It’s early. Very early.

NHL teams have only played between four and six games in the 2025-26 season.

Still, that’s enough to make an early impression of how this season and the standings could shape up. Whether it’s a star player’s resurgence or the early signs of a troubling trend, there is plenty to take away from a team’s first handful of games.

This week, The Athletic asked its NHL staff for one thing they’re seeing from each team so far. Here’s what they said.

Anaheim Ducks

Beckett Sennecke is staying in Anaheim

It is way too early to put the 19-year-old winger in the Calder Trophy conversation, but he’s seizing his early opportunity. Sennecke scored on his second shift in his NHL debut and has two goals and two assists in four games. Now he’s not eligible for the AHL and that limits his destinations to play this season. But an injury to Ryan Strome pushed Mikael Granlund back to center and opened the door for the No. 3 pick in 2024, who’s thriving with young linemates Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier. The early word is he won’t go back to junior. — Eric Stephens

Another game, ANOTHER point for Beckett Sennecke 🔥 #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/6M8Pwd6bq9

— NHL (@NHL) October 15, 2025

Boston Bruins

Excellent coaching

The Bruins are not the most skilled team. However, they have accepted new coach Marco Sturm’s principles of stout defense, rapid puck movement, aggressive forechecking and team spirit. — Fluto Shinzawa

Buffalo Sabres

Best players starting slow

The Sabres started the season 0-3 before getting a much-needed 8-4 win against the Ottawa Senators. If they’re going to start to climb out of the 0-3 hole, they’ll need more from Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, their two best players. Thompson has three points in four games, but the team has been outscored 4-1 when he’s on the ice at five-on-five. Buffalo has been outscored 6-2 when Dahlin is on the ice at five-on-five. — Matthew Fairburn

Calgary Flames

The Flames don’t look like they’ve improved much in terms of scoring

Following Thursday night’s games, only one team has scored fewer goals than the Flames: the Utah Mammoth, who beat the Flames earlier this week. Their offense was a sore point last year, notably at five-on-five, where they were third-last in goals. It’s early, but it hasn’t shown too many signs of improvement. Some fans, hopeful for Gavin McKenna, might prefer this reality, though. — Julian McKenzie

Carolina Hurricanes

Deep forward lines

It’s only been a couple of games, but the Hurricanes look profoundly deep at forward. While the top line of Sebastian Aho centering Nikolaj Ehlers and Seth Jarvis finds its footing, Carolina’s other three lines look dominant. The goals haven’t come yet for Andrei Svechnikov, and Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake have one each, but the underlying numbers are very impressive. The Hurricanes’ shutdown line, anchored by Jordan Staal, is still a handful for the opposition’s top players, and the fourth line of Jesperi Kotkaniemi centering Taylor Hall and Eric Robinson has overmatched other teams’ depth players so far. — Cory Lavalette

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks resemble a competent NHL team

The Blackhawks are passing the eye test right now. They look more structured. They look like they’re competing more. They’ve been in every game. Not all of the underlying numbers are as shiny right now, but first-year coach Jeff Blashill has the Blackhawks pointed in the right direction and has a young team buying into his process. — Scott Powers

Colorado Avalanche

The top line is cooking

Through the first week-plus of the NHL season, the Avalanche’s top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Nečas and Artturi Lehkonen has been red-hot magma. The trio has scored more goals at even strength than any line in hockey (six), without allowing a single goal against. The line is just so difficult to defend, with its speed through the neutral zone and strength to hang onto pucks low in the offensive zone. MacKinnon and Nečas have passed the puck incredibly, and Lehkonen has done a great job in front of the net, bouncing between screening the goalie and making himself available on the backdoor. — Jesse Granger

