add scoring ahead of the deadline, which is becoming an issue of utmost concern. With six losses in nine games, LA is holding onto the third seed in the Pacific for dear life.

22. Seattle Kraken (-3)

After winning four of five games from early to late November, and vaulting up the Western Conference in the process, it’s come crashing down for the Kraken over the last two weeks. Seattle has lost five games in a row, four of them in regulation, and fallen completely out of a playoff spot in the process. Joey Daccord has started all of those losses and left something to be desired, but what can he do when the offense has only produced nine goals in that span? The issues are all over the place in the Emerald City as of late, and the Kraken are in danger of a free fall in the NHL Power Rankings if they can’t get back in the win column this week.

23. San Jose Sharks (no change)

It’s been a challenging couple of weeks for the Sharks, who are standing pat in the NHL Power Rankings after playing close to .500 hockey since the middle of November. That being said, San Jose is 14-13-3, and just being above .500 at all is a win at this point. Let’s not forget that the 2024-25 Sharks only won 20 total games. This is a much better team, and it’s only going to get better as Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith continue to steer them out of the rebuild. But the growing pains are still there, and for every couple of great starts Yaroslav Askarov puts together, he has one he’d like to forget. Still, through 30 games, SJ is right in the thick of the playoff race in the West, and they can’t be at all disappointed with that.

24. Utah Mammoth (+1)

After a brutal stretch of eight losses in 10 games, that saw the wheels fall off yet further for the Mammoth, they finally turned in a good week. Utah has gone 2-2 since last Monday, losing to the Sharks and Flames while beating the Ducks and Canucks. When the offense is humming, it can really score, as evidenced by a 7-0 shellacking of Anaheim, who is tops in the Pacific. But just as this team is capable of scoring seven in a game, the offense can dry up just as fast — see a 1-0 shutout loss vs. St. Louis on November 29 or a 2-0 defeat against Calgary on Saturday. There are reports that making the playoffs is not optional for the the Mammoth in 2025-26, so although they probably shouldn’t be top buyers ahead of the trade deadline, the front office could be looking to make a splash or two between now and March 6.

25. Calgary Flames (+3)

After starting the season horribly — and spending some time in the NHL Power Rankings basement because of it — the Flames are slowly but surely turning things around. Calgary has picked up a point in seven of nine games, and won six of them, getting out of the Pacific Division basement in the process. After a couple of strong Devin Cooley starts, he’s again taken a back seat to Dustin Wolf, who has been terrific lately. The Calder Trophy finalist allowed just two goals in victories over the Wild (4-1) and Mammoth (2-0) to end the week, firmly entrenching him back as the starter in Alberta. If these kind of results keep up, it’ll interesting to see if the Flames’ front office decides to hold off on selling, at least for now.

26. Toronto Maple Leafs (+3)

Like the Flames, the Maple Leafs are starting to turn their season around. Toronto has won four of six, and were almost able to steal one at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Down 1-0 to the Habs and with only 10 shots through two periods, Scott Laughton tied things up on a shorthanded breakaway to get the game past regulation. Although the Leafs would lose in a shootout, they’ve picked up a point in each of their last four games. And considering both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are now on the shelf, that’s a huge win. Dennis Hildeby is ready to roll with the starting job for the short-term, and he’ll be between the pipes for an all-Atlantic Division clash with the Lightning on Monday night.

27. Chicago Blackhawks (-3)

The slump continues for the Blackhawks, who have been one of the league’s worst teams in December. In fact, Chicago has only won twice since November 20, which has almost completely erased a hugely encouraging start to the year. Not even Connor Bedard’s breakout can keep this team afloat right now; the Hawks are porous defensively, as evidenced by a 6-0 loss to the Kings and 7-1 beatdown at the hands of the Ducks over the weekend. After losing three of four on the road trip, the Hawks will return to the United Center for a home tilt with the Rangers on Wednesday, before heading back out on the road for four of their next five. The scheduling hasn’t been kind to this club, but still, they need to find a way out of the funk — and fast.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets (-1)

The Blue Jackets going past regulation just seems like an inevitability these days, and it happened again — twice — last week. Columbus beat Detroit 6-5 in a shootout before losing 7-6 to the Panthers in overtime. You can’t say this team isn’t playing an exciting, firewagon brand of hockey as of late, but it’s not leading to many victories. The Jackets have lost six of eight and fallen to dead last in the Metropolitan Division, which isn’t insurmountable as they’re just seven back of the first-place Capitals. Still, they need to find a way to win more games that go past 60 minutes if they want to keep the playoff hopes alive.

29. St. Louis Blues (+1)

It seems like every time Joel Hofer is between the pipes, the Blues have a chance to win. And when it’s Jordan Binnington starting, St. Louis can’t buy a victory. The easy solution seems to be to give the former more starts, but that probably won’t go over well with the latter, who is one of hockey’s bigger personalities. Either way, the Blues have won two in a row and four of six, with each netminder helping capture two W’s. The difference is, Hofer gave up two goals in his two victories, while Binnington allowed six. It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Jim Montgomery decides to split the playing time as the season goes on, but it’s not a question that Hofer is the better goalie right now.

30. Buffalo Sabres (-4)

Even with Josh Norris and Zach Benson back in the lineup, the discouraging results continue for the Sabres, who have lost four of six. They embarked on a lengthy road trip last week and were run out of the building in the first two, losing 5-2 to the Flyers on Wednesday and 4-1 to the Jets on Friday. That’s a brutal start, and it won’t get much easier over a difficult four-game stretch that will take Buffalo through Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Seattle in Week 10. Tage Thompson, who has one point in his last six games, needs to be much, much better. Not only to help his team get out of this rut, but to earn him a spot on Team USA at the Olympics, which right now is not at all guaranteed.

31. Nashville Predators (+1)

It’s a miracle, but the Predators are out of the NHL Power Rankings basement. Nashville has actually been decent as of late, winning four of six games, including a 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions. It’s the Preds’ best stretch of the season by far, and although the week ended with a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes, there is at least a little bit of hope right now. Juuse Saros is still a great goalie, and when he’s on his game, he gives this team a chance to be competitive every night. Meanwhile, Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly have looked great offensively as of late, as has Luke Evangelista, who has 19 points in 27 games. It could be a mirage, or it could be a little bit of a run in Smashville. Stay tuned.

32. Vancouver Canucks (-1)

For the first time in the history of ClutchPoints’ NHL Power Rankings, the Canucks are pulling up the rear in Week 10. It’s somewhat hard to believe considering a very similar core marched all the way to Game 7 of the second round two seasons ago. This time around, it’s a nightmare for Vancouver; they’ve lost 10 of 13 games, and not even a 4-2 victory over the Wild to end the week is enough to get them out of the basement. Things will get even worse if Quinn Hughes is traded, but right now, he’s just trying to focus on hockey. And his teammates are just trying to get back on even footing and string a couple of wins together, something that hasn’t happened at all in 2025-26. Getting Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko back should help this roster at least get out of last, but right now, this is where we’re at.

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