NHL Power Rankings: Red Wings build momentum thanks to young stars Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond
Detroit finally turned a corner in its journey back toward the NHL's elite
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1 min read
The Detroit Red Wings have been wandering in the wilderness for a while now. They haven't made the playoffs since 2016, and they haven't even come close in many seasons since. That may change in 2025-26, and Steve Yzerman's vision may be coming together.
It's taken a while, but the Red Wings finally look poised to re-assert themselves atop the NHL's hierarchy. Much of that credit goes to the team's two young stars who are finally reaching their potential.
Moritz Seider looks like a superstar defenseman on the rise with dominant five-on-five metrics, including a plus-12 goal differential and a 56.0% expected goals share. Seider is a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate at the age of 24, and he will only get better.
Then there's Lucas Raymond, who has emerged as a star winger. He's up to 53 points on the season, and his two-way game came a long way since his rookie year. Raymond gives Detroit another bona fide stud in its top six.
Surrounding those youngsters are reliable veterans like Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat. Larkin is the captain who has carried this team through some deep valleys, and DeBrincat is one of the hottest players in the league. Perhaps most importantly, John Gibson has adapted to his new surroundings in the crease. After a slow start, Gibson has provided the Wings with the steady goaltending they've lacked in recent years.
The Red Wings are still a flawed team, but they have the ammunition to make some big moves. Expect Yzerman to go big-game hunting ahead of the trade deadline to give his team a shot to do real damage in the playoffs.
With Detroit on the rise once again, here are the updated NHL Power Rankings.
Expected goals and goals saved above average stats via Natural Stat Trick.
Biggest Movers
8
Mammoth
10
Flyers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Andrei Vasilevskiy is in his 12th season, and he looks as good as ever. His 13.8 goals saved above average rank sixth in the NHL, and only three regular starters have a better GAA than Vasilevskiy at 2.22. He's quickly rising up the list of 2026 Vezina Trophy candidates. | 1 | 31-13-4 |
| 2 |  | Injuries are starting to pile up for the Avalanche. They're 4-3-1 in January. Between that and the fact that the Bolts are smoking hot, I had to bump Colorado down to No. 2 for the first time in months. | 1 | 34-5-8 |
| 3 |  | In his last nine games, Alex DeBrincat has six goals and six assists. He's now on pace to set new career highs in goals (42), assists (42) and points (84). I sure hope Team USA doesn't regret leaving him at home next month! | -- | 30-16-4 |
| 4 |  | Jackson Blake is in the midst of a breakout campaign with 15 goals and 29 points in 50 games. The 22-year-old also owns a 57.9% expected goals share at five-on-five, and he's been thriving in top-six minutes. | -- | 31-15-4 |
| 5 |  | The Golden Knights made headlines on the trade market again with their acquisition of Rasmus Andersson. The veteran defenseman's five-on-five game has dipped over the last few years in Calgary, but I think Vegas is just the team to get him back on track as one of the best defensive squads in the NHL. | -- | 24-12-12 |
| 6 |  | On Tuesday, Cole Caufield came up clutch again with his seventh game-winning goal of the season. Over the last three seasons, Caufield leads the league in game-winning goals at 22, and his eight overtime goals are tied for second. | 1 | 28-15-7 |
| 7 |  | At the age of 24 and in his 15th season, Marcus Foligno recorded his first hat trick on Tuesday night. Foligno has long been an elite defensive forward, but he's exceeded 14 goals in his career just once. His big night against the Maple Leafs doubled his 2025-26 goal total to six. | 1 | 28-14-9 |
| 8 |  | If anyone is capable of helping the Bruins overcome some troubling underlying numbers, it's David Pastrnak. He's up to 20 goals and 59 points on the season, putting him on an 82-game pace of 109, just shy of his career high. Pastrnak has Boston rolling with six straight wins. | 5 | 28-20-2 |
| 9 |  | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has quietly turned his season around over the last month or so -- which has coincided with the Sabres' run. In his last 10 appearances, Luukkonen has posted 6.78 goals above average and a .918 save percentage. If Buffalo gets goaltending like that, its playoff drought could end. | 1 | 27-17-5 |
| 10 |  | It's hard to believe that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins became just the second player ever to record 1,000 games with the Oilers, despite so many legends like Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey coming before him. The No. 1 pick in 2011, Nugent-Hopkins has been a top-six stalwart in Edmonton with 283 goals and 505 assists in his career. | 1 | 25-18-8 |
| 11 |  | I've probably talked enough about Ilya Sorokin this season, but here we go again. He's having one of the best seasons of his career, with 15.1 goals saved above average and a preposterous .873 high-danger save percentage. He's the main reason the Isles occupy second place in the Metro. | 1 | 27-17-5 |
| 12 |  | Toronto has been dealt a tough blow with a groin injury to William Nylander. The Maple Leafs aren't sure exactly when Nylander will be back, and he was red hot with six goals and six assists in his last six games. | 3 | 24-17-8 |
| 13 |  | Sidney Crosby just became the first player in Penguins history to reach 1,400 games with the franchise, and he's still one of the best players in the world. On pace for 93 points at the age of 38, Crosby is an ageless wonder. Please give him another shot at the Cup. | 3 | 23-14-11 |
| 14 |  | Matt Duchene had his season derailed by injury, and he hasn't been the same since returning on Dec. 7. Duchene has registered just 11 points in 25 games, and he has one goal in his last nine games. Dallas has relied on elite forward depth in recent years, but it hasn't had that in 2025-26. | 5 | 28-13-9 |
| 15 |  | Dylan Guenther can score, and he is doing a lot of it this season. With 23 goals this season, he's just four off his career high of 27, and there's a lot of hockey left to play. The former No. 9 overall pick has the potential to be a 40-goal scorer (at least) in this league very soon. | 8 | 25-20-4 |
| 16 |  | Could I quibble with what the Sharks gave up to acquire a middle-six grinder in Kiefer Sherwood? Sure, but Sherwood is an exciting player, and this is an exciting team. San Jose is starting to turn a corner, and GM Mike Grier has rewarded his team for its efforts. | 3 | 25-21-3 |
| 17 |  | Sergei Bobrovsky is giving Jordan Binnington a run for his money as the most disappointing goalie in the NHL. Bobrovsky's 17.8 goals saved above average rank 90th out of 91 goalies, and his .752 high-danger save percentage is abysmal. | 5 | 25-20-3 |
| 18 |  | You know a team's goaltending is bad when a star player is openly criticizing it after a loss. In Jake Sanderson's defense, you'd be mad too if your goaltender allowed six goals on 19 shots in a key divisional game. | 4 | 23-19-7 |
| 19 |  | The Ducks' defensive game is slowly coming together. Early in the season, they struggled to defend even the most inept offenses. Since Dec. 1, Anaheim ranks 13th in expected goals against at five-on-five. Those improvements are finally starting to translate to wins. | 5 | 25-21-3 |
| 20 |  | If the Kraken were hoping for a bounce-back year from Chandler Stephenson, it isn't coming. His five-on-five impacts remain some of the worst on the team, and an uptick in scoring isn't enough to offset that. The problem for the Kraken is that their options at center are limited as it is. | 3 | 21-18-9 |
| 21 |  | An already tough season for Luke Hughes was dealt a devastating blow in the form of a shoulder injury on Monday. Hughes was already struggling defensively, and he may now miss extended time. New Jersey was counting on a step forward from Hughes, but that may have to wait for 2026-27. | -- | 26-22-2 |
| 22 |  | John Carlson has still got it at the age of 36. Not only does he have 38 points in 46 games, but Carlson also boasts a 52.2% expected goals share and a plus-13 goal differential at five-on-five. He's been a key part of impressive work from the Washington blue line this season. | 4 | 24-20-6 |
| 23 |  | The Blue Jackets are 3-1-0 with Rick Bowness behind the bench, and Elvis Merzlikins hasn't been shy about crediting the coaching change for this little surge. The question: Is it a brief coaching change bump, or can Bowness tap into this roster and get more out of it? | 3 | 22-20-7 |
| 24 |  | Philly has been trending in the wrong direction this month, and you can thank goaltending for a good portion of this slide. The team's netminding trio has combined to allow 11.2 goals above average in January. | 10 | 23-17-8 |
| 25 |  | The Kings have scored two or fewer goals in 26 of 49 games this season. That's 53.1% of their games for non-math majors. Needless to say, Los Angeles has been a tough watch. | 5 | 20-16-13 |
| 26 |  | Tuesday's loss to the Sabres snapped a nice run of form from Roman Josi. Over a four-game stretch, he piled up three goals and seven goals. It was vintage Josi, and that's the player Nashville needs if it's going to push for a playoff spot. | 1 | 23-22-4 |
| 27 |  | Did the Rasmus Andersson trade signal the start of a ... fire sale ... for the Flames? Just kidding (not really), but Nazem Kadri's days in Calgary may be numbered at this point. | 1 | 21-23-5 |
| 28 |  | After posting 31 goals in 2024-25, Ryan Donato's scoring has come back down to Earth. He's sitting on 10 goals this season, and he hasn't scored since Jan. 3. | 1 | 20-22-7 |
| 29 |  | It's been a long season for the Jets, but Jonathan Toews' return to Chicago was one of the highlights for sure. Toews is a Blackhawks legend, and he got the reception you'd expect after two seasons away from the game. | -- | 20-23-6 |
| 30 |  | Brayden Schenn is reportedly on the trade block, but I'd be curious to know what his trade value is. Schenn has two years left on his contract at $6.5 million per year, and the 34-year-old is pacing for one of the worst seasons of his career with 19 points in 50 games. | -- | 19-23-8 |
| 31 |  | For the second time in eight years, the Rangers have penned a letter to fans explaining that a rebuild is on the way. Did they win anything at all in those eight years? Not at all. Will there be a third letter eight years from now? I kind of hope so. | -- | 21-24-6 |
| 32 |  | Vancouver has lost eight straight games in regulation and hasn't won a game in 2026 yet. If only Vancouver fans still had the Grizzlies to distract them. | -- | 16-28-5 |
