2025-2026 Way Too Early Predictions

[atlanticobserver]

Cool take: Sabres are still not a playoff team

Lukewarm take: Detroit makes the playoffs over Ottawa

Hot take: Washington misses the playoffs. CBJ, Carolina, and New Jersey make it out of the Metro

Scalding take: Anaheim makes enough big moves to reach the playoffs

What are yours?

 

[Bouboumaster]

Habs:

Montréal make it to WC1
Everyone on the first line reach to at least 70 points
Demidov with the Calder

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

I don't think Edmonton gets back to the SCF again. I could see them getting out of the Pacific into the WCF, but can they keep getting past Dallas and/or Colorado? Here's a crazy one. Florida loses to one of TB or Toronto, and Carolina as a result finally gets out of the East.

 

[ozzie]

A team from Florida makes the finals.

 

[My3Sons]

The team that wins the cup abuses the LTIR and loads up at the deadline icing a lineup in thr playoffs that could not exist in thr regular season.

 

[TageGod]

FLA- Playoffs
Tampa- Playoffs
Toronto-Playoffs
Sabres-Playoffs Tage wins the goal scoring title and 100+ points with Sabres finally having a decent power play.
Habs-Miss
Ottawa-Miss
Detroit-Miss
Boston-Miss

 

[tabness]

ASP drags Wings to the cup finals where they lose to the Florida Panthers dynasty, who recognize that it's their last year on top as they will need to give way to the Detroit dynasty led by the best D since Bobby Orr

 

[Hockeyholic]

Washington misses the postseason

 

[freecheese]

Panthers threepeat

 

[BKarchitect]

I’ll be a contrarian - I figured the Caps would get a lot of “one hit wonders” takes:

Washington makes an EC Finals run in Ovie’s last season. Their old guys (Ovie, Wilson and Carlson) are still really good, their core acquisitions like Strome, PLD and Chychrun are for real and here to stay, they have the best Canadian goalie in the league who was stellar in the playoffs this year, the best coach in the league and they will be getting better behind a very impressive group of young players and prospects on the way.

 

[BKarchitect]

Another hot take. Edmonton could do basically nothing besides bring this years team back, flawed as it is, and have a 50/50 shot at continuing their Buffalo Bills streak of making the Cup finals and losing.

I just don’t have confidence in any of the West teams right now.

- The Jets simply cannot be trusted. At all.
- The Avs are in cap hell and outside of one run are sneaky big game chokers.
- The Stars are about to join the Avs and Oilers in cap jail as they lose depth and had a messy end to the season.
- Vegas will probably do something crazy this off-season so I guess TBD.
- Don’t think any of the other rebuild/retool teams pose a serious threat yet.

So…yeah…who do folks have faith in more than the Oilers in the West?

 

[waitin425]

I'll give it a way too early shot considering Free Agent Frenzy hasn't hit.

West

Edmonton - President's trophy
Dallas
Colorado
Jets
Vegas
Anaheim
St Louis
Wild

East

Florida
Tampa
Leafs
Canes
Devils
Habs
Sens
Jackets

WCF - Avs over Edmonton

ECF - Florida over Habs

SCF - Avs over Florida

Hart - McDavid
Art Ross - McDavid
Conn Smythe - MacKinnon
Norris - Makar
Calder - Demidov
Vezina - Hellebuyck
Adams - MSL

2026 off-season fireworks.....

McDavid leaves Edmonton for the New York Rangers.

 

[the_fan]

Panthers will win 3 in a row. I still don’t see which team can beat them in the playoffs. They have to keep Bennett and Marchand though. Im pretty sure they will keep Bennett, Marchand is bit of a question mark but im sure they’ll do everything they can to keep them both

 

[Soundgarden]

Nashville will be all in on McKenna, we trade Forsberg and Saros and Josi and put up one of the worst seasons in modern history...and lose the lottery to Pittsburgh and end up drafting David Legwand Jr.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

EDM - FLA meet in the Finals again

 

[optimus2861]

Another hot take. Edmonton could do basically nothing besides bring this years team back, flawed as it is, and have a 50/50 shot at continuing their Buffalo Bills streak of making the Cup finals and losing.

