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<\/a><\/p>\n\n The path is now open for Quinton Byfield to become the Kings\u2019 No. 1 center. (Gary A. Vasquez \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n
Is Quinton Byfield up to being their No. 1 center?<\/p>\n
With franchise legend An\u017ee Kopitar now enjoying retirement, the time has officially come for Byfield to emerge as the kind of player a franchise can build around. The 24-year-old played more than ever last season but still managed a modest 24 goals and 49 points despite getting regular turns on the power play and penalty kill. The path is open for Byfield to be L.A.\u2019s 1C, and he could have the opportunity to burst through what\u2019s become a 55-point ceiling. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Minnesota Wild<\/p>\n
When will Quinn Hughes sign an extension?<\/p>\n
There are plenty of on-ice questions, such as who will replace Mats Zuccarello on the top line and how Maxim Shabanov will look. But the biggest storyline now is whether Quinn Hughes will sign an extension \u2014 and when. Hughes spoke positively about the Wild during his appearance at the NHL\/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Vegas last week, and I still expect something to get done. But Hughes doesn\u2019t seem to be in any rush. It\u2019ll happen when he\u2019s ready, even if that means closer to the start of the season or during the season. \u2014 Joe Smith<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n
Will David Reinbacher make the team?<\/p>\n
Reinbacher is entering his fourth season since being selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Enough time has passed to reasonably expect a player drafted that high to be an NHL regular. Adding Reinbacher\u2019s right shot to the blue-line group would allow the Canadiens to move Lane Hutson back to his natural left side, but more importantly, it would allow them to see what they have in a player they used a very valuable draft pick on three years ago. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n
Nashville Predators<\/p>\n
Do they have any chance of competing?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear the Preds are thinking more about the future under new GM Chris MacFarland, as they should. But this team still has several high-priced veterans whose individual windows are closing soon. And MacFarland just sent a good, young top-six forward in Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils for picks. The return (a first and second) was good, but those vets couldn\u2019t have liked it. \u2014 Joseph Rexrode<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n
How will the goaltending shake out?<\/p>\n
The Devils traded Jacob Markstr\u00f6m to the Panthers earlier this summer and focused on improving their team in other areas, namely with added forward depth. Jake Allen is the presumed starter heading into camp, with David Rittich and Nico Daws battling for the No. 2 job. Who has the upper hand of those two? Will GM Sunny Mehta look to add another goalie to the mix, either with a waiver claim or another transaction? \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n
New York Islanders<\/p>\n
Can Peter DeBoer rebuild their defensive structure?<\/p>\n
Shutdown defense was a trademark for the Islanders under Barry Trotz. But since his departure, those strengths have become real weaknesses. The Isles bled scoring chances last year, which eventually weighed on Ilya Sorokin and burned the team down the stretch. So now it\u2019s up to DeBoer to help restore structure on Long Island. It\u2019s going to be a test of his coaching, which has a strong reputation in regular-season action, considering some of the holes on the team. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
New York Rangers<\/p>\n
How will the new players fit?<\/p>\n
The decision to retool rather than rebuild led to a flurry of offseason moves from GM Chris Drury. He traded for scoring winger Pavel Dorofeyev and defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, and signed depth forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen and Joe Veleno. That undoubtedly raised the floor for a roster that finished worst in the East last season, but New York\u2019s ceiling remains in question. The new additions will go a long way toward determining whether Drury chose the right path. \u2014 Vincent Z. Mercogliano<\/p>\n
Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n
Who will be captain this season?<\/p>\n
The Senators intend to name a new captain to replace Brady Tkachuk. There are lingering questions over their toughness and offensive production in his absence. They\u2019ve started that process with the acquisitions of William Eklund and Andr\u00e9 Burakovsky, and internal growth of their own players. But who gets to lead them all? Ottawa has a handful of options worth considering, including Tim St\u00fctzle, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n
How much will Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov contribute?<\/p>\n
They are still arguably the two most important players in the organization \u2014 Martone, who burst onto the scene late last season and is a Calder Trophy front-runner, and Michkov, who had an outstanding rookie season before regressing in 2025-26. Whether the Flyers make the playoffs again this season could depend on how much these two are able to generate offense, particularly after the Flyers\u2019 lack of offseason activity. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n
Is there room for the young guys?<\/p>\n
Ville Koivunen just got paid. Rutger McGroarty is a significant prospect. Avery Hayes looked like he belonged last season. But the Penguins are staggeringly deep at forward. Is there any room for these three forwards when the season begins? And if there\u2019s not, what does that say about a youth movement that should be underway? \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n
San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n
Can Yaroslav Askarov rebound and fulfill his immense promise?<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old goalie often struggled with inconsistency in an erratic 2025-26 season. For the Sharks to take that next step and become a playoff team, Askarov must iron out his uneven play and become the go-to star many have envisioned. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n
Can a star player emerge internally?<\/p>\n
From Artemi Panarin to Jason Robertson, the Kraken\u2019s pursuit of a difference-making, needle-moving, market-energizing player has been well documented over the past year. The struggling, still-recent expansion club, however, has been unable to land the sort of franchise player Seattle hasn\u2019t identified since entering the league. Can a star emerge internally in Seattle at training camp? Chase Reid is at least a year away, so all eyes will be on Berkly Catton and Jake O\u2019Brien when the Kraken open camp.\u00a0\u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n
