It’s officially NHL 27. When the defending champion Hurricanes roll out the mat to raise their Stanley Cup banner at the top of the hour, they’ll face the former two-time champion Panthers on ESPN as part of a tripleheader.

The Cats will look to claw their way back to contention after Aleksander Barkov missed last season. At their disposal will be the Tkachuk Brothers, featuring the skilled Matthew Tkachuk and more ornery Brady Tkachuk. Adding Brady to a core that includes Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew, Anton Lundell, and Sam Bennett should make them formidable. Questions still remain in net with the Panthers making a questionable trade that subtracted Evan Rodriguez and Jesper Boqvist for Jacob Markstrom. Eventually, Brad Marchand will return. Are they good enough in goal and on defense?

Can the Canes repeat? They’ll start without Seth Jarvis. Meanwhile, Alexander Nikishin continues to hold out. He’ll likely be traded due to the salary cap. Can a tandem of Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov have success in net? Or will Carolina go shopping with Connor Hellebuyck suspended by the Jets for his trade request due most likely to his family being harassed by despicable Canadians online? That untenable situation will be worth following.

Is Mike Babcock the taskmaster to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over the hump? Or will the continued questionable goaltending, which this time features Tristan Jarry and injured former Canes hero Frederik Andersen doom Edmonton? Might former Sabres prospect Devon Levi steal the net away? The Oilers remain the league’s most interesting team.

The Maple Leafs think acquiring moody former Blue Jacket Kirill Marchenko will dramatically improve them up front. They subtracted a good player in Matthew Knies, who’s strong work ethic should be welcomed by Rick Bowness in Columbus. Toronto will still largely depend on a healthier Auston Matthews, who could return to being a 40-goal scorer. Is top pick Gavin McKenna ready for prime time in the biggest hockey media market? It’s a bit of a Panthers reunion with Sergei Bobrovsky rejoining former backup Anthony Stolarz.

Are the Uber talented Sharks ready to return to the playoffs? New captain Macklin Celebrini could overtake McDavid for the game’s best player. Second pick Ivar Stenberg is one of the frontrunners for the Calder. A very exciting team that also includes Will Smith, Michael Misa, and Collin Graf is ready to compete. Did Mike Grier add one too many veterans on the blue line by taking Darnell Nurse from the Oilers after signing Jacob Trouba? Yaroslav Askarov holds the key to the season.

The Wild find themselves in a precarious position. They’re already down key defenseman Brock Faber (skull fracture), who was set to team up with polarizing star Quinn Hughes. Hughes is still without a contract next season. Apparently, he can’t make up his mind or already has. The continued headache about playing with his brothers in New Jersey will become as annoying as Taylor Swift during an NFL game. Is the older Hughes just a selfish player who will quit on a second team if things go bad? He did in Vancouver as their captain.

The Stars are hoping this is the year and not another early exit. Jason Robertson could play out the season for a huge raise. Wyatt Johnston is a rising star who could hit 50 goals. Jake Oettinger doesn’t get the same criticism as Hellebuyck for not coming up big in the postseason. Mikko Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen hope to change the narrative in Dallas.

Up in Montreal, they’re already planning the parade. A talented squad that features Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Juraj Slafkovsky could be poised to play for the Cup. Much depends on Jakub Dobes, who’s clearly the number one goalie over veteran Sam Montembeault. Jacob Fowler came up last season. Expect him to be up if Montembeault falters. Chris Kreider in a Canadiens jersey feels wrong. All is forgiven with Carey Price for 2014.

Do the Sabres have too many questions without Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram? They’re already without Mattias Samuelsson, Olen Zellweger, Jason Zucker, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to start the season. Even Alex Lyon is banged up, leaving Colten Ellis as the likely starter. The talent remains due to Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Zach Benson, and Josh Doan. It might be a tough start in Buffalo.

Who can surprise? Perhaps the Blues if Robert Thomas can stay healthy. Joel Hofer is a goalie to keep an eye on. Pittsburgh is banking on Sergei Murashov to take over in net and bring them back to the playoffs in what’s likely the final year of Evgeni Malkin’s legendary career. He might be joined by Alex Ovechkin, who has more weapons thanks to the additions of Jordan Kyrou and Tuch. Ovechkin left himself open to criticism for a puzzling ad in support of Vladimir Putin and Russia.

So, what should we expect? Let’s take a look at our division picks, rankings, playoff picks, and more!

ATLANTIC

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

METROPOLITAN

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

CENTRAL

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

PACIFIC

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

PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(M1) Hurricanes over (WC2) Rangers

(M3) Devils over (M2) Capitals

(A1) Canadiens over (WC1) Sabres

(A3) Panthers over (A2) Lightning

Hurricanes over Devils

Canadiens over Panthers

Canadiens over Hurricanes

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(C1) Avalanche over (WC2) Ducks

(C3) Mammoth over (C2) Stars

(P1) Golden Knights over (WC1) Wild

(P3) Oilers over (P2) Sharks

Mammoth over Avalanche

Golden Knights over Oilers

Golden Knights over Mammoth

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Golden Knights over Canadiens

AWARDS

HART Macklin Celebrini

ROSS Connor McDavid

RICHARD Leon Draisaitl

NORRIS Lane Hutson

VEZINA Igor Shesterkin

CALDER Anton Frondell

BYNG Aleksander Barkov

SELKE Nick Suzuki

ADAMS Ryan Warsofsky

DISHONOR

FIRST COACH FIRED Sheldon Keefe

COACHING CASUALTIES John Hynes, Scott Arniel, Travis Green, Glen Gulutzan (after season), D.J. Smith