NHL Power Rankings: Winnipeg Jets enter 2026 with a whimper amid miserable streak
The Jets are ending the year on a low note and fading fast from playoff contention
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1 min read
The final day of 2025 is here, and no NHL team is happier to turn the page to 2026 than the Winnipeg Jets. They are in the midst of a miserable slide, and their playoff chances took a major blow.
The Jets were 12-7-0 back on Nov. 18 and just three points behind the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central Division. Unfortunately for them, that start was a house of cards that since collapsed.
In December, the Jets are 2-7-4, which is the second-worst record over that span. Their 45.8% expected goals share at five-on-five in those 13 games ranks 27th. According to MoneyPuck, the Jets' playoff chances have tumbled to 23.1%. Winnipeg is reeling, and it needs to find answers very quickly in 2026.
The Jets are a mess defensively, their offense is top heavy and Connor Hellebuyck hasn't been able to bail them out since returning from injury. Despite all those negatives, even Winnipeg has something to look forward to as the calendar flips to a fresh year.
Here are the updated NHL Power Rankings with one thing each team can look forward to in 2026:
All expected goals and goals saved above average data via Natural Stat Trick.
Biggest Movers
6
Lightning
5
Mammoth
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Stanley Cup Playoffs | At some point, steamrolling teams in the regular season has to get boring. The Avalanche are looking for a real challenge, and they'll get one in April (OK, maybe not until May). | -- | 30-2-7 |
| 2 |  | More Quinn Hughes | Hughes has only played eight games with the Wild, but he already looks like an incredible fit. Now imagine what he'll look like as he gets more comfortable with his new Minnesota digs. | 1 | 25-10-7 |
| 3 |  | Western Conference final | The fourth time has to be the charm, right? The Stars have lost in the conference finals in each of the last three seasons, and they seem poised for another visit in 2026. Can they finally break through and reach the Stanley Cup Final? | 1 | 25-9-7 |
| 4 |  | Battle of Florida | In each of the last two postseasons, Tampa has lost to the rival Panthers in the first round, going down in five games each time. It's starting to look like we'll get another rematch this season, and the Bolts have to be craving revenge. | 6 | 25-13-3 |
| 5 |  | Deep playoff run | Despite the team's consistent regular season success, Carolina has one win beyond the second round since it won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Can the Canes buck that trend in 2026? | 2 | 24-13-3 |
| 6 |  | Realization | The YzerPlan has experienced many ups and downs, but it seems like things are finally coming together. Detroit is roaring to its first playoff berth since 2016, and the young cornerstone players are hitting their stride. | 2 | 24-15-4 |
| 7 |  | Major swing | If there's one thing we know about the Golden Knights, it's that they won't sit on their hands with a shot to win the Stanley Cup. The Pacific is wide open, and Vegas could use one more piece to complete its puzzle. | 2 | 17-11-11 |
| 8 |  | Three-peat | What's better than back-to-back Stanley Cup victories? Back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup victories, something that hasn't been done since the Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83. | 2 | 21-16-3 |
| 9 |  | Stanley Cup | Edmonton has come tantalizingly close to hockey's ultimate prize in each of the last two seasons. They've fallen a combined three wins short of a Cup, and while this is a very flawed team, Connor McDavid is capable of carrying this group to the promised land. | 1 | 20-16-6 |
| 10 |  | Calder Trophy | With all due respect to Jesper Wallstedt, Matthew Schaefer is the clear favorite to win the Calder Trophy in 2026. That will be the sixth win in franchise history and the first since Mat Barzal won in 2018. | 1 | 22-15-4 |
| 11 |  | Meaningful hockey | Buffalo has now rattled off nine straight wins. Even with this run, the Sabres still sit outside the playoffs, but they are tied with the Panthers. Regardless, this means fans will get to watch meaningful hockey in March and April. | 5 | 21-15-4 |
| 12 |  | Spending spree | An up-and-coming team with more than $40 million to spend is an exciting combination. If ownership wants to invest in this group -- and it should -- the Ducks could have big things in store for the next few years. | 3 | 21-17-3 |
