The National Hockey League starts up tonight. Nothing is better than hockey season. I am so glad it is back. The preseason was short this year, with only four games per team. The regular season has been expanded to 84 games for the first time since the 1993-94 season. This will be the longest NHL regular season in my life. The regular season will begin on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026. The regular season comes to an end on Saturday, April 10th, 2026. The playoffs will begin after that. The Carolina Hurricanes are the defending Stanley Cup Champions going into the season. 32 teams. Ten months. One cup.
Starting off with the NHL Eastern Conference Atlantic Division, the Buffalo Sabres found themselves on top of the division at the end of the regular season. They made it to the second round of the playoffs. This season could be their year to prove they are a true contender. The Tampa Bay Lightning came in second in the division by three points. The Lightning were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Lightning are a solid team that could again be a top team in the Atlantic. The Montreal Canadiens finished last season third in the division. They came up just short of being in the Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens were the best Eastern Conference team last season. They are a team to watch out for when it comes to getting into the final. The Boston Bruins finished fourth in the division last season. The Bruins lost in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins will likely continue to be a strong team, but they might not have that edge that could make them an elite team. The Ottawa Senators came in fifth in the division last season. They lost in the first round of the playoffs as well. Ottawa snuck into the playoffs last season. They seem to be building towards something but are not there yet. The offseason losses may be a big step back for them. The Detroit Red Wings came in sixth in the division. Detroit missed out on the playoffs last season. The Red Wings have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. The Red Wings young team will be looking to do what they can to break that drought. The Florida Panthers came in seventh in the division last season. The Panthers missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season. It was also the first time in three seasons that the Panthers did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers won back-to-back championships before last season. The Panthers have added talent this season. They will be a scrappy team. They will be looking to get back into the championship conversation. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished in last place in the division. They did not qualify for the playoffs. They last qualified for the playoffs in 2025. The Leafs have only made it past the first round twice since 2003. The Maple Leafs have not been an elite team since the 1960s. In recent years, they have lost some key talent, which has hurt the team. The Atlantic Division is very competitive, and the Leafs did not do much in the offseason to bridge that gap. The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Jim Hiller as their new coach. That could be what they need to breathe fresh life into the organization. The Atlantic Division will be tightly contested again.
The Carolina Hurricanes found themselves on top of the NHL Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division last season. They then went on to win the Stanley Cup. They are looking for a repeat. They have kept their core intact. As a result, they look like they could be a force this season. The Pittsburgh Penguins came in second in the division last season. They were eliminated in the playoffs during the first round. The Penguins remain a competitive team, as they have been for two decades at this point. Goaltending and an aging roster may be what is keeping them from being in the cup conversation. Things are hopeful in Pittsburgh as they have brought in some young talent. There is still a big gap between the Penguins and other teams. Have they done what it takes to bridge the gap during the offseason? The Philadelphia Flyers came in third in the division. They were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. They are in a similar spot as Pittsburgh. They don’t have elite goaltending. Most of their roster is pushing 30 years old. They do not have a lot of big names on their roster. They managed to stay competitive last season. I do not see them on an upward or downward trajectory. I see them kind of staying the course as last season. If other teams in the division catch up to them, that could mean they miss the playoffs. The Washington Capitals came in third in the division. They. missed the playoffs. They came close, only missing out by four points. Their old stars continue to lead the team. I think they will still be a bubble team this season. The Columbus Blue Jackets came in fourth in the division. They have made moves already in preseason that seem to suggest they are looking at a rebuild. The Blue Jackets have been in a playoff drought since 2021. They replaced their coach mid-season last season. The Blue Jackets seem to be comfortable where they are at. They just added their coach in January. We will see what he can do this season. There is likely a multi-year plan in place. They will probably not improve much this season. The New York Islanders finished fifth in the division last season. They missed the playoffs last season. They have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Islanders have not been a true contender since the 1980s. They seem to be more concerned with keeping fans engaged off the ice than improving the on-ice product. The Islanders are another team that changed coaches mid-season. Making the playoffs would likely be the best outcome for the Islanders this season. Like the Blue Jackets, the Islanders are likely comfortable missing the playoffs. The Islanders will likely move towards a rebuild. The New Jersey Devils came in seventh place in the division. They did not make the playoffs last season. They have missed the playoffs twelve times in the last sixteen seasons. They did make the Stanley Cup Final in that time. However, the Devils have not qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 2010. The Devils have struggled a lot in the last twenty years to build anything year to year. That has turned their organization into a wild card. This will be season three of their current coach. The Devils are in a position where they will either make the playoffs or get a new coach. The New York Rangers came in last in the division. They did not qualify for the playoffs. The Rangers have now missed back-to-back playoffs after being in the cup conversation. They are in their second year under their current coach. Rangers fans should be happy just not being in last place in the division this season.
