The National Hockey League’s 2025-26 season officially kicks off on Tuesday, with a trio of games including the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers opening up their Centennial campaigns against the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively, while the nightcap features one of the team’s I’ll be talking about in my final division preview – the Los Angeles Kings, who will be hosting Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche.
For the last three seasons, the Western Conference champion has come out of the Pacific Division, so don’t be surprised if they make it four by the time all is said and done next June, with a number of clubs improving this summer, headlined by the Vegas Golden Knights who swung a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs for star forward Mitch Marner & subsequently locked him up for eight years with an AAV of $12 million.
Beyond the two most obvious playoff teams in the Pacific Division – the Edmonton Oilers & Vegas Golden Knights, it’s going to be an interesting battle for the third and final postseason berth. Understandably, Los Angeles will be favoured to finish top-three, but don’t count out the Vancouver Canucks.
Anaheim Ducks
Starting us off in the Pacific Division is the Anaheim Ducks, who are mired in an seven year postseason drought entering the 2025-26 campaign and after yet another difficult season in 2024-25, the organization decided to make some pretty big changes.
Behind the bench, the Anaheim Ducks hired three-time Stanley Cup champion Joel Quenneville as their new Head Coach, who will be joined by Jay Woodcroft, Andrew Brewer and Ryan McGill, with Tim Army the only coach remaining from last year’s staff.
On the ice, after months of rumors, Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek finally decided to move on from two key players, sending goaltender John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings and Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers. Meanwhile, the Ducks made a couple big addition in the offseason, acquiring forward Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers in mid-June, followed by the signing of veteran centerman Mikael Granlund to a three-year deal worth $7 million on July 1st.
Notable Additions: Mikael Granlund (F), Petr Mrazek (G), Ryan Poehling (F), Chris Kreider (F).
Notable Subtractions: John Gibson (G), Trevor Zegras (F), Isac Lundestrom (F), Casey Terrance (F).
Player To Watch: Leo Carlsson.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th at Seattle Kraken @ 10 p.m. ET.
Calgary Flames
The City of Calgary has been without playoff hockey since falling in five games to the Edmonton Oilers in round two back in 2022 and after a relatively quiet summer, it’s hard to envision the club getting back there this season, but it will come eventually Flames fans, stay patient.
Calgary’s biggest moves of the summer were done internally as General Manager Craig Conroy signed defenseman Kevin Bahl to a six-year contact, forward Connor Zary to a three-year deal, as well as goaltender Dustin Wolf to a seven-year extension, all three of whom will play big roles in helping the Flames get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the years ahead.
In terms of external additions to the roster, Conroy signed defenseman Nick Cicek, who spent last year in Germany with Adler Mannheim, as well as goaltender Ivan Prosvetov after an impressive year in the KHL with CSKA Moscow. Prosvetov was brought in to compete for the backup role behind Dustin Wolf following the departure of Dan Vladar to the Philadelphia Flyers, however he was placed on waivers and sent to the AHL after being outperformed by Devin Cooley during training camp.
Notable Additions: Ivan Prosvetov (G), Nick Cicek (D).
Notable Subtractions: Dan Vladar (G), Anthony Mantha (D), Martin Frk (F).
Player To Watch: Sam Honzek.
First Game: Wednesday, October 8th at Edmonton Oilers @ 10 p.m. ET.
Edmonton Oilers
After back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final, coming up empty on both occasions, the Edmonton Oilers are determined to make it back once again, but with a different outcome. Something that Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the group have been focused on ever since training camp opened in September.
Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman made it very clear heading into the summer that his priority was to add some depth to his forward group and he was able to accomplish that by signing one of the team’s former rivals – Andrew Mangiapane, who spent the first seven years of his career in Calgary.
