More than two weeks into the 2025-26 NHL season, things are looking interesting. The Dallas Stars — our preseason Stanley Cup favorites — look a little … off, Dawson Mercer and the New Jersey Devils are off to a hot start and Connor McDavid — our preseason Hart Trophy pick — is struggling to score goals.

Even our boldest predictions are being surpassed by the surprises of a season in action.

What has been each team’s biggest surprise so far, good, bad or ugly? The Athletic posed that question this week to its NHL staff. Here’s what they said.

Anaheim Ducks

Staying out of the penalty box

No team since the 2004-05 lockout has been called for more minor penalties or totaled more penalty minutes than Anaheim. The net difference of 723 more penalties taken than drawn over 20 seasons is more than twice the next greatest disparity. Things have changed for now, as Joel Quenneville has them playing far more disciplined hockey. The Ducks have taken a league-low 18 minor penalties through seven games. Just 16 times short-handed, another NHL-low. — Eric Stephens

Boston Bruins

Mark Kastelic is one of the best players

Kastelic is making an impact as the No. 4 right wing. He has two goals and one assist through nine games. He fought Liam O’Brien. He is averaging 2:31 of short-handed ice time per game after averaging just 0:15 last year. — Fluto Shinzawa

Buffalo Sabres

Alex Lyon

When Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went down with an injury before training camp, goaltending became the biggest question on the roster. But Lyon, the 32-year-old who signed a two-year contract with Buffalo this summer and has looked like the Sabres’ best player. He’s seventh in the NHL in goals saved above expected, has a 2.55 goals against average and a .924 save percentage entering Friday’s game. Luukkonen’s starting job may not be waiting for him when he’s healthy. — Matthew Fairburn

Calgary Flames

Connor Zary has struggled out of the gate

The Flames didn’t do much to adjust their offense this past offseason, so it’s not a complete surprise to see it lag among the league’s worst. But seeing Zary struggle as much as he has, with one point in nine games, has been a surprise. The Flames’ rebuild is contingent on their young players progressing and taking a step forward. But it’s been a very slow start for one of their more promising players. — Julian McKenzie

Hurricanes’ Andrei Svechnikov is still looking for his first point this season. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)

Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov is still looking for his first point

The Hurricanes became the last NHL team to lose a game this season after dropping a 4-1 decision Monday in Vegas, and they’ve done it without Svechnikov getting on the score sheet. Nikolaj Ehlers finally broke through with his first point by getting an assist against the Golden Knights and recorded another one against the Avalanche. Carolina is off to a 6-1-0 start despite being without star defenseman Jaccob Slavin since he exited Game 2. But the Hurricanes are still looking for Svechnikov, who was demoted to the fourth line, to get going. — Cory Lavalette

Chicago Blackhawks

11 forwards/seven defensemen lineup

Jeff Blashill’s decision to regularly go with an 11/7 lineup has worked out better than anyone could have expected. Even some of the Blackhawks players were somewhat skeptical about whether it’d be effective. But with Blashill and staff utilizing the seven defensemen, who are mostly still young, largely by situation and then giving a bit more ice time to the team’s promising young forwards, the lineup has helped the Blackhawks get off to a strong start. — Scott Powers

Colorado Avalanche

Scott Wedgewood’s hot start in net

When it was announced that Mackenzie Blackwood would miss time due to offseason surgery, it felt like Colorado would need to weather the storm in net. It has done much better than that, as Wedgewood has been one of the best goalies in the entire NHL thus far. The 33-year-old is 5-0-2 with a .910 save percentage and has allowed only one goal in five of his eight starts. His skating has looked incredibly sharp, and he has stayed ahead of the play with good reads. Once the shot arrives, he simply challenges with good depth, drops into his butterfly and closes any holes for the puck to find. — Jesse Granger

