We’re officially one week away from the start of the National Hockey League’s 2026-27 season and there’s quite a lot to talk about from the offseason.
Instead of a division-by-division breakdown, like I did last September, I’ve opted to do a two-part season preview for the 2026-27 campaign, first looking at the Eastern Conference today, before examining the Western Conference on Friday.
Once again, the Atlantic Division looks like it’s going to be the best division in hockey. The Florida Panthers made some noise in the offseason and are healthy. Toronto landed the first overall pick, selected Gavin McKenna, and look like they’re set for a bounce back year themselves.
Meanwhile in the Metropolitan Division, the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals were quite busy in the offseason, making some big moves as they try to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out this past spring.
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins
After missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, the Boston Bruins came roaring back last season, finishing with 45 wins & 100 points. Due to how competitive the Atlantic Division was last season, the Bruins finished fourth and landed the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, setting up a first round date with the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately for Bruins fans, they fell to the Sabres in six games.
The biggest move of the offseason for the Bruins was in late-June as they acquired German forward JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a pair of first round picks. The Bruins also made a pair of deals with their Original Six rivals, the New York Rangers, on July 1st. One trade saw the Rangers acquire backup netminder Joonas Korpisalo for Kalle Vaisanen and a fourth round pick in 2028.
Meanwhile, Boston reunited with defenseman Connor Clifton, signing him to a two-year deal in July and locked up Fraser Minten to a seven-year extension (kicks in ahead of 2027-28 season) earlier this month.
Notable Additions: JJ Peterka (F), Connor Clifton (D), Ivan Ivan (F).
Notable Departures: Joonas Korpisalo (G), Viktor Arvidsson (F), Fabian Lysell (F).
Player to Watch: James Hagens.
First Game: Tuesday, September 29th vs New York Rangers at 8 pm ET.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres were one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference last season, reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 15 years and finished first place in the Atlantic Division with a 50-22-7 record. Their season came to a close at the hands of Alex Newhook & the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the second round.
It ended up being a very busy summer in Buffalo, with General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen making several notable moves including sending Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals, Bowen Byram & Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks (in exchange for the 2026 fourth overall pick), Devon Levi to the Edmonton Oilers and Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks.
Olen Zellweger was added in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, giving the Sabres a third pairing option, maybe second pairing in a pinch. Forwards Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund signed long-term extensions over the summer, with Peyton Krebs putting pen-to-paper on a four-year deal. Meanwhile with the fourth overall pick acquired from Chicago, the Sabres selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph.
Notable Additions: Olen Zelleweger (D), Louis Crevier (D), Conor Sheary (F).
Notable Departures: Alex Tuch (F), Bowen Byram (D), Jordan Greenway (F), Michael Kesselring (D), Devon Levi (G).
Player to Watch: Zach Benson.
First Game: Thursday, October 1st @ Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 pm ET.
Detroit Red Wings
It was another year without playoff hockey in Detroit as the Red Wings finished the 2025-26 season seven points back of the Ottawa Senators for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Less than two months after the regular season concluded, now-former captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade. A deal never materialized over the summer and Larkin reported to training camp last week, albeit without the C on his chest. That wasn’t the only notable off-ice news in Detroit this summer as Steve Yzerman stepped down from his role as General Manager to become a senior advisor.
In terms of additions made in the offseason, the Red Wings signed forward Viktor Arvidsson and goaltender Daniil Tarasov, while also acquiring forward Keegan Kolesar from the Vegas Golden Knights. With a bit of a goaltending logjam in their pipeline, the Red Wings decided to move prospect Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth.
Notable Additions: Viktor Arvidsson (F), Daniil Tarasov (G), Keegan Kolesar (F).
Notable Departures: Patrick Kane (F), Cam Talbot (G), Sebastian Cossa (G), James van Riemsdyk (F).
Player to Watch: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
First Game: Friday, October 2nd vs New York Rangers at 6:30 pm ET.
Florida Panthers
To say the 2025-26 season was disappointing for the Florida Panthers would be an understatement. After back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Florida Panthers dealt with injury issues all year long, beginning in training camp last September when captain Aleksander Barkov suffered a season-ending injury.
Florida went on to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019, finishing seventh in the Atlantic Division. General Manager Bill Zito didn’t waste any time in looking for ways to improve his roster and pulled off one of the biggest moves of the summer in June, acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
The Panthers also added some more depth to their roster with veterans like Lars Eller, Garnet Hathaway and Radko Gudas. Zito also addressed the team’s goaltending situation as Sergei Bobrovsky left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs and Daniil Tarasov signed with the Detroit Red Wings. Replacing those two are Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid following trades with the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights, respectively.