Columbus Blue Jackets

Improved goaltending

There’s a chance young Jet Greaves upends the Blue Jackets’ goaltending position by wresting the No. 1 job away from Elvis Merzļikins. However, the bigger story in the first week of the season is that both have looked really strong, and Columbus’ netminding may be something other than a weakness this season. Greaves has stopped 55 of 59 shots (.932), while Merzļikins has stopped 80 of 87 (.920), including a 48-save outing in a 7-4 win over Minnesota. Together, they have a .925 save percentage through four games. — Aaron Portzline

Dallas Stars

They’re not playing as well as their record suggests

With the obvious caveat that it’s too early to be drawing any real conclusions (October hockey is notoriously janky), the Stars’ 3-1-0 start is a little shakier than it looks. Dallas is being heavily out-attempted and mildly outchanced at five-on-five, and the penalty kill hasn’t exactly been dominating. They’ve outperformed the metrics with one of the league’s best shooting percentages, but that’s not a long-term recipe for success. There’s work to be done for Glen Gulutzan. — Mark Lazerus

Detroit Red Wings

Rookies stepping up

It feels strange to say about a team that’s been rebuilding as long as the Red Wings, but this is a younger Detroit team than we’ve seen in past seasons, with three rookies making the team out of camp. Importantly, though, they’ve already contributed. Forward Emmitt Finnie has a pair of assists through the first five games and has been a key forechecker on the top line. Defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka has been playing north of 20 minutes a night in the top four. And winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has brought needed physicality to the lineup. They’ve played a role in Detroit’s hot start. — Max Bultman

Edmonton Oilers

Difficulty scoring at five-on-five

The Oilers are missing top-line winger Zach Hyman and have turned over half their forward group. They’ve lost significant talent on the wings. They’re integrating four players up front with little or no NHL experience. Line combinations are very much a work in progress. The Oilers know finding the right mix will take time. Still, scouting for potential upgrades, other than just Jack Roslovic, has commenced. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

Florida Panthers

Offense might be a challenge

The defending champs have had a pretty soft schedule, and their 3-3-0 record is fairly pedestrian all things considered. Other than one big offensive outburst against Ottawa, the Panthers have scored only nine goals in their other five games. The power play has been red hot, but finding the back of the net at five-on-five has, understandably, been a challenge so far without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. It’s been a slow start, in particular, for Sam Bennett, who has just one point. — James Mirtle

Los Angeles Kings

Too many whistles, penalty killing suffers

The revamped defense remains a work in progress, but the Kings are increasing Brandt Clarke’s ice time ever so slightly and were wise to split up the eyesore pairing that was Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci. However, it’s uncharacteristic, undisciplined play that’s been hurtful. Just two minors were taken in Thursday’s loss to Pittsburgh, so that’s an improvement from 22 others in their first four games. They’ve been short-handed 24 times in all and eight power-play goals allowed means they’re not getting enough saves on the penalty kill early on. — Eric Stephens

Minnesota Wild

Power play is electric

While the Wild have only scored five even-strength goals, nobody’s power play is better. They’ve scored a league-high 10 power-play goals. All four of Kirill Kaprizov’s goals have come on the power play, and Matt Boldy has three. Kaprizov leads the league with seven power-play points, Boldy is second with six and teenage rookie Zeev Buium leads all defensemen with five. — Michael Russo

Montreal Canadiens

Improved defensive play

The Canadiens began last season as the league’s worst defensive team. It led to coach Martin St. Louis being publicly questioned and challenged for the first time in his tenure. He made adjustments and righted the ship. This season, St. Louis devoted training camp to their defensive play, and it is paying early dividends. They have not beaten anyone of note yet, but the way this club defends gives you the sense they are a changed team. — Arpon Basu

Juuse Saros is in the first season of an eight-year, $61.92 million deal signed in July 2024. (David Kirouac / Imagn Images)

Nashville Predators

Juuse Saros is playing well

Saros has been close to top form early. And yeah, it’s early, but that’s traditionally when he struggles. And he’s coming off a hugely disappointing season. And he’s just starting his eight-year, $61.92 million deal. So this is not nothing. — Joe Rexrode

