Scott: It\u2019s never a surprise to see the reigning Stanley Cup champions considered a top contender again the following season. It should especially be the case with the Canes, because they are bringing back an almost identical roster, save for Frederik Andersen, an unsigned Alexander Nikishin who wants out and an injured Seth Jarvis. There are some obvious concerns about how worn down this group is from a short summer (especially considering the aggressive style they play), and that we still haven\u2019t seen them up against the Panthers. But it\u2019s still hard to not like their chances of repeating.<\/p>\n
Mike: I\u2019ve long been skeptical that the Hurricanes had enough firepower to make it all the way, but they proved me wrong last year. It was awesome to see such a well-rounded team barrel through its competition. Going 16-3 in the playoffs is no joke, and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what this Canes group can do as defending champs.<\/p>\n
Colorado Avalanche<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: I\u2019m not necessarily convinced that Jaden Schwartz is going to be a suitable replacement for Valeri Nichushkin, but the Avs still have as much star power as anyone in the league, and I consider them the odds-on favorites to come out of the Central Division. I\u2019m particularly intrigued by the emergence of University of Michigan alum T.J. Hughes, who cracked the roster out of training camp. I got to watch Hughes up close with the Brooks Bandits a few years ago, and while not many 24-year-old college free agents amount to much at the NHL level, I think he could be an exception.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: With four consecutive first-round exits, we\u2019re getting close to the point where the Lightning are here based on reputation than merit. But it\u2019s hard to not love their roster. The elite talents like Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy, the secondary pieces like Brandon Hagel and J.J. Moser, and even depth pieces like Dominic James and Charle-Edouard D\u2019Astous all create a really deep roster that, on paper, should contend for a Cup. I also like the additions of John Carlson to replace Darren Raddysh and Dennis Hildeby to lighten Vasilevskiy\u2019s load and possibly help him not suck in the playoffs.<\/p>\n I also wonder how they\u2019ll approach this season with Kucherov\u2019s looming extension. Will they go all in for one last run before they gut some of the team to fit his extension, or will it be because it\u2019s Kuch\u2019s last year with the team\u2026<\/p>\n Cup Hopefuls<\/p>\n Dallas Stars<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: Dallas intrigues me this season. They\u2019ve had their deficiencies the past couple seasons, and they aren\u2019t as deep as they used to be, but they have a strong top-six forward group, they\u2019ve finally figured out their top-four defense corps, and Jake Oettinger is one of the best goalies in the league when he\u2019s on his game. The back-to-back-to-back Conference Final runs clearly wore them down last year, so it\u2019ll be interesting to see how they look with a little more rest. Also, how aggressive will Jim Nill be if it\u2019s beginning to look like this is Jason Robertson\u2019s last year in Dallas?<\/p>\n Florida Panthers<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: There are some obvious goaltending concerns in Florida, but I don\u2019t think that will be as much of an issue as everyone thinks it will be. They have an extremely deep three lines when healthy, their top four defensemen are a rock-solid group, and for the first time in a while, they\u2019re not tired. The addition of Brady Tkachuk also adds some intrigue to this team, although between him, his brother Matthew, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Radko Gudas, Garnett Hathaway, etc., maybe there are too many cooks in the kitchen as far as toughness goes.<\/p>\n Mike: I cannot believe Florida chose to hitch its wagon to Jacob Markstrom in net. After what we saw from him in 2022, we know the Panthers will be in trouble if they match up against Edmonton again \u2026<\/p>\n Vegas Golden Knights<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: Scott didn\u2019t have Vegas in the Cup Contenders category, and I\u2019m a little surprised by it. I get that they might not have the same overwhelming star power and underlying numbers as some of their counterparts, but their track record is just crazy. They\u2019re coming off yet another Stanley Cup Final run, and while I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d have invested as many assets into reuniting the Noah Hanifin-Rasmus Andersson pairing as they did, they\u2019ve still managed to avoid completely depleting their futures base. If Trevor Connelly can turn into another Ivan Barbashev type for them, they\u2019ll be in really good shape going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scott: I realize this is a tad hypocritical of me to include them here when I had Florida as a Cup contender myself, but I just don\u2019t like Vegas\u2019 goaltending at all. Both are only capable of flashes of good play, and as we saw last season, those flashes can\u2019t last long enough for a full round. I also think they got worse defensively (losing Kaedan Korczak to retain Andersson is an underrated bad move), and I do wonder how they\u2019ll fill the void of Pavel Dorofeyev. I still think this is a great team, especially while Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore are around, but I think those blemishes knock them down a rung below true Cup contention.