The 2026-27 NHL season is nearly upon us, and while 32 teams will state that their goal is to win the Stanley Cup, a select few can realistically accomplish it. Other teams could make some noise, while a couple clubs seemingly just want to make it through 84 games without inviting too much ridicule.
Here's the lay of the land before the puck gets dropped.
Cup chasers
You could close your eyes and easily picture any of these six teams lifting the Cup at the end of the season.
The most interesting team in this tier is the Panthers, who missed the playoffs last year after going back-to-back as champions. This offseason, they added Brady Tkachuk, among others, and replaced Sergei Bobrovsky with Jacob Markstrom. Plus, Aleksander Barkov is healthy again after missing all of last year. As a result, they're the betting favorites to win it all this season.
Of course, they're not the only juggernaut in the group, and no team here is head and shoulders above the rest. The reigning champion Hurricanes lost Frederik Andersen to free agency but are largely running it back otherwise.
Then there's the trio of Central Division titans: the Avalanche, Stars, and Wild. Although Jason Robertson could be playing his final year with the Stars, they're as complete as any contender while he remains on the team. The Wild also face the small problem of trying to retain Quinn Hughes beyond 2026-27, but so long as he's playing in the State of Hockey, they can argue their case as the best team in the NHL. Meanwhile, the reigning Presidents' Trophy-winning Avalanche will remain in this tier until proven otherwise.
And finally, there's the pesky club that barely made it into the playoffs and then swept the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. It's hard to know who the Golden Knights are - and they may be the one team in this group that could slide down - but, if healthy, the squad now led by rookie head coach Ryan Craig is as capable as any.
In the mix
The Lightning are perhaps narrowly above the rest of this group, but they looked pedestrian at times last season - especially when Andrei Vasilevskiy wasn't at his best. Will the addition of John Carlson refresh a blue line that looked outmatched when Victor Hedman was out? Or will the 17-year veteran fail to fill the gap left by Darren Raddysh?
The middle of this tier is more interesting. The Habs are an ascendant team with one of the most exciting rosters in the sport, and they were able to add a veteran presence late in the offseason by signing Chris Kreider. Questions remain about their depth and the ability of either Jakub Dobes or Jacob Fowler to manage a full workload between the pipes. There are worse problems to have.
The Sabres lost key contributors Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram. Even if those departures allow them to build a more sustainable winner down the road, how much momentum will it cost them? Speaking of Tuch, he joins Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, who experienced a pretty transformative offseason of their own. Washington also added Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner. If everything comes together, Ovi's retirement will involve a parade.
As for the Oilers, any team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl deserves to be considered a contender. However, don't blame us for being skeptical about a team that hired Mike Babcock as head coach and is still scrounging for a competent goaltender. This could easily blow up, and no one would be surprised. But maybe Tristan Jarry and newcomer Devon Levi can figure it out. Or perhaps Frederik Andersen returns from injury at some point. There are avenues for this to work out, but the clock is ticking.
Potential disruptors
The Mammoth - like the Habs - are trending in the right direction with a bunch of young stars, and they added a veteran presence of their own in Vincent Trocheck. While they're almost certainly one year away from being a legitimate threat, they're the most ascendant team in this group.
Toronto, meanwhile, is one of the trickiest clubs to figure out. If Auston Matthews is Auston Matthews again, and Gavin McKenna proves to be a future star, and Sergei Bobrovsky bounces back after a down year, then the Leafs are perhaps two tiers too low. But if Matthews scores 27 goals again, McKenna needs more time to develop, and the 38-year-old Bobrovsky is genuinely declining, the Leafs are perhaps two tiers too high.
The sky is the limit for the Macklin Celebrini-led Sharks. But are they ready to take that next step? Adding Jacob Trouba, Darnell Nurse, and Michael Kesselring should help, but it may not be enough to make the defense corps genuinely competent.
The Ducks are the final team in this tier that seems to be trending in the right direction - the Senators, Bruins, and Devils are harder to nail down. The offseason headlines in Anaheim were deservedly all about the Leo Carlsson offer-sheet saga. The Ducks simply had to match, but do they have enough runway and cap space to build around their promising foundation?
Bubble teams
The Flyers were the disruptors of the offseason with their five-year, $90-million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson. They remain just barely a tier below the Ducks, but building around Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov is a promising project.
The Islanders are in a relatively similar spot with Matthew Schaefer as their centerpiece. They seem further away from becoming a legitimate threat, though, and more roster turnover should be expected.
The Rangers arguably have the highest ceiling of any team in this tier. Center remains a major question mark: What do Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller have left in the tank? But they've improved the roster everywhere else. They're deeper on the wings after adding Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Eeli Tolvanen. They also overhauled the blue line by trading for Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi and drafting Alberts Smits. If the play in front of Igor Shesterkin is competent, the Rangers could make some noise.
The Kings are entering their post-Anze Kopitar era, while the Penguins are hurtling toward the inevitable retirements of Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and, eventually, Sidney Crosby. These teams could make the playoffs, but deep runs seem improbable.
Facing obstacles
The Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Jets almost deserve a tier of their own. All three teams are dealing with some version of a star who doesn't want to play there.
Columbus seemingly Houdinied its way out of a reported trade request from Zach Werenski this summer, only for Kirill Marchenko to seem noncommittal heading into the season. Detroit captain Dylan Larkin is looking for a way out, but at least he's participating in camp. Then there's Connor Hellebuyck, who's been suspended by the Jets for not reporting to camp after asking to be traded. If everyone was getting along, these would likely be considered bubble teams. Instead, they all might be closer to lottery clubs by season's end.
The Blackhawks should be trending upward but ... aren't. This year could be decisive in determining whether Connor Bedard, their new captain, is truly a future superstar. And the front office traded away top picks amid a rebuild to acquire Bowen Byram. If Chicago doesn't show improvement, the team's moves will come under even more scrutiny.
Abandon for Landon
And finally, it's the Pacific Division's two bottom-feeders. Their goal: To get through 84 games with some dignity intact but, more importantly, a good chance to secure a top 2027 draft pick. The projected top selection is University of Michigan defenseman Landon DuPont.
