2025 NHL playoff pressure rankings: Which teams can't afford to lose?

Were a few days into the playoffs.

Have you had a chance to unclench yet? Probably not.

And you probably wont for a while yet, because this is the time of year when everything that happens feels massive.

We watch a game, or a period, or a shift.

We overreact.

And then something else happens, and we either double down or swing all the way in the other direction.

Its both the best and worst part of the playoffs, all rolled into one.

Advertisement In one word: Pressure.

Its unbearable.

And thats just for us as fans.

Imagine what its like for the teams in the middle of it.

Of course, that pressure isnt divided equally, and some teams are facing significantly more than others.

So today, lets do our annual Pressure Rankings, as we count down from the teams that dont want to lose to the teams that absolutely cant.

16.

Montreal Canadiens I feel like this is a pretty easy one to start with.

And thats true even if you factor in the fact that its Montreal, quite possibly the most pressure-filled hockey market on the planet.

So sure, under ordinary circumstances, the Habs would be under all sorts of pressure.

And maybe they will be ...

next year.

But this season, nobody thought they were making the playoffs and few thought theyd even come close.

Theyre playing with house money.

As I wrote about the Maple Leafs all those years ago, this is the fun year .

If they win a round or two, awesome.

If not, its a learning experience.

If they lose, it will be ...

a sad ending to a wonderful ride thats left a tough-to-please fan base excited and optimistic for the future.

15.

Minnesota Wild Theyre back in the playoffs after last years miss, and trying to avoid what would be their eighth straight opening-round loss.

It will take an upset for it to happen, because just about everyone seems to be picking Vegas .

The good news in Minnesota is that theyve amassed some nice young talent and the cap situation frees up nicely next year, so you could look at this years playoffs as an appetizer.

I think thats probably the right view, even as you never want to go down meekly in round one.

If they lose, it will be ...

probably the last time it feels acceptable for this team to make a first-round exit.

14.

St.

Louis Blues A late-season win streak transformed them from bubble also-rans to, well, something else.

Were still not quite sure what, because theyre heavy underdogs to the Jets.

But as far as late-season transformations, nobody can match the Blues .

Advertisement The elephant in the room here is 2019, when the team went from dead last to Stanley Cup champions.

Its tempting to try to force this year into that same narrative, even if its not quite a fit.

If they lose, it will be ...

an expected result that still might feel like a missed opportunity.

13.

New Jersey Devils Its been a weird two years for the Devils, a team we all anointed as contenders two years ago.

Last season, they missed the playoffs entirely.

This time, they addressed the goaltending and made the postseason with relative ease, but arrive without Jack Hughes and with nobody seeming to think they can beat Carolina.

So, where does that leave us? Im not sure.

I think a first-round exit would be mostly hand-waved away because of the Hughes injury, and wed all put them back in our playoff mix for next year.

If so, this ranking is just about right, and maybe should be even lower.

If they lose, it will be ...

the 12th time in 13 years that theyre not in the second round, but probably understandable.

12.

Florida Panthers They won their first Cup last year, which lowers the pressure.

But theyre still very clearly in win-now mode, including big swings on trades for Seth Jones and Brad Marchand.

And theyre facing the Lightning, the bully who used to kick sand in their face but whom they finally managed to stand up to in recent years.

They dont want their reign on top of the Eastern conference to end at all, but they definitely dont want it to end here.

If they lose, it will be ...

a frustrating end to a fantastic three-year run.

11.

Ottawa Senators Theyre finally back, after eight years in the wilderness.

And with a young roster, a new coach and new management thats worked hard to expel the silliness of the last decade, the future is bright.

Under normal circumstances, theyd have already called this season a success, much like Montreal.

Advertisement Except ...

well, here come the Maple Leafs, and a chance to shed the little brother label, or at least put a dent in it.

Ottawa is the underdog and a loss here isnt a disaster.

But it would feel like a wasted chance at revenge, one that hands more ammo to a rival fan base whod make sure they knew about it.

If they lose, it will be ...

the Jacques Martin era all over again, at least for a few weeks.

10.

Colorado Avalanche This years poster child for the current playoff formats many haters, the Avs drew a brutal first-round matchup with the Stars.

In theory, they should be in great shape, with improved goaltending and the pending inspirational return of captain Gabriel Landeskog.

The Stars matchup is a bit less daunting due to injuries and the Avs looked impressive in Game 1, but Monday nights OT loss reminds us that it wont be easy.

With the Jets probably waiting in round two, the path is ugly.

Then again, if they do win it all, nobody can say they didnt earn it.

If they lose, it will be ...

a missed opportunity to prove once and for all that theyre the Wests final boss.

9.

Vegas Golden Knights The Pacifics top seed is all in, as always.

Theyre nicely positioned for a long run, and maybe a return to the final.

But if they fail, like they did last year, who knows what Kelly McCrimmon and his ruthless front office might do? Yes, they won it all just two years ago, which in theory lessens the pressure.

But this team just doesnt accept failure.

And they view failure as just about any season where theyre not playing in the final.

If they lose, it will be ...

a potentially wild offseason for a franchise that doesnt know any other way to do things.

8.

Washington Capitals Theyre a tough one.

On one hand, theyve already exceeded all expectations.

Heading into the season, they were considered a long shot to even make the playoffs not a single one of you picked them in the prediction contest and they defied the experts by holding down the Easts top seed pretty much all year long.

Oh, and Alex Ovechkin delivered on his goals record chase.

Theyve already had a season for the ages, even if they get shocked by the Habs in round one.

Advertisement Except ...

if they do lose, some of those critics will take a victory lap and say they were a paper tiger all along.

And even if thats not true, this year did have a very strong everything that can go right does vibe, and Caps fans know that those seasons dont come around often.

In fact, you could look at this as the last great team of the Ovechkin era.

It would be a shame to waste it once the games matter most.

If they lose, it will be ...

a stunning end to a feel-good season that lets all the other fan bases sneer about how they were right all along.

7.

Los Angeles Kings The oddsmakers still had them as slight underdogs heading into Game 1, despite having home ice advantage.

That has to sting, but it will sting a lot worse if they lose to the Oilers for the fourth year in a row.

After all, the Oilers arent going anywhere.

And with the playoff format as it is now, the Kings are going to have to beat them to get anywhere meaningful.

If thats not possible, then ...

well, what are we doing here? If they lose, it will be ...

a demoralizing confirmation that they just dont have a path out of the Pacific during the Connor McDavid era.

6.

Toronto Maple Leafs With a Cup drought about to hit six decades, the Leafs were second in last years rankings.

The year before that, they were such an obvious pick for number one that we didnt even bother including them in the list .

Now theyre yet another year into their cant win when it matters era, and theyre a big favorite against a provincial rival whose fan base lives for beating Toronto.

Lose here and Leaf fans will never hear the end of it.

Oh, and one of their best players would probably leave as a free agent .

So shouldnt they be ranked higher? Maybe.

I can see the case.

But also ...

I mean, at some point, the story just gets old, right? Weve done this so many times with the Leafs that the annual stories about last stands now have to be qualified as ultimate last stands .

They really mean it this time! Advertisement At some point, pressure stops being pressure and just turns into noise, and it feels like the Leafs have eaten their way through to the other side.

Win or dont win.

Blow it up or dont.

A big chunk of the fan base is just numb at this point.

They still rank high, but the monotony of this recycled story means theyre not as high as you might expect.

If they lose, it will be ...

impossible to run it back, right up until they do.

5.

Edmonton Oilers Last years number one team on the rankings has slipped a bit.

You could read that sentence two ways.

Theyve slipped in the rankings, if only a few spots.

And the reason is that theyve also slipped in terms of their contender status, which in turn tends to dial back the pressure, if only a little.

The bottom line is that this team came as close as they possibly could last year, then spent most of this season either seeming like that long run was wearing on them, or like a true contender that now knows the regular season barely matters.

Well find out which it is over the next few days, although Mondays start wasnt promising.

And while they did get Leon Draisaitl signed, this summer is the big one McDavid.

Hes never shown any signs of eyeing the door, as much as other fan bases have tried to manifest it, but another long playoff run would certainly make Oilers fans more comfortable about him staying.

If they lose, it will be ...

yet another opportunity lost for the greatest forward duo of their era.

4.

Carolina Hurricanes This is their seventh straight year of making the playoffs, and theyve developed a reputation for leaving us wanting more.

Thats a little weird, given that theyve won more series than theyve lost over time, including two trips to the conference final.

But they havent been able to break through and play for a Stanley Cup, and they no longer feel like a trendy pick to win it all.

Advertisement Maybe they should be.

The East is tough, but its hardly terrifying.

Theyre heavy favorites against the Devils, and probably would be against the Capitals (or Habs) in round two.

And nobody from the Atlantic looks unbeatable.

The path out of the conference is easy to find.

The question is whether theyre good enough, especially up front.

Thats where the Mikko Rantanen saga hangs over everything.

The Hurricanes thought they needed an elite game-breaker, so they went out and got one.

But when he didnt want to stay, they made the tough call to ship him out at the deadline.

That was probably the right choice, but it wont feel that way if they lose another winnable series because they cant score when it matters.

If they lose, it will be ...

a second-guessing season for a team that chose not to do things the easy way.

3.

Tampa Bay Lightning Flags fly forever.

And the Lightning already have flags, plural, from this core.

But theyve gone all in one earning more, including trading away their next three first-round picks and basically forgoing any kind of prospect pipeline.

They even sent Steven Stamkos to go live on a big fancy farm in Tennessee.

This organization is focused on the short term and the short term only.

Unfortunately, that short term is the Panthers, their top rival and the team thats replaced them as the class of the East ...

for now.

Now the Lightning have a shot at reclaiming their title, and everyone seems to be picking them to do just that .

But you have to wonder how much longer the widow will stay open and whether it will close slowly, or with a Bruins-like collapse.

If they lose, it will be ...

not the end, necessarily, but a clock ticking louder and louder.

2.

Dallas Stars Another tricky one.

Theres a strong case to be made for the Stars going in the one-spot, because theyve gone all in on a contender that (unlike most of the other teams we could say that for) hasnt won anything yet.

After years of being the Wests close-but-not-quite story, including three trips to the conference final in the 2020s, trading for Mikko Rantanen should have been the final sign that its officially now or never to take that final step.

Advertisement Except ...

how do you factor in the injuries to Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson? If the Devils get a quasi-pass for missing Jack Hughes, shouldnt the same thinking apply here? On most teams, it would.

But the Stars arent like most teams.

If they lose, it will be ...

maybe the most devastating case of what if we were healthy? in recent memory.

1.

Winnipeg Jets If you were going to sketch out what a perfect Jets season would look like, this would be it.

Their best player was so good that he should win the MVP .

Their other leaders all met or exceeded expectations.

They were relatively healthy.

And in a brutal division, they managed to finish first and earn a very winnable matchup.

Add it all up, and theyve already banked their first-ever Presidents Trophy.

Will that matter? Not if they cant make a deep run.

Even putting aside concerns over attendance , which we probably shouldnt, its hard to see where they go from here if it all falls apart in the postseason once again.

We know theyre never going to be a big UFA destination, and theyre going to be on no-trade clauses around the league.

Those are big obstacles most teams dont deal with, but theyre just the reality for Winnipeg.

They basically need to draft well, keep the stars they develop and then hope it all comes together in one perfect season.

And so far this year, thats pretty much whats happening.

Mix in a 2-0 series lead over the Blues that suggests they can escape the first round relatively easily, and the path is all laid out.

This isnt a young team, and the degree of difficulty may be higher in Winnipeg than anywhere else.

Its there for the taking right now, with the whole country ready to root for them.

If not now, when? If they lose, it will be ...

a waste of the best opportunity the market has ever had, and may ever get.

(Top photo: John E.

Sokolowski / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.