A new season is finally upon us. Hockey fans have been counting down the days to the start of 2025-26. With it comes the possibility of the Panthers dynasty ending. They’ll be without captain Aleksander Barkov for the entire season due to right knee surgery to repair torn ACL and MCL ligaments. Matthew Tkachuk isn’t due back until January. The Panthers should still have enough to reach the playoffs in an Eastern Conference that lacks a dominant team. There will be a lot of parity.

Without Barkov and Tkachuk, the two-time defending champs will be in action later this afternoon when they host the Blackhawks as the first part of a tripleheader exclusive on ESPN at 5 EST. I’m not sure whose brilliant idea it was to have the first game so early. They’ll be going against playoff baseball with the Tigers and Mariners on Fox Sports 1 starting an hour earlier. The diehards will get to see the Panthers raise their second Stanley Cup banner. What do Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar have in store for the Panthers? The Blackhawks remain a work in progress. Former Panther Spencer Knight goes against Sergei Bobrovsky in net. How’s that for a storyline?

While most of the focus will be on a remaining Panthers core that still features Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, Eetu Luostarinen, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, and Bobrovsky, the second game of the night has the Rangers hosting the Penguins at 8 EST. Sidney Crosby remains one of the league’s greatest players. His team has missed the playoffs the past three years. An aging nucleus that still includes Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust (out), Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson will have some fresh faces, with Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke both starting the season as teenagers. Ville Koivunen is expected to start with Crosby and Rakell on the top line. Keep an eye on the rookie this season.

I had plenty to say about the Rangers in my team preview. To summarize, they’re counting on the top six led by new captain J.T. Miller and top scorer Artemi Panarin to carry an offense that’s paper thin. They’re expecting a lot from Vladislav Gavrikov, who will team up with Adam Fox on the number one pair. The same can be echoed for Igor Shesterkin. Outside of that, there remain many questions. The Matt Rempe experiment on the second power play should be interesting to watch. So will promising freshman Noah Laba. Hopefully, Gabe Perreault joins him at some point.

With the Yankees and Blue Jays on at the same time playing in the Bronx, I’m curious as to how many fans will tune in to the hockey game at Madison Square Garden. Had Aaron Judge actually hit in the clutch and they’d gotten the Blue Jays out, maybe I wouldn’t be so down about their chances. It looks like more of the same from the Yankees. An all too familiar feeling that Rangers fans can identify with. No wonder I’m not that positive on their outlook.

If you’re not exhausted, the third ESPN game probably is the best matchup, with the Avalanche visiting the Kings at 10:30 EST. If you know anything about network TV, that won’t start until almost 11 here. That’s too bad because that could be a playoff series preview. It depends on how good the Kings are in Anze Kopitar’s swan song. A brilliant two-way player who’s a Hall of Fame lock, Kopitar has been a pleasure to watch. He still remains a top player and great leader for Los Angeles. They should score enough with a core that features Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Quenton Byfield, Kopitar, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Alex Laferierre. Can their defense contain a loaded Avalanche cast led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar? The Avs get a full season of Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and the return of inspirational captain Gabe Landeskog. Can Mackenzie Blackwood duplicate last year’s success? Ironically, another former Devil Scott Wedgewood is the backup. Colorado is stacked.

If you really love hockey, Wednesday night is even better. Four games are on tap, with the traditional season opener between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs in Toronto. Both teams made the playoffs. The Habs now have the best defenseman in the rivalry with Lane Hutson. Cole Caufield should finally eclipse 40 goals. Who’s better? Auston Matthews or Nick Suzuki. I’ll still take the well-rounded Matthews, who probably needs to go 50/50 to offset the loss of Mitch Marner. I’m looking forward to the 1-2 punch of Matthews and William Nylander.

I’m not sure how many people care about the Capitals and Bruins. But Alex Ovechkin needs three goals for 900 in his brilliant career. Will the Caps take a step back after having the East’s best record? They’re still very good defensively. It’ll probably depend on Logan Thompson. The Bruins boast David Pastrnak, who’s a great player. He can score 50 to 60, but the supporting cast isn’t good. Morgan Geekie will be hard pressed to duplicate the 33 goals he put up. Jeremy Swayman should be better. Expect Boston to be sellers.

The schedule maker didn’t do fans any favors by having the Battle of Alberta start at the same time as the heated rivalry between the Kings and Golden Knights. Both go off at 10 EST. If you’re looking for some rough stuff, you can usually count on those teams to provide it.

The Flames and Oilers remain fascinating to watch. From an entertainment standpoint, it’s excellent. Connor McDavid extended for two more years at a team friendly $12.5 million cap hit. That gives Edmonton a window to win with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They extended defenseman Jake Walman, going seven years at $7 million AAV. How much will Evan Bouchard cost? I’m most curious to see what Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie can bring to an explosive offense. Can they win with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard? At what point is Connor Ingram recalled?

Calgary nearly made the postseason last year. Nazem Kadri’s scoring returned to form, and Matt Coronato started to finish. Jonathan Huberdeau played better down the stretch. The additions of Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost will both need to provide more consistency. Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich need to be better. If Rasmus Andersson is to stay put, the Flames will have to convince him. Dustin Wolf is a stud in net. He stole a lot of games in his rookie season. What can he do in Year 2?

