NHL Shockwaves: Unexpected Number One and Your Team’s Hidden Injury Crisis Revealed

In any given NHL season, injuries don’t just knock on the door—they kick it wide open. Teams brace for it, the mantra “next man up” is heard time and again, but when the season calendar tightens to accommodate the Olympics, those injury stories swell into something far more impactful. Right now, that’s precisely where the league finds itself: a patchwork of battling squads, many hobbling through the grind with serious dents in their rosters. It’s a powerful thought experiment—what would the standings look like if every team had their full complement of players? This week, I’m diving into that exact question, peeling back the layers of missed ice time to explore what might’ve been for your favorite team. Think of it like a season remix—fewer scratches, more firepower, and potentially a whole different race to the top. Curious? Let’s roll up our sleeves and get into it. LEARN MORE

Over an 82-game season, injuries are always a story. It’s a fact of life in this league that every team has to live with. Next man up. When the schedule gets compressed to make way for the Olympics, though, injuries become an even bigger topic.

That’s where we stand now, as injury issues have had significant ramifications for almost every NHL team. This week, we look at what could’ve been if not for a plethora of key injuries around the league. What if your favorite team wasn’t injured?

1. Tampa Bay Lightning, 31-13-4

Last week: 2
Sean: 1
Dom: 1

Look, we all know who the best team in the league is. It’s still the Avalanche. But it gets a little boring having the same team up top every week, so we decided to switch things up during Injury Week. It helps that the Lightning are on a torrid 13-0-1 run while the Avalanche have lost six of nine.

The Lightning may still be 11 points back of the Avalanche (!), but it’s fair to wonder if they would be that far away without all the injuries they’ve had to deal with. Every core player has missed some time, and the team’s top pair of Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh has missed over half the season. Every team’s injury excuse is valid — until you look at what the Lightning have dealt with.

2. Colorado Avalanche, 34-5-9

Last week: 1
Sean: 2
Dom: 2

On Jan. 4, with Devon Toews already out of the lineup, Gabriel Landeskog left Colorado’s game against the Panthers with an upper-body injury. The Avs lost that night 2-1. Since then, they’ve won three of seven.

Does that mini-skid erase their record-setting first three months of the season? No. Does it change their long-term outlook? No. It has, however, gone on long enough to push them out of first place for the first time since, oh, Halloween or so. We’ve said it plenty of times: These are the Power Rankings, not the Power Standings.

3. Carolina Hurricanes, 31-15-5

Last week: 3
Sean: 3
Dom: 3

From Oct. 12 to Jan. 19, a stretch in which Jaccob Slavin played just three games, the Hurricanes allowed 3.25 expected goals per 60, fewer than all but eight teams, and went 25-14-3. Imagine what they’d have done with The League’s Best Defensive Defenseman™. We’re saying 38-3-1. They’d have clinched the Metro by the Golden Globes.

4. Buffalo Sabres, 28-17-5

Last week: 4
Sean: 4
Dom: 4

Remember when the once-lowly Sabres started the season 11-14-4? It’s clear now that the early losses piling up were entirely the result of early-season injuries. The Sabres were without several players on a nightly basis, and now that the team is somewhat healthier (minus Josh Norris, who is seemingly always injured), they’re winning in bunches.

Would the Sabres be the best team in the East without all those early injury troubles? Yes, absolutely. The fact that they’re playing at a 100-point pace while getting 31 games combined from their top two centers, Norris and Jiri Kulich, is a testament to that.

5. Minnesota Wild, 29-14-9

Last week: 7
Sean: 5
Dom: 6

The return of Joel Eriksson Ek — still the Wild’s best center — is big for Minnesota. His average Game Score of 1.07 is top-30 at the position. The Wild will have to deal without Jonas Brodin for six to eight more weeks, but they’ve done that in the past.

Before Eriksson Ek’s return, and with Brodin, Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson out of the lineup, too, Minnesota smoked the Maple Leafs 6-3. Imagine what they’d look like at full strength.

6. Vegas Golden Knights, 24-13-12

Last week: 6
Sean: 7
Dom: 5

The Golden Knights are among the league’s most-injured teams every season, so where they find themselves is no surprise. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin have all missed extended time, and Adin Hill has been held to just seven games. The Golden Knights would be a lot higher in the standings with a healthy team; then again, we say that about them every year.

7. Detroit Red Wings, 31-16-5

Last week: 8
Sean: 6
Dom: 7

Some might view the Red Wings as one of the league’s healthiest teams. They might say that Detroit has been fortunate compared to the rest of the league. Those people would be wrong. Anytime a team misses the literal top two picks of a draft for 10 games or more, it makes an impact, and that’s exactly what’s held back the Red Wings from making a run for No. 1 in the East. So what if that draft was 19 years ago? The point stands.

8. Dallas Stars, 28-14-9

Last week: 5
Sean: 8
Dom: 8

It’s tough not to feel bad for Tyler Seguin, who tore his ACL in December and seems set to finish another regular season on long-term injured reserve. His team is another story, though; we’re assuming that they’ll use that cap space to trade for Artemi Panarin or whatever.

While we’re here, let’s do a quick check-in with Thomas Harley. Since Dec. 9, after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, he’s put up eight points and a Net Rating of about minus-1. They’re going to need more from him.

9. Montreal Canadiens, 28-16-7

Last week: 9
Sean: 9
Dom: 9

With Patrik Laine missing all but five games this season, the Canadiens’ power play has … scored more goals per 60 minutes than 25 other NHL teams. Imagine how good that unit would be if he were healthy! Pay no attention to how things went during the playoffs!

The actual loss was Kaiden Guhle, a legit second-pair guy who helped Lane Hutson big time in Hutson’s rookie season. Guhle’s underlying numbers in his first five games back have been promising enough.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins, 25-14-11

Last week: 10
Sean: 10
Dom: 10

There was a point a couple of weeks ago where it felt like the wheels were finally about to come off for a Penguins team many (us included) expected to be bad this season. That point, a nine-game losing streak, immediately coincided with Evgeni Malkin leaving the lineup. That’s not a coincidence, and while things are back on track with Malkin back in the lineup, it’s fair to wonder where the Penguins would be had he never left. Would that nine-game losing streak have been a nine-game winning streak instead? Maybe — and those extra 18 points would push the Penguins to first in the league.

11. Boston Bruins, 29-20-2

Last week: 18
Sean: 11
Dom: 11

Boston’s two most-used defensemen on a nightly basis are Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, both of whom have missed 12 or more games this season. Has it mattered? Not really. The Bruins have still found a way to get wins even in their absence.

The real loss: Henri Jokiharju, whose midseason absence coincided with a 7-7-2 swoon that felt like the end for the Bruins’ playoff chances. Then he came back and said, “Not so fast,” and the Bruins have been on a tear since. With a healthy Jokiharju, the Bruins might have challenged the Lightning for the Atlantic Division lead, just like the good ol’ days.

12. Utah Mammoth, 26-20-4

Last week: 13
Sean: 12
Dom: 12

Utah has stayed afloat without Logan Cooley, going 12-8-1 since he left the lineup with a lower-body injury in early December and winning eight of 10. Still, the Mammoth will be a lot easier to treat as a serious Western Conference contender once their most gifted center is back in the mix. Cooley was scoring at a nearly 40-goal pace.

13. New York Islanders, 27-18-5

Last week: 11
Sean: 13
Dom: 13

In 10 games since Bo Horvat was named to the Canadian Olympic team and left their lineup with a lower-body injury, the Islanders have gone 5-4-1 with losses to a bunch of middling-to-worse Western Conference teams. With their best forward in the lineup, they’re solidly in second place in the Metropolitan Division, right?

14. Florida Panthers, 26-20-3

Last week: 16
Sean: 14
Dom: 14

No excuses. Play like a defending two-time Stanley Cup champion.

The Lightning played at a 109-point pace without Nikita Kucherov during the 2020-21 season. The Avalanche were one of the league’s best teams without Gabriel Landeskog for multiple seasons. Great teams find a way. It’s time for the Panthers to prove they’re great.

Sorry, Florida, we’re just not buying your “We’ve had to play without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk all season” excuse!