<\/p>\n Playoff Contenders<\/p>\n Buffalo Sabres<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: Long-time DFO readers know that I\u2019ve been on the Sabres bandwagon for quite some time<\/a>, and I look forward to seeing them back near the top of the Atlantic once again this year. Losing Alex Tuch hurts, no doubt about it, but I also think Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius, and Jiri Kulich have so much more to give. The only area that concerns me is their goaltending, but I hear the Winnipeg Jets have a pretty good one available \u2026<\/p>\n Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: I think Minnesota is a sneaky-good Cup Final pick this year. The West is wide open, and they\u2019ll be extra motivated to make something out of what could be their only full season with Quinn Hughes. I wasn\u2019t planning to compare them with the 2019 Raptors, but \u2026 maybe I will? If Bill Guerin can pull off a deadline deal for a top-six center, I like their chances.<\/p>\n Washington Capitals<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: I\u2019m not entirely sure what to make of the Capitals. On one hand, they have incredible depth up front, a solid blueline and one of the best goaltenders in the league in Logan Thompson. That combination has the makings of an overwhelming team. But as they always say, \u201cthere\u2019s only one puck.\u201d They have 12 great forwards, but some will be underutilized and potentially create some unhappiness. They also have a couple holes on the blueline, at least until Rasmus Sandin returns. It\u2019s a great team on paper, but I\u2019m not going to declare them as Cup contenders until I see them in action.<\/p>\n Mike: This is one of the deepest teams I can ever remember, but it\u2019s hard to go all the way without true star power \u2014 hard, but not impossible, as Carolina demonstrated this past spring.<\/p>\n Playoff Hopefuls<\/p>\n Edmonton Oilers<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: God, what a mess. As much as their stars insist that they desperately want to be \u201ccoached\u201d<\/a> \u2014 whatever that means \u2014 I think the Oilers are in for a world of hurt this year. Crazy to me that McDavid and Draisaitl have been throwing strays at the guy who helped them reach back-to-back Cup Finals, but hey, whatever floats your boat. I don\u2019t think the Oilers will be bad, per se, but I expect their window of true championship contention has come and gone.<\/p>\n Scott: Yeah, to compare them to another disappointing Canadian team with elite talent, this feels like the Brad Treliving\/Craig Berube era of the Leafs. That doesn\u2019t bode well for Edmonton.<\/p>\n Montreal Canadiens<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: Yes, it feels a bit pessimistic to call a Conference finalist a Playoff Hopeful, but there was plenty to be concerned about with this Habs squad. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the core is fantastic and is capable of powering the rest of the team well beyond what they should be capable of. But they were the third-worst in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes among playoff teams, and 10th-worst overall. That\u2019s largely because of the rest of the roster beyond Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky: all of which were kept for next season. I think they still make the playoffs, but I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they didn\u2019t either, and I definitely wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see them take steps back.<\/p>\n Mike: Just so our dear Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois readers know exactly where we both stand \u2026 I have the Canadiens winning the Cup this year. Direct all your hate mail to ScottMaxwell at complaints dot gov.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scott: Mike says that, but when we put our tiers together, he only had them as a playoff contender, not a Cup contender. At least stand behind your words!<\/p>\n Mike: I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll be the best of the best across the entire season, but I do think they\u2019ve proven themselves capable of heating up at the right moments. And once they get hot, they\u2019re awfully difficult to stop. In my heart, I believe they\u2019re gonna be the ones who end the Canadian Cup curse.<\/p>\n New Jersey Devils<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: Much respect to Sunny Mehta, who seems to have the right mentality about how to run an NHL team in the modern age, but I just don\u2019t think the Devils\u2019 top end is good enough. Jack Hughes is a very good player, but he\u2019s always hurt, and the Devils haven\u2019t drafted a single impact player in the first round since they got him first overall in 2019. That includes Luke Hughes, who generally grades out as just OK at best, and Simon Nemec, who is now a Calgary Flame. Mehta did reasonably well this summer in adding Luke Evangelista, Anthony Mantha, and Evan Rodrigues, but I still have a hard time seeing the Devils as anything more than average.