Sweaters, skates and sticks: the NHL is back, baby!
Naomi Campbell, Staff Writer
As pre-season kicks off on Sept. 20 and the first regular season games on Oct. 7, hockey fans from all over the world come together to cheer on their favourite team(s). Heading into this season, every team in the league is placing a target on the backs of the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. Here’s what you need to know to sharpen your skates before the 2025-2026 NHL season.
Power Rankings
Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon ranked all 32 teams as of August 11, organising them in order of the best odds at claiming the Stanley Cup.
Dixon’s top five consisted of the Dallas Stars, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche, all of which made excellent trade deadline decisions, draft picks, and their off-season acquisitions to bolster their rosters.
Dallas ranks number one on the list, but could have a target on its back with Mikko Rantanen entering his first full year in Dallas. The Stars will also spend their first season under a new coach Glen Gulutzan who previously worked with the Edmonton Oilers. All things considered, Dallas is a serious contender in a competitive Western Conference.
Mid-tier teams include the New Jersey Devils, the Ottawa Senators, the St. Louis Blues, the New York Rangers, and the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal overachieved last year by sneaking into the playoffs, but questions have arisen surrounding their ability to do it again with their new additions, see defenceman Noah Dobson and highly touted rookie Ivan Demidov. Don’t count out the Minnesota Wild, either, who made it to the playoffs last year while missing Kirill Kaprizov for half the season. For Minnesota, the question still stands: can they combine and optimise their two celebrity Swedes, Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, to make a huge run to the top?
Non-contending teams that promise to be fun to watch include the San Jose Sharks, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Seattle Kraken, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Chicago Blackhawks. San Jose ranked dead last on Dixon’s list mainly because of their woeful 2024-25 season, but they have the potential to make a big jump and rise to the top. Still, rebuilding takes time, and they just don’t seem ready yet, especially considering their young average age of 27.13 years old. The Flyers and Kraken lack big-name talents and don’t present any game-breaking X-factors, making them unlikely to make any serious advancements and placing them in the lower echelon of the NHL.
Draft Day
On June 27-28, 2025, the NHL held their annual draft in Los Angeles. The New York Islanders selected Canadian prospect Matthew Schaefer with the number one draft pick. Schaefer played for the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for two seasons, becoming one of the Alternate Captains in his last year with the team before being drafted. He also captained the World Hockey Champions U17 Canada White team in 2023-2024, leading them to a shiny gold medal. San Jose took Michael Misa with the second overall pick, and third overall pick Anton Frondell will join Connor Bedard on the Chicago Blackhawks.
Contract Struggles
Two big stars in the league are still up in the air about possible contract extensions. Connor McDavid’s contract is up as of the end of the 2025-2026 season, yet everyone is on the edge of their seats as he still awaits a contract extension. Three hundred kilometres south in Calgary, Rasmus Andersson’s contract is coming to an end, and while the Swede has been one of the best defenders in the league for the Flames since being drafted in 2015, the Flames have shown zero interest in re-signing him as they transition into a long-term rebuild.
Calgary has been rumoured to be considering trading him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-2026 season. The defenceman put up 31 points in 81 games for the Flames last season, and if he stays on the right track, his performance can sway the Flames into rethinking their willingness to let him go.
Fresh Starts
Mitch Marner starts his first season with the Vegas Golden Knights after being traded there from the Toronto Maple Leafs, signing an eight-year $96 million deal with the Nevada team. Expected to play the top line alongside Jack Eichel, Marner is a huge forward addition for Vegas as they look to make a big jump this season and return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2023.
Another big star has come back to the NHL, after stepping away from the league to focus on his health in 2023. Canadian superstar Jonathan Toews signed a deal with the Winnipeg Jets, making his return after suffering an extended battle with long COVID. Toews is excited to jump back into hockey after his leave of absence and is even more optimistic about joining his hometown team in Winnipeg.
Olympic Superstars
For the first time since 2014, NHL players have been allowed to compete at the Winter Olympics. This year’s Olympics will take place from February 6-22, 2026 in Italy, specifically in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Team Canada has players such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Cale Makar. Their archrivals south of the border, Team USA, will feature names like Auston Matthews, Quinn Hughes and both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk.
The Olympics will take place at a similar time to last year’s 4 Nations Face Off, which proved to be a massive marketing success for the NHL last season, and builds on international hockey’s increasing popularity.
Fantasy Hockey Top Ten
As fun as watching hockey is, why not make it even more exciting, by grabbing some friends and drafting your very own fantasy team. I have done this the last couple of years, especially with my friends that live farther away, and it makes for some added excitement and competition to our NHL obsessions.
From personal experience as well as a couple Sportsnet articles, here are the top ten players you should think about drafting to your team this season:
- MacKenzie Weegar, D, Calgary Flames
- Leon Draisaitl, F, Edmonton Oilers
- Lukas Dostal, G, Anaheim Ducks
- Andrei Kuzmenko, F, Los Angeles Kings
- J.T. Miller, F, New York Rangers
- Juraj Slafkovsky, F, Montreal Canadiens
- Philip Broberg, D, St. Louis Blues
- Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars
- Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
- Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames
