NHL Power Rankings: Way-too-early edition for 2026-27 season - ESPN

The Carolina Hurricanes are 2026 Stanley Cup champions!

While the team and its fans continue the celebration, it's time to look ahead to the fall with our way-too-early edition of the NHL Power Rankings.

In addition to the rankings, we've identified the key early-offseason storyline for each club, with the NHL draft on June 26-27 and free agency opening on July 1.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on their predictions for the 2026-27 season.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the final regular-season edition, published on April 10. Salary cap information is via PuckPedia.

Previous ranking: 2

The Canes are well positioned for more success in the coming years, but they do have a couple of interesting players hitting free agency this summer. Goaltender Frederik Andersen is an unrestricted free agent, while defenseman Alexander Nikishin is restricted. If upgrades are desired, the team has close to $12 million in cap space to make them.

Previous ranking: 1

GM Chris MacFarland departed to take over the Predators, with Joe Sakic retaking the reins for Colorado. His forward corps is in good shape, with most of his key players locked in for the next few years. On defense, the situation is quite a bit more in flux. Cale Makar will be eligible to sign a contract extension this summer — likely with a significant raise over his current $9 million average annual value — and he is one of just four blueliners under contract from the 2026 playoff roster.

Previous ranking: 3

All eyes are on the negotiations with Jason Robertson, a restricted free agent whose prior deal paid him $7.75 million through the end of this season. The 26-year-old had 45 goals