It’s a nine-month journey to crown a Stanley Cup champion, but first, the puck drops on the 2025-26 regular season with an ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports tripleheader on Oct. 7. The Panthers will raise a championship banner to the rafters for the second time in as many seasons when Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks visit Amerant Bank Arena; Sidney Crosby – pursuing 1,700 career points this campaign – and the Penguins visit “The World’s Most Famous Arena” to clash with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden; and 2024-25 Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar leads the Avalanche into Crypto.com Arena to go head-to-head with the Kings. A few questions as anticipation for opening night continues. 
* Will the Panthers join elite company and three-peat as Stanley Cup champions?
* How will Nikita Kucherov follow up a pair of back-to-back Art Ross Trophy-winning seasons?
* How quickly will Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin achieve their monumental milestones?
* What NHL stars will make the biggest impact at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026?
* What impact will Matthew Schaefer have on the Islanders in 2025-26?
PANTHERS’ PURSUIT OF THREE-PEAT BEGINS
The Panthers’ pursuit of joining rare company in NHL history begins when the puck drops on ESPN and Sportsnet as the franchise has its sights set on a trip to the Stanley Cup Final for the fourth straight season and a third straight championship – a feat only three franchises in League history have accomplished (last: NYI, 4 from 1979-80 – 1982-83). Florida, which re-signed pending free agents Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand during the offseason, will need to overcome significant absences to captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk to do so.
Recent NHL franchises in pursuit of three-peat
Two other franchises in the past quarter century have entered a campaign as back-to-back champions, with the Lightning (2021-22) and Penguins (2017-18) each concluding their respective campaigns with at least 40 wins and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning, 2021-22
Steven Stamkos led the Lightning to their fourth 50-win season in franchise history, highlighted by a .671 points percentage – a total higher than each of the previous two Stanley Cup-winning campaigns (.670 in 2020-21 & .657 in 2019-20). Tampa Bay, which set a franchise playoff record for consecutive home wins during the Eastern Conference Final, rode an 11th straight series win dating to the 2020 First Round en route to a meeting with Colorado in the 2022 Final before ultimately falling in six games.
Pittsburgh Penguins, 2017-18
The trio of Evgeni Malkin (4th), Phil Kessel (t-7th) and Sidney Crosby (10th) were pivotal for the Penguins, who were the first team to have three players finish among the top 10 in League scoring since the 2003-04 Lightning. Crosby, who captured the Conn Smythe Trophy in each of the past two postseasons, continued his point-producing ways in the 2018 First Round; his 13 points helped oust the Flyers in the latest rendition of the “Battle of Pennsylvania”. He then produced a team-leading eight points (tied) during the Second Round before Alex Ovechkin and the eventual-champion Capitals eliminated their longtime rivals in six games.
STARS READY TO SHINE BRIGHT
* Nikita Kucherov, winner of the Art Ross Trophy in each of the past two seasons and with at least 80 assists in each of the past three, sits within striking distance of 1,000 career points as the puck drops on 2025-26 (357-637—994). Another performance with 80 or more helpers for Tampa Bay’s all-time assists leader would propel Kucherov into elite company and join Wayne Gretzky (13) as the second player in NHL history to reach the mark in four consecutive seasons.
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* Nathan MacKinnon has been in the mix with Kucherov for the Art Ross Trophy in each of the past two seasons after finishing just five points behind the Lightning forward in 2024-25. The Avalanche forward is in the midst of unprecedented home success during that span, having collected 20 more home points than the next-closest player and has only been held off the score sheet five times at Ball Arena during that stretch. MacKinnon, who posted a 35-game home point streak in 2023-24, enters 2025-26 with at least one point in each of his past 26 home games dating to Dec. 12, 2024 and can join Gretzky (49 GP & 41 GP) as just the second player in League history to post multiple home stretches of at least 30 games.