I just don’t have confidence in any of the West teams right now.

- The Jets simply cannot be trusted. At all.
- The Avs are in cap hell and outside of one run are sneaky big game chokers.
- The Stars are about to join the Avs and Oilers in cap jail as they lose depth and had a messy end to the season.
- Vegas will probably do something crazy this off-season so I guess TBD.
- Don’t think any of the other rebuild/retool teams pose a serious threat yet.

So…yeah…who do folks have faith in more than the Oilers in the West?

You're not wrong, but I think the 25/26 Oilers are going to be something of a broken team, both mentally and physically, and I expect a significant backslide from them. A playoff team, sure, but they won't make another deep run. Too many pieces over 30 and now they're going to be filled with doubt after failing miserably in their big redemption attempt. Second round exit at best, probably with a hospital ward full of banged up players by the end of it.

 

[Zalos]

Too early. Need to wait for the draft and free agency at the very least.

 

[Volica]

Florida looks like a dynasty.
If they run a similar team back, they're going to threepeat.

 

[JKG33]

Another hot take. Edmonton could do basically nothing besides bring this years team back, flawed as it is, and have a 50/50 shot at continuing their Buffalo Bills streak of making the Cup finals and losing.

I just don’t have confidence in any of the West teams right now.

- The Jets simply cannot be trusted. At all.
- The Avs are in cap hell and outside of one run are sneaky big game chokers.
- The Stars are about to join the Avs and Oilers in cap jail as they lose depth and had a messy end to the season.
- Vegas will probably do something crazy this off-season so I guess TBD.
- Don’t think any of the other rebuild/retool teams pose a serious threat yet.

So…yeah…who do folks have faith in more than the Oilers in the West?

In what world are the Avs in cap jail? They have basically a full roster signed, and some players that'll be very easy to move if they want to make changes

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Florida adds Malkin at the deadline and three peats.

 

[hangman005]

Florida adds Malkin at the deadline and three peats.

They'll lose to us, when we sign Marner for league minimum,

 

[BKarchitect]

In what world are the Avs in cap jail? They have basically a full roster signed, and some players that'll be very easy to move if they want to make changes

Ok, maybe jail is too harsh but limited flexibility for sure on a roster that didn't get out of the first round in two of the past three seasons. Necas contract decision coming up. And almost know asset capital for trades in terms of picks and prospects. For every Ross Colton you trade for cap space, you also have to figure out how to replace them and actually get better.

 

[gary559]

Ducks make the playoffs.

 

[Chan790]

Hottest take: The Panthers go out in the first round and the TV announcers, having prepared for weeks for Florida-centric storylines...fumble through the rest of the playoffs

Hot Takes: Carolina sweeps TML in the ECF.

Winnipeg wins the WCF.

On the final day of the season, after a surprise late-season collapse leaves the Oilers out of the playoffs, Connor McDavid cleans out his locker and announces through his agent that he will not be returning to Edmonton. This storyline overshadows coverage of the first two rounds.

Coldest take: With a Carolina-Winnipeg final, Seth Jarvis makes an on-TV quip that it's great for him because he gets to play all home games. The media fails to pickup the hilarious news story of Jarvy spending half the Finals hanging out at home with Mr. Jarvis in his free time watching reruns and sleeping in his childhood bedroom in a race car bed.

The NHL continues to fail to realize that they should market the hell out of Seth Jarvis because he's extremely likeable and has more public appeal than most superstars.

 

[JKG33]

Ok, maybe jail is too harsh but limited flexibility for sure on a roster that didn't get out of the first round in two of the past three seasons. Necas contract decision coming up. And almost know asset capital for trades in terms of picks and prospects. For every Ross Colton you trade for cap space, you also have to figure out how to replace them and actually get better.

To me, with Landeskog seemingly healthy and Nuke (hopefully) rehabilitated, theyre actually out of jail completely. Now they dont have $12m+ holding them hostage in players that may/may not come back.