It’s time for Likely Wrong Predictions!

Here’s how I fared last year: 2025-2026 Likely Wrong NHL Predictions

I said the Carolina Hurricanes were the least “prone to a downfall” club in the Metro. Not exactly calling them Cup favourites but it was still an endorsement.

Western Conference

Two seasons ago I picked Vancouver to win the conference. Last season I was not as bad. I had the top two teams in each division correct (Central just flipped) so I will pat myself on the back Barry Horowitz style for that.

Pacific Division

1. Vegas Golden Knights
2. Edmonton Oilers
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Anaheim Ducks
5. Seattle Kraken
6. Calgary Flames
7. Los Angeles Kings
8. Vancouver Canucks

I don’t think much changes with Vegas. They will get a better goaltender and win the division. The Cup finalists will try to get right back to where they were. Edmonton is a tough cookie. I think they improved in goal but not much anywhere else. I also think Mike Babcock will eventually torpedo the teams chances. I think they are a ticking timebomb waiting to happen. The problem is they might not go off immediately like what happened in Columbus. It might take a season.

I really hope the San Jose Sharks take a step forward. I am a big fan of Macklin Celebrini and he’d be my pick for potential Hart trophy winner. The Anaheim Ducks I’d have higher if they didn’t have to rip their team apart after the Leo Carlsson offer sheet. Then again, I still put most of the blame on GM Pat Verbeek for that one.

Seattle and Calgary are my “I dunno” picks. They could do better. They could do worse. I dunno. Franchises lost at sea. Calgary needs more talent before they move up but they got a great young goalie. Seattle needs Matty Beniers to remember he’s supposed to become a top centre in the NHL.

The LA Kings could certainly do better than 7th with the talent they have but with Anze Kopitar retiring and I’m sure Drew Doughty is on his final season or two? The Old Kings are dead. The New Kings really are not going anywhere fast.

Vancouver is still going to be one of the worst teams in the league. Bottom three. Funny enough I think the Top three teams going after the first overall pick will all be Canadian.

Central Division

1. Colorado Avalanche
2. Utah Mammoth
3. Dallas Stars
4. Minnesota Wild
5. Nashville Predators
6. St. Louis Blues
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Winnipeg Jets

It’s still Colorado’s division to lose. They will have Nazem Kadri and Nicholas Roy for the whole season this time. My biggest question mark is their goaltending. They honestly should bite the bullet and try to get Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets. The problem is that any team who’d want to trade for him has a goalie with a modified NTC and they certainly have Winnipeg on that list.

I do think the Utah Mammoth take a step forward and become the number two of the division. I think geting Trocheck was a very good move and allows them considerable depth in their top nine. The defence is fine. Vejmelka and Cossa are an interesting duo. Detroit fans hyped up Cossa for years as a franchise goalie in the waiting only to see him go for a pick. Interesting to see if he develops.

Dallas and Minnesota will likely make the playoffs and fight for that third spot. Minnesota… who knows what they end up doing with Quinn Hughes not signed.

Nashville and St. Louis are similar to Seattle and Calgary. I dunno. Both could make the playoffs. Both could miss the playoffs. I dunno.

Chicago will miss the playoffs but not be in the hole. They will be better than they have been in the past. Just not that good either.

The Winnipeg Jets… boy I’ve been looking forward to this fall. I am not a fan of the Jets. Not a fan of Winnipeg. I think people baby the team about how hard it is to build a club there. They have some top level talent. Kyle Connor would be a superstar anywhere else. But I think with the Hellebuyck stuff and likely others departing? They find themselves bottom of the division and bottom of the conference.

Eastern Conference

Having faith that the Toronto Maple Leafs would still be good was my biggest regret for last season. I also had Buffalo still 7th but that was more fatigue than anything.

Metropolitian Division

1. Washington Capitals
2. Carolina Hurricanes
3. New York Islanders
4. New Jersey Devils
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Pittsburgh Penguins
7. Columbus Blue Jackets
8. New York Rangers

No team moved harder to get better in the off-season than the Washington Capitals. Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch are big additions. They got a youth movement coming up with the Protas Brothers, Ryan Leonard, Justin Sourdif, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and Lane’s brother Cole Hutson. With it being potentially Alex Ovechkin’s final season I think the Caps secure the top spot in the Metro.

Carolina won the Stanley Cup and will comfortably sit in second. Definitely still the team to beat. Probably the one team that can afford Hellebuyck the easiest. The Devils could if they could find a team for Dougie Hamilton but that means a three team trade. More likely just Carolina.

After that my “I dunno” goes from three to six. I do not know who takes the third spot in the Metro and I do not know who potentially gets a wildcard spot from an Atlantic team. I wanted to say the Devils for the third spot but I don’t trust the goaltending. I have my doubts on the Flyers but I could also see them securing third comfortably. The Pittsburgh Penguins overachieved last year and I don’t think they did enough to get back into the playoffs. The Islanders are basically by default, but it’s also likely a Norris winning season for Matthew Schaefer.

