2025 Analysis
|
Team |
Average Ranking |
#1 Rankings |
Highest Ranking |
Lowest Ranking |
Standard Deviation |
Commentary |
|
The Favourites |
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| Winnipeg Jets | 3.52 | 16 | 1 | 11 | 2.96 | The Jets come pretty close to topping half of all entries, which I suppose shouldn't come as a surprise given both their President's Trophy win and the current Elbows Up climate... |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 4.38 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 2.16 | The Golden Knights get the second-highest average ranking, perhaps because they finished third overall, and won the year before last...with the lowest standard deviation though, it may not matter too much how they fare... |
|
The
Dark Horses |
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| Toronto Maple Leafs | 5.05 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 3.08 | Finishing first in the Atlantic gives the Leafs enough of a boost to be the top average-ranked team in the East... |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 5.43 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 2.77 | The Hurricanes get the top average ranking in the Metro division, despite only finishing second in the division and tenth overall... |
| Colorado Avalanche | 5.50 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 3.49 | The Avalanche have the second-most #1 rankings, but still only the fifth-highest average ranking...that still makes them the biggest consensus first-round upset pick though... |
|
The
Longshots |
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| Washington Capitals | 6.31 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2.89 | Despite finishing second overall, the Caps only get the sixth-best average ranking and one pick to win the Cup...perhaps now that he's set the scoring record, some think Ovi will rest on his laurels? |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 7.19 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 3.78 | The Lightning get three picks to win the Cup but with the third-largest standard deviation (and Florida the second-largest) that first-round matchup will make a big difference in the pool... |
| Florida Panthers | 7.36 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.90 | The defending champs come out with the second-largest standard deviation, so they are likely to make a difference to the pool regardless of how they do... |
| Edmonton Oilers | 7.50 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 3.91 | The only consensus first-round upset pick aside from Colorado, the Oilers manage four picks to win the Cup but lots of lower rankings too, giving them the biggest standard deviation and making them a sure difference-maker in the pool... |
| Los Angeles Kings | 9.24 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 2.98 | The Kings suffer a bit from facing the Oilers in the first round, but they do come out with the fifth-highest average ranking in the West and a relatively low standard deviation, suggesting lots of entries are hedging with them near the middle... |
| Dallas Stars | 9.71 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3.05 | The Stars don't get a lot of respect, despite a fair bit of post-season success in recent years, but they do get one pick to win it all... |
|
The
Faint Hopes |
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| Ottawa Senators | 12.26 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.16 | The Sens are just happy to be back in the playoffs after a lengthy absence, but their late-season performance gives some reason for optimism in Ottawa... |
| Montreal Canadiens | 12.67 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.74 | The Habs are another team just happy to make the playoffs given how their season started, but unsurprisingly a few entries have them going deep (including one to win the Cup)... |
| St. Louis Blues | 13.02 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 2.74 | The Blues came on strong in the last month of the season, but few think they can keep that momentum up into the playoffs, particularly facing the Jets in the first round... |
| Minnesota Wild | 13.31 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 2.44 | The Wild apparently suffer from facing consensus-darling Vegas in the first round, making them the lowest average-ranked team in the West... |
| New Jersey Devils | 13.55 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 2.23 | I'm not sure why the Devils are in the basement, even below all four wild cards, but with the second-lowest standard deviation, there is a great deal of consensus that they're not going far... |