East playoff field

We asked each voter to pick the eight East playoff teams. Here is the percentage of the votes received by each team.

A bar chart of The Athletic's polling of its NHL staff from March 10–12, 2025 found that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers are all locks to make the playoffs from the East.

Toronto Maple Leafs

100.0%

Tampa Bay Lightning

100.0%

Washington Capitals

100.0%

Carolina Hurricanes

100.0%

Florida Panthers

100.0%

New Jersey Devils

93.1%

Ottawa Senators

89.7%

Columbus Blue Jackets

79.3%

New York Rangers

31.0%

Detroit Red Wings

6.9%

Note: Survey of 29 staffers from The Athletic's NHL staff between March 10–12, 2025. Figures are rounded.

Source: The Athletic (NHL Staff Survey)