Notable Additions: Brady Tkachuk (F), Jacob Markstrom (G), Radko Gudas (D), Akira Schmid (G).
Notable Departures: Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Daniil Tarasov (G), Evan Rodrigues (F), Jesper Boqvist (F).
Player to Watch: Anton Lundell.
First Game: Tuesday, September 29th @ Carolina Hurricanes at 5 pm ET.
Montreal Canadiens
After returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, the Montreal Canadiens took another big step forward this past spring, reaching the Eastern Conference Final, where they fell in five games to the eventual champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Eastern Conference Final certainly showed that the Montreal Canadiens have a lot to work on if they plan on taking that next step towards a 25th Stanley Cup in the years to come. A lot of that will come with experience as the Canadiens young core is poised to keep the club in contention over the next decade.
For the most part, it was a fairly quiet offseason for the Montreal Canadiens, aside from some depth trades & signings, primarily for their AHL affiliate in Laval. They were able to get some in-house business done by signing Jakub Dobes, Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook to contract extensions. Their most notable move came earlier this month when they signed Chris Kreider to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season. Meanwhile, longtime forward Brendan Gallagher was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in late June.
Notable Additions: Chris Kreider (F), Brett Berard (F), Maksymilian Szuber (D).
Notable Departures: Brendan Gallagher (F), Joshua Roy (F), Patrik Laine (F), Joe Veleno (F).
Player to Watch: David Reinbacher.
First Game: Tuesday, September 29th @ Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 pm ET.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year in 2025-26, clinching the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, which set them up with a date with the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. That series didn’t go well at all for the Senators, who ended up getting swept.
This summer brought plenty of change in Ottawa, most notably the departure of captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, where he unites with his brother, Matthew. It’s a big loss and was a bit unexpected at the time, before General Manager Steve Staios confirmed to reporters that Tkachuk had requested a trade following Ottawa’s elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It wasn’t all bad news in Ottawa this summer, however. The Senators made a significant deal with the San Jose Sharks, sending the ninth overall pick in 2026 to NorCal in exchange for a package that included William Eklund and prospect Kasper Halttunen. Ottawa also added forward Andre Burakovsky and goaltender Samuel Ersson with the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively.
Notable Additions: William Eklund (F), Andre Burakovsky (F), Samuel Ersson (G).
Notable Departures: Brady Tkachuk (F), Lars Eller (F), Nick Jensen (D).
Player to Watch: William Eklund.
First Game: Saturday, October 3rd @ Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 pm ET.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning saw their season come to a close much earlier than Jon Cooper was expecting, falling in seven games in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa was without captain Victor Hedman for the final few weeks of the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs due to personal reasons.
As Tampa Bay looks to navigate a tough Atlantic Division, it might be one of the final chances this group has a chance to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and in order to aid in their push for a spot in the post season, General Manager Julien Brisebois went out onto the open market to bring in some help.
Among the bigger moves made by Lightning in the offseason included to signings of defenseman John Carlson and forward Ilya Mikheyev. BriseBois also solidified their goaltending depth, bringing in Dennis Hildeby in a deal with Toronto. Tampa Bay also lost two key members of their roster to a division rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs – Nick Paul and Darren Raddysh.
Notable Additions: Ilya Mikheyev (F), John Carlson (D), Dennis Hildeby (G).
Notable Departures: Nick Paul (F), Darren Raddysh (D), Corey Perry (F), Oliver Bjorkstrand (F).
Player to Watch: Gage Goncalves.
First Game: Thursday, October 1st @ New York Rangers at 7 pm ET.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The final team in the Atlantic Division we’re talking about today might have been one of the busiest clubs in the National Hockey League over the summer, that being the Toronto Maple Leafs. With a new General Manager (John Chayka), the Maple Leafs were looking to make noise in the offseason and that they did.
Toronto landed the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, which they used to select forward Gavin McKenna. In addition to drafting one of the game’s future stars, the Maple Leafs acquired (and then extended) Darren Raddysh in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a separate deal with the Lightning, Chayka was able to bring in forward Nick Paul.
Depth was a big focal point in Toronto in the summer as Chayka added Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, among others. In addition to that, the Maple Leafs brought in two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky to become their starting goaltender. Bobrovsky and the Maple Leafs agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $21 million USD on Canada Day.
Notable Additions: Darren Raddysh (D), Nick Paul (F), Jack Roslovic (F), Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Colton Sissons (F).
