Yes, it\u2019s the first one on the page and while many may skip right to their team, I might as well kick things off by going bold. They\u2019re going to end their seven-year, franchise-long playoff drought. Sure, they probably need another 21-point jump after going from 59 to 80 last year. But there is a decent cast of veterans supporting the young core of Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe and Cutter Gauthier, and a new coach in Joel Quenneville. If they support Lukas Dostal with better defense, they can grab the final wild-card spot. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Boston Bruins<\/p>\n
Jeremy Swayman will enter the Olympic conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n Swayman rebounds after a career-worst year. He proves 2024-25 was an aberration by being what he\u2019s always been: square to pucks, good at tracking shots, unpredictable with his save selection and competitive on everything. \u2014 Fluto Shinzawa<\/p>\n Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n Zach Benson will break out with 60 points<\/strong><\/p>\n Benson was second on the Sabres in individual high-danger chances last season at all strengths and yet he finished the season with 10 goals. He\u2019s still only 20 years old, but in his third season in the NHL and now getting a chance to play on a line with Tage Thompson and Josh Norris. He generates so many chances due to his forechecking and playmaking that it\u2019s easy to see the breakout season coming. Sixty points might seem ambitious, but he has the talent and situation to hit that number. \u2014 Matthew Fairburn<\/p>\n \n Matthew Coronato signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract extension with the Flames in May 2025 with an AAV of $6.5 million. (Sergei Belski \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Calgary Flames<\/p>\n Matthew Coronato will lead the team in goals<\/strong><\/p>\n Nazem Kadri held down the fort with a career-best 35 goals last year. Kadri will motivate himself to try to replicate the feat. But what about Coronato, who just signed a big-money extension this offseason? Coronato proved last season that he\u2019s a full-time NHLer while scoring 24 goals. The winger\u2019s shot is arguably the best on the team. There\u2019s a world where he paces the team in goals if he continues his upward trajectory. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n Alexander Nikishin will win the Calder Trophy<\/strong><\/p>\n The Hurricanes have high hopes for their top prospect, and it looks like he\u2019ll be given every opportunity to thrive. Nikishin has practiced in all situations during training camp, and although he might not start on the power play, it shouldn\u2019t be long until he\u2019s a fixture on the PP and PK. He should see favorable matchups early in the season and, as he grows more comfortable, get more minutes. Double-digit goals and 40-plus points seem like a possibility, and if he\u2019s also part of a top penalty kill on a contender, he should be in position to be the NHL\u2019s top rookie. \u2014 Cory Lavalette<\/p>\n Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n Sam Rinzel will win the Calder Trophy<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a real possibility Rinzel is this season\u2019s Lane Hutson. Whether Rinzel gets to 60-plus points might depend on the team around him. Rinzel enters the season as the Blackhawks\u2019 No. 1 defenseman. He\u2019s going to play 25-plus minutes a night. He\u2019s going to be on the top power play. He\u2019s going to spend a lot of time playing with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. He\u2019s going to get every opportunity to have a Hutson-like season. \u2014 Scott Powers<\/p>\n Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood will win the William M. Jennings Trophy<\/strong><\/p>\n Wedgewood has looked tremendous in his first two outings. He plays a simple game, and his reads have looked razor sharp. Blackwood is still recovering from an offseason lower-body injury but should be back soon. When he does, I expect big things. Blackwood has all of the physical tools to be one of the best goalies in the NHL, and now has a strong team in front of him for things to fall into place. The two are one of the better tandems, and I\u2019ll say they allow the fewest goals in the league. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n Jet Greaves will take off<\/strong><\/p>\n Greaves first joined the Blue Jackets as an undrafted tryout player at their rookie tournament in 2021. Since then, he\u2019s met every challenge put before him, becoming one of the AHL\u2019s best goaltenders over the past two years. Now he\u2019s a full-time NHL player. Not only will he challenge Elvis Merzlikins for playing time, but he\u2019ll win the No. 1 job and be one of the best stories in the NHL this season. \u2014 Aaron Portzline<\/p>\n Dallas Stars<\/p>\n Thomas Harley will be a Norris Trophy finalist<\/strong><\/p>\n Miro Heiskanen is one of the best defensemen on the planet, but Harley\u2019s blend of offensive skill and defensive savvy makes him a more likely Norris candidate. He\u2019s only 24 years old, and he proved in the second half of last season \u2014 when Heiskanen was hurt \u2014 that he is every bit a No. 1 defenseman in this league, even if he\u2019s not the No. 1 defenseman on his own team. The only thing standing in his way is that Heiskanen tends to get the PP1 duties. If Harley can wrest that job away, he can make a run at not just a top-three spot, but the trophy itself. \u2014 Mark Lazerus<\/p>\n Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n Lucas Raymond will hit 90 points<\/strong><\/p>\n Only 12 players reached this lofty mark last season, but Raymond was on pace for it as of late February, before a March slump cooled him off. He still finished with 80, though, and at 23, he\u2019s at the age where he still certainly has another step in him. The big question: Will he and Dylan Larkin have a consistent LW to play off of? \u2014 Max Bultman<\/p>\n Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n Evan Bouchard will be a Norris Trophy finalist<\/strong><\/p>\n The way Bouchard has played over the last few playoffs, perhaps this should have happened already. He\u2019s certainly one of the top offensive blueliners in the league, armed with a bomb of a shot and an ability to make a stretch pass like few others. Cutting down on defensive gaffes that surely stick out in voters\u2019 minds will vault him into a group with the best rearguards in the sport. \u2014 Daniel Nugent-Bowman<\/p>\n Florida Panthers<\/p>\n They will make a blockbuster trade to replace Aleksander Barkov<\/strong><\/p>\n After injuries to Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, there are real doubts about the Panthers\u2019 ability to three-peat right now. But Barkov\u2019s absence could open up as much as $10 million in cap room if he misses the whole year, more than enough for Bill Zito to get creative and land a big fish before the deadline. How about Artemi Panarin, if the Rangers\u2019 season goes sideways? Or even Sidney Crosby, should he decide to leave Pittsburgh? Whatever big name is available, expect Florida to be at the front of the line. \u2014 James Mirtle <\/p>\n Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n Brandt Clarke will break out with 50 points<\/strong><\/p>\n The Kings have a bit of \u201csame old, same old\u201d to them, but what shouldn\u2019t be the same is the 22-year-old Clarke starting to take off as a dynamic player from the blue line. His goal Wednesday against Vegas showed why he can give L.A. a component that\u2019s nonexistent on defense. Third-year coach Jim Hiller raved about Clarke\u2019s improvement in his end during camp, but he\u2019s also got to back it up with ice time. We\u2019re betting he will, or someone else if there\u2019s a change behind the bench. Clarke might need to squeeze his way onto the power-play\u2019s first unit. But it\u2019s time to take off the reins. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n BRANDT CLARKE TIES THE GAME AT FIVE! \ud83d\udc51 #NHLFaceOff<\/a> <\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: @NHL_On_TNT<\/a> & @StreamOnMax<\/a> \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/4TuyIATi3T<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1MAdYadVmu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Minnesota Wild<\/p>\n Matt Boldy will rack up 50 goals and 50 assists<\/strong><\/p>\n Wild president of hockey operations and GM Bill Guerin has said that Boldy has the potential to hit 50 and 50. And after Boldy\u2019s terrific playoff series against Vegas, he looks locked in to start the season. He\u2019s on a dynamic top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi that will get plenty of opportunities. This is obviously bold for a player whose career high is 31 goals, but Boldy has the capability. \u2014 Joe Smith <\/p>\n Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd will score 30 goals<\/strong><\/p>\n Slafkovsk\u00fd is focused and better prepared for the season than he has ever been. All the tools are there, he just needs to apply them properly. And in his fourth NHL season, he will do just that. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n Nashville Predators<\/p>\n Andrew Brunette will still be the team\u2019s coach at the end of the season<\/strong><\/p>\n Brunette is the obvious coach on the hot seat as the season begins \u2014 he\u2019s probably elsewhere already if anyone but Barry Trotz is his GM \u2014 but the guess here is that the Preds start better and show some fight this season, at least staying relevant and in the hunt for most of it. That, paired with Trotz\u2019s patience, gives Brunette the whole season. And gives Trotz another tough offseason decision. \u2014 Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n Arseny Gritsyuk will finish top-five in Calder Trophy voting<\/strong><\/p>\n Gritsyuk is starting his NHL career on the fourth line, but he could move up as the season goes along. He\u2019s 24 and showed an ability to score in the KHL last season with 44 points in 49 games. He also had a nice preseason, which is an encouraging sign for New Jersey. Cutter Gauthier finished fifth last year and had 20 goals and 44 points, which would be a big ask for Gritsyuk. But I\u2019m guessing this year\u2019s rookie class isn\u2019t quite as strong and Gritsyuk plays his way into the top five. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n New York Islanders<\/p>\n Mathew Barzal will put up 90 points<\/strong><\/p>\n Barzal\u2019s 2024-25 season was condensed to only 30 games, and he didn\u2019t even score at a point-per-game pace. It\u2019s a feat he has managed only twice in his career. But he was a lot better than the scoresheet showed last year; he was slick in transition, earned a 61 percent expected goal rate, and the Islanders outscored opponents 24-11 in his five-on-five minutes. With a new voice leading the power play, plus Matthew Schaefer taking over the first unit, expect Barzal to thrive offensively back at center. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n New York Rangers<\/p>\n Their lineup will have six players who are 23 or younger by February<\/strong><\/p>\n For the last few years, the Rangers have leaned on veterans over youth while chasing a championship. But last season\u2019s disappointment is forcing them to recalibrate their priorities. They\u2019re entering 2025-26 with three 23-and-under players \u2014 Will Cuylle, Matt Rempe and rookie Noah Laba \u2014 but others are knocking on the door. Speedy winger Brett Berard was the final cut out of camp and should be back soon, while skilled defenseman Scott Morrow appears to be next in line on D. I\u2019m also figuring that one of two first-round wingers, Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault, will break through this season. \u2014 Vincent Z. Mercogliano<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n Jake Sanderson will win the Norris Trophy<\/strong><\/p>\n Sanderson started cropping up on most people\u2019s radars last season, thanks to his performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He\u2019s a No. 1 defenseman who is capable at both ends of the ice. But what if this is the year he makes an astronomical jump forward? If the Sens make the playoffs, emerge as a top-three team in their division and Sanderson improves on a 57-point season last year, he has a real chance to be the league\u2019s best at his position. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n They will trade for Quinn Hughes<\/strong><\/p>\n Considering all of the top potential free agents in 2026 have re-signed, the Flyers probably know already they\u2019re going to have to go the trade route for top talent. If the Canucks get off to a rough start this season, speculation around Hughes is going to be deafening. The Flyers will put together a package to get him out of Vancouver sometime around late January, while hoping that a reunion with some of his good friends such as Trevor Zegras and a coach he already loves (Rick Tocchet) results in a long-term extension in the offseason. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n Bryan Rust will not be traded<\/strong><\/p>\n There will be enormous amounts of trade speculation around the Penguins this season. Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell may well be traded by the deadline. Despite the good start, this is a rebuilding team. I have a feeling, though, that Rust will remain for a multitude of reasons. He\u2019s a popular man in the organization, to say the least. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n They will re-sign John Klingberg<\/strong><\/p>\n Everything about Klingberg\u2019s acquisition screams flipping him at the 2026 deadline if he\u2019s a useful blue-line piece. The Sharks probably have one more sell-off in them, and there\u2019s a bunch of impending UFAs. But they can\u2019t trade every pickup, right? If the 33-year-old\u2019s health is sound and he\u2019s putting up points, why not have the right side of the defense covered for a couple of more years? Unless you want Rasmus Andersson. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n \n Shane Wright was selected with the No. 4 pick by the Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft. (Rio Giancarlo \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n Shane Wright will break out<\/strong><\/p>\n This is going to be the year a few players from the 2022 draft class pop off. Logan Cooley and Lane Hutson have already established themselves as rising stars, while Frank Nazar and Marco Kasper are generating some hype. Look out for Wright to join that group. It\u2019s easy to get impatient with players who don\u2019t live up to their top-five draft pedigree early in their careers, especially when their teams crave star power. But development isn\u2019t a straight line; Lane Lambert is going to help unlock his game more and get him back on track. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n They will give up the fewest six-on-five goals in the NHL<\/strong><\/p>\n I keep saying that I won\u2019t remind Blues fans about the way the postseason ended in 2024-25, and here I go again. The Blues gave up two six-on-five goals to the Winnipeg Jets, including one with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, and fell 4-3 in double overtime. But I promise, I\u2019m bringing it up this time for a good reason! It\u2019s because my bold prediction is that the Blues, after much work on their six-on-five defense in the preseason, will give up the fewest six-on-five goals in the league in 2025-26. \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n They will go to the Stanley Cup Final<\/strong><\/p>\n The Lightning will go on one last deep run before their window closes \u2014 all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Tampa Bay\u2019s elite core fired on all cylinders last regular season, and this year, they will build on it with more support around them. Having a full season of Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, plus an incoming breakout from Gage Goncalves, will give management a better snapshot of how to improve this team at the deadline and to solidify this group before the postseason. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n Matthew Knies will lead the NHL in short-handed goals<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: Knies has never scored even one short-handed goal in his NHL career. But he\u2019s about to see his opportunity on the Leafs\u2019 penalty kill jump in Mitch Marner\u2019s absence. He\u2019ll kill penalties with Auston Matthews this season. Knies has a way of getting himself behind opposing defenses, and he\u2019s a pretty good finisher in those spots, too. It took six goals to lead in this department last season. I think Knies has a shot. \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n Dylan Guenther will finish top-five in the league for goals<\/strong><\/p>\n Guenther is coming off a strong 27-goal season. He\u2019s widely recognized as a top up-and-coming talent, but I believe this is the year that both he and Logan Cooley establish themselves as elite stars. Guenther will hit 40-plus goals, further evolve his two-way play and perhaps even emerge as a dark horse for one of the final roster spots for Team Canada at the Olympics. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n Filip Chytil will be the team\u2019s second most valuable forward this season<\/strong><\/p>\n All summer, the offseason discussion in Vancouver was about the club\u2019s pursuit of a second-line center behind Elias Pettersson. The Canucks weren\u2019t able to land an upgrade, leaving Chytil to be their de facto 2C. I\u2019m predicting that Chytil, between the breakout potential he has with his offensive production, his secondary value as a play driver and positional premium as a center, will be Vancouver\u2019s second-most-valuable forward this season, provided he can stay healthy. If anything, the conversation could shift to the Canucks targeting a 3C behind Chytil rather than a 2C ahead of him. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n Jack Eichel will score the most goals in franchise history<\/strong><\/p>\n Eichel has always been more of a pass-first player, but playing alongside a playmaker such as Mitch Marner, I expect him to shoot more than ever. He has one of the best releases in the NHL, and if he shoots enough, he should pass William Karlsson\u2019s 43-goal mark from 2017-18. He does have some catching up to do, with Pavel Dorofeyev taking the early NHL lead with four goals. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n CHEMISTRY pic.twitter.com\/92dQeecgij<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/USATSI_27198693-scaled-e1760139812689.jpg\")
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