On June 14, 2026, Jordan Staal hoisted the Stanley Cup inside a roaring T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, capping a championship run that validated everything Rod Brind’Amour had built in Raleigh. The Carolina Hurricanes, who led the NHL with 113 points during the regular season, dispatched four consecutive opponents — sweeping Ottawa, sweeping Philadelphia, dismantling Montreal in five, and defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six — without losing back-to-back games a single time all postseason. It was dominant. It was clinical. And now, three-and-a-half months later, the rest of the hockey world has spent every waking hour trying to figure out how to stop them from doing it again.

Welcome to the 2026-27 NHL season — 84 games for the first time since 1993-94, a field of contenders packed tighter than it has been in years, and enough compelling storylines to fill an entire broadcast season. We have a family reunion in South Florida. We have a generational prospect arriving in Toronto carrying the weight of a nation, a First Nation, and a franchise. We have the greatest hockey player alive entering what might be his final two seasons in Edmonton with a new coach, a rebuilt roster, and a quiet desperation radiating beneath every public statement. And we have a Colorado team that won more games in the regular season than almost any team in the salary cap era — and never got out of the conference finals.

Let us get into all of it.

2025-26 Season at a Glance: How We Got Here

Before the curtain rises on 2026-27, here is the landscape that shaped this offseason:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup behind Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal, a midseason trade for Nikolaj Ehlers that proved to be the decisive X-factor, and Brandon Bussi’s .895 save percentage in the postseason. Brind’Amour, himself a Cup-winning captain in Carolina back in 2006, now owns one as a coach.
  • The Colorado Avalanche posted 121 points — the second-greatest regular season of the salary cap era — then were swept by Vegas in the Western Conference Finals without a coherent answer. MacKinnon won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 53 goals. None of it mattered when the lights came up brightest.
  • The Florida Panthers cratered to 40-38-4 after Aleksander Barkov shredded his ACL and MCL in training camp. The Panthers, who had won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, missed the playoffs entirely.
  • The Edmonton Oilers lost back-to-back Finals to Florida in 2024 and 2025, then suffered the humiliation of losing to the Anaheim Ducks in six games in the first round of 2026 — despite Connor McDavid posting 138 points and winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy. McDavid’s four-word post-series summation said everything: “We were an average team.”
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs hit absolute rock bottom, finishing 32-36-14 — last in the Atlantic Division, last in the East — but in doing so, won the 2026 Draft Lottery and the right to select a prospect so transcendent that the franchise may not care how painful the journey there was.
  • The Buffalo Sabres ended a 14-season playoff drought — the longest active drought in the league — by winning the Atlantic Division with 109 points. It lasted two rounds before Montreal sent them home, but the city of Buffalo will not soon forget the tears on opening night of those playoffs.

Storyline No. 1: The Tkachuk Reunion That the Hockey World Has Been Waiting For

It happened on Father’s Day. Of course it did.

On June 22, 2026 — the same afternoon the Hockey Hall of Fame announced that Keith Tkachuk would be inducted alongside Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, and Cindy Curley in the Class of 2026 — the Florida Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators, reuniting him with his brother Matthew for the first time as NHL teammates. The timing was not a coincidence. Panthers GM Bill Zito confirmed the date was deliberate.

Brady chose No. 8 as his Florida number. Keith Tkachuk, a 538-goal scorer in 1,201 NHL games across Winnipeg, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Atlanta, will be in the building at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on November 7 to accept his Hall of Fame plaque — flanked, presumably, by two sons who won Olympic gold together in February and are now sharing a locker room in Sunrise.

The price Florida paid was steep: the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 Draft, a conditional 2029 first-rounder, and a 2027 second. Ottawa received significant capital for a player who had grown into a leader but was hobbled by the franchise’s dysfunction. Brady’s numbers in 2025-26 — 22 goals, 37 assists, 59 points in 60 games — reflected a player playing compressed, not a player diminished.

Matthew, meanwhile, was limited to just 31 games in 2025-26 by injury, producing 13 goals and 21 assists in that span. His healthy ceiling remains among the most dangerous in hockey: 109 points in 2022-23, 104 the year before. The question for Florida’s 2026-27 campaign is not whether the talent exists on this roster. It is whether everyone gets healthy, stays healthy, and gives head coach Paul Maurice enough time to build the chemistry that two Cup-winning rosters once had.

Brady, in his first public comments after the trade, was disarmingly honest about where his head was: “I guess that became a reality a couple of days ago and it’s still, I don’t think it’s hit the both of us. I know we’ve talked about little routines we’re going to have in the morning about getting to the rink early, breakfast, coffee, and hanging out in the morning before guys get there.”

Brothers sharing morning coffee before a hockey game. Keith Tkachuk entering the Hall of Fame in November. Two Olympic gold medals hanging in the family home. The storyline writes itself — and Florida intends to write a championship ending to it.

The Goaltending Question

Florida also overhauled its goaltending this summer, and the reviews are mixed. Sergei Bobrovsky — a two-time Cup champion in Florida and the most decorated goalie in franchise history — signed a three-year, $21 million deal with Toronto. In his place, the Panthers brought in Jacob Markstrom from New Jersey, who posted a .883 save percentage and 3.07 GAA with the Devils in 2025-26. Those are not championship numbers. Markstrom, a former Panther himself, is counting on the organization to bring out the best in him again. “I’m super stoked,” he said upon signing. “I know what this organization is about.”

The talent surrounding Markstrom is generational. The projected top line of Brady Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart would be top-five in the NHL on paper. A healthy Barkov — who led Finland to IIHF World Championship gold in May with 11 points in 10 games, demonstrating that the ACL/MCL recovery has gone exactly as hoped — is arguably still the best two-way center alive. Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, and Anton Lundell provide the depth to win seven-game series. But if Markstrom’s numbers from New Jersey travel to South Florida, no amount of forward depth will compensate.

Bill Zito, never one to shy from a challenge, was direct about what Florida faces on opening night: “They’re the champs. For us, it’s going to be hard starting against the best. You’ve got to play them anyway. You might as well. Let’s go.”

Cup odds: +650. The pick here is Florida.

Storyline No. 2: Gavin McKenna Arrives in Toronto — and Nothing Will Ever Be the Same

On the evening of June 26, 2026, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, commissioner Gary Bettman announced the first overall pick in the Upper Deck NHL Draft. The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna — an 18-year-old left wing from Whitehorse, Yukon — and the hockey world got its first extended look at the player most scouts believe will define the next decade of the sport.

McKenna’s numbers border on the unbelievable. In 2024-25 with the Medicine Hat Tigers, he posted 41 goals, 88 assists, and 129 points in 56 WHL games, finishing plus-60, winning CHL and WHL Player of the Year, and setting a modern CHL record with a 54-game point streak. He led Medicine Hat to a WHL Championship and a Memorial Cup Finals appearance. He then went to Penn State as a freshman in 2025-26 and, in 35 games, produced 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points at a pace of 1.46 points per game — second in all of NCAA hockey. On February 20, he had an 8-point game against Ohio State (one goal, seven assists) — the most points in an NCAA Division I game in 39 years.

The superlatives are almost beside the point. What matters is the way McKenna plays. Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne put it as well as anyone: “He’s the smartest hockey player in the draft. He controls the pace of play, sees all 10 skaters on the ice, and finds seams to create chances for his teammates.” He is not the most physically imposing prospect — critics note that he can go quiet when a game does not come to him — but his hockey IQ is generational, a word that is overused in hockey and, in this case, is simply accurate.

There is more to McKenna’s story than hockey. His grandfather Joe is a member of the Trondek Hwechin First Nation and a survivor of Canada’s residential school system. McKenna is a proud citizen of that same nation. When he was drafted first overall and walked to the podium, he spoke publicly about what that moment meant to his grandfather. GM John Chayka, who led the Maple Leafs’ aggressive rebuild this offseason, did not lead with the stats when he talked about his new franchise cornerstone. He led with the story.

“For me, someone’s story kind of defines them,” Chayka said, “and this is the classic Canadian story. A kid out on the ice, by himself, working on his game. No skills coach. No skating coach. No trainer. Just for the love of the game. I think it’s special.”

McKenna is, for the record, a distant cousin-by-marriage of Connor Bedard, and only the sixth NCAA player to be selected first overall in NHL history — the first such player from Penn State. He has signed a three-year entry-level contract at $1.075 million cap hit and is projected to skate on a line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander from opening night.

At the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Chicago, McKenna was asked about his goals for the season. He did not hedge. “For sure, make the playoffs. Hopefully go on a run there with the team that we got. And of course you want to win a Calder Trophy in your rookie season.”

Analyst Carlo Colaiacovo agreed: “I’m going with Gavin McKenna to win Rookie of the Year because I think he’s going to have 60-plus points in his rookie season.”

The New-Look Maple Leafs

Toronto’s rebuild is real, and Chayka has moved with unusual urgency. In addition to McKenna, the Leafs added Sergei Bobrovsky in net, acquired offensive defenseman Darren Raddysh — a significant power-play contributor — in a sign-and-trade from Tampa Bay for eight years at $68 million, brought in Nick Paul from Tampa Bay and Jack Roslovic from Edmonton, and added depth forwards Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, and Brandon Duhaime. The goaltending situation, previously a franchise-wide anxiety, now features a two-time Stanley Cup champion backstop — a distinction the Maple Leafs have not enjoyed since the days of the legendary Turk Broda, a five-time Stanley Cup champion who remains one of the most decorated goaltenders in franchise and NHL history. Auston Matthews, limited to 60 games in 2025-26 by a knee injury, is listed as probable for the start of the season.

The ceiling for this team is significantly higher than the +3500 Cup odds suggest. The floor, naturally, comes with the injury caveats surrounding Matthews and the enormous weight of expectation on an 18-year-old from Whitehorse, Yukon. But for the first time in years, the foundation in Toronto looks structurally sound — and the kid coming through the door is something the franchise has not seen in a very long time.

Storyline No. 3: Connor McDavid’s Cup-or-Bust Clock Is Ticking

Let us talk about the contract first, because it explains everything that followed.

On October 6, 2025, Connor McDavid signed a two-year, $25 million extension — $12.5 million per year — in a deal that was immediately recognized as being dramatically below market value for the most dominant player in the sport. For context, Leon Draisaitl earns $14 million per year. Kirill Kaprizov earns $17 million. McDavid, the best player alive, took a discount. He becomes a UFA after 2027-28. The math is not subtle: Edmonton has two seasons to win the Stanley Cup before the most important player in franchise history walks out of Alberta as a free agent.

McDavid then went out and had one of the most remarkable individual seasons in modern hockey history. He posted 138 points on 48 goals and 90 assists in 82 games, winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy. That sixth title ties him with Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux for the most scoring championships all time, behind only Wayne Gretzky’s unparalleled 10. McDavid also ran a 20-game point streak — 19 goals and 27 assists in that span — and won the Ted Lindsay Award. At 29 years old, he owns 1,220 career points in 794 games. The production has never been the problem.

The Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in six games in the first round. McDavid had six points in six games. “We were an average team,” he said. And he meant it.

Edmonton’s response was dramatic. The Oilers fired head coach Kris Knoblauch and hired Mike Babcock, 63, on June 23 — a man who won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008, coached two Olympic gold medal teams, and has 700 career wins. The Babcock hire is polarizing given his complicated departure from Toronto, but the signal from the team’s leadership was unmistakable: McDavid, Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman all signed off on it before Babcock was announced.

Babcock’s first meeting with his new star players set the tone: “When I knew I was going to get together with Connor, Leon and Zach, that was worth the drive. When we went back and forth on what we have to do to get to be championship material, you left that meeting thinking, ‘This is pretty good.'”

The Oilers also overhauled the roster around their stars. They traded Darnell Nurse to San Jose — clearing $9.25 million per year — to acquire young defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin. They brought in goalie Frederik Andersen from Cup-champion Carolina on a one-year deal, Devon Levi from Buffalo, Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, Mathieu Joseph, and Ryan Shea. The blue line now looks like this: Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard as the top pair — Bouchard, remember, posted 21 goals, 74 assists, and 95 points in 2025-26, establishing himself as one of the elite offensive defensemen in the world.

Andersen, who won a Cup with Carolina, captured the spirit of the offseason in Edmonton perfectly: “Edmonton has been knocking on the door for a while now. They’ve been close and it would be awesome to be part of the team to get over the hump. Obviously, they’re very serious about it.”

The concerns are legitimate. McDavid and Draisaitl’s five-on-five production has declined across three consecutive seasons, per The Athletic. Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are aging into their mid-30s. The depth forward group, even after additions, remains thin. And the Babcock hire brings historical baggage regardless of how diplomatically it is managed. But this is still Connor McDavid, still Leon Draisaitl, still Evan Bouchard — and the clock is ticking loudly enough that everyone in that building can hear it.

Cup odds: +800. The window is now. The question is whether Edmonton can hold it open long enough.

Storyline No. 4: Colorado’s Presidents’ Trophy Haunting

There are regular seasons, and then there was Colorado’s 2025-26 regular season.

The Avalanche went 55-16-11 for 121 points — the second-best regular season mark of the salary cap era, behind only the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings’ 124 points. They led the NHL in goals per game (3.63) and goals against per game (2.4) simultaneously, a combination so unusual it prompted legitimate historical comparisons. They opened 31-2-7 in their first 40 games. Nathan MacKinnon posted 53 goals and 74 assists for 127 points, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy. Martin Necas added 100 points. Scott Wedgewood, the team’s primary starter, went 31-6 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA in 45 starts — leading the league in both categories and winning the William M. Jennings Trophy in numbers that would win most Vezina races.

The Vegas Golden Knights swept them four games to zero in the Western Conference Finals.

The collapse was so complete, so stunning given the regular season backdrop, that it raises genuine questions about Colorado’s ability to translate regular season dominance into playoff success. The answer this organization will give is simple: stay healthy, add where needed, and trust the process. Cale Makar signed an eight-year extension in late August. Gabriel Landeskog, who missed multiple years recovering from injury, returned to action in 2025-26. The talent base is extraordinary. The coaching, under Jared Bednar, remains highly regarded.

But the Presidents’ Trophy trophy case is already crowded with teams who learned that 82 games of excellence means almost nothing if the right bounces do not fall in April and May. Colorado enters 2026-27 motivated in a way that a team without a playoff scar never could be.

Cup odds: +700. The redemption arc is legitimate — if the playoffs do not swallow them again.

Storyline No. 5: The Miracle on Ice Anniversary, the Olympics, and the Tkachuk Brothers’ Golden Run

For the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games, NHL players competed in the Winter Olympics. The 2026 Milan Cortina Games gave hockey fans what they had been craving for over a decade: the full constellation of stars, a global stage, and an American team that did something nobody expected.

On February 22, 2026 — the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice — Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold. Jack Hughes scored the golden goal 1 minute and 41 seconds into overtime. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 41 shots. Brady Tkachuk scored three goals in the tournament. Matthew Tkachuk had six assists in five games and led the American team in playmaking throughout. Their father, Keith — now a Hall of Famer — watched it happen.

Canada, led by McDavid, MacKinnon, and a 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini who had 10 points in six games, won silver. Finland, backstopped by a fully healthy Aleksander Barkov — who led the Finns to IIHF World Championship gold in May with 11 points in 10 games, defeating Switzerland 1-0 in overtime in the gold medal game and confirming his ACL/MCL recovery was complete — won gold at the World Championship as well. Norway claimed the bronze medal at Worlds, defeating Canada 3-2 in overtime.

The Olympics set the table for everything that followed. The Brady Tkachuk trade to Florida happened four months later. Barkov’s championship-level form in the World Championship confirmed his ACL/MCL recovery was complete. And the hockey world was reminded, for two exhilarating weeks in northern Italy, exactly why this sport matters to people who follow it with religious devotion.

Storyline No. 6: Macklin Celebrini Is Already Rewriting Sharks History — at Age 20

In 2024, the San Jose Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini first overall with the expectation that he would eventually become the best player in franchise history. In 2025-26, at 19 years old, he decided not to wait.

Celebrini posted 45 goals, 70 assists, and 115 points in 82 games — fourth in NHL scoring, the Sharks’ single-season franchise points record, and numbers that earned him Second All-Star Team honors and a fourth-place finish in Hart Trophy voting. He also won silver with Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics (five goals, five assists in six games), signed a five-year, $94 million extension ($18.8 million per year) on July 29, and was named the cover athlete for NHL 27 — the youngest player ever to appear on the cover, and the first Shark since Owen Nolan in 2001.

San Jose is still rebuilding. The team’s Cup odds sit at +3500. None of that diminishes what Celebrini is doing individually, and none of it changes the fact that in two or three seasons, when the supporting cast is assembled around him, the Sharks are going to be a genuine threat. For now, watch him chase the Art Ross — at 115 points last year, he finished 23 points behind league leader Connor McDavid, and most trophy predictions favor McDavid, Kucherov, or MacKinnon, but Celebrini is the most compelling young challenger the race has seen in years.

The Rest of the Field: Teams and Storylines Worth Watching

Carolina Hurricanes (+650) — Can the Champs Repeat?

The Hurricanes return mostly intact. Rod Brind’Amour is back behind the bench. The core that won the Cup — Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, and captain Jordan Staal — is intact. The one meaningful early-season caveat is Seth Jarvis, who had shoulder surgery this summer and is not expected back until approximately December 26. A top-six forward missing the first quarter of the season is a real blow for a team that will face a more motivated field than ever. Carolina is tied with Florida for the best odds in the league. Those numbers are probably right.

Vegas Golden Knights (+850) — New Coach, Same Core

Vegas fired head coach Bruce Cassidy on March 29, 2026, despite the franchise’s strong eventual run to the Cup Final, replacing him with John Tortorella. Cassidy, who guided the Knights to their first championship in 2023, was let go after the team went 3-5-2 in his final 10 games. The team then swept Colorado in the Western Conference Finals before losing to Carolina in six. Mitch Marner had a breakout postseason. Jack Eichel remains the franchise center. The new coaching hire is the most significant unresolved storyline heading into the season.

Tampa Bay Lightning (+1200) — Kucherov and Vasilevskiy, Again

Nikita Kucherov posted 130 points in 2025-26. Andrei Vasilevskiy led the NHL with 39 wins. Tampa Bay is the team that refuses to stop being relevant. They lost in the second round last spring, which is apparently their new version of a down year. Cup odds of +1200 feel undervalued if their veterans stay healthy.

Washington Capitals (+1700) — Ovechkin’s Last Pursuit

Alex Ovechkin continues to pursue the all-time goals record, and the Capitals spent aggressively this offseason to give him the best possible final chapter. Washington added Jordan Kyrou via trade from St. Louis and acquired Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade with Buffalo — Buffalo first signed Tuch to an eight-year, $84 million contract before trading him to Washington in exchange for David Kampf and a third-round pick in the 2027 draft. They are a legitimate playoff team with enough talent to make noise in April, even if a Cup run feels like a stretch.

Montreal Canadiens (+2200) — The Most Exciting Team in the East

Montreal finished with 106 points in 2025-26, reached the Eastern Conference Finals, and did it with a lineup that is getting better. Nick Suzuki posted 101 points. Cole Caufield scored 51 goals. Lane Hutson emerged as a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate. Pyotr Kochetkov was solid in net. The Canadiens are not Cup favorites, but they are the most fun team in the Eastern Conference, and their trajectory is pointing up.

Buffalo Sabres (+3000) — The Drought Is Over, Now What?

Ending a 14-year playoff drought was a genuine moment of catharsis for a franchise and fanbase that had suffered through some of the most relentless losing in modern sports history. Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power form arguably the best defensive partnership in the NHL. The concern is sustainability — they lost Alex Tuch to Washington in a sign-and-trade — but the core is young, hungry, and hardened by last spring’s second-round loss to Montreal.

The Awards Races: Who Takes the Hardware?

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year)

Gavin McKenna is the prohibitive favorite. If he approaches the 60-point threshold that Carlo Colaiacovo projects, the award is his. Isaac Howard and Josh Samanski, both with the Oilers, are the other notable rookies, but McKenna’s talent and market size put him in a class of his own entering the season.

Art Ross Trophy (Scoring Champion)

Connor McDavid enters as the betting favorite with a 138-point baseline from a year ago. Nikita Kucherov (130 pts in 2025-26) is the most credible challenger, followed by Nathan MacKinnon (127 pts) and Macklin Celebrini (115 pts), who represents the most compelling young dark horse challenger the race has seen in years.