Columbus… man. It’s easy to forget how close they got to the playoffs last season. They are not a bad team. But how long it took to sign Adam Fantilli, the Zach Werenski trade demand then rescinding the trade demand, the Kirill Marchenko drama, I just don’t know how this team puts it together for 84 games.

The New York Rangers stink and need to blow it up. Should they do so the NHL will gift them first overall in the likes of Landon DuPont. Have you ever heard a name that screamed NEW YORK RANGERS STAR like Landon DuPont? I haven’t.

Atlantic Division

1. Florida Panthers
2. Montreal Canadiens
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
4. Buffalo Sabres
5. Ottawa Senators
6. Boston Bruins
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
8. Detroit Red Wings

I don’t want to give the top spot to my Montreal Canadiens. They always have a December struggle that costs them points down the stretch.

So I’m going with the Florida Panthers. Jacob Markstrom replaces Sergei Bobrovsky and I’m not crazy about that move. I don’t know if he’s better. I don’t know if he’s enough. But he should get them somewhere. I think Brady Tkachuk is a really good hockey player but he’s such a bonehead and will be a bit of a problem in that locker room. Those guys gotta be tired of the brothers by now. Whether or not they are? Alex Barkov is healthy and back. Florida will take the top spot.

The Montreal Canadiens. I already did a season preview on them. I like adding Chris Kreider. I like Derek Lalonde as an associate coach. I think they need to figure out new teams for Sam Montembeault and Kirby Dach. David Reinbacher and Florian Xhekaj should make the team. Coming to the end of the year we could see Michael Hage and Alex Zharovsky coming in. Or they make a big trade. Either way? Second place.

Tampa did not do much this season. Honestly, why do I keep them third over other teams? Really it’s because I don’t think Darren Raddysh going to Toronto is enough of a loss. Especially since they replaced him with John Carlson. It’s probably the oldest defence in the league now.

Buffalo lost Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram but I do think they are still a playoff team. Whether it’s third or a wildcard spot I think they get it. Same with the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa I could see out of nowhere moving into the third spot. I like them a lot and think losing Brady Tkachuk will be a positive overall for the team. I like William Eklund a lot too.

Boston and Toronto are my I dunno’s. JJ Peterka didn’t fit in Utah. Will he fit in Boston? Does he learn how to play Bruin hockey? Toronto tried to absolutely change everything around except the core rotting the team. Will it work? I dunno. I like Raddysh. I like Bobrovsky. I like Gavin McKenna, I think he’s going to be an outstanding NHLer. Any NHL team led by Auston Matthews will always have a limit.

And then we got Detroit. I picked them for the bottom last year. They went on a tear in the first half of the year. And then they sunk. This year they got a captain who wants out but can’t get traded even after the C was stripped. They had to watch Patrick Kane leave because their GM stepped down. They added one veteran to the club and that’s it. Oh, and at the time of writing this? Simon Edvinsson is still an RFA. So he’s basically missed all of training camp. I think the Red Wings absolutely sink this year, much like I did last year, only this time I’m more confident.

Way Too Early/Stupid Playoff Predictions

Western Conference

(1) Colorado Avalanche versus (W2) Minnesota Wild
(2) Utah Mammoth versus (3) Dallas Stars

(1) Vegas Golden Knights versus (W1) Anaheim Ducks
(2) Edmonton Oilers versus (3) San Jose Sharks

We get two second round rematches here in the first round. Utah and Dallas both got busted in the first round last year so now they get a chance to make it to the second round. Edmonton got beat by Anaheim so they go up against another California team. How will Connor McDavid feel losing to the guy who will replace him as the best Canadian forward in the league. Notice how I didn’t say best forward period. Kucherov has that crown.

Eastern Conference

(1) Florida Panthers versus (W2) Ottawa Senators
(2) Montreal Canadiens versus (3) Tampa Bay Lightning

(1) Washington Capitals versus (W1) Buffalo Sabres
(2) Carolina Hurricanes versus (3) New York Islanders

I will once again brag about the fact I absolutely called Tampa versus Montreal last season in the 2 versus 3 in the Atlantic Division. I also called Dallas versus Minnesota but wrong spot (they were 2 versus 3 not 1 versus wildcard)

I have set up two “former players team versus new team” matchups because it’s fun to me. Brady Tkachuk will take on the Ottawa Senators with the Florida Panthers. Alex Tuch’s Washington Capitals face the Buffalo Sabres.

I also got Montreal playing Tampa again (I was right last time let’s go two for two) and the Hurricanes probably sweeping the New York Islanders.

As I did last year, I will do a mid-season reflection on my picks and see what’s working and what isn’t, and then of course end of season see how likely wrong I was. Enjoy the ride! NHL hockey is back!

Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons