Ryan S. ClarkCloseRyan S. ClarkESPN NHL reporterRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on XKristen ShiltonCloseKristen ShiltonESPN NHL reporterKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on XOct 6, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Opening night of the 2025-26 NHL season is Tuesday, featuring a tripleheader of games on ESPN: Chicago Blackhawks-Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. ET (including the Stanley Cup banner-raising), Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers at 8 p.m., and Colorado Avalanche-Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 p.m.
Before puck drop, this preview will serve you all the key intel you need on all 32 teams, including strengths, weaknesses, X factors, most likely award winners, fantasy tips and a bold prediction.
Our season preview also features the first edition of our Power Rankings, which provide the order in which these teams are presented. The weekly rankings are formulated through votes from ESPN hockey broadcasters, analysts and reporters.
Note: Thanks to PuckPedia for salary and contract data. Advanced stats are from Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Kristen Shilton profiled the teams in the Eastern Conference, while Ryan S. Clark handled the Western Conference clubs. The fantasy outlook for each team was written by Victoria Matiash and Sean Allen, and bold predictions are from the mind of Greg Wyshynski. Stanley Cup odds are courtesy of ESPN BET as of Oct. 6, projected points are via Stathletes.
How to watch the 2025-26 NHL season on ESPN networks — including 100 exclusive games and the out-of-market package (over 1,050 games).
Last season: 48-29-5 (101 points), lost in Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup odds: +800 Projected points: 103.1
This season hinges on… If they can win the Stanley Cup. Getting a two-year extension done with superstar Connor McDavid clears a massive hurdle, while answering one of the two major questions facing the Oilers. The other being: How does winning a title — or falling short for a third consecutive year — alter their thought process ahead of the next offseason? Especially when the Oilers have several pending UFAs that include three of their top six defensemen and both of their goalies.
Fantasy outlook: After the elite pair of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up front, Evan Bouchard and Jake Walman are forecast as top-10 and top-20 fantasy blueliners, respectively. As someone who might earn some ice time with McDavid, new-ish forward Trent Frederic has sleeper value in leagues that reward physical play such as hits and blocks.
Last season: 47-30-5 (99 points), lost in conference finals Stanley Cup odds: +800 Projected points: 107.6
Coach Rod Brind’Armour has a good pulse on his group and how to get the best out of it. It’s how the Hurricanes finished among the league’s top 10 in both offense and defense a season ago. Yes, the Hurricanes need to figure out who is going to handle the job at second-line center long term. But if Ehlers and Miller now provide an expected boost to the lineup, Carolina’s depth will be shinier than ever.
It’s a question of consistency — and, frankly, trust. Who can Brind’Amour turn to with confidence on a nightly basis? Carolina is fortunate to have a high-end defensive unit to cover for some deficiencies elsewhere. However, the Hurricanes can’t expect to reach their full potential without the goaltending to — no pun intended — back it up.
This season hinges on… Carolina discovering its inner playoff performer. The Hurricanes seemingly have all the pieces in place to be not just a postseason contender but a championship one. Yet, the Hurricanes fall short year after year when it matters most (aka, the Eastern Conference finals) with a suddenly anemic offense and disjointed defense. How does that happen — repeatedly? And will Carolina’s inability to mirror their regular season success deep into the postseason derail them again?
There’s a mindset that Cup-winning teams have to carry them through the difficult stretches of a long run, and Carolina has to find that resiliency in itself. It won’t satisfy anyone to have another excellent 82-game showing and then disappoint in the spring. Whatever Carolina bottles in November has to be there by June.
Fantasy outlook: Ehlers has been one of the best per-minute fantasy forwards and could have a bigger role. Miller and Alexander Nikishin have the potential to be fantasy mainstays if they get the right deployment on the blue line.
Last season: 50-22-10 (110 points), lost in second round Stanley Cup odds: +900 Projected points: 112.8
Biggest strength: They shouldn’t have any problems scoring goals. Not that this was an issue last regular season, with the Golden Knights finishing in the top five in goals per game and second on the power play. Adding Mitch Marner comes with benefits. Among them: pairing Marner with Jack Eichel and potentially Ivan Barbashev to create what has a chance to be one of the strongest No. 1 lines in the NHL.
