TheFlorida Panthersenter the2025-26 seasonwith a chance at a rare NHL three-peat. No NHL team has won three in a row since theNew York Islanderswon four in the early 1980s, and the Panthers are also looking for a fourth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. But their chances are complicated becausecaptain Aleksander BarkovandMatthew Tkachukwill miss considerable time with injuries. Both are recovering from surgery, Barkov after he washurt in practice. Of course, the Panthers remain among the elite teams, especially after general manager Bill Zito was able tore-sign his key free agents. Here where the Panthers and the other 31 teams place inUSA TODAY's initial NHL power rankings for the 2025-26 season: Forward Mitch Marner joined the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade. New coach Glen Gulutzan inherits a strong team in his second stint with the Stars, starting with a full season out oftrade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen. They addressed their need for more scoring from the wing bysigning 100-point scorer Mitch Marner. But they'll have to deal with an injury to defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. The Oilers have changed up the people surrounding Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but those two make Edmonton a contender for a third consecutive trip to the final. The two-time defending champions have tremendous injuries.Barkov is gone for seven to nine monthsandTkachuk is out until December. But they also have tremendous depth and a front office and coaching staff that will help them overcome. After two seasons of being unable to get trade acquisitions to stay, they added coveted free agent Nikolaj Ehlers. The defense also got younger. Always a threat to win the division, they're aided as rival Toronto and Florida deal with key absences. No goalie has won three consecutive Vezina trophies since Dominik Hasek in the 1990s. Connor Hellebuyck will try to join him and also is thereigning Hart Trophy winner. Captain Gabriel Landeskog is back for a full season, adding to an already loaded roster that has Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and former MVP Nathan MacKinnon. The Capitals have brought back key contributors from last season. Everything went right in the 2024-25 regular season, especiallyAlex Ovechkin's goal record. Can coach of the year Spencer Carbery repeat the magic? Coach Craig Berube faces the challenge of guiding a team without Marner. The Leafs' bottom six is better, but a second consecutive division title might be out of reach. All is good with the Hughes brothers. Jack is healthy afterlast year's surgeryand Luke is averaging $9 million a year in a deal he signed during the preseaon. Kirill Kaprizov signed a record extension, which eliminates a potential distraction this season. They made the playoffs in 2024-25 despite Kaprizov missing half a season. They now need to figure out how to get out of the first round. Their defense has taken a step back, but the team will be motivated to try to make a run inAnze Kopitar's final season. They ended a seven-year playoff drought, and Brady Tkachuk and company have the tools to get back. A playoff appearance seems likely. JJ Peterka joins a talented forward group and they added Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Nate Schmidt. The Blues squeezed into the playoffs andnearly upsetthe No. 1 overall Jets. They'll push for another berth. They rode thememory of Johnny Gaudreauto within two points of a playoff berth. Better scoring depth and goalie Jet Greaves could get them there this season. Goalie Thatcher Demko is healthy, Brock Boeser re-signed andAdam Foote was promotedto coach. They really need Elias Pettersson to return to elite status. Pretty much everything went wrong as the Rangers missed the playoffs a year after winning the Presidents' Trophy.New coach Mike Sullivanhas his work cut out to get them back to the playoffs. The Canadiens made the playoffs and added Noah Dobson. They'll be among many teams competing for a wild-card spot. The Flames extended goalie Dustin Wolf, coach Ryan Huska and others after missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker. They'll be in the mix again this season. New coach Joel Quennevillewill continue Anaheim's upward trajectory. The Ducks are deeper, but they aren't a playoff team yet, especially if they improve on their league-worst power play. The Islanders need better injury luck after Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair missed a combined 90 games last season. Dobson is gone but that creates an opportunity forNo. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer. The Sabres, trying to end a record14-year playoff drought, are dealing with injuries. Not a good sign. The Red Wings are trying to end a long drought (nine years). They had a fine offseason but it doesn't seem enough. Goalie Jeremy Swayman will be better after not missing training camp this year and David Pastrnak is always dangerous. Does this team have enough depth after last season's sell-off? The key additions are coach Rick Tocchet, forward Trevor Zegras and penalty killer Christian Dvorak, but the question, as usual, is whether they can keep the puck out of their net. Longtime coach Sullivan is gone,replaced by Dan Muse. The Penguins' core is skilled but aging and the team could end up shedding some secondary veterans, depending on how the season goes. The Krakenfired coach Dan Bylsmaafter one season andbrought in Lane Lambert, who didn't last two seasons as Islanders head coach. This team is still looking for an identity. The Predators can't be as disappointing as last season, right? After"winning" the 2024 offseason, they finished with the third worst record. The 2025 offseason was low-key, and they'll need plenty of bounce-back individual efforts. The Sharks loaded up with second-tier veterans to reach the cap floor but youngsters Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith hold the key. The Blackhawks will be better with Spencer Knight in net for a full season and with improvement from Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, but they'll be in the mix for top prospectGavin McKenna. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL power rankings: How do injuries affect Panthers' status?
