NHL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, fantasy playoff pickups

The 2024-25 NHL regular season is another week closer to its end on April 17, and teams continue to solidify their playoff (or draft lottery) positioning.

The fantasy hockey playoffs also began this week in standard leagues. But don't fret if you're trailing; there's still plenty of time to turn things around in this two-week period.

In addition to the updated power rankings this week, Sean Allen (Eastern Conference) and Victoria Matiash (Western Conference) have identified the best playoff pickups, still reasonably available in your free agent pool, to help push your team to the finals.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published March 14. Points percentages are through Thursday's games.

1. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 2