Columbus Blue Jackets

Top-notch goaltending

This sounds like an echo from last week’s All-32. But the goaltending tandem of Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzļikins has been tremendous. Before Friday’s NHL action, the duo ranked fourth in the league with a goals saved above expected of 7.16. It also has a combined save percentage of .927, third in the league. Last season, those numbers, respectively, were 10.77 (15th) and .896 (20th). Coach Dean Evason has been going back and forth between the two since the opener. Why change? — Aaron Portzline

Dallas Stars

They lost three straight games in regulation

Over the previous three seasons, Dallas’ only three-game losing streak came at the very end of last season, when it was locked into second place in the Central Division and had literally nothing to play for. The last time Dallas went three straight games without a point was way back in March of 2022. They followed up the three-game skid with a better effort in an overtime loss to the Kings, but the squandered points are adding up. Giving up five goals on their last 10 penalty kills sure hasn’t helped. Maybe they’re just adapting to a new coach in Glen Gulutzan, or maybe it’s just standard October wackiness, but the Stars just look a little … off right now. — Mark Lazerus

Detroit Red Wings

Emmitt Finnie

How could it be anyone other than the 2023 seventh-round pick? Finnie not only made the Red Wings out of camp at age 20, but is playing on their top line and has seven points through the team’s first eight games. Even if the scoring numbers were much more modest, though, the Red Wings wouldn’t care because of all the little things Finnie does: killing penalties, forechecking, finishing hits and winning races and puck battles. He’s been a jolt of energy on the ice and is quickly establishing himself as a legit piece of the team’s future. — Max Bultman

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid’s goal total

The Oilers captain entered the season suggesting he wanted to be more assertive offensively and get back to being among the upper echelon of goal scorers. Instead, he’s scored just once in eight games. It’s not like McDavid hasn’t been shooting — he has 25 shots on goal — but how often he’s passed off when in prime areas has been noticeable. At least he still has 11 points. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

Florida Panthers

Sam Reinhart’s slow start

Nine games into the season, it’s certainly a big surprise that one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players the past two seasons has been held to just one even-strength point and only four overall. Without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers simply aren’t as deep up front right now, which is a huge part of their 4-5-0 slow start. It’s also clearly made life more difficult for Reinhart, who has always excelled alongside Barkov. — James Mirtle

Los Angeles Kings

Adrian Kempe is still without an extension

The fact that Kempe hasn’t been locked in long-term is a bit of a shocker considering how much he and the Kings have expressed a common desire for him to stay in Los Angeles. Simply put, they need their best player, and the winger’s price is only going up, because he’s off to the best start of his career with 11 points in eight games. The feeling is they’ll get a deal done, but time’s ticking on the pending UFA. — Eric Stephens

Minnesota Wild

They can’t score at five-on-five

Eight games into the season, the Wild have nine goals at five-on-five — the second-fewest in the NHL through Thursday. Kirill Kaprizov, fresh off signing the largest extension in NHL history at the tune of $17 million per year starting in 2026-27, and Joel Eriksson Ek have none. Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman have two, with the latter having none since opening night. Marcus Foligno has no points. Vladimir Tarasenko has one goal. Jared Spurgeon hasn’t even been on the ice for a five-on-five goal for this season. This is why the Wild sit at the bottom of the Central Division — tied at seven points with St. Louis and Dallas. — Michael Russo

Montreal Canadiens

Oliver Kapanen’s hot start

Everyone expected the Canadiens to get major contributions from a rookie this season. This just wasn’t the rookie most people had in mind. Ivan Demidov has lived up to the advanced billing, but it is Kapanen who entered play Friday leading NHL rookies in goals with four, and they are both in a three-way tie for third with six points. Kapanen’s offense will likely slow down a bit, but it is his two-way play that has been most impressive early on. — Arpon Basu

Nashville Predators

Juuse Saros’ fast start

Saros, typically a slow starter, has not been that this season, which is an encouraging and much-needed development for the Preds. Unfortunately, this team needs a few positive surprises to be a legit playoff contender, and early returns on its offensive punch are unsurprising — in other words, grim. — Joe Rexrode