New Jersey Devils

Arseny Gritsyuk belongs in the NHL

Gritsyuk, in his first season over from Russia, has three assists in his first four games and looks like someone who could appear on Calder Trophy ballots, as I predicted in our last All-32. Picked in the fifth round in 2019, he has the chance to be a huge draft win for New Jersey. — Peter Baugh

New York Islanders

Matthew Schaefer is a rising star

It didn’t take long for Schaefer’s speed and finesse to shine on Long Island; his up-tempo offensive style has been a real highlight in the early goings of the season. That has quickly earned the coaches’ trust, since he is averaging over 21 minutes a game. That usage and overall impact have shown two things: 1) Schaefer could be a cornerstone in this next wave of Islanders hockey as the team retools, and 2) the rest of this blue line seriously falls short of him in terms of raw talent and upside. — Shayna Goldman

New York Rangers

The defense is much improved

Mike Sullivan, hired ahead of the season, has brought a strong structure to the Rangers, and they’re giving up far less to start the season than they were last year. They were stingy against an offensively potent Oilers team earlier this week, allowing only 22 shots, and have given up only five non-empty net goals. It’s a small sample size, but the team defense is trending in the right direction. — Peter Baugh

Ottawa Senators

The penalty kill could use some work

Through their first five games, the Senators have allowed nine power-play goals. The penalty kill looked at its worst against Buffalo, when it allowed three goals on three opportunities. Ottawa has found ways to generate offense and possession at five-on-five. However, its special teams risks being its downfall unless it makes adjustments, particularly encouraging aggression and limiting space. — Julian McKenzie

Matvei Michkov, the Flyers’ most important player, is off to a difficult start this season. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)

Philadelphia Flyers

Matvei Michkov is struggling

The Flyers’ most important player, 20-year-old winger Michkov, is off to a difficult start. He went scoreless in his first three games, has taken some careless penalties and has just generally looked out of sorts. He did get one goal Thursday, but the overall result has been, at times, some long stretches on new coach Rick Tocchet’s bench. Tocchet recently said that a summer ankle injury affected Michkov’s offseason training, putting him “behind the eight ball.” The Flyers had better hope he improves, and soon. — Kevin Kurz

Pittsburgh Penguins

Tenacity

The Penguins might not be very good this season — on paper, they’re badly flawed defensively — but the work rate under new coach Dan Muse is quite clear. This is partly due to an infusion of young players in the lineup. It’s also related to older players looking over their shoulders, knowing full well that a new regime is in charge and seemingly unafraid to make lineup changes. It’s night and day from last season. — Josh Yohe

San Jose Sharks

Too many goals allowed

There is still the grander plan for the Sharks, and that’s seeing their young stars progress while getting mileage out of veterans on short-term contracts and potentially flipping them for future assets. However, upping the win total instills belief that this stretch of losing seasons won’t last forever. It’s not happening yet, as they continue to struggle defensively and not get enough goaltending, with 22 goals given up in their four losses to open the season. They’ve had 326 and 310 goals scored against the last two years, respectively. The poor start isn’t a good way to break that trend. — Eric Stephens

Seattle Kraken

Matty Beniers’ offense is on the rise

Beniers’ ability to retrieve pucks and break out of his own zone is promising. It’s a skill that the best two-way forwards and Selke Trophy candidates possess. However, those breakouts haven’t turned into offensive chances often enough; it’s an area that stalled over the last couple of seasons. So starting this season with three points in four games is promising, and so is the fact that he is shooting the puck more and driving to the quality areas of the ice. That has already helped the Kraken generate more quality five-on-five offense and improve on the power play, which was a real weakness last season. — Shayna Goldman