Marner will make his Vegas debut playing with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, who should see a spike in production. It’s a safe bet that Pavel Dorofeyev won’t be their leading goal scorer. It’s amazing how easily Reilly Smith fits when he plays with sidekick William Karlsson. Pittsburgh and New York fans couldn’t wait to get rid of him. Brett Howden scored a career-high 23 goals and had a career best 40 points last year. Another former Ranger who’s done better elsewhere. He’s got a Cup. Henrik Lundqvist and Shesterkin don’t. That stings. The Knights should be very good, but they are an older team. Will that become a factor next spring?

Demidov Leads A Strong Rookie Class

If you love rookies, this could be your year. There’s a slew of promising first-year players to watch. I mentioned Koivunen before. He went to Pittsburgh from Carolina in the Jake Guentzel trade. A former second round pick, Koivunen debuted with seven assists in eight games last season.

The much hyped Ivan Demidov scored a goal and assist in his first two games with the Canadiens. In the first round, he had two assists against the Caps. An explosive skater with great hands, the 2024 fifth overall pick could turn the Habs into a better offensive team. He doesn’t turn 20 until December. Most NHL pundits list him as the favorite to win the Calder.

The Islanders boast number one pick Matthew Schaefer after winning the NHL Draft lottery. Just from catching glimpses of him in preseason, he looks like another future star on the blue line. The skating, acceleration, and skill is top notch. He also recovers quickly. What can Schaefer do in his first season as a teenager?

Both the Flames and Wild each feature promising rookie defensemen. Zayne Parekh scored in his NHL debut and finished a plus-3 against the Kings. The 2024 first round pick is expected to make an impact on the Calgary back end. Minnesota boasts 2024 first round selection Zeev Buium. After helping USA repeat at the World Juniors, he finished his second year at the University of Denver before debuting with the Wild. He had an assist in four games. A smooth skater who possesses all the tools to become an top pair defenseman, Buium will be a big part of the Minnesota blue line.

Team USA will be well represented in this year’s rookie class. Both the Caps and Blues boast promising American forwards. Ryan Leonard was also part of USA’s gold medal victories, scoring setting up some big goals during he WJC. A player who has power forward potential due to the combination of his skating and size, the 2023 first round pick didn’t score in eight games. However, he’s expected to play a key role for Washington. That should include receiving power play time. Leonard loves to battle in front of the net.

Jimmy Snuggerud has the look of a good finisher in St. Louis. A 2022 first round pick who scored a goal and three assists in seven games, he fared better in the playoffs – putting up two goals and two helpers for four points. Like Leonard, he represented Team USA at the WJC. After putting up five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 2023, Snuggerud had five goals and three helpers for eight points in 2024 as part of the gold medal winning championship team. A right-handed shot, expect him to become another finisher for the Blues.

Other rookies to watch include Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie from the Oilers, Michael Misa and Yaroslav Askarov with the Sharks, and Sam Rinzel of the Blackhawks. If he plays himself into a role, Gabe Perreault probably will be on the third line for the Rangers.

Season Rankings and Predictions

At the start of the season, I like to rank teams in each division and put up some predictions. Let’s see how wrong I can be. 😉

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. Lightning
2. Maple Leafs
3. Panthers
4. Senators
5. Sabres
6. Canadiens
7. Red Wings
8. Bruins

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

1. Hurricanes
2. Devils
3. Capitals
4. Rangers
5. Blue Jackets
6. Flyers
7. Islanders
8. Penguins

CENTRAL DIVISION

1. Stars
2. Avalanche
3. Jets
4. Mammoth
5. Blues
6. Wild
7. Predators
8. Blackhawks

PACIFIC DIVISION

1. Golden Knights
2. Oilers
3. Kings
4. Flames
5. Canucks
6. Ducks
7. Kraken
8. Sharks

EASTERN CONFERENCE

FIRST ROUND

(M1) Hurricanes over (WC2) Rangers

(M2) Devils over (M3) Capitals

(WC1) Senators over (A1) Lightning

(A3) Panthers over (A2) Leafs

SECOND ROUND

(M1) Hurricanes over (M2) Devils

(A3) Panthers over (WC1) Senators

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

(M1) Hurricanes over (A3) Panthers

WESTERN CONFERENCE

FIRST ROUND

(C1) Stars over (W2) Blues

(C2) Avalanche over (C3) Jets

(P1) Golden Knights over (W1) Mammoth

(P2) Oilers over (P3) Kings

SECOND ROUND

(C1) Stars over (C2) Avalance

(P1) Golden Knights over (P2) Oilers

CONFERENCE FINALS

(C1) Stars over (P1) Golden Knights

STANLEY CUP CHAMPION

Dallas Stars

NHL Award Picks

Art Ross Connor McDavid

Vezina Jake Oettinger

Norris Quinn Hughes

Hart Mikko Rantanen

Calder Zayne Parekh

Selke Sam Reinhart

Adams Andre Tourigny

Gavin McKenna Lottery Winner Penguins