We are so back! The new NHL season is upon us, with the puck dropping on a tripleheader today!
Connor McDavid’s extension is signed to stay in Edmonton and that Pink Pony Club song is finally out of my head. So is No Broke Boys, for whatever that’s worth — $12.5 million in McDavid’s case. Rich as that sounds, it is a stunning discount that can be celebrated in Oil Country for years to come.
As summer fades to the fall with Canadian Thanksgiving on the horizon, it’s time to tackle my annual predictions for the National Hockey League. As always, I like to be bold or think outside the box with at least a couple hot takes that could be perceived as crazy compared to the consensus, which is largely a copy-and-paste from the previous season.
That wasn’t a bad approach to last season, with the Florida Panthers repeating as champions over McDavid’s Oilers again. Could the third time be the charm for Edmonton or will another team rise up to represent the Western Conference? And can Florida overcome injuries to Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov to pursue their threepeat, with both potentially back in the fold by playoffs. With the loss of Barkov, expect Tkachuk to return sooner than later. Love him or hate him, he is a hockey player through and through. A true gamer, who is good for the game!
But optimism is abound for 30 other teams, who are mostly confident they can challenge for the playoffs and for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. Minus a few, maybe, who are already setting their sights on the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes as hockey’s next prized prospect — or dare we declare him the next generational talent? He’s a stud, as we saw in his college debut, so some teams will tap out at the trade deadline to trend down in that lottery for the 2026 draft.
There is a ton of hockey to be played between now and then — for McDavid and McKenna and everyone else — and the games are played on ice, not on paper, but it’s always fun to prognosticate and predict how the season will play out.
I am a betting man but far from Nostradamus, admittedly, so take these predictions with a grain of salt and not necessarily to the bank. You are probably still safer to buy Bitcoin than to take stock in my two cents on the season to come. Especially with parity alive and well in the NHL, despite that potential for a third straight Cup clash between Florida and Edmonton if everyone is healthy.
Without further ado, let’s work our way through the standings — from division to conference to overall — and then get into the playoff picture before crowning a champion!
Atlantic Division
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
2) Ottawa Senators
3) Toronto Maple Leafs
4) Florida Panthers
5) Montreal Canadiens
6) Buffalo Sabres
7) Boston Bruins
8) Detroit Red Wings
This is now the league’s deepest division and I’m not sure that is up for debate.
Florida is dealing with those aforementioned injuries to star players as the only reason for their drop off — regular-season results are hardly a detriment to the Panthers — and Boston is arguably the only team trending down here. The Bruins are the only team trending towards a youth movement or a partial rebuild, whatever you want to label it.
Toronto is down a star too with Mitch Marner’s departure but the Leafs should still be a playoff lock, providing Auston Matthews returns to form with a healthy campaign.
Everyone else is pushing up. Detroit’s defense leaves a lot to be desired and their goaltending depends on John Gibson’s health. He has been injury prone but also has the potential to take this team on his back for a playoff push.
Buffalo can’t be bad forever, already enduring the longest playoff drought in professional sports. The Sabres have to take strides and can no longer settle for mediocrity. Their goaltending is also a question mark but the talent is there for Buffalo to finally make some noise. Tate Thompson could win the Rocket Richard, you heard it here first. Detroit and Buffalo can’t be trusted but could exceed expectations to silence their critics.
The Canadiens still need a second-line center to be taken seriously — Sidney Crosby would certainly take them to contender status — but Montreal has a lot of momentum, with Noah Dobson and Ivan Demidov complementing their core that surprisingly made the playoffs last season. The Habs won’t sneak up on anyone now and the hype is high but Martin St. Louis should be able to get the most out of this group again while keeping them humble.
Ottawa also cleared their playoff hurdle last season and could be on the verge of overtaking Toronto in that Battle of Ontario. The Senators are younger and seemingly hungrier for success, led by Brady Tkachuk. I’d take him as a leader over Auston Matthews every day of the week, twice on Sunday. As long as Linus Ullmark holds up, Ottawa could have home-ice advantage this time around.
Last but obviously not least, the Lightning look primed to strike again while preying on the ailing Panthers. That Battle of Florida is becoming wild, so hopefully we’ll be treated to another best-of-seven there as well. Jon Cooper will want his revenge, as much as anybody!