* His teammate, Cale Makar, headlines the NHL’s burst of offense from the defense throughout the past four seasons, highlighted by a 30-goal and second straight 90-point campaign in 2024-25. The League has featured defensemen combine for at least 5,000 points in each of the past four campaigns, the longest stretch in NHL history, as well as 1,000 or more goals during that stretch – the second-longest run in League history behind six consecutive seasons from 2013-14 to 2018-19.
* Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are closing in on monumental milestones during their 21st NHL campaigns, with the Penguins captain entering his 19th campaign with the “C” in Pittsburgh and tying Steve Yzerman (19 w/ DET) as the longest-tenured captain in League history. He also sits 13 points shy of becoming the ninth player in League history to reach the 1,700-point benchmark, while the Capitals captain is three goals back of becoming the NHL’s first player to score 900 career goals and 19 points shy of surpassing Joe Sakic for 10th place on the all-time list. The longtime rivals can become the first pair of active players to rank among the top 10 on the League’s all-time points list since 2007-08 when Sakic (623-1,006—1,629 in 1,363 GP) and Jaromir Jagr (646-953—1,599 in 1,273 GP) ranked eighth and ninth, respectively.
* Despite four 50-goal seasons on his resume, Leon Draisaitl is fresh off his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 2024-25 – a 52-goal performance that moved the Oilers forward to within one tally of 400 in his career (399-557—956 in 790 GP). Draisaitl, who can become the 12th player in NHL history with five career 50-goal campaigns, can register back-to-back 50-goal seasons for the second time in his career (also 2021-22 & 2022-23) – a feat only two other players born outside North America have accomplished: Ovechkin (3 from 2013-14 – 2015-16; 2007-08 – 2009-10) and Pavel Bure (2 from 1999-00 – 2000-01; 1992-93 – 1993-94).
NHL STARS READY FOR OLYMPICS AS TENTPOLE EVENTS RETURN TO 2025-26
A highlight of the 2025-26 season will see NHL players returning to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 for the first time since the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Stars will don their country’s colors after the League has treated fans with three of its marquee events: the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal, 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic and the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.
* The 12 countries participating in men’s hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which starts with preliminary games Feb. 11 and concludes with the gold medal game Feb. 22, have already named the first six players to their preliminary rosters.
* New Jersey leads the League in representation among the preliminary rosters (as of Oct. 1). The Devils have five skaters set to appear across three countries: Team Switzerland (Nico Hischier, Timo Meier & Jonas Siegenthaler), Team Slovakia (Simon Nemec) and Team Czechia (Ondrej Palat). Nemec is also one of only five NHL players named to a preliminary roster who have already won an Olympic medal, when he earned bronze at the Olympic Games Beijing 2022.
* 2025 NHL Global Series presented by Fastenal (Nov. 14 & 16): The Penguins, playing overseas for the first time since 2008, and Predators, doing so for the first time since 2022, will compete in a two-game series in Stockholm, Sweden as the city hosts yet another set of regular-season games to extend its NHL mark to 18 contests. Nashville captain Roman Josi (Team Switzerland) and teammate Juuse Saros (Team Finland) as well as Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby (Team Canada) and teammate Arturs Silovs (Team Latvia) will later make a second trip overseas for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 – four of 72 players named to their country’s respective preliminary rosters.
* 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic (Jan. 2): The 2025 Stanley Cup champion Panthers will play the Rangers at loanDepot park, home of MLB’s Miami Marlins, in Miami on Jan. 2, 2026 as Florida hosts its first outdoor game. It is the first of two outdoor contests that will celebrate the explosive growth of hockey in Florida in the past three decades. In the more than 30 years since the NHL expanded into Florida, the Panthers and Lightning have enjoyed significant success, including most recently with each of the last six Stanley Cup Final series featuring one of the Florida franchises.
* 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series (Feb. 1): Tampa Bay and Boston will clash at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game will mark the first time in League history that an outdoor game will be played in a football stadium in the state of Florida, the culmination of a month-long celebration of hockey in the Sunshine State. The Bruins’ four wins in its five NHL outdoor games sits one shy of tying the Rangers (5-0-0 entering Winter Classic) for the most by one franchise in League history.
O CANADA
Franchises north of the 49th parallel look to replicate their 2024-25 success in 2025-26 after the seven Canadian teams combined for 320 regular season wins – the most in a single season in League history – and five reached the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (a first since 2016-17). Connor McDavid and the Oilers have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two seasons, but the NHL last featured a Canadian-based champion in 1992-93.
* McDavid, a model of offensive consistency throughout his tenure with the Oilers and 18 points shy of 1,100 in his career (361-721—1,082 in 712 GP), owns an opportunity to join rare company with a sixth consecutive 100-point season in 2025-26 and tie the second-longest stretch in NHL history. A ninth career 100-point campaign would also move McDavid into the third most in League history, behind only Wayne Gretzky (15) and Mario Lemieux (10).
* Auston Matthews (401) hit the 400-goal milestone within the final games of the 2024-25 regular season and now enters 2025-26 within 20 goals of overtaking Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin (420) for the franchise record; no active player currently holds the all-time goals (or points) mark for an Original Six franchise. The Toronto captain reached No. 400 thanks in part to a ninth consecutive 30-goal campaign to start his career and can become the 12th player in League history to reach the mark in 10 straight seasons.
* Canadiens defenseman Lane Huston and Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes were offensive catalysts for their clubs and finished as two of only three blueliners to reach the 60-assist mark last season. Hughes enters 2025-26 with the opportunity to join Bobby Orr (6), Ray Bourque (5) and Paul Coffey (5) as the fourth defenseman in NHL history to register five consecutive 60-assist campaigns, while the reigning Calder Trophy winner can join Coffey (3) and Orr (2) as the third defenseman in League history with multiple 60-assist seasons before turning 23.
* The reigning Hart Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck has his sights on helping the Jets become the fourth Canadian team to repeat as Presidents’ Trophy winners and will do so with the help of Jonathan Toews, who signed with his hometown team during the offseason. The Jets netminder now sits one 30-win season away from tying Ryan Miller (7) for the most by a U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history and one 40-win campaign shy of becoming the first U.S.-born goaltender to reach the mark on three occasions.
NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES: VEGAS, CAROLINA MAKE OFFSEASON SPLASHES
The Golden Knights and Hurricanes made notable additions this offseason, with Vegas acquiring Mitch Marner from Toronto and Carolina signing former Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers as a free agent. Marner (27-75—102 in 81 GP) is fresh off a career high in points and assists, while Ehlers (24-39—63 in 69 GP) posted his highest point total since 2016-17.
* Marner became just the fourth player in Maple Leafs history to post a 100-point campaign in 2024-25 and will look to become the first Golden Knights skater to reach the mark when he suits up in 2025-26. Marner (221-520—741 in 657 GP) needs 59 points in 42 games to become the eighth active skater to reach the 800-point milestone in fewer than 700 contests – a list led by Connor McDavid (545 GP).
* Ehlers, joining a Hurricanes team that has reached the Conference Finals in three of the past seven seasons, can become just the fourth player in Hurricanes team history to record 60-plus points in his first season with the franchise. The only players to do so to date are Brent Burns (61 in 2022-23), Jeff Skinner (63 in 2010-11) and Cory Stillman (76 in 2005-06).
ANNIVERSARY SEASONS ON THE HORIZON FOR COLLECTION OF CLUBS
A trio of Original Six clubs will celebrate their centennial years when the Blackhawks, Red Wings and Rangers take to the ice in 2025-26, while the Blue Jackets and Wild will commemorate their 25th anniversaries when the puck drops on a new campaign.
* Connor Bedard (45-83—128 in 150 GP) has registered back-to-back 20-goal and 60-point seasons to begin his NHL career and will require a career-high 72 points to become the 13th player in NHL history with 200 or more career points at age 20 or younger; only two active players have achieved the feat: Sidney Crosby (99-195—294 in 213 GP) and Steven Stamkos (114-99—213 in 215 GP).
