Every Canadian NHL team but two is having a miserable season
It’s been a rough 2025-26 season for several Canadian NHL teams.
There is still plenty of time to turn things around, with it being the quarter mark of the 2025-26 season, but at this point, there are just two Canadian teams who sit in a playoff spot: the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators.
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There has been a slight regression from the Jets, who won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024-25 with a staggering 116 points. Nonetheless, they sit at a solid 12-7-0, good enough for third in the Central Division.
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As for the Senators, they sit at 10-6-4, which has them third in the Atlantic Division. They were able to earn the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25, snapping an eight-year playoff drought.
Last season saw five Canadian teams make the playoffs: the Jets, Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Edmonton Oilers. The only two left out were the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames.
Both the Canucks and Flames could have some company in that regard this time around. The Flames currently sit dead last in the NHL with just 15 points through 22 games. The Canucks haven’t been a whole lot better, as they have just 20 points through 22 games, albeit they are just four points shy of a wild-card spot.
What’s been more surprising is that the Oilers, who are coming off back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup final, have a record of just 9-9-5 through 23 games. They are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.
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The Habs were able to end a four-year playoff drought in 2024-25 after finishing in the second wild-card spot in the East. They currently find themselves in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, but are just one point out of a wild-card position.
While it isn’t full-blown panic in Montreal, the same cannot be said for Toronto, who have limped to a 9-9-3 start. They are just three points up on the Buffalo Sabres for last place in the Atlantic, and are at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.
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The last time only two Canadian teams made the playoffs came all the way back in 2017-18, where the lone representatives were the Maple Leafs and Jets. In 2015-16, none of the seven Canadian franchises were able to get in.
As per MoneyPuck odds, the Jets are by far and away the most likely Canadian team to get into the postseason at 85.8 per cent, while the Senators sit at 61.2. Things get quite dire for the other five organizations north of the border.
The Canadiens have the highest odds of the five teams outside the playoff picture (25.1), while the Oilers (22.3) are next. The Leafs (10.5) will need to turn things around quickly, as will the Canucks (7.9). The Flames (5.9), meanwhile, appear to be draft-lottery bound.
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