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman)

Evan Bouchard at 95 points (21 goals, 74 assists) is the top candidate entering the season and has been for a year. Cale Makar, who just signed his extension, is the perennial challenger. Lane Hutson (Montreal) and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo) round out a race that is legitimately wide open.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie)

Andrei Vasilevskiy (39 wins, .912 SV% in 2025-26) enters as the front-runner. Scott Wedgewood’s remarkable .921 SV% and 2.02 GAA as Colorado’s primary starter raises the question of whether he can sustain that level of dominance across a full 2026-27 campaign. Frederik Andersen, who arrives in Edmonton with a Stanley Cup ring from Carolina, is the intriguing wild card — capable of his best hockey if healthy.

2026-27 Stanley Cup Odds at a Glance

  • Carolina Hurricanes — +650
  • Florida Panthers — +650
  • Colorado Avalanche — +700
  • Edmonton Oilers — +800
  • Vegas Golden Knights — +850
  • Tampa Bay Lightning — +1200
  • Minnesota Wild — +1300
  • Dallas Stars — +1400
  • Washington Capitals — +1700
  • Montreal Canadiens — +2200
  • Anaheim Ducks — +2800
  • Buffalo Sabres — +3000
  • Toronto Maple Leafs / San Jose Sharks / Ottawa Senators — +3500

Four Questions That Will Define the 2026-27 Season

1. Can Barkov and the Tkachuk brothers sustain health for a full 84 games? Florida’s upside with all three healthy is a top-five offense in the NHL. Their 2025-26 missed the playoffs because Barkov did not play a single game. The Panthers’ Stanley Cup ceiling depends entirely on whether the training room is quiet in Sunrise this fall.

2. Does McDavid get the goaltending he needs? Every great run of McDavid’s career has been undercut by the position behind him. Frederik Andersen is 36 years old, on a one-year deal, and coming off a Cup win — motivated and experienced, but a significant health risk. If Andersen goes down, Devon Levi will need to be something he has not yet demonstrated he can be. Edmonton’s Cup window is two years. A healthy Andersen is the difference between a run and another early exit.

3. Is Gavin McKenna ready for the NHL — right now? The hockey world is betting yes. Sixty points in a Toronto jersey as an 18-year-old would be one of the more remarkable individual seasons in recent memory, and the comparisons to Bedard’s first year in Chicago are already being made. But the NHL is not the WHL and it is not Penn State, and the Maple Leafs need this transition to be smooth or the season will slide in an uncomfortable direction quickly.

4. Will Colorado’s regular season dominance finally translate into a Stanley Cup run? The Avalanche have 121-point regular seasons and a Western Conference Finals sweep loss. They have MacKinnon and Makar locked up long-term. They have redemption as a motivator. The answer to whether their talent is enough to make a deep run may very well define the sport’s narrative from April through June.

The Bottom Line: Florida Is the Pick

The 2026-27 NHL season begins September 29 — 84 games, a loaded field, and a storyline at every position. The defending champion Carolina Hurricanes are the most complete team on paper, but they are missing Seth Jarvis until Christmas and facing a hungrier field than they have ever faced with a Cup on their backs. Colorado has the best player in Nathan MacKinnon and the best defenseman in Cale Makar and a room full of something to prove. Edmonton has a two-season window, a Hall of Fame coach, and the greatest player in the world carrying quiet urgency into every practice.

But the pick — with full acknowledgment of how much has to go right — is the Florida Panthers.

A healthy Aleksander Barkov at the center of a lineup that now includes both Tkachuk brothers, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and a defensive core anchored by Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad is built for a seven-game series grind. The motivation in that locker room — two Cups won, one year lost to injury, a family reunion on Father’s Day, and a Hall of Fame induction to celebrate in November — is not something you manufacture in a team-building exercise. It is something that has been living inside that organization for 18 months.

Bill Zito said it plainly when asked about opening night against Carolina: “You’ve got to play them anyway. You might as well. Let’s go.”

The puck drops September 29. Let’s go indeed.