Notable Departures: Joseph Woll (G), Brandon Carlo (D), Dennis Hildeby (G), Nick Robertson (F), Matias Maccelli (F).
Player to Watch: Gavin McKenna.
First Game: Tuesday, September 29th vs Montreal Canadiens at 7 pm ET.
Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes
For the first time in 20 years and second time in franchise history, the Carolina Hurricanes were crowed Stanley Cup champions. Their path to the Stanley Cup saw them defeat the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights.
Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour has set a high standard in Carolina and fully expects them to contend for the Stanley Cup once again this season. Typically we see quite a bit of turn over after a team wins the Stanley Cup, with players leaving for a new challenge, however this summer, the Carolina Hurricanes were fairly quiet.
Their most notable move came earlier this month when they signed free agent defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who is likely to play a depth role for the club this season. Meanwhile, goaltender Frederik Andersen moved on in the offseason, signing a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers. His debut in Edmonton will likely be delayed until some point in October after tweaking his knee during offseason training.
Notable Additions: Pierre-Olivier Joseph (D).
Notable Departures: Frederik Andersen (G), Ryan Suzuki (F), Givani Smith (F).
Player to Watch: Seth Jarvis.
First Game: Tuesday, September 29th vs Florida Panthers at 5 pm ET.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that I’m not really sure have a direction heading into the 2026-27 season. Earlier in the year, there were rumours that defenseman Zach Werenski wanted a trade, but those were quickly put to bed once he met with Blue Jackets management.
Werenski wasn’t the only Blue Jacket to see their name enter the rumour mill as there’s been questions about Kirill Marchenko’s future in Columbus. Marchenko has been linked to a number of teams over the past few months, including the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, at the time of writing this, the Blue Jackets still haven’t signed restricted free agent forward Adam Fantilli.
Columbus has now missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs six seasons in a row entering the 2026-27 campaign and surprisingly, they didn’t do a ton in the offseason. They traded for Valeri Nichushkin, signed bottom-six forward Ryan Lomberg to a two-year deal, signed defenseman Carson Soucy to a PTO and added veteran netminder Cam Talbot on a one-year deal. Forward Mason Marchment went on to sign with San Jose, while captain Boone Jenner left to join the Washington Capitals.
Notable Additions: Valeri Nichushkin (F), Ryan Lomberg (F), Cam Talbot (G).
Notable Departures: Mason Marchment (F), Boone Jenner (F).
Player to Watch: Cole Sillinger.
First Game: Thursday, October 1st vs Buffalo Sabres at 7 pm ET.
New Jersey Devils
With just two playoff appearances in the Jack Hughes era, the New Jersey Devils are hoping to get back to the postseason next spring and made some noise in the offseason.
New Jersey Devils General Manager Sunny Mehta signed Utah forward Barrett Hayton to an offer sheet on July 1st, however his attempt to land the former fifth overall pick was unsuccessful as the Mammoth decided to match. Mehta then turned his attention elsewhere, acquiring Evan Rodrigues from Florida, signing forward Anthony Mantha to a two-year deal and trading for Luke Evangelista from Nashville.
Among those to leave New Jersey in the offseason include goaltender Jacob Markstrom, leaving Jake Allen as the most likely option to serve as the Devils’ starter for the 2026-27 campaign. Meanwhile, defenseman Simon Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov were traded to the Calgary Flames.
Notable Additions: Luke Evangelista (F), Anthony Mantha (F), David Rittich (G), Evan Rodrigues (F).
Notable Departures: Simon Nemec (D), Jacob Markstrom (G), Maxim Tsyplakov (F).
Player to Watch: Luke Evangelista.
First Game: Thursday, October 1st vs Philadelphia Flyers at 7 pm ET.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year during the 2025-26 season in a very tight Metropolitan Division. Just seven points separated the second place Pittsburgh Penguins (98) and sixth place New York Islanders (91).
New York didn’t bring in a ton to help with their pursuit of a playoff berth this season, but the biggest addition might be in-house, with Cole Eiserman set for his first full year of professional hockey. The Islanders did bring in some depth at each position, however, signing forward Matias Maccelli, defenseman Matt Kessel and goaltender Vitek Vanecek.
In what was undoubtedly the biggest news out of Long Island this summer, captain Anders Lee left the organization as a free agent. Lee went on to sign a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth on the opening day of free agency. The vacant captaincy role was then handed to Bo Horvat just before training camp began.
Notable Additions: Matias Maccelli (F), Vitek Vancecek (G).
Notable Departures: Anders Lee (F), Maxim Shabanov (F), David Rittich (G).
Player to Watch: Cole Eiserman.
First Game: Wednesday, September 30th @ Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 pm ET.
New York Rangers
It was another tough season in The Big Apple as the New York Rangers finished dead last in the Eastern Conference with 77 points, tied with Calgary for second-worst in the National Hockey League. The Rangers would go on to drop to fifth in the NHL Entry Draft, selecting Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits.
The Rangers made plenty of noise this summer, primarily on the trade front. General Manager Chris Drury acquired defenseman Sean Durzi and forward prospect Cole Beaudoin in a trade with the Utah Mammoth, which saw Vincent Trochek go the other way. He also acquired forward Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas. Drury then added some more help for the Rangers’ blue line by acquiring Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks and signing Dennis Cholowski to a two-year deal.
Joining Trochek in departing New York over the summer was Conor Sheary (Buffalo), Will Borgen (Boston), Kalle Vaisanen (Boston) and Adam Edstrom (Nashville). Meanwhile after 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, goaltender Jonathan Quick announced his retirement.
Notable Additions: Sean Durzi (D), Pavel Dorofeyev (F), Marcus Pettersson (D), Oliver Bjorkstrand (F).
Notable Departures: Vincent Trochek (F), Will Borgen (D), Conor Sheary (F).
Player to Watch: Pavel Dorofeyev.
First Game: Tuesday, September 29th @ Boston Bruins at 8 pm ET.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers enjoyed quite a successful 2025-26 season, finishing third in the Metropolitan Division and reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they were ultimately swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.
It was a good stepping stone for the Flyers under Rick Tocchet and they should be firmly in the mix for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the time the regular season wraps up in April. However, they did need some reinforcements in the offseason in order to accomplish that goal.
Philadelphia swung for the fences and signed Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet for five years, worth $18 million annually. The Ducks went on to match the deal a week later, leaving the Flyers, much like the Devils with Barrett Hayton, to pivot elsewhere. They were unable to land that big fish they were hoping for, but Danny Briere was able to land some nice complementary pieces for his core – Simon Benoit, Noel Acciari and Zach Aston-Reese, while acquiring some goaltending help from the Toronto Maple Leafs, that being Joseph Woll.
Notable Additions: Joseph Woll (G), Noel Acciari (F), Simon Benoit (D).
Notable Departures: Philip Tomasino (F), Rodrigo Abols (F), Boris Katchouk (F).
Player to Watch: Porter Martone.
First Game: Wednesday, September 30th vs Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 pm ET.
Pittsburgh Penguins
After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs three years in a row, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins were back in the big dance, facing their longtime rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the first round. Philadelphia would go on to defeat Pittsburgh in six games.
The Penguins know that their window is slowly closing, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang all approaching the end of their respective careers. Some additions were going to be needed in the offseason and General Manager Kyle Dubas made some moves, probably nothing that screams “we’re going on a deep playoff run this year.”
Their most notable move was signing Russian forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who is still looking to regain the form he had during his rookie season with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23. Along with Kuzmenko, Dubas brought in a face he’s very familiar with from his time in Toronto – Nick Robertson. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was signed to a two-year deal, while Noel Acciari, Stuart Skinner, Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton all left the organization.
Notable Additions: Andrei Kuzmenko (F), Nick Robertson (F), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D).
Notable Departures: Noel Acciari (F), Stuart Skinner (G), Ryan Shea (D), Connor Clifton (D).
Player to Watch: Ben Kindel.
First Game: Wednesday, September 30th @ Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 pm ET.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals came into the offseason with a big question – will Alexander Ovechkin return to the club or retire from professional hockey? On the second day of the free agency period, Ovechkin reupped with the Capitals for one year and it’s shaping up to be a big season in Washington.
Before the Ovechkin decision came, the Capitals were very busy on the trade market as they added Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues and Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres. Washington was quite active on the free agent market, too. GM Chris Patrick signed forward Boone Jenner, as well as defensemen Vincent Desharnais & Justin Holl.
Depth-wise, the Capitals are set up nicely this season and didn’t lose a ton in the summer, either, which bodes well for their chances at making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hendrix Lapierre, David Kampf and Trevor van Riemsdyk were among the notable players to leave the Washington Capitals in the offseason.
Notable Additions: Jordan Kyrou (F), Alex Tuch (F), Boone Jenner (F), Vincent Desharnais (D).
Notable Departures: David Kampf (F), Hendrix Lapierre (F), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D).
Player to Watch: Cole Hutson.
First Game: Friday, October 2nd @ Carolina Hurricanes at 7 pm ET.