What is the future outlook for Shane Wright<\/p>\n
Max Bultman and Corey Pronman<\/p>\n
St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n
How will the additions and subtractions change things?<\/p>\n
The Blues haven\u2019t overhauled their roster, but the changes are significant. Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael have been added to the forward group, and Jordan Kyrou is gone. The team needed a new look, but will the additions help the scoring-challenged offense? On defense, Brandon Carlo brings experience, but how big of a difference can he make? It\u2019s a new era with new GM Alexander Steen, and while promising, there are more unknowns than in the past. \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n
What does Victor Hedman have left in the tank?<\/p>\n
The Lightning\u2019s strategy throughout this window has revolved around its elite core. But now there are some brewing questions around pivotal parts of it, such as Hedman. Before missing time down the stretch, his 2025-26 season was far from perfect. And while there is help to shoulder his workload \u2014 John Carlson will likely run the top power play and J.J. Moser has developed into a real defensive threat \u2014 a resurgence from Hedman would still go a long way. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n
Is this too much newness at once?<\/p>\n
The Leafs have a new GM, new head coach, scores of new players (including the No. 1 pick at the draft) as well as staff members in just about every department. All of it collides together for the first time in a truncated training camp this fall. Will it be a (relatively) seamless transition? Or will there be some growing pains as all that newness meshes together? \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n
Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n
Which top prospects could make a legit impact?<\/p>\n
Between Tij Iginla, Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But, the Mammoth have three top-15 picks who are hungry to prove themselves as full-time NHL players. These three have exceptional pedigree and Simashev and But even played some NHL games last season. Step one at camp will be making the team, but the burning question after that is whether any of them could take an unexpectedly big leap and find themselves in a prominent role higher in the lineup by the end of the season. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n
Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n
When will we see Thatcher Demko?<\/p>\n
Thatcher Demko remains without a timeline to return. Demko, 30, has dealt with a litany of injuries over the past two and a half years. Now entering the first year of a three-year, $25.5 million contract and reportedly coming off multiple offseason surgeries, the question is: When will we see Demko, and what does that mean for Vancouver? The Canucks have already brought in Chris Driedger on a PTO and own the top waiver priority. Goaltending, as ever, will be a story in Vancouver this season. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n
Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n
Who will fill Pavel Dorofeyev\u2019s shoes?<\/p>\n
Trading Dorofeyev, the team\u2019s leading scorer the past two seasons, to New York leaves a major hole in Vegas\u2019 top six, and several candidates will be vying to fill it. The favorite is Brett Howden, who led the team with 14 goals in the playoffs after scoring only 12 during the regular season. Braeden Bowman and 2024 first-round pick Trevor Connelly will also be hoping for the opportunity. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2270603683-scaled-e1789399376357.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n Alex Ovechkin is back for a 22nd NHL season. (Jamie Sabau \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals<\/p>\n
How much does Alex Ovechkin have left, and what will his role be?<\/p>\n
The NHL\u2019s all-time leading goal scorer is back for a 22nd NHL season at age 41 (as of Sept. 17). He\u2019s coming off a season in which he somehow scored 32 goals in a career-low 17:27 TOI. Only five of those goals came on the power play. Are the days of Ovi double-shifting on the PP over? Will the Caps\u2019 added forward depth spread out the scoring burden? Will coach Spencer Carbery continue to hide Ovechkin in the defensive zone? The roster is better. Can Ovechkin, a career leading man, play a supporting role? \u2014 Barry Svrluga<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n
What will happen to Connor Hellebuyck?<\/p>\n
Hellebuyck\u2019s private trade request recently turned public as he doubled down on his desire for change. The Jets tried to trade him during the summer, but were never able to get the deal that satisfied Kevin Cheveldayoff. Will this lead to a holdout, as I expect? A last-minute change of heart, as some fans still hope? And when Hellebuyck is traded, whether it takes weeks or months, how does Winnipeg stay competitive without him? \u2014 Murat Ates<\/p>\n
The latest on the Connor Hellebuyck trade saga<\/p>\n
Murat Ates and Sean McIndoe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Will Adam Fantilli sign a contract in time? When will Quinn Hughes sign an extension? What will happen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":896524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[766,740,741,49,762,48,748,756,758,755,757,742,453,769,747,763,761,743,760,749,750,751,448,744,752,753,764,768,82,759,745,746,765,452,767,754,449],"class_list":["post-896523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-boston-bruins","tag-buffalo-sabres","tag-ca","tag-calgary-flames","tag-canada","tag-carolina-hurricanes","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-colorado-avalanche","tag-columbus-blue-jackets","tag-dallas-stars","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-fantasy-hockey","tag-florida-panthers","tag-los-angeles-kings","tag-minnesota-wild","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-nashville-predators","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-new-york-islanders","tag-new-york-rangers","tag-nhl","tag-ottawa-senators","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-pittsburgh-penguins","tag-san-jose-sharks","tag-seattle-kraken","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-blues","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-utah-mammoth","tag-vancouver-canucks","tag-vegas-golden-knights","tag-washington-capitals","tag-winnipeg-jets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Dylan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026-01-11T001126Z_173031807_MT1USATODAY27979762_RTRMADP_3_NHL-DETROIT-RED-WINGS-AT-MONTREAL-CANADIE.jpeg\")
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