* Detroit’s 100th year, which sees Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 raised to the rafters of Little Caesar’s Arena on Jan. 12, 2026, will also feature Patrick Kane’s pursuit of becoming the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history. He needs 32 points to overtake Mike Modano for that distinction and 44 assists to surpass Phil Housley for that all-time record among U.S.-born players.
* A franchise record can fall when Mika Zibanejad suits up for the Rangers in 2025-26 after first appearing for the team in 2016-17. He is currently tied with Rod Gilbert (108) for the third-most power-play goals in club history and sits nine back of overtaking Camille Henry and Chris Kreider (both w/ 116) for New York’s all-time benchmark.
* Zach Werenski once again looks to be the catalyst for the Blue Jackets offense in 2025-26 following an appearance at the 4 Nations Face-Off for USA and a second career 20-goal campaign in 2024-25. The Grosse Pointe, Mich., native owns the opportunity to become the seventh U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history with three career 20-goal campaigns; Phil Housley (7x), Reed Larson (6x), Brian Leetch (5x), Gary Suter (3x), Al Iafrate (3x) and Mark Howe (3x) are the only ones to do so to date.
* The 2025-26 season and 25th in Wild history is another opportunity for Kirill Kaprizov to shine after the forward signed an eight-year extension with the club. Kaprizov (185-201—386 in 319 GP), the only skater in franchise history to average at least a point per game in his career (min. 50 GP), is 15 goals shy of becoming the third player to reach 200 with Wild and 35 away from establishing a franchise record for most in a career. Overall, Kaprizov ranks among the top 10 in points per game among all skaters since his NHL debut in 2020-21.
YOUNG STARS LOOK TO BUILD OFF ACCOMPLISHED STARTS TO THEIR CAREER. . .
The 2025-26 campaign presents another season of opportunity for up-and-coming young stars, including Wyatt Johnston (age 22; DAL), Matvei Michkov (age 20; PHI) and Macklin Celebrini (age 19; SJS) who have flourished early in their NHL careers.
* Johnston (89-88—177 in 246 GP) has produced three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his career with the Stars, which includes at least 30 tallies in each of the past two campaigns and a career-high 33 goals in 2024-25. Johnston, with the series-clinching goal in Game 7 for the Stars during the 2025 First Round, can join Brian Bellows (3x) as the second player in franchise history with three career 30-goal seasons before turning 23.
* Michkov (26-37—63 in 80 GP) led all rookies in goals during the 2024-25 season and finished with one more than the next closest Flyers skater (Tyson Foerster: 25). Michkov can become the sixth active player to lead his team in goals during his first two or more NHL seasons; Alex Ovechkin (20 seasons), Kiril Kaprizov (4 seasons), Elias Pettersson (2 seasons), Patrik Laine (2 seasons) and Sidney Crosby (2 seasons) are the only ones to do so to date.
* Celebrini (25-38—63 in 70 GP) is coming off single-season franchise rookie records for assists and points in 2024-25 and now has the 100-point milestone on his radar in 2025-26 with the Sharks.
. . . WHILE SCHAEFER CAN CLASH WITH CROSBY RIGHT OFF THE BAT
Matthew Schaefer could make his NHL debut with the Islanders against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on Oct. 9, then take on Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals two days later on Oct. 11. Connor Bedard (Oct. 10, 2023) and former Islanders’ first overall pick, John Tavares (Oct. 3, 2009) are the only other first-overall picks to make his NHL debut against Crosby. Schaefer can become the 38th No. 1 pick Crosby has faced in his career, which will tie Corey Perry, Zach Parise and Zdeno Chara for the second-most in NHL history, behind Jaromir Jagr (39).
* The NHL and its fans are one season removed from watching Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson capture the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie. There is only one instance in League history to feature a blueliner earn the Calder Trophy in consecutive seasons: 1962-63 (Kent Douglas) and 1963-64 (Jacques Laperriere).
GIVING THEIR TEAM AN ‘EDGE’
NHL EDGE enters its fifth season of advanced metrics coverage around the League, detailing the likes of various categories such as skating speed, skating distance, shot speed, high-danger saves and zone time. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and Blues defenseman Colton Parayko are just two names that have familiarized themselves with NHL.com/EDGE.
* Tkachuk, who ranked among the NHL leaders in both high-danger shots on goal (110; fourth) and high-danger goals (16; 91st percentile) last season, is one of three players to rank among the top 10 of high-danger shots on goal in each of the past four seasons (also: John Tavares & Zach Hyman).
* Parayko was one of 13 defensemen to register a max shot speed of at least 100 mph last season, registering a 102.30 attempt on Feb. 22, 2025 vs. Winnipeg. The Blues defenseman and 2019 Stanley Cup champion is no stranger to the scenario and sits among the League leaders in 100+ mph shots since the NHL EDGE data began being tracked in 2021-22 – a list that includes Sabres forward Tage Thompson, who owns 20 such shots to his credit (including a League-best 106 mph shot in 2024-25).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF SEASON-OPENING GAMES
All 32 teams will look to begin 2025-26 on a winning note, including the Flames and Mammoth, who aim to do so with a high-scoring offense as they have in previous season openers, while Anze Kopitar is one of several players hoping to add to impressive season-opening totals. More on Season Openers can be found in this #NHLStats Pack.
* The Flames enter 2025-26 with wins in each of their past three season-opening games, having scored at least five goals in each of those contests. Calgary can become the sixth team in NHL history to find the back of the net at least five times in four consecutive season-opening outings and the second in the past 35 years following Winnipeg (2013-14 – 2016-17).
* The Mammoth, with a fresh logo draped across their jerseys, set foot in their second season in the League coming off a five-goal outing in their inaugural regular-season game in 2024-25. They can become the fourth franchise in NHL history to win each of its first two season-opening contests, following the Rangers (7 GP), Sabres (3 GP) and New York Americans (2 GP).
* Kopitar is set to appear in his 20th and final NHL season following an announcement that 2025-26 would be the last of his career. The longtime face of the franchise is expected to skate in his 19th career season-opening game and has posted 12-14—26 in 18 previous openers – which includes a natural hat trick in 2024-25. He can climb a list of all-time greats should he find the score sheet on Oct. 7 when Los Angeles hosts Colorado to open its season.
LOOKING OUT FOR LEAGUE TRENDS
The 2024-25 NHL season produced various storylines from start to finish and now 2025-26 looks to build on the numerous League trends that garnered all kinds of attention:
* Nikita Kucherov (37-84—121 in 78 GP) paced a group of six 100-point players, which included his fourth career 80-assist campaign. Should at least one player reach at least 120 points again in 2025-26, the NHL would feature at least one skater hit the mark in five consecutive seasons for the second time in League history following a stretch from 1968-69 to 1993-94.
* The Ducks, Sabres and Kraken have their sights on returning to the postseason and following in the footsteps of the Senators, Canadiens and Wild – who each qualified for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after each missed by the postseason by at least 10 points in 2023-24. Since the Wild Card format was introduced in 2013-14, each season except for 2019-20 and 2020-21 has had at least one team make the playoffs after missing by at least 10 points the previous season.
* The NHL featured at least 6.0 goals per game for the fourth straight season (6.1 in 2024-25) and sixth time in seven campaigns. The NHL can feature five consecutive campaigns with at least 6.0 goals-per-game for the first time since a 26-season stretch from 1970-71 to 1995-96.
* The League saw 52 multi-goal, third-period comeback wins in 2024-25, the second most in a single season in NHL history behind 2022-23 (56). The three straight seasons with 50-plus multi-goal, third-period comeback wins (51 in 2023-24 & 56 in 2022-23) is already the longest stretch in League history.
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