NHL 2026-27: McDavid’s window, Ovechkin’s chase and other key storylines

The 2026-27 NHL season drops the puck with more hockey than ever before: all 32 teams face an 84-game schedule, and the standings reset after one of the busiest off-seasons in years. With expansion talk, blockbuster contracts and major trades already in the rear-view, several league-wide storylines are poised to define the months ahead.

Stacked Atlantic and shifting divisions

Nowhere looks deeper than the Atlantic Division, where every team can make a realistic case for a playoff spot. The Florida Panthers arrive healthy and ready to reassert themselves, while the Toronto Maple Leafs bring a dramatically reworked roster that has generated plenty of intrigue. The Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres all remain firmly in the mix, and the Detroit Red Wings stand out as an unpredictable swing team.

In the Central Division, the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars again profile as a heavyweight trio, but newcomer Utah has the potential to push one of them into a wild-card race. Out West in the Pacific, the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights have held a tight grip on first place in recent years, yet an ambitious San Jose Sharks team and a fascinating Anaheim Ducks roster could signal a changing of the guard.

McDavid’s ticking clock and a loaded UFA class

In Edmonton, the clock is very much ticking. Connor McDavid begins the first season of the two-year, $25-million contract he signed last October, coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2024 and 2025. He also got the coach he wanted in Mike Babcock, hired amid criticism in an effort to push the Oilers over the top. McDavid will be eligible for another extension next summer, and how this season unfolds will heavily influence that decision.

League-wide, the 2027 UFA class is already casting a long shadow. In Dallas, Jason Robertson followed up a team-leading scoring season as a pending RFA by settling for a one-year deal that walks him straight into unrestricted free agency next July. In Minnesota, Quinn Hughes is also entering his walk year. At September’s Player Media Tour, he said he felt “at peace,” adding that both he and Wild general manager Bill Guerin would take their time with negotiations. One looming question is whether his next deal surpasses the $20.4-million average annual value on Cale Makar’s massive extension.

In Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov quietly sits at the top of that pending UFA list. It is difficult to picture him in anything but Lightning colours, yet no extension has been signed. At 33, he is coming off the second-highest point total of his career and a fourth straight season above 110 points, raising the stakes around both his price tag and the term of any new deal.

New stars, historic chases and trade clouds

Toronto also finds itself at the centre of attention for another reason: a new franchise cornerstone. A decade after drafting Auston Matthews first overall, the Maple Leafs again won the lottery and took Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick. The team overhauled its front office and coaching staff, revamped its blue line, added a veteran goaltender and rebuilt its bottom six. On top of that, Toronto landed sniper Kirill Marchenko in a trade that sent, among others, Matthew Knies to Columbus. Even with all those moves, McKenna’s early NHL performance in a demanding market will be under the brightest spotlight.

In Washington, Alex Ovechkin returns on a one-year contract after weeks of speculation last spring about his future. He has not committed to whether this will be his final season, saying only that “we’ll see.” At 41, Ovechkin enters his 22nd NHL campaign as the league’s third-oldest player behind Brent Burns and Corey Perry. He has 929 regular-season goals after scoring 32 last year, leaving him 21 shy of 950. Counting both regular season and playoffs, he sits at 1,006 goals, just 10 behind Wayne Gretzky’s combined total of 1,016. The Capitals have reshaped their top six to maximize what could be the last chapter — or two — of the Ovechkin era while also preparing for what comes next.

In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby also starts his 22nd season, with less noise around retirement and more focus on milestones. He is 38 points away from passing Ron Francis (1,798) to crack the top five all-time scoring list and 89 away from tying Gordie Howe for fourth place.

Two unsettled situations could dominate trade talk. In Winnipeg, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck did not report to training camp and has made it clear he has played his last game for the Jets. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, however, has signalled he will not move Hellebuyck without a return that matches his value. In Detroit, the Red Wings removed Dylan Larkin’s captaincy after a summer-long standoff, a move that strongly suggests their partnership is nearing an end. Larkin reported to camp, was sidelined early by injury, then skated with the team and was named to the opening-night roster. How these situations evolve — and whether they inspire more trade requests around the league — will be a major subplot of the 2026-27 season.