Beyond Mangiapane, Bowman’s scouting staff identified a pair of Finns who might come into the mix as the season rolls along – forward Viljami Marjala, who had 52 points in 54 games for TPS Turku last year & defenseman Atro Leppanen, who set a Liiga record for points by a blueliner in a single season with 63 (21 G, 42 A) while skating for Vaasan Sport. Edmonton also acquired some goaltending depth by landing Connor Ingram in a deal with the Utah Mammoth, as well as one of the top forward prospects in hockey, Isaac Howard, who forced a trade out of Tampa Bay after not wanting to sign with the club.
The Oilers also lost some key players too, with Jeff Skinner, Connor Brown and Corey Perry signing with the San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings, respectively, while Bowman dealt veteran forward Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks and Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins.
Notable Additions: Andrew Mangiapane (F), Connor Ingram (G), Atro Leppanen (D).
Notable Subtractions: Corey Perry (F), Connor Brown (F), Evander Kane (F), Viktor Arvidsson (F), Jeff Skinner (F).
Player To Watch: Matt Savoie.
First Game: Wednesday, October 8th vs Calgary Flames at 10 p.m. ET.
Los Angeles Kings
As mentioned a bit earlier, the 2025-26 season marks the final year of Anze Kopitar’s professional hockey career. In a city full of stars, Kopitar certainly made a name for himself and deserves to be mentioned among Los Angeles’ sporting greats, with the team is hoping to make a big run this year for their captain.
While the Kings would like to win it all, it’s pretty unlikely given some of the questionable moves made by General Manager Ken Holland in the offseason and with no disrespect to him or the organization, I remain puzzled with a couple of their decisions. This summer, Holland signed defensemen Cody Ceci to a four-year deal worth $4.5 million annually and Brian Dumoulin to a three-year contract with an AAV of $4 million. Even with the NHL’s salary cap going up in the years to come, having $8.5 million tied but between two players who are bottom pairing defenseman certainly isn’t ideal, especially if the club wants to make additions in-season to go on a run for Kopitar.
The signings of Ceci & Dumoulin weren’t great, but they did manage to add some nice depth pieces on forward in Joel Armia and Corey Perry, both of whom should help the Kings remain inside the top-ten in penalty kill percentage this season. Meanwhile, Anton Forsberg comes to LA on a two-year deal to replace the outgoing David Rittich, who signed with the New York Islanders in the summer.
Notable Additions: Cody Ceci (D), Corey Perry (F), Brian Dumoulin (D), Joel Armia (F), Anton Forsberg (G).
Notable Subtractions: David Rittich (G), Vladislav Gavrikov (D), Tanner Jeannot (F), Samuel Fagemo (F).
Player To Watch: Alex Laferriere.
First Game: Tuesday, October 7th at Vegas Golden Knights @ 10 p.m. ET.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks’ rebuild continues this season as the club has their sights set on getting out of the National Hockey League’s basement for the first time in quite a few years, following back-to-back-to-back picks in the top-five of the Entry Draft.
San Jose’s current situation didn’t stop General Manager Mike Grier from adding some pretty solid pieces to surround his young core with such as goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, defensemen Dmitry Orlov & John Klingberg, along with forwards Jeff Skinner, Adam Gaudette and Philipp Kurashev.
While San Jose might not be playoff-bound anytime soon, the biggest thing for the organization this season is the growth of their young players, especially Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Yaroslav Askarov, along with newcomers Sam Dickinson (2024 – 11th overall) and Michael Misa (2025 – 2nd overall), both of whom were named to the Sharks’ opening night roster on Monday.
Notable Additions: Dmitry Orlov (D), John Klingberg (D), Jeff Skinner (F), Adam Gaudette (F), Philipp Kurashev (F), Alex Nedeljkovic (G), Ryan Reaves (F).
Notable Subtractions: Henry Thrun (D), Thomas Bordeleau (F), Carl Grundstrom (F), Alexandar Georgiev (G), Jan Rutta (D).
Player To Watch: Michael Misa.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 10 p.m. ET.
Seattle Kraken
It’s been a frustrating time in the Pacific Northwest as the Seattle Kraken enter their fifth season in the National Hockey League with just one appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs under their belt, which came in Year 2 when they were one win away from the Western Conference Final.
There’s no question that Seattle has the right pieces in place to make a push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it’s inconsistency, along with injury issues, that have hurt them big time in the last couple of years. Last season, the club finished 27 in the NHL’s overall standings and 23rd in goals against with 265. In order to help keep the puck out of the back of their net this season, General Manager Jason Botterill went out on the free agent market and signed defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
Aside from Lindgren, who will play a key role on Seattle’s third pairing & on the penalty kill, Seattle didn’t do a ton this summer and will be relying on young players like Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, Jani Nyman and even 2024 first round pick Berkly Catton to help the club get off to a strong start and be in a good position heading into American Thanksgiving, which has been a key date for well over a decade where upwards of 80% teams in a playoff spot end up making it to the big dance.
Notable Additions: Ryan Lindgren (D), Matt Murray (G).
Notable Subtractions: Michael Eyssimont (F), Maxime Lajoie (D), Ales Stezka (G).
Player To Watch: Shane Wright.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs Anaheim Ducks @ 10 p.m. ET.
Vancouver Canucks
After an incredible 2023-24 campaign, with the club winning the Pacific Division title and coming within one win from their first Western Conference Final appearance in over a decade, things unravelled quickly in Vancouver, with the Canucks missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin moved on from J.T. Miller mid-season after a feud with star forward Elias Pettersson and at the end of the season, with his contract expiring, Head Coach Rick Tocchet departed the club & went on to join the Philadelphia Flyers. Tocchet was replaced by a familiar face in Adam Foote, who had served as the club’s Assistant Coach since January 2023 and is someone well-liked and respected in the dressing room.
The Canucks’ path back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs won’t be easy, especially after the club failed to find a legit second line centerman in the offseason, a role that will be occupied by Filip Chytil out of the gate. Vancouver will need bounce backs from Elias Pettersson & Thatcher Demko, along with another massive year from captain Quinn Hughes, if they’re going to have any chance of making it to the postseason.
Patrik Allvin’s biggest move this offseason saw him add some grit and offense to his top-six, acquiring nine-time 20+ goal scorer Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2025 fourth round pick. Vancouver also brought Vitali Kravtsov back from the KHL and added some depth on the blue line in former first round pick Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
Notable Additions: Evander Kane (F), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (D), Vitali Kravtsov (F).
Notable Subtractions: Pius Suter (F), Dakota Joshua (F), Arturs Silovs (G), Noah Juulsen (D).
Player To Watch: Jonathan Lekkerimaki.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs Calgary Flames @ 10 p.m. ET.
Vegas Golden Knights
And that brings us to the Vegas Golden Knights who, as mentioned at the beginning of my article, made one of, if not the biggest move of the offseason, sending Nic Roy to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Mitch Marner. Shortly after, the Golden Knights inked him to an eight-year, $96 million US deal.
Bringing Mitch Marner in gives Golden Knights Head Coach Bruce Cassidy another offensive weapon for his top-six and someone who will undoubtedly play on the top line and form one of the league’s best duos with Jack Eichel.
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon was busy elsewhere too, completing a deal with the Nashville Predators that saw the club add Jeremy Lauzon & Colton Sissons in exchange for Nic Hague and a third round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. Adding Lauzon & Sissons gives the Golden Knights some more sandpaper in their lineup and will look to show teams around the league that they won’t be pushed around.
The Golden Knights also said goodbye to some familiar faces this summer as Tanner Pearson signed in Winnipeg, Victor Olofsson landed in Colorado, while goaltender Ilya Samsonov remains an unrestricted free agent as of Monday, October 6th, as Vegas opted to go with Akira Schmid as the backup behind Adin Hill.
Notable Additions: Mitch Marner (F), Colton Sissons (F), Jeremy Lauzon (D).
Notable Subtractions: Nic Roy (F), Nic Hague (D), Tanner Pearson (F), Victor Olofsson (F), Ilya Samsonov (G).
Player To Watch: Pavel Dorofeyev.
First Game: Tuesday, October 8th vs Los Angeles Kings @ 10 p.m. ET.