15 Things I Look Forward to in the 2026–27 NHL Season
Updated September 27, 2026
Updated September 27, 2026
There are plenty of predictions to make before a new NHL season, but some storylines are simply more fun to watch than to forecast. These are the players, teams and situations I am most curious about heading into 2026–27.
San Jose might be the team I am most excited to watch. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are already established, Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson are coming, and now Ivar Stenberg joins the mix after going No. 2 in the 2026 draft. I already have the Sharks making the playoffs, so this is where that prediction gets tested. San Jose is no longer interesting because of what it might become in three years. I think it could be good right now.
Yes, of course. But that doesn’t mean they can’t still be good. Toronto finished last in the Atlantic and responded with major changes, including Gavin McKenna and Sergei Bobrovsky. There is obviously plenty of talent here, particularly with Auston Matthews still leading the team, but we have seen this movie before. Toronto makes a few exciting moves and suddenly everyone starts talking like a Stanley Cup parade is around the corner. Maybe this version is different, but I need to see it before I believe it.
Florida went from back-to-back Stanley Cups to missing the playoffs during an injury-ravaged season, so a bounce-back would hardly be surprising. What I am particularly interested in is Jacob Markstrom. His numbers in New Jersey were poor, but I still think he is a better goalie than those numbers suggest. Now he gets the chance to prove it behind a Panthers team that should be considerably healthier and much harder to play against. But if this season ends up marking the end of the Panthers' Stanley Cup contender era, well, good riddance.
Edmonton took a major step backward last season and then lost to Anaheim in the first round. Now Mike Babcock has been brought in to change the trajectory, while Frederik Andersen gives them another attempt at solving the goaltending problem. I remain skeptical. McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard should get this team into the playoffs, but I am much less convinced that Babcock and another goalie change suddenly turn Edmonton back into a Stanley Cup team.
Montreal has moved beyond being a fun young team. After reaching the Eastern Conference Final, expectations are different now. Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Demidov and Hutson give the Canadiens an exciting core, but this season is about proving that last spring was the beginning rather than a team arriving ahead of schedule. Montreal should expect to make the playoffs now, not simply hope to.
Viggo Bjorck gives Winnipeg an exciting young player to watch, but the much larger question is what the Jets look like without Connor Hellebuyck. Winnipeg already took a major step backward last season, and losing the goalie who covered up so many weaknesses could expose them even further. Maybe Bjorck injects some life into the roster and the Jets rally around the situation. Either way, Viggo and the Jets should be entertaining. Or it is the first and last time we will ever get to use this pun.
Buffalo finally ended the drought and won the Atlantic. Now comes the harder part: proving it wasn't a one-season wonder. Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram are gone, which removes two important pieces from a team that suddenly has expectations rather than sympathy. I still like plenty about the Sabres, but this season should tell us whether last year established a new standard or represented the high point of this version of Buffalo. They should've gone harder for Mr. Showtime.
This one's just funny. Larkin requested a trade but initially gave Detroit only three destinations he was willing to accept: Florida, Minnesota and Vegas. That's not exactly making life easy for the team trying to move you, especially with five years remaining on an $8.7 million cap hit. He has reportedly expanded that list since, so perhaps he realized the same thing. But guess what, all teams are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
Either way, Larkin's future could hang over Detroit all season. The Red Wings have been "almost there" for long enough, and at some point something has to change. Larkin could end up being the biggest part of that change, so I will be watching almost as closely for where he plays as how he plays.
Quinn Hughes has already made Minnesota better, but the contract situation makes this much more interesting. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, which means every good or bad stretch for the Wild will inevitably come back to the same question: is he staying? Minnesota should be one of the better teams in the West, but Hughes' future could become an even bigger story than the standings.
I think Washington gets back into the playoffs. The Capitals missed last season and responded aggressively by adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner rather than quietly accepting the end of the Ovechkin era. There is much more depth around him now, and Washington looks like a team deliberately trying to reopen its competitive window rather than simply enjoying Ovechkin's final seasons. So, let's focus on winning some games instead of reaching another Ovi record, shall we?
Utah is fascinating because it already feels more alive than Seattle.
Technically 🧐, Utah was established as a new NHL franchise after purchasing Arizona's hockey assets, so it wasn't a normal expansion or relocation. But the team inherited the Coyotes' hockey operation and has quickly built something that feels like it is moving forward. Utah made the playoffs last season and enters 2026–27 with genuine expectations.
Compare that with Seattle. The Kraken are the actual expansion team, yet after five seasons they still seem to be searching for an identity and finished 28th in scoring last year. Utah has young stars, expectations and momentum. Seattle has some promising players too, but right now the Kraken feel dead in the water.
New Jersey has enough talent to be dangerous, but everything looks different when Jack Hughes isn't available. That has happened often enough that health can no longer be treated as a minor footnote. Add uncertainty in goal and the Devils remain one of the hardest teams in the league to project. There is a version of New Jersey that can cause serious problems in the East. I just want to see that version stay together.
Tampa continues making the playoffs, but the Lightning haven't won a round since 2022. Victor Hedman's health is one reason I am interested in them this year. Kucherov, Vasilevskiy and Hedman are still good enough to make Tampa dangerous, but this core is clearly much closer to the end than the beginning. A healthy season from Hedman could tell us how much they still have left.
Patrick Kane returning to Chicago certainly makes for a nice story. I'm just not particularly ecstatic about it.
Kane signed a two-year deal to return to the Blackhawks after spending the past three seasons away, and there is obvious nostalgia attached to that. But personally, I would rather have seen him end up with his hometown Buffalo Sabres and chase something there. Maybe Chicago eventually becomes good enough to make the reunion meaningful, or perhaps we still get that Buffalo trade somewhere down the road. For now, the bigger thing I want from Chicago is simply progress from Bedard and the younger core.
Dallas feels almost boringly reliable at this point. The Stars remain deep at every position, have enough high-end talent to compete with anyone in the West and should benefit if they simply stay healthier than they did last season.
I already have them finishing second in the Central behind Colorado, but I would not be surprised if Dallas ends up winning the division. They might not generate the same hype as some of the younger teams around the league, but this still looks like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Sometimes the most interesting thing to watch is whether a very good team simply keeps being very good.
What makes this season especially interesting is how many teams seem to be approaching turning points. San Jose could be ready to arrive, Toronto has to justify another wave of hype, Florida is trying to rebound and Edmonton is attempting to stop moving in the wrong direction.
Then there are teams such as Utah and Montreal trying to prove their progress is sustainable, Winnipeg entering an uncertain new chapter and Buffalo facing the challenge of doing it all over again. Bring it on.