<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: I\u2019m more optimistic than most that the Senators can do well without Brady Tkachuk, and I really enjoy what William Eklund brings to the table as a player for them. That, combined with a talented group, a strong defensive structure and an excellent starting goaltender in Linus Ullmark, could easily keep them in the postseason this year. But it\u2019s a tough Atlantic Division, and if Ullmark gets hurt, the Sens have arguably the two worst goalies in the league behind him in Samuel Ersson and Jonas Johansson. It could get ugly quick there.<\/p>\n Mike: If I were a Sens fan, I\u2019d just be glad that they finally ripped off the Tkachuk band-aid. I\u2019m fascinated by their two 2026 first-round picks: Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover are both such intriguing bets on untapped potential.<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: I think the Leafs have done enough this summer to at least be in contention for a playoff spot. Again, it\u2019s a tough Atlantic Division, so it\u2019s not going to be easy to get in, but the floor is certainly there, especially if Gavin McKenna makes an immediate impact. Sergei Bobrovsky will be the biggest x-factor, though. Was last season a result of playing on an injury-depleted Panthers team? Or was it a sign of his decline due to age? This season will likely give us that answer.<\/p>\n Mike: I think the Leafs can get back into the playoffs, but they really need to upgrade their blueline. They can\u2019t rely on Chris Tanev to be one of their best options back there anymore.<\/p>\n Scott: I think the Leafs have a good enough blueline to make the playoffs. They\u2019ve always lacked the starpower on the back end, but I also don\u2019t think they have any true weaknesses so long as Morgan Rielly\u2019s downfall from the past two seasons proves to be a symptom of Berube. They also have competent defenders on the bottom pair again instead of Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers.<\/p>\n Utah Mammoth<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: The Mammoth give me a lot of the same vibes as the Devils. They\u2019ve got a fair bit of offensive talent, and their top players are even younger than New Jersey\u2019s, but I don\u2019t necessarily see any truly elite players on their roster. Logan Cooley still has a fair bit of work to do to prove to me that he can be even a Hughes-level center, and I\u2019m not sold on a defensive group headlined by Mikhail Sergachev and MacKenzie Weegar. I think Utah has the inside track at locking down a Wildcard spot, but I don\u2019t see them as the darkhorse Stanley Cup pick that others do.<\/p>\n On the Bubble<\/p>\n Anaheim Ducks<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: I\u2019m more intrigued by the Ducks than I thought I\u2019d be. Their lineup took a hit after the Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and Cutter Gauthier contracts created a cap crunch, but I also wonder if it\u2019s that bad to move on from veteran defensemen in their final years and replace them with younger options, even if they are inexperienced. Otherwise, this is a solid team in a weak division. It\u2019s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they return to the playoffs this year.<\/p>\n Mike: Pat Verbeek did a decent job of cleaning up the mess he created, and in the end, this Ducks team will continue to be defined by its stars, and they\u2019re all still here. I think they\u2019ll probably be just fine. <\/p>\n Los Angeles Kings<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: Even with Artemi Panarin now in the fold, I find it incredibly difficult to spend any time thinking about these Kings. It\u2019s hard to fathom that they managed to make the playoffs last year by winning just 35 out of 82 games. They might make it again this year, but make no mistake: they\u2019re in purgatory. How many 30-somethings does it take to finish ninth in the West?<\/p>\n New York Islanders<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: I like most of what Mathieu Darche has done since taking over the Islanders, and I think they have a relatively clear path they can follow to become a pretty good team. Matthew Schaefer is obviously a transcendent talent on their blueline, but even beyond him, I\u2019m intrigued by what their secondary nucleus of Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson, Cole Eiserman, Malte Gustafsson, Cal Ritchie, and Daniil Prokhorov can become at the NHL level. I have the Isles as a bubble team for now and a top Metro Division contender in the future.<\/p>\n Scott: My only concern with the Islanders is if Darche jumped the gun last season by trying to buy. Brayden Schenn just doesn\u2019t feel like a fit for this team, and they gave up a fair amount to get him. Hopefully that was just a blip, because that feels like a Lou Lamoreillo move.<\/p>\n Mike: I don\u2019t disagree, although I understand why they wanted to add a bit of veteran savvy. They flipped the extra first-rounder they got in the Brock Nelson trade for Schenn, and of course, they also still have Ritchie to show for that deal. We\u2019ll see how it all shakes out, but if Schenn can give the Islanders a couple years of top-six caliber play, it\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n Philadelphia Flyers<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: Porter Martone\u2019s emergence as a bona fide NHL difference-maker straight out of Michigan State changes the Flyers\u2019 projection considerably. Philly has burned a couple of high first-rounders on centers with questionable upside in Jack Nesbitt and Jett Luchanko, but Martone is the real deal. They\u2019ve still got a few too many mediocre veterans for my liking, but the Flyers aren\u2019t in limbo like they were a few years ago.<\/p>\n San Jose Sharks<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: Everyone\u2019s high on the Sharks after they got another top pick and beefed up their blueline with Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba, but I\u2019m not sold. I\u2019m not the biggest fan of John Klingberg and Mario Ferraro, but are Nurse and Trouba really upgrades? I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll be the difference here if the Sharks make the playoffs. If they do, it\u2019ll be because all of the young guys take steps forward, and not just Macklin Celebrini.<\/p>\n Mike: I think Nurse will probably be OK in a new environment, but I agree that the Sharks could still use more help on the blueline. Keaton Verhoeff is still a ways away.<\/p>\n Fringe Playoff Teams<\/p>\n Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: I picked the Blue Jackets to finish eighth in the Metro, but that was really only because someone has to. As long as they still have Zach Werenski, Columbus is still going to find some modicum of success, and it\u2019s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that they sneak into the playoffs. Don Waddell did well extending Adam Fantilli for six more years, but he still needs to figure out exactly what to do with Kirill Marchenko, who already seems to have made up his mind about his future.<\/p>\n Scott: The stakes might be higher in Columbus than with any other team save for the Oilers. Make the playoffs, and everything is probably fine. Miss, and that may be the end of a few notable players\u2019 tenures, particularly Werenski\u2019s.<\/p>\n Nashville Predators<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: The Preds have been all over the place this summer, adding a whole host of new middle-six forwards after poaching GM Chris MacFarland from the Avs. I was a little surprised to see them move Evangelista to New Jersey after his 56-point season, but I can also understand the desire to potentially sell high on a player in whom the team might not have been entirely confident. I\u2019m curious to see what Vitali Pinchuk can become in the NHL after scoring 66 points in 61 games with Dinamo Minsk last year. All told, though, these Preds remind me of the Calgary Flames of three years ago \u2026 old, slow, and mid.<\/p>\n Scott: I like Nashville\u2019s offseason enough that I could see them sneaking into a playoff spot, but make no mistake, I don\u2019t view their long term future any better than I did before, save for adding Mavrik Bourque.<\/p>\n New York Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: I\u2019m torn on the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox are excellent pillars in goal and on defense. Their blueline is probably the best it\u2019s looked in 10 years, maybe more. Mike Sullivan is a great coach who can give this group the structure they need. Their forward depth is also pretty solid. But their forward core is what still troubles me. I like Pavel Dorofeyev, and Alexis Lafreniere and Gabriel Perreault have plenty of upside, but a center core of Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller wouldn\u2019t have inspired me in 2021, never mind 2026. If they play their best hockey in a while, I could see the Rangers making the playoffs, but there is a fair amount of weight on their shoulders.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: I\u2019m hoping for all the best for Andrei Kuzmenko, who was dealt some of the worst possible news last week when it emerged that his father was killed by a bear in Siberia. \u2018Kuzy\u2019 was one of many offseason additions by Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, who has done everything he can to maximize what\u2019s left of the Crosby\/Malkin\/Letang era without jeopardizing the team\u2019s future. Pittsburgh has a ton of guys competing for plum ice time this year, from veterans (Kuzmenko, Justin Brazeau) to kids (Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes) and everywhere in between (Henrix Lapierre, David Gustafsson, Nick Robertson, etc). The most fascinating name to watch might be Ville Koivunen, who got an eight-year deal this summer on the strength of two career NHL goals.<\/p>\n St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: It feels like the Blues are perpetually in the range of fringe playoff teams, but after playing mediocre hockey last season, I look at the changes they made over the summer and feel underwhelmed. Connor McMichael is a downgrade on Jordan Kyrou, and while Mason McTavish still has some upside in him, it\u2019s an expensive gamble for St. Louis. They have some great young pieces, and if they actually commit to Joel Hofer as the starter, I like their chances a bit more. But I just like other teams even more than them.