Larkin trade chatter, Montembeault move and McDavid future top 32 bold calls

With the 2026-27 NHL season about to begin, insider Frank Seravalli has rolled out an expansive set of 32 bold predictions that touch nearly every corner of the league. His forecast spans blockbuster trade scenarios, award races, breakout campaigns and front-office fallout. Several Canadian teams and familiar stars land at the centre of these speculative storylines.

Trade swings, Canadian twists and McDavid uncertainty

One of Seravalli’s most eye-catching projections has Detroit captain Dylan Larkin heading to the Minnesota Wild before Christmas. He suggests the Wild and Larkin share mutual interest and that Minnesota’s general manager, Bill Guerin, could finally secure the true No. 1 centre the team has sought for years. In Ottawa, Seravalli predicts a breakthrough as the Senators upset the Florida Panthers in the first round, powered by goaltender Linus Ullmark and a blue line anchored by Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub.

For Montreal, Seravalli foresees an early-season ripple in goal. He predicts that Sam Montembeault will be the first player traded in 2026-27, with Jakub Dobes having seized the starting job and waiver‑exempt Jacob Fowler emerging as the Canadiens’ present and future solution in net.

Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton also features prominently. Seravalli anticipates that McDavid will not sign an extension as soon as he becomes eligible next summer, instead playing out his current deal through 2027-28. In his view, if McDavid ever changes teams, it would likely be via a minimal sign‑and‑trade for his rights rather than a blockbuster deal that strips assets from his next club, echoing the path taken by Mitch Marner.

Rising stars, power-play boosts and teams in flux

On the youth front, Seravalli believes four 18‑year‑olds selected in the 2026 draft — Ivar Stenberg with San Jose, Viggo Bjorck in Winnipeg, Alberts Smits with the Rangers and Toronto’s Gavin McKenna — will stay in the NHL for the full season. He goes even further with Macklin Celebrini, projecting that the Sharks phenom will match Connor McDavid as the third‑youngest Hart Trophy winner in league history while leading San Jose back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

He also envisions an offensive jolt from the back end in Calgary, where Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec are each projected to hit 45 points on the Flames’ blue line. In Philadelphia, Seravalli predicts a dramatic rise into the top 10 in power‑play efficiency, fuelled by rookie shooter Porter Martone and a leaner, more explosive Matvei Michkov.

Not every team trends up in his model. Seravalli expects regular‑season regression for Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Colorado, though he still sees the Sabres and Avalanche making the playoffs. The Anaheim Ducks, by contrast, are pegged to miss the post‑season after parting ways with four defencemen — John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas and Olen Zellweger — in a single off‑season, a level of turnover he argues is too steep to overcome.

Blackhawks’ surge, Kings’ push and goaltending wrinkles

Among the risers, the Chicago Blackhawks are projected to clear 79.5 points and push toward meaningful March hockey, driven by Connor Bedard, the return of Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram’s emergence as a true No. 1 defenceman. Seravalli also points to two under‑the‑radar Calder Trophy candidates in Chicago, forwards Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov. In Los Angeles, he predicts the Kings will reach 103 points thanks in part to the familiar first‑year bump under head coach Peter Laviolette, whose systems previously helped Artemi Panarin to some of his best production in New York.

Goaltending dynamics loom large as well. Seravalli forecasts that the NHL’s move to require each team to carry a permanent emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) will lead to more EBUG appearances than ever, given the high rate of injuries at the position and teams’ reluctance to overwork banged‑up starters. He also posits a hard‑line stance from Connor Hellebuyck, predicting the decorated netminder could sit out his age‑33 season and walk away from US$7 million in salary unless the Winnipeg Jets soften their demands or circumstances change around the league.

Finally, he tabs New York Islanders forward Cal Ritchie as the breakout star of 2026-27 and hints at front‑office consequences in Manhattan, suggesting this could be Chris Drury’s last season as Rangers general manager under new executive Quentin Dolan. Taken together, Seravalli’s 32 bold predictions sketch out a season that could heavily reshape narratives around stars, contenders and rebuilders alike.