The Athletic’s power rankings: habs sixth in the NHL at the Olympic break

The Olympic break is now underway in the NHL. Action in Bettman's league will resume on February 25 for a final sprint toward the playoffs.

Each team has just under 30 games left to play, which will follow one another at a frenetic pace after the break.

That said, we now have a fairly substantial sample of games to analyze in order to paint a picture of the season. And the habs, with their 32-17-8 record, are one of the best teams in the NHL this season.

The Athletic, which assessed the league's strengths on the heels of the break, recognized the habs as such, ranking Martin St-Louis's team sixth in the NHL.

Only the Lightning, Avalanche, Hurricanes, Stars, and Wild are ahead of the Montreal team.

NHL Power Rankings
with @seangentille

As we head into the Olympic break, we took a look around the league at which players need to step up when the NHL returns.https://t.co/t8S919MqjE pic.twitter.com/DyEyVklGXx

— dom (@domluszczyszyn) February 6, 2026

Of course, all of this is impressive considering that the club has had to deal with numerous injuries, as well as a precarious situation in front of the net for much of the season. Seeing the youngest team in the NHL ranked sixth despite all of this isquite something.

Would you have believed it before the season started?

Obviously, all this doesn't make the Habs aperfect team. We know that the club still has some weaknesses that it could look to improve (whether it's a first-line winger, a second-line center, or a big right-handed defenseman to play with Lane Hutson), but overall, we feel that the Habs are respected throughout the league.

And we can assume that their five-game streak before the break, during which they beat the Golden Knights, Avalanche, Sabres, and Jets (in addition to picking up a point against the Wild), has only added to this group's credibility.

We'll see if the club can stay the course after the break, but right now, (almost) everything is coming up roses in Montreal.And that's a good atmosphere to have as the guys head off on vacation (or, for some, to Milan).

Overtime

– Vincent Trocheck: keep an eye on the Wild.

Pierre LeBrun: Vincent Trocheck's a guy that's garnering a lot of interest; keep an eye on the Wild…I don't know where the Wild will end up going…they've also shown interest in Ryan O'Reilly; Charlie Coyle; I think Guerin's all in – Oilers Now (2/4)

— NHL Rumor Report (@NHLRumorReport) February 6, 2026

– This story continues to be the talk of the town.

Enlarge your penis for better performance? @erichoziel broke down this strange situation with us this morning!#lesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro @alavoiemartel pic.twitter.com/sVCXfiuFet

— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) February 6, 2026

– What did you think of the ceremony?

Andrea Bocelli's vibrant performance at San Siro. His legendary voice moved the whole world to kick off the Olympic Games. pic.twitter.com/l1Gk54VUIZ

— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 6, 2026