The 2025/26 NHL season just kicked off, and we have more than a few interesting months ahead of us. The early favorites are well known, and plenty of teams share the same ambition: to win the Stanley Cup. Considering that we still have a long way to go until the playoff stages, when the stakes are the highest, let’s take a look at the storylines that will mark the first few months of the 2025/26 NHL season.
The Winter Olympics
It’s been a while since teams committed players to the biggest international hockey tournament. The last time the NHL season coincided with the regular NHL season was back in 2013/14. After a full decade, the players will once again represent their franchises and national teams at the biggest stage. The Winter Olympics, as far as hockey goes, will be held at the Milano Cortina from the 11th of February to the 22nd of the same month. While the key components of every national team roster for the Olympics are already known, there are major holes to be filled until February of next year. For many players, this will be additional motivation to perform well, and that much will be seen during the regular NHL season. While it is nice to be on an NHL contract, for many players, playing for their national team is a matter of national pride, and no money in the world could compensate for an Olympic medal.
The Future of Alex Ovechkin
Even as an already legendary player, Alex is still chasing glory. The ongoing season might be his last one at the highest level, and there are a couple of milestones he has on his bucket list. The forward, currently playing for the Washington Capitals, turned 40 in September, but is still writing into the book of his career. At the moment, he is only three goals removed from becoming the only player in the history of sport to reach 900 goals. He already topped the legendary Wayne Gretzky, but that is not enough for the Russian enforcer. Furthermore, he is on pace to reach and go over 1,500 career games, which is another massive landmark in his career. Yet, the biggest question is whether he will remain active past this season. This is his 21st season, and all of them have been spent with the Capitals. Despite Alex’s legendary status in the league, according to NHL Expert Picks and Predictions his Capitals are not favored to win it all this year.
Kopitar’s Goodbye
Unlike Ovechkin, Anze Kopitar announced that this season is going to be his last year in the NHL. The Slovenian center stated that when the Kings wrap up their season, he is moving back to his homeland, Slovenia, to spend more time with his family. When it’s all said and done, it is rumored that the Kings will build a statue for Kopitar outside the Crypto.com Arena. This will be a well-deserved honor as he was instrumental in their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup runs. At 38 years of age, he will be looking to give his best effort to repeat the glory days from one decade ago. Both fans and pundits expect the Los Angeles Kings to be active on the transfer market, especially on the deadline days, in an attempt to make the squad competitive in Kopitar’s last season.
Marner in Vegas
All eyes will be on Mitch Marner during his first season with the Vegas Golden Knights. It will be a brand new experience for Marner after spending nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he had an amazing career consisting of 741 points (221 goals and 520 assists) in 657 games. He signed an eight-year $96 million contract and is seen as a vital part of future plans for the Golden Knights. While impressive in Toronto, Las Vegas is going to be a new playing field for him, and the switch from brisk Toronto to dry and hot Vegas might be harder than initially thought. Considering the ambitions the team has for the year, Marner’s start in Vegas will be one of the storylines early in the season. If you plan to bet on NHL, it is necessary to know that with odds of +900, the Las Vegas Golden Knights are the 6th favorites to lift the trophy come the year’s end.
Maple Leafs New Era
It will be a fresh start for the Toronto Maple Leafs, not only for Mitch Marner. Last year, he was the team’s best player with 102 points in 81 games. While stats matter a lot, his influence on the team was felt far beyond what transpired on the field. He was good both on defense and offense, finishing seventh in the Selke Trophy voting, while making a claim for the league’s best defensive forward. It will be interesting how the franchise will handle Marner’s absence, and even more interesting to see how Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares will compensate for it through stats. For the likes of Max Domi and Nicolas Roy, this will be an opportunity to take up leadership roles.
The Penguins Past, Present & Future
There will be no more Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to open the season in Pittsburgh! Today, this is the case. In the past it was normal to see them in Penguins uniforms. Will it be the future? Probably not. For one, Malkin is in the last year of his contract with unrestricted free agency looming over him come July 1st. The franchise in general is not in a win-now mode, which means that they might be open to trading Evgeni at the deadline. If they make it to the playoffs, all talks of him leaving might disappear, but if they’re out of the picture, he’s out of Pittsburgh.
