Imagine what your favorite NHL team could achieve if the injury bug hadn't bitten so hard. Could they be Stanley Cup contenders? Would they be dominating their division? The truth is, injuries are an unavoidable part of an 82-game NHL season. Every team deals with them; it's simply "next man up." However, when the schedule tightens, especially around events like the Olympics (which, of course, didn't happen this year), the impact of those injuries becomes magnified. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just about the sheer number of injuries, but when they occur. A key injury during a crucial stretch of games can derail a team's momentum and playoff hopes.
This week, we're diving deep into the "what ifs" – exploring how a healthier roster might have changed the fortunes of each team in the league. We're looking at potential scenarios, not just current standings. Let's get into it, starting with a change at the top!
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (31-13-4)
Last week: 2
Let's be honest, most hockey analysts still consider the Colorado Avalanche the true best team in the NHL. But, let's face it, seeing the same team at the top every week gets a little stale, doesn't it? So, in the spirit of "Injury Week," we're shaking things up! Plus, the Lightning are on a scorching 13-0-1 run, while the Avalanche have stumbled, losing six of their last nine. It's a perfect storm, really.
The Lightning might still be a considerable 11 points behind the Avalanche (yes, eleven!), but it's a valid question: where would they be without the constant barrage of injuries? Every core player has missed significant time, and their top defensive pairing of Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh has been sidelined for more than half the season. Every team has an injury excuse, sure, but the Lightning's situation is genuinely exceptional. But here's where it gets controversial... some argue that Tampa Bay's success despite these injuries proves their depth and resilience, making them even more formidable. What do you think? Does overcoming adversity make a team stronger, or does it simply mask underlying weaknesses?
2. Colorado Avalanche (34-5-9)
Last week: 1
On January 4th, already without Devon Toews, Gabriel Landeskog left the game against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury. The Avalanche lost that game 2-1. Since then? They've won only three of seven.
Does this mini-slump erase their record-breaking first three months? Absolutely not. Does it fundamentally alter their long-term Stanley Cup aspirations? No way. However, it has lasted long enough to knock them off the top spot in our power rankings for the first time since Halloween. Remember, these are Power Rankings, not Power Standings. We're assessing current momentum and potential, not just overall record.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (31-15-5)
Last week: 3
From October 12th to January 19th, a period where Jaccob Slavin played only three games, the Hurricanes allowed just 3.25 expected goals per 60 minutes – better than all but eight other teams in the league. Now, imagine what they could have achieved with "The League's Best Defensive Defenseman™" in the lineup consistently. We're talking a potential record of 38-3-1! They might have clinched the Metropolitan Division title before the Golden Globes. It's hard to quantify the impact of a truly elite defensive player, but Slavin's absence clearly had a significant effect.
4. Buffalo Sabres (28-17-5)
Last week: 4
Remember when the Sabres started the season with a dismal 11-14-4 record? It's now evident that those early struggles were largely due to a wave of early-season injuries. The Sabres were missing key players on a nightly basis. Now that they're healthier (with the notable exception of Josh Norris, who seems perpetually injured), they're winning consistently.
Would the Sabres be the best team in the East without those early injury woes? Yes, absolutely! The fact that they're playing at a 100-point pace despite getting only 31 combined games from their top two centers, Norris and Jiri Kulich, is a testament to their potential. This team has overcome significant adversity, and they're only getting stronger.
5. Minnesota Wild (29-14-9)
Last week: 7
The return of Joel Eriksson Ek – arguably their best center – is huge for the Wild. His average Game Score of 1.07 is among the top 30 at his position. While they'll still have to navigate several weeks without Jonas Brodin, they've proven capable of doing so in the past.
Consider this: before Eriksson Ek's return, and with Brodin, Matt Boldy, and Marcus Johansson also sidelined, Minnesota smoked the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3. Imagine what they'll look like at full strength! This team has the potential to be a serious contender in the Western Conference.