In the NHL Western Conference Central Division, the Colorado Avalanche came out on top. They made it to the Western Conference Finals. The Avalanche are a top team in the league. They have been near the top for years now. Anything short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final will be a disappointment for them. The Dallas Stars came in second place in the division. The Stars were eliminated in the first round. After a disappointing early exit last season, they will look for more this season. They are another team that did not need to change much to remain competitive. However, success in the regular season has not led to playoff success. Will this be the year that changes that? The Minnesota Wild came in third place in the division last season. The Wild were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. The Wild seem to be moving toward positioning themselves to be more competitive this season. I think they want that top spot in the division. The Utah Mammoth came in fourth in the division last season. The Mammoth were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season. Their offseason moves indicate that just making the playoffs was not good enough. They seem to be pushing for more this season. However, pushing for more might only be enough for them to stay in the same position. The St. Louis Blues came in fifth in the division. The Blues missed the playoffs. They have missed the playoffs three out of the last four seasons. The Blues offseason moves may have been enough to push them over the edge and back into the playoffs. The Nashville Predators finished sixth in the division. They did not qualify for the playoffs. The Predators have missed back-to-back playoffs, and three out of the last four playoffs. The Predators added a bit of young talent. Like the Blues, the Predators are hoping their offseason moves can be enough to get back into the playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets came in seventh in the division. They missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. They will be looking to get back in the playoff conversation. The Jets have added some depth while losing key players. The Jets will have goaltending issues this season. The Connor Hellebuyck situation is ongoing. The Jets got themselves into that situation. There is no end in sight currently. Other goaltending may not be sufficient for the Jets to climb out of the hole they were in last season. The Jets still do not have a strong defensive core. The Jets will at least start the season unable to be at their full potential. The expectations for the Jets are very low right now. The Chicago Blackhawks finished last in the division last season. They did not qualify for the playoffs. The Blackhawks have missed the last six playoffs. This is the second year for their coach. Their offseason seems to suggest they are in a rebuild. There aren’t a lot of positives for the Blackhawks right now. They do seem to be moving in the right direction.
The Vegas Golden Knights won the NHL Western Conference Pacific Division last season. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final. This season the expectations continue to be high. This will be the first year for head coach Ryan Craig. Anything short of returning to the Stanley Cup Final will be a failure for Vegas. The Edmonton Oilers finished last season second in the division. The Oilers were eliminated in the first round last season. That is a huge disappointment for them. They are expected to be fighting for a cup. This season is no different. Goaltending and defensive issues have plagued the Oilers for over a decade. It does not seem like they have done anything about that this offseason. The Oilers have added Mike Babcock as their head coach this season. His goal this season will be to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. If that does not happen, it will be a failure. That is a really hard task. There is a lot of pressure on a single player. Holes in their roster might not allow them to compete at the level they need too. The Anaheim Ducks came in third place in the division. The Ducks were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. The Ducks seem to be heading in the same direction. They did lose key pieces during the offseason. They might not be as good this season. The Los Angeles Kings came in fourth in the division. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Kings have a new coach, Peter Laviolette. They have lost some talent. I think they will be a bubble team this season. They may even go into rebuild mode. The San Jose Sharks came in fifth place in the division. The Sharks did not qualify for the playoffs. They missed the last seven straight playoffs. They have a lot of young talent. They added some veteran talent during the offseason. I still think the Sharks are a few years off from being a top team. They are making the right moves towards a playoff position. The Seattle Kraken came in sixth place in the division. They missed the playoffs. The Kraken have missed the last three playoffs. They have missed four playoffs in five seasons. They have only qualified for the playoffs once in their history. I am not sure what their plan is. They only added depth this offseason. They likely will be missing the playoffs again. The Calgary Flames came in seventh in the division. They missed out on the playoffs. The Flames have missed out on the last four playoffs. It is the last season in their current arena. I am sure they will want to go out with a bang. They did make some moves for some top talent. I am not sure it will be enough. The Vancouver Canucks were the worst team in the NHL last season. They have a new coach this season, Manny Malhotra. The Canucks have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Canucks have missed the playoffs ten times since the 2013-14 season. Like the New York Rangers, Canucks fans should be happy as long as they are not in last place.
The Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes will play two games in Finland. Those games will be on November 12th and 14th. Those games will be at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators will play two games in Germany. Those games will be on December 18th and 20th. Those games will be at PSD Bank Dome in DÜsseldorf, Germany.
The 2026 NHL Heritage Classic will be on October 25th. That game will be between the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens. That game will be at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The 2027 NHL Winter Classic will be on December 31st. That game will be between the Utah Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche. That game will be at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
The 2027 NHL Stadium Series will be on February 20th. That game will be between the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights. That game will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The 2027 NHL All-Star Game will be on February 7th. That event will be hosted by the New York Islanders. That will be at UBS Arena in Elmont.
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