Another is what it could mean for the Golden Knights’ power play. It could give them a first team of Tomas Hertl, Shea Theodore, Mark Stone, Eichel and Marner.
Biggest concern: How do they fill the void left by Alex Pietrangelo? The two-time Stanley Cup winner said in the preseason that he is not ruling out trying to make a return this season. But there is also the reality that he could miss the entire season and might never play again while recovering from femur reconstruction.
Pietrangelo’s absence leaves the Golden Knights without a top-pairing defenseman who can lead a team in average ice time because he can be trusted in every situation while still providing 30 to 50 points per season.
This season hinges on… Being successful whenever they need to shift to Plan B or Plan C. Go back to how they were knocked out of the playoffs. Their second-round exit at the hands of the Oilers was facilitated by an inability to make successful adjustments. Vegas allowed nine goals in the first two games before winning Game 3. Only to then get shut out for the rest of the series, which included a one-goal loss in overtime to end its season.
Fantasy outlook: Top-line minutes with Eichel and Marner should result in Barbashev notching around 30 goals and 35 assists in 2025-26. Unlike the other two, he will be available in later rounds. Following the promotion of Akira Schmid to backup, the No. 1 gig with a very good Vegas team is Adin Hill’s to lose.
Last season: 47-31-4 (98 points), won the Stanley Cup Stanley Cup odds: +900 Projected points: 108.0
Biggest strength: Florida has a system, and it has led to the Panthers becoming back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. Yes, the Panthers have enviable depth in their lineup, and that has been a foundational piece of their success. But it’s how Florida manages to get the most out of itself with (seemingly) minimal effort because everyone’s pulling on the rope.
The Panthers pack a mean forecheck that pressures opponents into turnovers and puts Florida on the attack. The team is relentlessly opportunistic. And its neutral zone details are a game changer given how the team can shut down even some of the league’s most elite scorers there. The Panthers’ way of doing business just works, and it’s why seemingly every player who comes into the organization finds a role and a way to excel. Everyone is important.
Biggest concern: Aleksander Barkov’s absence looms large. Florida’s captain suffered a torn ACL and MCL during practice last month and will be out seven to nine months. That’s bad enough. But the Panthers are also without Matthew Tkachuk for at least several weeks into the regular season while he continues to recover from offseason surgery on a torn adductor muscle. That’s two of their top three scorers from last season gone early.
How Florida reacts to those losses will determine whether it has a chance to compete on a third Stanley Cup run by spring. Anton Lundell will get a terrific opportunity to raise his profile with Barkov out, and more responsibility will fall on Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe — not to mention goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky — to be top performers in every respect.
This season hinges on… The Panthers’ fortitude. It has been a long few summers for Florida, what with three straight Cup Final appearances. This year ahead will present fresh challenges given the aforementioned missing superstars. How will the Panthers avoid the perhaps inevitable fatigue that comes from another shortened offseason rolled into a campaign that’s already off to a rough start?
Florida has proved its mettle in this regard before. It’s more imperative than ever that it find ways to push through and adjust to what will be the new normal: trying to win games without two franchise stars.
Fantasy outlook: Don’t let Matthew Tkachuk slide too far, as you can weather his early absence in your IR spot. Seth Jones could jump in value as the power-play anchor. The line of Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand that dominated the playoffs is worth monitoring to see if the magic sticks.
Last season: 50-26-6 (106 points), lost in conference finals Stanley Cup odds: +900 Projected points: 94.0
But what happens if one of their best players sustains an injury that lasts a long time? Especially when it comes with the reality that the salary cap space that aided the team for years no longer exists like it once did?
This season hinges on… Whether their star players can return from the Olympics without any injuries. If there’s a disadvantage to having talent in an Olympic year, it’s the fact that the team that leaves for the Games could be different than the one that returns after the break.
There’s a chance the Stars could have at least nine players at the Olympics in February. It’s a group that includes their entire projected top line of Hintz, Rantanen and Robertson, their top defense pairing of Heiskanen and Lindell, along with starting goaltender Oettinger.
Fantasy outlook: Though Rantanen might not crack 100 points while playing away from Nathan MacKinnon, around 90 alongside Wyatt Johnston and Hintz is not too big of an ask. If Mavrik Bourque carves out a spot for himself in the Stars’ top six, he’ll merit rostering in deeper fantasy leagues.