New hands on the NHL power play, 2026-27: the measured record
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.
Five clubs hand the power play to a new operator this season and four more open camp with the job vacant or unannounced. This page records who holds each job as of 24 August 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. |
Vacant or unannounced
| club | where the job stands |
|---|---|
| OTT Ottawa Senators | Daniel Alfredsson ran the unit for three seasons and left for Toronto in July 2026; no successor named |
| NJD New Jersey Devils | Jeremy Colliton, who ran the unit, left the organization on 18 June 2026; the club said its search starts immediately |
| VGK Vegas Golden Knights | new head coach Ryan Craig has not assigned the unit, which had been Bruce Cassidy's own system since 2022 |
| VAN Vancouver Canucks | an all-new staff with no announced duties; beat coverage points to Jason Krog, in his first NHL bench season |
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, compiled once on 24 August 2026 from club announcements and reporting, and dated as such — they are not a data feed and this page is not refreshed. 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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Know the morning it changes
This article is the record. The daily report is the change: who moved onto PP1 or off it, the morning after it happens. The daily report is free through Tuesday 13 October: every power-play change in the league, in your inbox the next morning. No card, no password. After that, $27 keeps it daily for the whole season, or you drop to the free Monday email.
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