The 2025-26 NHL season is shaping up to be a rough ride for Canadian hockey fans. After a strong showing last year that saw five of the seven Canadian teams make the playoffs, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Now, with about 25 games in the books, only one team north of the border is currently sitting in a playoff position - and it’s not the one most would’ve predicted.
That lone bright spot? The Montreal Canadiens.
At 13-8-3, the Habs are holding down third place in the Atlantic Division. They’ve found a way to stay competitive early, grinding out wins and keeping pace in a tough division.
It’s been a promising start for a team that’s leaned on structure, goaltending, and timely scoring to stay afloat.
Just behind them are the Ottawa Senators, who are right in the thick of the playoff race. Ottawa trails Montreal by a single point for third in the Atlantic and is only three points back of the Flyers and Penguins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. It’s a tight race, and the Sens are very much in it - but they’ll need to find some consistency if they want to stay there.
Things get murkier from there.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the league’s biggest disappointments. With an 11-11-3 record, they’re dead last in the Atlantic and sit 28th overall in the NHL standings.
For a team with high expectations and elite talent up front, this kind of start is hard to swallow. Defensive lapses, goaltending issues, and an overall lack of cohesion have plagued them early - and the pressure is only mounting in Toronto.
Out west, the Edmonton Oilers are still searching for their rhythm. After back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final, expectations were sky-high.
But through 26 games, they’re 11-10-5 - just one point out of a wild-card spot, and three behind the Vegas Golden Knights for third in the Pacific. The talent is there, no question, but the inconsistency has been frustrating.
One night they look like contenders, the next they’re chasing the puck and giving up leads.
The Winnipeg Jets have also stumbled out of the gate. After claiming the Presidents’ Trophy last season with 116 points, they’ve come back to earth in a hurry.
Now two points out of a wild-card spot and seven back of the Minnesota Wild for third in the Central, the Jets are struggling to recapture last year’s magic. The pieces are largely the same, but the results haven’t followed - and that’s a concern.
Then there are the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, both of whom are staring down a long season. The Canucks sit at 10-13-3, while the Flames are even further back at 9-14-4.
That puts them at 30th and 31st in the league standings, respectively. For two proud franchises, this is unfamiliar territory - and unless something dramatic changes, they’re more likely to be in the draft lottery conversation than the playoff hunt.
It’s been nearly a decade since Canadian teams collectively struggled this much. The last time none of them made the postseason was in 2015-16. Since then, at least two have always found their way in - with 2017-18 being the low point at just two (the Leafs and Jets).
As it stands, the Senators are being given the best shot among the outsiders to claw their way in, with MoneyPuck placing their playoff odds at 49.4%. The Oilers aren’t far behind at 46.6%, and the Jets are still in the mix at 45.6%. But for the Flames and Canucks, the outlook is bleak - with single-digit odds (9.2% and 8.4%, respectively) that would require a serious turnaround to change the narrative.
So here we are - a quarter of the way into the season, and Canadian hockey is in a precarious spot. There’s still time, of course. But if things don’t shift soon, we could be looking at one of the most disappointing seasons for Canada’s NHL teams in recent memory.