6. Vegas Golden Knights (24-13-12)
Last week: 6
The Golden Knights consistently rank among the league's most-injured teams, making their current position unsurprising. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore, and Noah Hanifin have all missed substantial time, while Adin Hill has been limited to just seven games. A healthy Golden Knights team would undoubtedly be higher in the standings. Then again, we say that about this team every year. At what point do injuries become an ingrained part of a team's identity? Is it simply bad luck, or is there something more to it?
7. Detroit Red Wings (31-16-5)
Last week: 8
Some might perceive the Red Wings as one of the league's healthier teams, suggesting they've been fortunate compared to others. Those people would be wrong. Anytime a team misses the literal top two picks of a draft for 10 or more games, it has a significant impact. That's precisely what's hindered the Red Wings from making a serious run for the top spot in the East. So what if that draft was 19 years ago – the point stands. (Referring to the prolonged absences of Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom in their primes).
8. Dallas Stars (28-14-9)
Last week: 5
It's hard not to feel sympathy for Tyler Seguin, who tore his ACL in December and appears destined to finish another regular season on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). His team, however, is a different story. We're assuming they'll leverage that cap space to acquire Artemi Panarin or some other high-profile player.
While we're here, let's quickly check in on Thomas Harley. Since December 9th, after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, he's tallied eight points but has a Net Rating of approximately minus-1. They're going to need more from him if they want to make a deep playoff run.
9. Montreal Canadiens (28-16-7)
Last week: 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 potent that unit could be if he were healthy! Pay no attention to how things went during the playoffs!
The actual significant loss was Kaiden Guhle, a legitimate second-pairing defenseman who greatly aided Lane Hutson during 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
Just a few weeks ago, it felt like the wheels were about to fall off for a Penguins team that many (including us) expected to struggle this season. That perceived collapse, a nine-game losing streak, coincided directly with Evgeni Malkin's absence from the lineup. That's no coincidence. While things are back on track now that Malkin has returned, it's fair to wonder where the Penguins would be if he had never been injured. Could that nine-game losing streak have been a nine-game winning streak instead? Perhaps – and those extra 18 points would catapult the Penguins to the top of the league!
11. Boston Bruins (29-20-2)
Last week: 18
Boston's two most frequently used defensemen, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, have each missed 12 or more games this season. Has it significantly impacted their performance? Not really. The Bruins have consistently found ways to win, even in their absence.
The real loss was Henri Jokiharju, whose mid-season absence coincided with a 7-7-2 slump that felt like the end of the Bruins' playoff hopes. Then he returned and said, "Not so fast!" and the Bruins have been on a tear ever 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
Utah has managed to stay 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 their last ten. Still, the Mammoth will be much easier to consider as a serious Western Conference contender once their most gifted center is back in the mix. Cooley was scoring at a near 40-goal pace before his injury.
13. New York Islanders (27-18-5)
Last week: 11
In the 10 games since Bo Horvat was named to the Canadian Olympic team and subsequently left their lineup with a lower-body injury, the Islanders have gone 5-4-1, with losses to several mediocre-to-poor Western Conference teams. With their best forward healthy and in the lineup, they'd likely be firmly entrenched in second place in the Metropolitan Division, right? Or could this be a sign of deeper problems for the Islanders?
14. Florida Panthers (26-20-3)
Last week: 16
No excuses. Play like a defending two-time Stanley Cup champion.
The Lightning maintained a 109-point pace without Nikita Kucherov during the 2020-21 season. The Avalanche remained one of the league's best teams without Gabriel Landeskog for multiple seasons. Great teams find a way to overcome adversity. 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! Is it possible that the Panthers' struggles are more about team chemistry and coaching than simply injuries?
15. Toronto Maple Leafs (24-17-9)
Last week: 12
The Leafs have certainly had their share of injury issues during the Auston Matthews era, especially to Matthews himself. But it's safe to say it has never been this bad in Toronto.