| 13 |  | Second-round playoff hockey | The Canadiens have their fair share of issues, don't get me wrong, but have you seen the Atlantic Division? Montreal is more than capable of winning a round against most of those teams. | 1 | 22-13-6 |
| 14 |  | Batherson's career year | Drake Batherson has developed into a productive player for Ottawa, but he's been scoring on another level in 2025-26. He's on pace to be a point-per-game player, and that would make the Sens a much more formidable opponent in the postseason. | 1 | 19-15-5 |
| 15 |  | Metro madness | The Flyers haven't been playing their best hockey of late, but the wild nature of the Metro Division means they're still in third place. If that continues, Philadelphia should be in the midst of an intense playoff race. | -- | 21-12-7 |
| 16 |  | Ryan Leonard | Washington is a team that's driven primarily by veterans, but there is one notable young player. Leonard is in his rookie season, and he has 20 points in 32 games. The No. 8 overall pick in 2023, Leonard has shown flashes of a potential star. | 4 | 21-15-5 |
| 17 |  | Trades (hello) | The Devils need reinforcements in the worst way. They've been headed in the wrong direction for a few weeks now, and the pressure is on GM Tom Fitzgerald to make a big move. He needs to inject some fresh talent into this lineup. | 2 | 22-17-2 |
| 18 |  | Send-off | Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. Anze Kopitar is in his final season, and Los Angeles should do everything it can to help a franchise legend make another playoff run. | -- | 16-14-9 |
| 19 |  | 50-goal scorer Morgan Geekie | The haters and losers (me) said he couldn't do it, but he is. Geekie is very much on pace for 50 goals, which would be quite the feat for a player who hadn't scored more than 17 until last season. | 2 | 21-18-2 |
| 20 |  | Goals | The Rangers are averaging 2.5 goals per game, which ranks just ahead of the Kraken for 31st in the NHL. Hey, it can't get much worse in 2026, can it? | 1 | 20-18-5 |
| 21 |  | Excitement | Over the last few seasons, the Sharks have already been looking ahead to the draft lottery by now. This year, the team is led by a few budding stars, and it has at least a glimmer of playoff hope. | 1 | 20-18-3 |
| 22 |  | Blue Jays | OK, this one is a little mean. But the injury bug has bitten Toronto again, and the team has shown zero ability to go on any kind of run. Maybe they make the playoffs, but the Leafs aren't winning anything. | 2 | 19-15-6 |
| 23 |  | Backslide | I'm sure the fans are happy the Flames have been doing a little more winning, but might I suggest slowing down a bit? Calgary doesn't want to do too much damage to its draft lottery chances. | 3 | 18-18-4 |
| 24 |  | Trades (goodbye) | The Predators have worked their way back into the miserable West playoff race, but the shrewd move would be to sell in a seller's market. Nashville could get a nice return for some of its aging veterans. | 1 | 18-18-4 |
| 25 |  | Saves | Utah hasn't gotten great (or even average) goaltending this season, and the team is on the playoff bubble. Karel Vejmelka has shown he can get hot, and the Mammoth need him to do that in 2026. | 5 | 19-20-3 |
| 26 |  | Fantilli catching fire | Going by the traditional numbers, Adam Fantilli has been good -- but not great. The underlying numbers suggest better things are on the way. His five-on-five goal differential is minus-8. His expected goal differential is plus-1. | 1 | 18-16-6 |
| 27 |  | Draft lottery | Pittsburgh has fallen on hard times, and its playoff chances have plummeted. Why not get a decent spot in the draft lottery and go from the Crosby era to the McKenna era? | 2 | 19-12-9 |
| 28 |  | Parity | Only in the NHL can the worst offensive team have a realistic shot at making the playoffs. That illusion of parity the league has created really keeps people tuned in all season long. | 3 | 18-14-7 |
| 29 |  | Angry Binnington | Even though Jordan Binnington was selected to Team Canada for the Olympics, he can't be much worse than he has been to start the season. It's a win-win either way. | 1 | 17-18-8 |
| 30 |  | Demolition | After years of holding onto a team that was competitive but not a true contender, it's time for the Canucks to burn it all down. Find young stars to put alongside Zeev Buium and Marco Rossi and build a new foundation. | 1 | 16-20-4 |
| 31 |  | Olympics | The wheels have come off for the Jets, but fans can root for their favorite players in the Olympics! Connor Hellebuyck! Nino Niederreiter! Josh Morrissey! Kyle Connor (probably)! Mark Scheifele (maybe)! | 1 | 15-20-4 |
| 32 |  | Bedard's return | Chicago has been a tough watch ever since Bedard went down with a shoulder injury. His return should at least pump some level of excitement back into the on-ice product. | -- | 15-18-7 |