St. Louis Blues

Defense is giving up way too many Grade-A chances

The Blues have three veteran defensemen in Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler and Justin Faulk and a potential rising star in Philip Broberg. They have one of the best goalie tandems in the league in Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer. And yet they’re leaking goals like a garden hose, especially at home. After Wednesday’s 8-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, they’ve been outscored 13-3 at home. It’ll take a team-wide effort to fix the issues, but rookie Logan Mailloux in particular is struggling to find his footing. Mailloux, 22, has played just 12 games in his NHL career, but through four games with St. Louis, he’s already a minus-7 and is expected to be scratched Saturday against Dallas. — Jeremy Rutherford

Tampa Bay Lightning

A slow defensive group

The Lightning’s biggest battle was always going to be fighting off Father Time. That’s a consequence of leaning on an aging core. The defensive group is slowing down, and that was clear last spring when Tampa Bay was eliminated in Round 1. Now the Lightning are getting exposed for that again in the early goings of the season. It started in Game 1, when the Lightning blew a 3-1 lead to the Senators and lost 5-4. And it’s only started to develop into a trend since, with this blue line getting beat in transition on a nightly basis. — Shayna Goldman

Toronto Maple Leafs

Easton Cowan might be ready to play in the NHL

It’s still so early that it’s hard to be sure, especially since Cowan is only 20 and is making the jump straight from junior. However, every indication so far is that Cowan is going to be a contributor to the Leafs this season. He hasn’t been overmatched physically — quite the opposite, even, as Cowan goes at foes with his body. He’s been a force on the forecheck and has quickly made a lot of positive plays with the puck, particularly in tandem with Auston Matthews. There were hints of this at camp, but right now, Cowan is exceeding expectations. — Jonas Siegel

Utah Mammoth

Mammoth haven’t consistently found a top offensive gear yet

Utah has a ton of high-end skill in its top-six forward group, but the offense hasn’t clicked consistently just yet. The Mammoth have been very stout defensively, but they had scored just eight goals through four games before exploding for six goals Friday. Utah’s probably too skilled not to jell offensively at some point — Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley especially will produce more regularly — but it’s still worth watching considering the team’s scoring struggles last year. — Harman Dayal

Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko looks elite again

Demko had a nightmare, injury-riddled campaign last year, appearing in just 23 games and posting an uncharacteristically low .889 save percentage. However, with a healthy summer and training camp, he’s back to looking like one of the top goaltenders in the league in the early going. Demko has been sensational in all three of his starts, notching a .929 save percentage. He’s been the Canucks’ best player so far. — Harman Dayal

Vegas Golden Knights

The Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner experiment is ongoing

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy is still working out how to best deploy his newest star winger. He started the season with Marner on Eichel’s wing, but has since moved him to a line with Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev. Eichel’s new line — with Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone — was actually benched for the last seven minutes of the first period Tuesday in Calgary. Eichel responded with two spectacular goals to fuel a comeback win. In short, Vegas is still trying to figure things out with its deep, talented forward group. There’s still plenty of room for growth out of the unit. — Jesse Granger

Washington Capitals

Aliaksei Protas is following up on his breakout

It’s not surprising to see Protas provide some of the Capitals’ most substantive five-on-five play, and it’s not surprising to see him score goals. He gave them a whole lot of both last season. Still, expecting some sort of dip in production would’ve been reasonable — he shot well over 20 percent. It hasn’t happened yet; the Caps have 14 goals in five games, and Protas has scored four of them. — Sean Gentille

He’s a Pro at everything, even puck luck pic.twitter.com/iJeMpsalQM

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 18, 2025

Winnipeg Jets

Morgan Barron could be taking the next step

Barron has scored three goals and two assists in four games to start what could be the beginning of a breakout season. It’s tough to imagine a fourth-line center continuing to score at a point-per-game pace — or continuing to score such utter highlight-reel goals — but it’s also hard to imagine Barron staying on the Jets’ fourth line if he keeps playing like this. Whether or not it lasts, Barron’s points explosion is helping Winnipeg pick up points in the standings while Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg are all hurt. — Murat Ates