Metropolitan Division
1) Washington Capitals
2) New Jersey Devils
3) Carolina Hurricanes
4) New York Islanders
5) Columbus Blue Jackets
6) Philadelphia Flyers
7) New York Rangers
8) Pittsburgh Penguins
This has turned into the league’s weakest division, though I’m sure that opinion will garner its share of opposition. I’m sensing the same three playoff teams from the Metro, with the Atlantic sweeping the Eastern Conference wild cards for the second year in a row.
Washington wasn’t a fluke on top — and Alex Ovechkin ain’t done scoring yet — but New Jersey will compete for the division title with a healthy Jack Hughes. Carolina added Nik Ehlers and appears solidly among the top three there. Injuries could impact that order but they are clearly above the rest of the also-rans here.
The Islanders could have some impactful rookies — Matthew Schaefer, Max Shabanov, maybe even Cal Ritchie — but they are still a cut below those Big 3. Columbus, like Buffalo, is showing signs of life after rallying around Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic passing last season. That really bonded the Blue Jackets but projecting them as a playoff team would be quite the leap of faith. They are another team with subpar goaltending that could hold them back.
Philadelphia is my hunch as a Metro team that might surprise under Rick Tocchet. I never read into preseason results but I felt some vibes around the Flyers. Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov are clicking. Christian Dvorak looks different, rejuvenated there. Jamie Drysdale and Cam York should take another step behind Travis Sanheim. But their goaltending tandem ranks near the bottom, which could sink the Flyers too.
There will be an uproar over this Rangers’ ranking but I honestly don’t see a playoff team on paper here. Their bottom six forwards are replacement level and their bottom four on defense are below average too. Fortunately for the Rangers, Igor Shesterkin is capable of stealing them games and perhaps even keeping them in the playoff conversation. JT Miller doesn’t like losing, so this could get interesting with him as captain. I do like Mike Sullivan as the new coach for Alexis Lafreniere’s next chapter.
Crosby doesn’t like losing either, so this could be his final season in Pittsburgh, with Colorado and Montreal among the potential suitors at the trade deadline. Don’t rule out Florida either, depending on Barkov’s recovery and whether he’ll be available for playoffs — given those new rules enforcing the salary cap beyond the regular season. A midseason move might not be appropriate for Crosby as the face of this franchise, but the Penguins are evidently embracing their rebuild. Kyle Dubas is undoubtedly enamoured with McKenna, so stay tuned to the Steel City.
Pacific Division
1) Vegas Golden Knights
2) Edmonton Oilers
3) Anaheim Ducks
4) Los Angeles Kings
5) Vancouver Canucks
6) Seattle Kraken
7) Calgary Flames
8) San Jose Sharks
This is the league’s upstart division, with the potential to surge in the not-too-distant future. Those California clubs are no longer the league’s laughing stock.
San Jose has a bright future and might be the most exciting team to watch this season. It may not translate to many wins, but that young core is all kinds of fun with Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson and Yaroslav Askarov as the next wave in their youth movement.
Calgary is a scrappy squad, committed to the cause. Dustin Wolf gives them a fighting chance. They have been drafting well under Craig Conroy and playing inspired under Ryan Huska. But as close as they came last season, playoffs are probably a pipedream in the present. The focus is — and should be — on the future for the Flames. That might not mean McKenna or a lottery pick in 2026 but another key piece to their puzzle. Do they move Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri to improve their draft position?
Seattle is something of a wild card here, deep enough that they could compete for a wild card with adequate goaltending. Joey Daccord has been decent, so don’t count out the Kraken, but the betting odds aren’t in their favour again. It’s still an uphill battle in this division but Seattle is running short on patience as evidenced by changing coaches for the second year in a row.
Vancouver is hoping a healthy Thatcher Demko, a happy Quinn Hughes and a revitalized Elias Pettersson can return the Canucks to the playoffs. That is entirely possible, some might suggest promising, but this roster could struggle to score under new head coach Adam Foote. He’ll be preaching defense first, but it’ll be difficult to shut down their division rivals.
Los Angeles isn’t a playoff lock for Anze Kopitar’s final season. The Kings have more competition within this division and could be slowing down, particularly on defense. The forwards are fine, with a dynamic top line, but they will need another stellar season from Darcy Kuemper to stay in the mix and he isn’t getting any younger either. They will be motivated to give Kopitar a royal send-off but several teams could play spoiler for the Kings.
