The NHL season begins Tuesday night, earlier than we’re used to. The Panthers and Hurricanes — a battle between teams that won the past three Stanley Cups — drop the puck first on what should be a very entertaining five-game slate.
Gavin McKenna suits up for his first Maple Leafs game against the Canadiens, the Rangers look to start off a bounce-back campaign against Boston, Mike Babcock’s Oilers get going against Vancouver, and the Golden Knights host the Blackhawks, who begin without Connor Bedard.
With 84 games in 2026-27, there is no shortage of storylines, from players in new places to trades to watch out for to the several coaching changes that will bring a new flavour to their teams.
As we always do, we’ve reached out to a wide range of Sportsnet hockey personalities and contributors to share their predictions for the season ahead.
From regular season division winners to individual award picks, and a Stanley Cup winner to where we think Connor Hellebuyck will land, here is how our Insiders see the season unfolding.
Real Kyper and Bourne
Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne talk all things hockey with some of the biggest names in the game. Watch live every weekday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ — or listen live on Sportsnet 590 The FAN — from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
Atlantic Division regular season winner
Elliotte Friedman: Montreal
David Amber: Montreal
Frank Seravalli: Montreal
Jason Bukala: Montreal
Luke Fox: Montreal
Eric Engels: Montreal
Eric Francis: Montreal
Mark Spector: Montreal
Iain MacIntyre: Montreal
Nick Kypreos: Montreal
Justin Bourne: Montreal
Sam McKee: Florida
Matt Marchese: Montreal
Mike Futa: Florida
Wayne Scanlan: Montreal
Sam Cosentino: Florida
Sonny Sachdeva: Tampa Bay
Emily Sadler: Montreal
Ryan Dixon: Tampa Bay
Michael Amato: Montreal
Rory Boylen: Tampa Bay
Metro Division regular season winner
Elliotte Friedman: Washington
David Amber: Washington
Frank Seravalli: Carolina
Jason Bukala: Carolina
Luke Fox: Washington
Eric Engels: Carolina
Eric Francis: Washington
Mark Spector: Carolina
Iain MacIntyre: Carolina
Nick Kypreos: Carolina
Justin Bourne: Carolina
Sam McKee: Washington
Matt Marchese: Washington
Mike Futa: Carolina
Wayne Scanlan: Carolina
Sam Cosentino: Carolina
Sonny Sachdeva: Carolina
Emily Sadler: Carolina
Ryan Dixon: Washington
Michael Amato: Carolina
Rory Boylen: Carolina
Pacific Division regular season winner
Elliotte Friedman: Edmonton
David Amber: Edmonton
Frank Seravalli: Edmonton
Jason Bukala: Edmonton
Luke Fox: Edmonton
Eric Engels: Edmonton
Eric Francis: Vegas
Mark Spector: Edmonton
Iain MacIntyre: San Jose
Nick Kypreos: Edmonton
Justin Bourne: Edmonton
Sam McKee: Edmonton
Matt Marchese: Edmonton
Mike Futa: Edmonton
Wayne Scanlan: Vegas
Sam Cosentino: Edmonton
Sonny Sachdeva: Vegas
Emily Sadler: Anaheim
Ryan Dixon: Edmonton
Michael Amato: Edmonton
Rory Boylen: Edmonton
Central Division regular season winner
Elliotte Friedman: Minnesota
David Amber: Minnesota
Frank Seravalli: Dallas
Jason Bukala: Colorado
Luke Fox: Minnesota
Eric Engels: Colorado
Eric Francis: Colorado
Mark Spector: Dallas
Iain MacIntyre: Colorado
Nick Kypreos: Utah
Justin Bourne: Colorado
Sam McKee: Colorado
Matt Marchese: Colorado
Mike Futa: Colorado
Wayne Scanlan: Colorado
Sam Cosentino: Colorado
Sonny Sachdeva: Colorado
Emily Sadler: Minnesota
Ryan Dixon: Dallas
Michael Amato: Dallas
Rory Boylen: Colorado
Stanley Cup Finalist
Elliotte Friedman: Florida
David Amber: Edmonton
Frank Seravalli: Washington
Jason Bukala: Carolina
Luke Fox: Carolina
Eric Engels: Florida
Eric Francis: Colorado
Mark Spector: Dallas
Iain MacIntyre: Colorado
Nick Kypreos: Edmonton
Justin Bourne: Edmonton
Sam McKee: Edmonton
Matt Marchese: Florida
Mike Futa: Washington
Wayne Scanlan: Carolina
Sam Cosentino: Florida
Sonny Sachdeva: Montreal
Emily Sadler: Carolina
Ryan Dixon: Washington
Michael Amato: Dallas
Rory Boylen: Utah
Stanley Cup Winner
Elliotte Friedman: Edmonton
David Amber: Washington
Frank Seravalli: Minnesota
Jason Bukala: Colorado
Luke Fox: Edmonton
Eric Engels: Colorado
Eric Francis: Florida
Mark Spector: Montreal
Iain MacIntyre: Florida
Nick Kypreos: Florida
Justin Bourne: Carolina
Sam McKee: Toronto
Matt Marchese: Edmonton
Mike Futa: Edmonton
Wayne Scanlan: Colorado
Sam Cosentino: Edmonton
Sonny Sachdeva: Colorado
Emily Sadler: Colorado
Ryan Dixon: Colorado
Michael Amato: Tampa Bay
Rory Boylen: Florida
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Hart Trophy
Elliotte Friedman: Macklin Celebrini
David Amber: Connor McDavid
Frank Seravalli: Macklin Celebrini
Jason Bukala: Cale Makar
Luke Fox: Connor McDavid
Eric Engels: Nathan MacKinnon
Eric Francis: Macklin Celebrini
Mark Spector: Connor McDavid
Iain MacIntyre: Macklin Celebrini
Nick Kypreos: Connor McDavid
Justin Bourne: Connor McDavid
Sam McKee: Macklin Celebrini
Matt Marchese: Connor McDavid
Mike Futa: Macklin Celebrini
Wayne Scanlan: Macklin Celebrini
Sam Cosentino: Macklin Celebrini
Sonny Sachdeva: Nathan MacKinnon
Emily Sadler: Macklin Celebrini
Ryan Dixon: Macklin Celebrini
Michael Amato: Macklin Celebrini
Rory Boylen: Nathan MacKinnon
Art Ross Trophy
Elliotte Friedman: Connor Bedard
David Amber: Connor McDavid
Frank Seravalli: Connor McDavid
Jason Bukala: Connor McDavid
Luke Fox: Connor McDavid
Eric Engels: Nathan MacKinnon
Eric Francis: Nathan MacKinnon
Mark Spector: Connor McDavid
Iain MacIntyre: Connor McDavid
Nick Kypreos: Connor McDavid
Justin Bourne: Connor McDavid
Sam McKee: Macklin Celebrini
Matt Marchese: Connor McDavid
Mike Futa: Macklin Celebrini
Wayne Scanlan: Macklin Celebrini
Sam Cosentino: Connor McDavid
Sonny Sachdeva: Nikita Kucherov
Emily Sadler: Connor McDavid
Ryan Dixon: Nathan MacKinnon
Michael Amato: Connor McDavid
Rory Boylen: Nathan MacKinnon
Calder Trophy
Elliotte Friedman: Gavin McKenna
David Amber: Cole Hutson
Frank Seravalli: Gavin McKenna
Jason Bukala: Ivar Stenberg
Luke Fox: Porter Martone
Eric Engels: Porter Martone
Eric Francis: Gavin McKenna
Mark Spector: Ivar Stenberg
Iain MacIntyre: Porter Martone
Nick Kypreos: Gavin McKenna
Justin Bourne: Gavin McKenna
Sam McKee: Gavin McKenna
Matt Marchese: Porter Martone
Mike Futa: Ivar Stenberg
Wayne Scanlan: Porter Martone
Sam Cosentino: Ivar Stenberg
Sonny Sachdeva: Gavin McKenna
Emily Sadler: Cole Hutson
Ryan Dixon: Porter Martone
Michael Amato: Porter Martone
Rory Boylen: Jacob Fowler
Norris Trophy
Elliotte Friedman: Quinn Hughes
David Amber: Quinn Hughes
Frank Seravalli: Lane Hutson
Jason Bukala: Cale Makar
Luke Fox: Cale Makar
Eric Engels: Cale Makar
Eric Francis: Cale Makar
Mark Spector: Evan Bouchard
Iain MacIntyre: Matthew Schaefer
Nick Kypreos: Matthew Schaefer
Justin Bourne: Cale Makar
Sam McKee: Cale Makar
Matt Marchese: Cale Makar
Mike Futa: Cale Makar
Wayne Scanlan: Matthew Schaefer
Sam Cosentino: Quinn Hughes
Sonny Sachdeva: Cale Makar
Emily Sadler: Quinn Hughes
Ryan Dixon: Rasmus Dahlin
Michael Amato: Rasmus Dahlin
Rory Boylen: Zach Werenski
Vezina Trophy
Elliotte Friedman: Ilya Sorokin
David Amber: Logan Thompson
Frank Seravalli: Logan Thompson
Jason Bukala: Logan Thompson
Luke Fox: Logan Thompson
Eric Engels: Logan Thompson
Eric Francis: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Mark Spector: Jake Oettinger
Iain MacIntyre: Jeremy Swayman
Nick Kypreos: Ilya Sorokin
Justin Bourne: Ilya Sorokin
Sam McKee: Sergei Bobrovsky
Matt Marchese: Ilya Sorokin
Mike Futa: Logan Thompson
Wayne Scanlan: Jesper Wallstedt
Sam Cosentino: Igor Shesterkin
Sonny Sachdeva: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Emily Sadler: Igor Shesterkin
Ryan Dixon: Logan Thompson
Michael Amato: Logan Thompson
Rory Boylen: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jack Adams Award
Elliotte Friedman: Bruce Cassidy comes off the bench to win it somewhere
David Amber: Martin St. Louis
Frank Seravalli: Ryan Warsofsky
Jason Bukala: Martin St. Louis
Luke Fox: Spencer Carbery
Eric Engels: Rod Brind’Amour
Eric Francis: Ryan Warsofsky
Mark Spector: Martin St. Louis
Iain MacIntyre: Jared Bednar
Nick Kypreos: Peter DeBoer
Justin Bourne: Rod Brind’Amour
Sam McKee: Paul Maurice
Matt Marchese: Ryan Warsofsky
Mike Futa: Spencer Carbery
Sam Cosentino: Joel Quenneville
Sonny Sachdeva: Ryan Warsofsky
Emily Sadler: Martin St. Louis
Ryan Dixon: Travis Green
Michael Amato: Ryan Warsofsky
Rory Boylen: Travis Green
Rocket Richard Trophy
Elliotte Friedman: Jason Robertson
David Amber: Leon Draisaitl
Frank Seravalli: Kirill Kaprizov
Jason Bukala: Cole Caufield
Luke Fox: Macklin Celebrini
Eric Engels: Nathan MacKinnon
Eric Francis: Cole Caufield
Mark Spector: Cole Caufield
Iain MacIntyre: Macklin Celebrini
Nick Kypreos: Dylan Guenther
Justin Bourne: Macklin Celebrini
Sam McKee: Auston Matthews
Matt Marchese: Macklin Celebrini
Mike Futa: Macklin Celebrini
Wayne Scanlan: Cutter Gauthier
Sam Cosentino: Cole Caufield
Sonny Sachdeva: Cole Caufield
Emily Sadler: Macklin Celebrini
Ryan Dixon: Jason Robertson
Michael Amato: Matt Boldy
Rory Boylen: Dylan Guenther
The Fan Hockey Show
Sportsnet’s Matt Marchese and former Los Angeles Kings executive Mike Futa take you around the league on Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s national hockey show, airing live across the country daily from noon-2 p.m. ET.
Which team will Connor Hellebuyck play for this season?
Elliotte Friedman: Carolina
David Amber: New Jersey
Frank Seravalli: None
Jason Bukala: Detroit
Luke Fox: Florida
Eric Engels: Buffalo
Eric Francis: Florida
Mark Spector: Buffalo
Iain MacIntyre: Florida
Nick Kypreos: Detroit
Justin Bourne: Buffalo
Sam McKee: Vegas
Matt Marchese: San Jose
Mike Futa: Carolina
Wayne Scanlan: Buffalo
Sam Cosentino: Minnesota
Sonny Sachdeva: Buffalo
Emily Sadler: Utah
Ryan Dixon: Utah
Michael Amato: San Jose
Rory Boylen: Buffalo
How many Canadian teams will reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Elliotte Friedman: Four
David Amber: Four
Frank Seravalli: Three
Jason Bukala: Two
Luke Fox: Three
Eric Engels: Four
Eric Francis: Three
Mark Spector: Three
Iain MacIntyre: Three
Nick Kypreos: Three
Justin Bourne: Four
Sam McKee: Three
Matt Marchese: Four
Mike Futa: Three
Wayne Scanlan: Three
Sam Cosentino: Four
Sonny Sachdeva: Three
Emily Sadler: Four
Ryan Dixon: Five
Michael Amato: Three
Rory Boylen: Three
How many points will the Art Ross winner get?
Elliotte Friedman: 131
David Amber: 132
Frank Seravalli: 131
Jason Bukala: 144
Luke Fox: 141
Eric Engels: 138
Eric Francis: 127
Mark Spector: 128
Iain MacIntyre: 148
Nick Kypreos: 134
Justin Bourne: 141
Sam McKee: 135
Matt Marchese: 143
Mike Futa: 125
Wayne Scanlan: 135
Sam Cosentino: 130
Sonny Sachdeva: 130
Emily Sadler: 137
Ryan Dixon: 131
Michael Amato: 141
Rory Boylen: 146
How many goals will the Rocket Richard winner score?
Elliotte Friedman: 62
David Amber: 56
Frank Seravalli: 55
Jason Bukala: 58
Luke Fox: 54
Eric Engels: 55
Eric Francis: 55
Mark Spector: 58
Iain MacIntyre: 58
Nick Kypreos: 55
Justin Bourne: 57
Sam McKee: 55
Matt Marchese: 52
Mike Futa: 54
Wayne Scanlan: 55
Sam Cosentino: 56
Sonny Sachdeva: 55
Emily Sadler: 54
Ryan Dixon: 54
Michael Amato: 52
Rory Boylen: 53