New Jersey Devils

Dawson Mercer’s hot start

The Devils have been one of the hottest teams out of the gate, and Mercer has played his part. He has eight points in eight games: an encouraging start after failing to reach his 2022-23 scoring heights (27 goals, 56 points). Mercer is an extremely useful player when contributing offensively. He can center the third line or move into the top six for Sheldon Keefe’s club. There’s a lot to like from his point-per-game start. — Peter Baugh

New York Islanders

Ilya Sorokin’s slow start

Sorokin was one of the most talked-about goaltenders in this year’s NHL Player Tiers project because of his play despite his surroundings. But his start has been underwhelming, even when considering his workload. Sorokin has a 0.873 save percentage and 0.61 GSAx, and that’s concerning, given the Islanders’ opponents. It’s not like he hasn’t been his best against the Avalanche and Golden Knights; instead, he’s been iffy versus the likes of Senators, Jets and Sharks, who are all in the bottom half of the league in expected goal generation. He should bounce back; it’s just something to keep an eye on. — Shayna Goldman

New York Rangers

Home-ice woes

Madison Square Garden is considered a landmark as far as NHL arenas go, but the Rangers haven’t had much of a home-ice advantage. Thursday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Sharks dropped them to 0-4-1 at MSG to begin the new season, including a record-breaking three straight shutout losses out of the gate. They’re about to embark on a four-game road trip, so they won’t have a chance to pick up their first home win until next month when the surging Hurricanes visit on Nov. 4. — Vincent Z Mercogliano

Ottawa Senators

The defense and goaltending have been their Achilles’ heel

Ottawa’s core took strides last season as a group that possessed offensive talent finally put it together defensively. It helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. But now, the Senators are near the bottom of the league in goals against. Their goaltending, penalty kill and overall defending aren’t at the standard they were last year. There’s time to improve, but it’s certainly surprising to see the Senators take steps back in those areas early in their season. — Julian McKenzie

Philadelphia Flyers

Dan Vladar

Vladar has been the Flyers’ early-season MVP, backstopping them to each of their first three wins this season. In his first five games, Vladar allowed two or fewer goals in each of them, with a .932 save percentage and 1.81 goals-against average. For a team that has been starved for reliable goaltending, Vladar has given the Flyers just that — and then some. — Kevin Kurz

Pittsburgh Penguins

Justin Brazeau

I don’t think anyone had Justin Brazeau checking with eight points through eight games. I’m not sure Brazeau expected that. But here we are. He’s been a revelation and has clear chemistry with Evgeni Malkin. The 6-foot-6 Brazeau has been a force for the 6-2-0 Penguins, scoring five goals and consistently producing in a top-six role. Will it continue? It’s hard to say. But his soft hands have been on display and there has not been a fluky element to any of his goals so far. — Josh Yohe

Macklin Celebrini is off to a hot start this season with 12 points in eight games. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)

San Jose Sharks

Macklin Celebrini joining elite company

Nothing the 19-year-old Celebrini, who powered San Jose to its first win of the season on Thursday, is terribly surprising. But a second career hat trick and five-point game — at Madison Square Garden, no less — put him in elite company. Celebrini became the fourth different teenager to record multiple five-point games. Wayne Gretzky did it five times. Bryan Trottier and Dale Hawerchuk did it twice. It’s an impressive achievement for the special young star. — Eric Stephens

Seattle Kraken

The team’s hot start and the fact that it hasn’t been driven primarily by Berkly Catton

Catton was a preseason standout. The gifted young center looked ready and is the sort of talent capable of elevating this Kraken team. Then the season opened, and Catton didn’t have a significant role. In fact, it took a recent run of injuries for him to earn a shot in the Seattle lineup. Over the last three games, however, Catton has been in, and he’s looked the part of a spark-plug player capable of elevating this team, even if the production hasn’t been there yet. That Seattle is off to a promising start, and Catton is just getting started, seems like a good sign for the Kraken. — Thomas Drance

St. Louis Blues

They’ve been brutal at home

The Blues ended the 2024-25 regular season with a franchise-record 12-game winning streak at Enterprise Center and then went 3-0 at home in the playoffs. That’s 15 consecutive celebrations, and in those 15, they outscored their opponents 74-27. Tough place to play, right? Not this season, as there’s absolutely been no carry-over. The Blues are 1-3-1 at home this season and have been outscored 23-11. They fell 5-0 to Minnesota, 8-3 to Chicago and 7-4 to Utah on Thursday, a night when Logan Cooley had a natural hat trick in the first period. The Blues’ goals-against average at home is now up to 4.32, and their save percentage is .832. Heading out on the road has never felt better. — Jeremy Rutherford

Tampa Bay Lightning

How little offense the Lightning are generating

With just 2.56 goals per 60, the Lightning rank 27th in the league in all-situation scoring before Friday’s NHL games. That’s a major drop off from last year’s pace of 3.54 goals per 60. The stars aren’t producing enough, with just six combined goals from Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel through seven games. The power play doesn’t have enough juice below the surface, while the team is generating chances at five-on-five without enough to show for it. Since Tampa Bay can’t outscore its problems, it’s exposing how slow its defense looks in the early goings. — Shayna Goldman

Toronto Maple Leafs

Anthony Stolarz calling out the team

That it happened at all was surprising. Players, and goalies especially, almost never light up their teams the way Stolarz did. He slammed the team’s competitiveness and work ethic in blistering fashion. That it happened after the sixth game of the season made it even more surprising. But Stolarz wouldn’t accept any excuse for the performance, even early in the season. He wanted more from his team and said as much. — Jonas Siegel

Utah Mammoth

Nick Schmaltz is tied for second in NHL scoring

Schmaltz has long been an underrated top-six producer, but he’s hit a whole new level in the early going. He’s already up to five goals and 13 points in eight games, which included a hat trick against the Sharks and a three-point performance last game against the Blues. Everybody knows Schmaltz is a good player, but I don’t think anybody would have expected him to be tied for second in the NHL in points at this stage. — Harman Dayal

Vancouver Canucks

The way their five-on-five game has cratered

The Canucks have been bitten by the injury bug hard in the last week, but from puck drop this season, the Canucks have struggled enormously to generate chances or control play at five-on-five. This was a team that still controlled play reasonably well last season, even when Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger were their top-six centermen down the stretch and Quinn Hughes was playing hurt. That Vancouver is suddenly being out-attempted and out-shot by this wide a margin night in and night out is difficult to understand. — Thomas Drance

Vegas Golden Knights

Pavel Dorofeyev’s hot start

It’s not that surprising that Dorofeyev is leading the Golden Knights in goals. He did that last season, after all. What is a bit surprising is how many he has poured in over the first seven games of the season. Dorofeyev’s seven goals are tied for the league lead before Friday’s NHL action. He’s on pace to crush his career high of 35, set last season, and while he won’t score a goal-per-game all season, he should maintain a good pace as the primary weapon on Vegas’ exceptional top power-play unit. — Jesse Granger

Washington Capitals

Power-play problems

It’s been a bit since the Capitals had a reliably elite power play, but it’s still a little jarring to see their conversion rate below 20 percent; at 18.2, they’re 24th overall before Friday’s NHL action. It’s too early, though, to be a major concern — they’re generating better chances than the conversion rate indicates and they’ve been one of the best five-on-five teams in the league. — Sean Gentille

Winnipeg Jets

No. 1 penalty kill

Winnipeg’s penalty kill struggled badly to start last season, had a strong second half, and faltered in the playoffs. This year it’s been outstanding, killing 32 of 34 penalties, while equaling opposing power plays with two short-handed goals. Scott Arniel attributes the success to assistant coach Dean Chynoweth’s preparation: “There’s only so many looks that come from a power play … we have an idea of what their next plays are.” The execution has been good, too, and the goaltending has been spectacular. — Murat Ates