I’m bullish on Anaheim as one of my bold predictions. The Ducks just look ready to soar. Joel Quenneville can certainly help them spread their wings and learn to fly. Whether it’s this season or next, the Ducks are going to take off. They have plenty of firepower up front now, with more offense coming from the back end. And solid goaltending to boot. The vets have to set the tone here but playoffs appear attainable for the first time in eight years.
Edmonton has been to consecutive finals — to the final four in three of the past four seasons — and knows how to pace themselves for the playoffs. The regular season is a marathon, so look for McDavid and company to conserve their energy to some degree — easing into the grind again before ramping up in the second half. The Oilers won’t have McDavid’s contract status as a distraction and the fact he took less to help the team win should be a motivating factor for the rest of this roster. Making room for a few rookies should help keep things fresh and fun until it’s time to get serious again.
Vegas added a regular-season ringer in Marner and the Golden Knights are rumoured to be the frontrunners for Carter Hart to shore up their goaltending depth. Losing Alex Pietrangelo hurts, assuming he won’t be able to continue his career or return for the 2026 playoffs, but their defense remains a strength and their forwards are stronger than last season. Is Jack Eichel as driven to win another Cup as McDavid is to win his first? Impossible, but Eichel needs to be the driving force for the Knights to dethrone Edmonton in this division.
Central Division
1) Colorado Avalanche
2) Dallas Stars
3) Minnesota Wild
4) Winnipeg Jets
5) St. Louis Blues
6) Utah Mammoth
7) Nashville Predators
8) Chicago Blackhawks
This could be the league’s most interesting division this season, outside of the top two. Colorado and Dallas have separated themselves from the pack here. And Chicago is destined to bring up the rear again. That leaves five teams jostling for position, with one, two or perhaps even three playoff berths at stake. The wild cards will be very much up for grabs in the wild West!
Connor Bedard will do everything in his power to make Chicago relevant again, but realistically the Blackhawks will be in the running for his relative — McKenna is Bedard’s cousin through marriage, not blood. A quick glance at the Blackhawks’ blue line is telling of their true intentions. That being another lottery pick and a shot at McKenna as Bedard’s wingman.
Nashville underachieved last season. The Predators were praised as offseason winners for landing Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, among others, but nothing clicked for Nashville until it was too late. They gradually gained chemistry and now returning with a full season of familiarity, the Preds could be primed for a resurgence — potentially turning into the playoff contender that many predicted a year ago. Key word is potentially, but they also have potential in developing their youth this season.
Utah has plenty of potential too, especially with that young line of Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka. They will be electric and there is positive energy all around the Mammoth, from ownership to prospects, but they will need to be more than entertaining to make the playoffs. They’ll get there eventually but this season might serve as another stepping stone towards that goal. One step closer.
St. Louis came on strong under Jim Montgomery following the 4 Nations last season and the Blues should be able to pick up where they left off. Montgomery is a great coach for this group, with the holdovers from their Cup win in 2019 still in their prime and leading by example. It is nice mix of vets and youth in St. Louis, but they don’t have as much star power as their division rivals.
Winnipeg overachieved by winning the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s top team in the regular season. The Jets will be in tough to defend that title, but that won’t be their focus. Just making the playoffs will be challenging enough in this division, then hoping Connor Hellebuyck can take his home heroics on the road for a change. I honestly don’t know what to expect from Jonathan Toews, but I’m cheering for his success in this homecoming. If he is a hit, Winnipeg could finish higher again. And the sooner they sign Kyle Connor to an extension, the better for the Jets’ overall outlook.
Minnesota got their man locked up, giving Kirill Kaprizov the richest contract in NHL history. That was a whopper but the Wild couldn’t afford to lose their franchise player. And now they can turn their whole attention towards winning. Making the playoffs at a minimum but making some noise in the postseason by winning a round or two or more. They haven’t seen the second round since 2015 and have only been to the conference final once, way back in 2003. We’ll see what kind of impact Zeev Buium and Danila Yurov can make as rookies trying to turn this team into a legitimate contender.
Dallas is definitely that, a legit contender coming off their third straight loss in the conference final. They made a coaching change after Pete DeBoer called out Jake Oettinger but Glen Gulutzan will have a calming effect in his second stint with the Stars. They didn’t make the playoffs in his first go round, missing in 2012 and 2013, but the roster is better equipped this time with Mikko Rantanen as their go-to guy now. Jim Nill will continue to bolster the roster, giving the Stars every opportunity to hoist the Cup.
Colorado won a Cup with this core in 2022 but Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar want more. Gabriel Landeskog will be fired up for a full season and the Avs’ goaltending is in good hands now too. Obviously they miss Rantanen — his revenge tour was one for the ages in the playoffs — but Colorado has reloaded for another run this season, even adding grizzled mountain man Brent Burns for the Ray Bourque effect. Jared Bednar knows the pressure is on, with David Carle waiting in the wings if they can’t reach the summit again. Acquiring Crosby could put them over the top, just saying.
Eastern Conference
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
2) Washington Capitals
3) New Jersey Devils
4) Carolina Hurricanes
5) Ottawa Senators
6) Toronto Maple Leafs
7) Florida Panthers
8) Montreal Canadiens
9) Buffalo Sabres
10) New York Islanders
11) Columbus Blue Jackets
12) Philadelphia Flyers
13) New York Rangers
14) Boston Bruins
15) Detroit Red Wings
16) Pittsburgh Penguins
This could be way off, and it looks so wrong with Pittsburgh at the very bottom, but I’m fairly confident about those Top 8 — the same eight from last season, thus nothing too bold here.
The Bottom 8 haven’t won me over with their offseason moves, and I don’t think the new coach bump will be enough for the Flyers or the Rangers as much as I’m a fan of Tocchet and Sullivan.
If I had any confidence in the goaltending for Buffalo and Columbus, they would have been my hot takes but both have burned me in recent years when I swung and missed on their upside. I have a sneaking suspicion that even Detroit could surprise us, but I wasn’t ready to go to bat for the Red Wings.
I’m a big believer in Jon Cooper and the likelihood of the Lightning returning to the top, at least in the regular season. The Panthers’ losses will be their gains, until they meet again.
I can see the Capitals right there again too. New Jersey and Carolina won’t be far behind. Nor will the Ontario teams, with Florida and Montreal claiming the wild cards to flex the Atlantic’s strength and superiority.
Western Conference
1) Vegas Golden Knights
2) Colorado Avalanche
3) Dallas Stars
4) Edmonton Oilers
5) Minnesota Wild
6) Winnipeg Jets
7) Anaheim Ducks
8) St. Louis Blues
9) Los Angeles Kings
10) Vancouver Canucks
11) Seattle Kraken
12) Utah Mammoth
13) Nashville Predators
14) Calgary Flames
15) San Jose Sharks
16) Chicago Blackhawks
It still feels like a clear Top 4 in the West and I’d be surprised if they weren’t the Final Four again, with rematches between Vegas-Edmonton and Colorado-Dallas in the second round of the playoffs. Again, not overly bold or spicy or even original.
And the Bottom 2 still feel obvious as well, with San Jose and Chicago staying the course in their respective rebuilds.
I’m more open-minded on the rest of the West, making stronger statements with Minnesota ahead of Winnipeg in the Central and Anaheim as the third seed in the Pacific. I would consider both to be bold, with Anaheim the real eye-opener.
There was a moment when I contemplated Winnipeg missing the playoffs as another hot take, but I couldn’t bring myself to go that scorched earth. In case it happens, I had a hunch the Jets could go from the league’s best to the outside looking in — but, upon further evaluation, they wound up making the cut somewhat comfortably for me, albeit as a wild card.
I have it coming down to the wire for St. Louis, Los Angeles and Vancouver to determine that second wild card. I’m anticipating an intense race there. Seattle, Utah, Nashville and Calgary could add more horses to that race, making it seven wide, but I’m envisioning them as also-rans who tail off in the homestretch.
Overall Standings
1) Vegas Golden Knights
2) Colorado Avalanche
3) Tampa Bay Lightning
4) Washington Capitals
5) Dallas Stars
6) Edmonton Oilers
7) New Jersey Devils
8) Carolina Hurricanes
9) Ottawa Senators
10) Toronto Maple Leafs
11) Minnesota Wild
12) Winnipeg Jets
13) Florida Panthers
14) Montreal Canadiens
15) Anaheim Ducks
16) St. Louis Blues
17) Los Angeles Kings
18) Vancouver Canucks
19) Buffalo Sabres
20) Seattle Kraken
21) New York Islanders
22) Utah Mammoth
23) Columbus Blue Jackets
24) Nashville Predators
25) Philadelphia Flyers
26) New York Rangers
27) Calgary Flames
28) Boston Bruins
29) Detroit Red Wings
30) Pittsburgh Penguins
31) San Jose Sharks
32) Chicago Blackhawks
Lots to digest and unpack there, but I’ll try to keep it concise. I truly see the balance of power shifting to the West this season, with four of the top six overall, including their division winners as Nos. 1-2. Granted, the East still accounts for six of the Top 10 but only two in the Top 5.
The West is stronger in the middle of the pack too, with 11 of the Top 20 producing the more competitive playoff race for 2026. The East could prove me wrong and provide ample suspense, resulting in some new playoff teams for that conference but I couldn’t get there in my assessments. I kept coming back to the status quo as the most likely outcome. If there is a shakeup to the playoff picture, I reckon it’ll occur in the West. Speaking of which …
Playoff Picture
Eastern Conference
First Round
A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. WC2) Montreal Canadiens
A2) Ottawa Senators vs. A3) Toronto Maple Leafs
M1) Washington Capitals vs. WC1) Florida Panthers
M2) New Jersey Devils vs. M3) Carolina Hurricanes
Western Conference
First Round
P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2) St. Louis Blues
P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. P3) Anaheim Ducks
C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. WC1) Winnipeg Jets
C2) Dallas Stars vs. C3) Minnesota Wild
Eastern Conference
Second Round
A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A2) Ottawa Senators
M2) New Jersey Devils vs. WC1) Florida Panthers
Western Conference
Second Round
P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. P2) Edmonton Oilers
C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. C2) Dallas Stars
Eastern Conference Final
Third Round
A2) Ottawa Senators vs. WC1) Florida Panthers
Western Conference Final
Third Round
C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. P2) Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Final
Fourth Round
P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. WC1) Florida Panthers
Edmonton finally defeats Florida in Game 7 to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada!
Some will be shaming me as a homer again for that prediction, but I am confident the Oilers are going to be willing and wanting to skate through a wall to make McDavid’s dream a reality and reward their captain for putting the team first. Don’t underestimate the power of that contract decision on the psyche of his peers come playoffs.
I am also confident that Stan Bowman will find a way to address Edmonton’s weakness in goal. For this scenario to come to fruition, Stuart Skinner won’t be the Oilers’ starter come playoffs. Even with St. Louis in my playoff picture again, I keep seeing Jordan Binnington in Edmonton’s crease following the Olympics. I see Skinner going the other way, reuniting with Jordan Hofer to form the Blues’ tandem for the foreseeable future. Connor Ingram works his way up to Edmonton as Binnington’s backup for the playoff run. The Oilers cringe at the acquisition cost but cave to Doug Armstrong’s demands of Skinner, Beau Akey and a first-round pick in 2027. Edmonton would prefer that pick be conditional on making the conference final again but relents to seal the deal. No regrets whatsoever if Binnington outduels Sergei Bobrovsky to deliver the Cup.
And before you call my playoff picture boring, take a closer look. I’ve got the Battle of the Tkachuk Brothers in the Eastern Conference Final — imagine Matthew and Brady slugging it out at that stage. I almost went with Ottawa, for the record, but I’m expecting Barkov’s return by then as a deciding factor. If Barkov is ruled out by the trade deadline, Bill Zito could work his magic to land Crosby alongside Brad Marchand or perhaps pursue Kadri from Calgary for a hat trick of trades with Florida previously stealing Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk from the Flames.
If Colorado is able to acquire Crosby, even at the expense of Martin Necas, I think you’d have to give the Avs the edge over Edmonton in that West final. MacKinnon and Crosby against McDavid and Draisaitl would be must-see TV! I’ve got Colorado avenging that loss to Rantanen with or without Crosby. With the emotions no longer fresh or not as raw, the Avs’ leaders outshine the Stars in their rematch.
And if Montreal happens to be the best fit for Crosby, the Canadiens could upset Tampa Bay in the opening round and potentially go all the way too. Crosby is the real wild card, should he consider a change of scenery to chase another Cup.
I think there is a realistic chance that Crosby moves — especially if Pittsburgh winds up where I have them — and Crosby’s presence on another contender could be all that stands in the way of McDavid winning his first Cup.
But, alas, I don’t think McDavid will be denied in 2026. I think this is the Oilers’ year. Plan the parade in Edmonton!
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