<\/p>\n Playoff Long Shots<\/p>\n Boston Bruins<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: David Pastrnak is a worthy choice as the Bruins\u2019 new captain, although I\u2019m not convinced he\u2019ll actually be able to lead them anywhere. Yes, they won 45 games and made the playoffs last year, but I just find it really difficult to get excited about a group as thin as these Bruins. I simply cannot believe Don Sweeney gave up two first-round picks for JJ Peterka after Utah benched him in the playoffs. I also don\u2019t know if I believe Fraser Minten is worth $7.2 million through 2034, but I\u2019ll allow it on the grounds of it being funny that the Leafs traded him for Brandon Carlo.<\/p>\n Scott: This is the new NHL, where a draft can be weak enough to justify two-firsts going for a winger of Peterka\u2019s caliber (although I think he\u2019ll be deployed better in Boston as well), and middle-six centers are worth $7+ million.<\/p>\n The Bruins\u2019 season all comes down to how good Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman are. Both will be great, but they were at MVP levels to make the playoffs last year and would need the same this year.<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: The Jets are going to be in for a rude awakening without Connor Hellebuyck. His value to the team has been obvious for years, and they got a sneak preview of life without him last season when he was hurt (which didn\u2019t go well). Him gone from the team, no matter who they replace him with, won\u2019t make up for a team that struggles defensively consistently. His impending departure feels like the beginning of the end for this core.<\/p>\n Too Bad to be Good, Too Good to be Bad<\/p>\n Detroit Red Wings<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: If Dylan Larkin stays, I like the Red Wings chances a little bit more. But even then, they still were on the outside looking in in a division which will be tougher this year. But Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are also too good for this team to tank. It feels like they\u2019ll have to briefly retool (during a rebuild, mind you) before swinging back to playoff contention if they move on from Larkin.<\/p>\n Mike: Losing Patrick Kane is addition by subtraction, but there\u2019s still not much to like here. Red Wings fans are understandably furious about everything that\u2019s going on. They deserve better.<\/p>\n Seattle Kraken<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: It\u2019s too bad that Mackie Samoskevich is injured, but Kraken fans need not worry \u2014 they have a thousand other middle-six forwards who can take his place while he recovers. The day a true star forward wears a Kraken jersey is the day I sprout wings.<\/p>\n Scott: At least Seattle has been trying to acquire star talent recently, but the stars just don\u2019t want to go there.<\/p>\n Lottery Contenders<\/p>\n Calgary Flames<\/a><\/p>\n Mike: For the first time in recent memory, the Flames are bad by design. That forward group is awwwwwwful. Consider this: Jonathan Huberdeau, as overpaid and disappointing as he is, will instantly become one of this team\u2019s most talented players once he returns from his hip injury. The real X-factor for this year\u2019s Flames is Zayne Parekh, who has looked significantly improved in the preseason. Take a late flier on him in your fantasy draft \u2014 he has legit 50-point upside as soon as this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chicago Blackhawks<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: I recognize the Blackhawks tried to get better this summer by adding Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram, I just don\u2019t think it will actually make them any better. Barring massive steps from the young guns, it feels like Chicago is poised for another year in the basement, and it\u2019ll probably cost Kyle Davidson his job.<\/p>\n Mike: Byram is a good player. Is he a $12.5 million-per-year player? Maybe once the salary cap gets to $150 million, but certainly not now.<\/p>\n Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Scott: There\u2019s always one team that deviates from the consensus and is worse than the expected worst team, but it\u2019s just hard to see another team being as bad as the Canucks this year. They were a mile off the competition last season, and they potentially got even worse. If they sell off Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser or Filip Hronek, it will likely get uglier. A productive season from them won\u2019t be on the ice: it will be getting another top draft pick.<\/p>\n Mike: Out of curiosity, I went back and had a look at what I wrote about the Canucks in our final 2025 pre-season power rankings<\/a>. Here are the first two sentences of my blurb, verbatim: \u201cI think the Canucks are a playoff team in 2026 for sure. It\u2019s early, but Elias Pettersson looked reborn from what I saw of him in the preseason, and if he gets back to even 85 percent of his previous form, he\u2019ll be one of the best centers in the Pacific.\u201d Ouch. Safe to say I went 0-for-2 on that one.<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF NEWSLETTER<\/p>\n
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