15. Toronto Maple Leafs, 24-17-9

Last week: 12
Sean: 15
Dom: 15

The Leafs have had their share of injury issues in the Auston Matthews era, mostly to Matthews himself. But it’s safe to say it’s never been this bad in Toronto.

Every game, a new player seems to succumb to the injury bug, with lengthy absences for William Nylander, Chris Tanev and Anthony Stolarz having the largest impacts. Oliver Ekman-Larsson getting injured Wednesday is another hit that the Leafs can’t afford to take. Just how bad is it? Assuming Ekman-Larsson misses Friday’s game, John Tavares will be the only player to suit up for every game this season.

The sky is the limit for a healthy Leafs team. We’re talking second in the Atlantic behind an extremely unhealthy Lightning team, that’s how good.

16. Edmonton Oilers, 25-19-8

Last week: 14
Sean: 17
Dom: 16

The Oilers are always awful to start the season, for whatever reason. But things would have probably been different had Zach Hyman not missed the first 19 games. He’s been incredible, playing close to point-per-game hockey and driving the Oilers to a 17-11-4 record after the team started 8-7-4. The Oilers are two points back of Vegas with four extra games played, and it’s easy to imagine that they’d be leading if they’d had a healthy Hyman to start.

17. San Jose Sharks, 25-21-3

Last week: 15
Sean: 16
Dom: 17

Will Smith is the Sharks’ second-most-talented forward. In 13 games without him, they have gone 8-5-0. With him, they’re juuuust barely above fake-.500 (17-16-3). Kinda helps Macklin Celebrini’s Hart candidacy, if you think about it.

18. Anaheim Ducks, 26-21-3

Last week: 29
Sean: 18
Dom: 18

It’s fair to wonder whether Leo Carlsson was dealing with his thigh issue before it necessitated surgery, going from a breakout star (38 points in his first 29 games) to a tough watch (six in his last 15). Anaheim has won its past five, but it feels like the damage is done.

19. New Jersey Devils, 26-22-2

Last week: 21
Sean: 19
Dom: 19

Before Jack Hughes’ fateful dining incident, the Devils were 12-4-1. When he was on the shelf, they went 8-10-0. Since his return, they’ve gone 6-8-1, and he’s scored exactly one goal. Doesn’t get more impactful than that.

20. Columbus Blue Jackets, 23-20-7

Last week: 24
Sean: 20
Dom: 20

Erik Gudbranson played just 16 games last season and suited up for four in the first few months of this season. That’s a lot of time missed and a lot of time to think of what could’ve been. Since his return, the Blue Jackets are 3-1-0 — a perfectly sustainable 123-point pace that perfectly explains Gudbranson’s value to the lineup. He makes the big bucks for a reason!

21. Seattle Kraken, 22-18-9

Last week: 20
Sean: 21
Dom: 21

The Kraken remain in a playoff spot, a fact made even more impressive by some of the absences from their top players. For a team lacking star talent, any games missed by actually good players are a big deal. Seattle is barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and an 20 extra games from Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz and Brandon Montour probably would’ve been enough to put the Kraken on more solid ground.

22. Philadelphia Flyers, 23-17-9

Last week: 19
Sean: 23
Dom: 22

The Flyers’ early-season run was fun for a few reasons. Tyson Foerster was certainly one of them, going from a defense-first fancy-stats darling to a seemingly legit scoring winger. Philadelphia was 14-7-3 before Foerster injured his arm; they’re 9-10-6 since.

Dan Vladar was a big part of all that, too. He’s been legitimately good, putting up a .905 save percentage and saving nearly 16 goals above expected. The issue for Philadelphia, though, is that backup Samuel Ersson remains a mess, including a blown 3-0 lead against Utah on Wednesday with Vladar out of the lineup.

23. Washington Capitals, 24-21-6

Last week: 17
Sean: 22
Dom: 23

Has it been a bad season for the Capitals? Not entirely. Has it been uneven and a little odd? For sure — and their latest mini-skid, not coincidentally, came after Tom Wilson fell awkwardly on his leg and missed eight games.

He returned on Wednesday against Vancouver, but the Caps went 3-5-0 without him and fell five points out of a playoff spot. Wilson still leads Washington in goals (22) and points (43), and he’s 10th in the NHL among forwards in Game Score.

24. Nashville Predators, 24-22-4

Last week: 23
Sean: 24
Dom: 24

When Roman Josi returned to the lineup from an upper-body injury, the Predators were 6-10-4. Since that moment, they’ve been weirdly competent (18-12-0), thanks in part to his 24 assists and blue-line-leading 50-percent goal share. Seriously, Nashville is a point outside of playoff position. Who knows where they’d be if they’d had Josi at full strength for the entire season?

25. Los Angeles Kings, 20-16-13

Last week: 22
Sean: 25
Dom: 26

The Kings have lost six of eight games without Anze Kopitar. On the one hand, it’s pushed them out of a playoff spot, and it’s likely they would’ve been firmly in a spot with their captain in the lineup. On the other hand, some Kings faithful might view the absence as heroic if the losing stretch pushes the team to make some much-needed changes.

26. Ottawa Senators, 23-20-7

Last week: 25
Sean: 27
Dom: 25

With Linus Ullmark out on personal leave, the spotlight turned to Leevi Merilainen. He did not handle it well. In Ullmark’s absence, Merilainen threw up an .847 percentage and allowed nearly nine goals more than expected. It was hard not to feel bad for him — and hard not to wonder why Ottawa didn’t start the season with a more legitimate backup plan in place. James Reimer, one game in, does not appear to be the solution. There are currently seven points and five teams separating the Sens from a playoff spot. Whoops.

27. Chicago Blackhawks, 21-22-7

Last week: 26
Sean: 26
Dom: 27

Chicago’s season effectively ended on Dec. 12, Connor Bedard’s last game before injury — a loss that pushed the team’s record to 13-12-6. Were the Blackhawks going to make the playoffs before his injury? Doubtful. But maybe, just maybe, they could’ve hung around to make things interesting with a healthy Bedard. Instead, they immediately dropped seven of their next eight.

28. Winnipeg Jets, 20-23-7

Last week: 27
Sean: 28
Dom: 28

To watch the Jets has always been to get a sinking sensation that they’re a one-man team. This is not news. Still, their season thus far has been proof of concept. Winnipeg has been basically healthy in every spot but one: In 11 games with Connor Hellebuyck on the shelf, they went 3-8-1 and were outscored 45-32, and they haven’t recovered.

29. Calgary Flames, 21-24-5

Last week: 30
Sean: 29
Dom: 29

Just like every team on this list, injuries have really hurt Calgary’s chances this season — just not the ones you might think. Wonder why the Flames aren’t the league’s worst team? None of their decent players have missed time this year. Mystery solved!

30. New York Rangers, 21-24-6

Last week: 31
Sean: 31
Dom: 30

Starting with a Jan. 8 loss to Buffalo, the Rangers have gone 1-6-0, allowed a mind-boggling 5.59 goals against per 60 minutes and publicly released their second “sorry for being bad” letter in eight years. Such is life when you lose your two best players in the same game.

31. St. Louis Blues, 19-23-8

Last week: 28
Sean: 30
Dom: 31

The Blues have a superpower: Their ability to dominate the second half of a lost season to somehow salvage a playoff spot against all odds.

The problem with that plan this season is a whole mess of injuries to start that second-half push. Right now, that means no Robert Thomas or Dylan Holloway, the two primary engines of last season’s charge. Injuries are robbing us of St. Louis’ usual March magic.

32. Vancouver Canucks, 17-28-5

Last week: 32
Sean: 32
Dom: 32

Wonder where it all went wrong for the Canucks? Look no further than Filip “The Catalyst” Chytil, whose absence was the first domino to fall this season. On Oct. 19, Chytil’s last game, the Canucks were riding high at 4-2-0 and Chytil was arguably their most impactful forward, leading the way with a 61 percent expected-goals share. Then he missed the next 44 games, and the rest is history.

The fact that we can earnestly wonder whether Quinn Hughes is still a member of the Canucks with a healthy Chytil makes his injury the most impactful of the season.