Crosby is in a better position with two years remaining on his contract. While Crosby has been adamant that he will give his all to the team and the city, he is a serial winner, so if the idea of how and when is not identical between him and the franchise, he might start considering leaving sooner rather than later. If either of the two men mentioned above leaves, the same fate is on the cards for Letang. The three men have spent twenty years together in Pittsburgh, but if they’re not at the winning podium once again in the foreseeable future, a split appears to be imminent.
The Reality of Panthers’ Three Peat
We hadn’t had back-to-back champs in the NHL salary cap era up until the Penguins did in 2016 and 2017. Could we have a three-peat in less than a decade? It could happen, but it is not as likely as it was believed when the last season ended. Sports betting outlets such as Stake.com have the Panthers as the third favorites to win it all behind the Oilers and Hurricanes. While the quality is still there in Florida, the season-ending injury to their center, Aleksander Barkov, put all of their plans into turmoil. The fact that Matthew Tkachuk is also on the injury list and won’t be playing up until December, and that Tomas Nosek also suffered a long-term injury, means that many of the starters for the Panthers in the last two seasons will not be skating this season. Defending the Stanley Cup was a massive challenge even before the bad news started coming down to Florida, and at the moment, it appears to be an impossible task. Of course, anything could happen during the season, but we just can’t seethe Panthers overcoming their injury woes to win it all three times in a row.
Kane, Toews, & Quenneville New Arcs
Back in the day, Kane, Quenneville, and Toews were the centerpieces of Chicago Blackhawks three titles in five years at the start of the 2010s. While the two are no longer teammates, nor coached by Quenneville, all three will try to leave their marks on the 2025/26 NHL season. Kane is starting his third year with the Red Wings. His goal for the year is clear: become the top U.S.-born scorer in the history of the league. Also, the Red Wings as a franchise haven’t made it to the playoffs since 2016, and if they do, Kane needs to be an important part of it.
Toews is the one who has nothing left to prove. He’s been out of the league for two years due to health issues, and just seeing him on the ice should be enough for the fans. The best part of his story and comeback is that he is doing it with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. As a former captain of the Blackhawks and a man who played 1.067 games for the franchise, he will certainly have two fan bases cheering him on in the 2025/26 NHL season.
Quenneville will have a different role than the other two, as he is back in the league in a coaching position for the Anaheim Ducks. It’s been a while since he’s been coaching in the league, after leaving his position as the Florida Panthers head coach in 2021. Now, a new adventure starts, and we can’t wait to see more of the former Blackhawks legends in this season of the NHL.
Which 2014 NHL Olympians will go to Milan?
As we already mentioned, this season of action in the NHL will lead to two season finales with one being the Stanley Cup and the other the Olympic Games. The last Winter Olympics that featured NHL players were held in 2014. It’s a long time in any sport, and especially in hockey. Despite the previous notion, many of the stars that played in Sochi are still active for both their franchises and their respective national teams. The most notable name is of course, Canada’s Sidney Crosby. Roman Josi and Nino Niederreiter are safe bets for Switzerland, too. As far as the Czech Republic goes, Ondrej Palat and Radko Gudas have already been called up. Drew Doughty is another name that could feature for Canada if he remains healthy, which currently has a question mark over it due to his age and the season length leading up to the Olympics. Another notable name is Mikael Granlund for Finland, who is only 33, and was an important part of both World titles won by Finland in 2011 and 2022. The list will probably be expanded the closer we get to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano.
Connor McDavid’s Next Contract
The Edmonton Oilers have plenty of quality individuals on their roster. After the Minnesota Wild extended Kirill Kaprizov, the precedent for a player of his quality was set, and the next in line is Connor McDavid in a few years. Yet, the question remains whether the Oilers can achieve the same extension considering the salary cap and their current financial condition. At the end of the day $136 million received by Kaprizov might not be something the Oilers can give to their superstar in the future. Yes, McDavid is the captain and their best player, but sometimes the numbers just don’t add up. With Leon Draisaitl taking home $14 million yearly, McDavid is not only going to seek more than that but also a long-term commitment. But will it be with the Oilers. Rumors have McDavid likely heading to the Maple Leafs once his contract expires in 2027-28.
These are the storylines to follow at the beginning of the 2025/26 NHL season, with more coming our way as the season progresses.
