New hands on the NHL power play, 2026-27: the measured record
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Who runs each club’s power play this season, what those coaches’ units actually did, and how much a ranking survives a summer — from the league’s official record, 2016-17 through 2025-26.
7 clubs hand the power play to a new operator this season and 2 more have not said who runs it. This page records who holds each job as of 5 October 2026 and prints the official conversion rank of every NHL unit those coaches were responsible for. It draws no conclusions about 2026-27: the record is the content.
What changed hands for 2026-27
| club | who runs it in 2026-27 | his units' official ranks |
|---|---|---|
| TOR Toronto Maple Leafs | Daniel Alfredsson — hired July 2026 as associate coach with power-play oversight, per the club | Ottawa Senators — 2023-24: 23/32, 2024-25: 11/32, 2025-26: 8/32 |
| WSH Washington Capitals | Ray Bennett — hired May 2026; his power-play portfolio is reported by every outlet, though the club has not said so explicitly | Colorado Avalanche — 2017-18: 8/31, 2018-19: 7/31, 2019-20: 19/31, 2020-21: 8/31, 2021-22: 7/32, 2022-23: 6/32, 2023-24: 5/32, 2024-25: 8/32 New York Islanders — 2025-26: 30/32 |
| NYI New York Islanders | Rocky Thompson — per head coach Pete DeBoer: “the point guy on our power play” | San Jose Sharks — 2020-21: 29/31 Philadelphia Flyers — 2022-23: 32/32, 2023-24: 32/32, 2024-25: 30/32 |
| STL St. Louis Blues | Vinny Prospal — hired June 2026, per the club; first NHL season — his three Rochester (AHL) units peaked 3rd in that league | No NHL power-play unit on his record yet. |
| LAK Los Angeles Kings | Ray Whitney — named by head coach Peter Laviolette, with Phil Housley supporting; first coaching role at any professional level | No NHL power-play unit on his record yet. |
| OTT Ottawa Senators | Ben Sexton — named by head coach Travis Green to run the unit after Daniel Alfredsson left for Toronto, per The Hockey News, 7 Sep 2026 | Prior units not compiled here. |
| VAN Vancouver Canucks | Ryan Mougenel — leads the offence and power play, with Jason Krog alongside, per the club, 19 Sep 2026 | Prior units not compiled here. |
Vacant or unannounced
| club | where the job stands |
|---|---|
| NJD New Jersey Devils | Jeremy Colliton, who ran the unit, left the organization on 18 June 2026; the club has not said who runs it now |
| VGK Vegas Golden Knights | Ryan Craig, named head coach in June 2026 to replace John Tortorella (who had taken over from Bruce Cassidy late in 2025-26), has not publicly assigned the unit |
What a handover has moved, measured
Recent seasons put real distance between a unit’s rank before and after a coaching change — in both directions:
| club | who arrived | his first season | rank before | rank after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS Boston Bruins | Steve Spott — joined Marco Sturm's staff, June 2025 | 2025-26 | 29/32 | 9/32 |
| PIT Pittsburgh Penguins | David Quinn — took the unit for one season | 2024-25 | 30/32 | 6/32 |
| NYR New York Rangers | David Quinn — moved to New York the next summer | 2025-26 | 28/32 | 5/32 |
| DAL Dallas Stars | Neil Graham — with head coach Glen Gulutzan | 2025-26 | 17/32 | 2/32 |
| COL Colorado Avalanche | Dave Hakstol — hired July 2025 | 2025-26 | 8/32 | 27/32 |
| MTL Montreal Canadiens | Martin St. Louis — the head coach took direct control, September 2024 | 2024-25 | 27/32 | 21/32 |
| PHI Philadelphia Flyers | Yogi Svejkovsky — followed Rick Tocchet from Vancouver | 2025-26 | 30/32 | 32/32 |
| WPG Winnipeg Jets | Davis Payne — joined June 2024 | 2024-25 | 22/32 | 1/32 |
How sticky is a power-play ranking at all?
Across the last four season pairs the league-wide correlation of power-play ranks ran from +0.16 to +0.65 — last season’s ranking is a starting point, not a destiny, and the handovers above are where the biggest moves clustered.
| seasons | rank correlation | clubs |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 → 2022-23 | +0.44 | 32 |
| 2022-23 → 2023-24 | +0.65 | 32 |
| 2023-24 → 2024-25 | +0.16 | 32 |
| 2024-25 → 2025-26 | +0.16 | 32 |
Coach assignments are authored facts, first compiled 24 August 2026 and re-checked 5 October 2026 against club announcements and reporting — they are not a data feed and this page is not refreshed nightly. Every ranking is the NHL’s official power-play conversion record. Head-coach identity on this site’s coach surfaces comes from the league’s own per-game record; see how this site measures.
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Measured from the NHL's own shift charts: 89 games in 2026-27.