It feels like a new player succumbs to the injury bug every game. Lengthy absences for William Nylander, Chris Tanev, and Anthony Stolarz have had the largest impacts. Oliver Ekman-Larsson's injury on Wednesday is another blow that the Leafs can't afford. Just how dire is the situation? Assuming Ekman-Larsson misses Friday's game, John Tavares will be the only player to have suited 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. But the question remains: can they ever stay healthy long enough to realize their full potential?
16. Edmonton Oilers (25-19-8)
Last week: 14
The Oilers consistently struggle to start the season, for whatever reason. But things likely would have been different had Zach Hyman not missed the first 19 games. He's been incredible since returning, 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 behind Vegas with four extra games played. It's easy to imagine they'd be leading the division with a healthy Hyman from the start.
17. San Jose Sharks (25-21-3)
Last week: 15
Will Smith is arguably the Sharks' second-most-talented forward. In the 13 games he's missed, the Sharks have gone 8-5-0. With him in the lineup, they're just barely above fake-.500 (17-16-3). Kinda helps Macklin Celebrini’s Hart candidacy, if you think about it. (A satirical take on how Smith's absence, despite being a loss, might inadvertently benefit another player's reputation).
18. Anaheim Ducks (26-21-3)
Last week: 29
It's fair to wonder if Leo Carlsson was dealing with his thigh issue before it necessitated surgery. He went from a breakout star (38 points in his first 29 games) to a tough watch (six points in his last 15). Anaheim has won its last five games, but it feels like the damage is done. This season feels like a "what could have been" moment for Carlsson and the Ducks.
19. New Jersey Devils (26-22-2)
Last week: 21
Before Jack Hughes' fateful dining incident (presumably an injury sustained outside of hockey), the Devils were 12-4-1. When he was sidelined, they went 8-10-0. Since his return, they've gone 6-8-1, and he's scored exactly one goal. Doesn't get much more impactful than that. This highlights how one key injury can derail an entire team's performance.
20. Columbus Blue Jackets (23-20-7)
Last week: 24
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 about what could have 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! (This is presented with a slightly sarcastic tone, suggesting that Gudbranson's impact might be overstated).
21. Seattle Kraken (22-18-9)
Last week: 20
The Kraken remain in a playoff spot, a fact made even more impressive by some of the absences of their top players. For a team lacking star talent, any games missed by actually good players is a big deal. Seattle is barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and an extra 20 games from Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, and Brandon Montour probably would have been enough to put the Kraken on more solid ground.
22. Philadelphia Flyers (23-17-9)
Last week: 19
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 legitimate 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
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 overall among forwards in Game Score.
24. Nashville Predators (24-22-4)
Last week: 23
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 had Josi at full strength for the entire season?
25. Los Angeles Kings (20-16-13)
Last week: 22
The Kings have lost six of their last eight games without Anze Kopitar. On one hand, it's pushed them out of a playoff spot, and it's likely they would have 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. Is it possible that a short-term dip in performance could lead to long-term improvements for the Kings?
26. Ottawa Senators (23-20-7)
Last week: 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
Chicago's season effectively ended on December 12th, 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, the writing was already on the wall. 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. Bedard's injury served as a definitive turning point for the Blackhawks.
28. Winnipeg Jets (20-23-7)
Last week: 27
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 haven't recovered. The Jets' reliance on Hellebuyck is undeniable, and his absence exposed their vulnerabilities.
29. Calgary Flames (21-24-5)
Last week: 30
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! (This is a somewhat sarcastic assessment, suggesting that the Flames' mediocrity is due to a lack of significant injuries to their good players, implying a lack of depth).
30. New York Rangers (21-24-6)
Last week: 31
Starting with a January 8th 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. Can a public apology truly change a team's trajectory? Or is it simply a sign of deeper organizational issues?
31. St. Louis Blues (19-23-8)
Last week: 28
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 year 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 year’s charge. Injuries are robbing us of St. Louis’ usual March magic.
32. Vancouver Canucks (17-28-5)
Last week: 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 October 19th, 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 xG (expected goals). 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. Is it an overstatement to say that one injury can completely derail a team's season? Let us know in the comments!
