It is October, which means that NHL hockey is coming in the regular season. Last season the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights won their respective departments. Who comes out at the top in every division in 2025-26? Here are the favorites on their way to the new season, with one team that could pose the biggest threat to them.
Atlantic Division: Tampa Bay Lightning
A few weeks ago I said that the Florida Panthers are the favorites to win the Atlantic, but there have been some changes. The Panthers will be without Matthew Tkachuk for the first 2-3 months of the season, but Aleksander Barkov is 7-9 months out With a torn ACL and MCL, the trajectory of the Panthers will certainly change. That does not mean that they will not be a playoff team, but they will not miss Barkov, which is perhaps the best two-way center in the NHL.
That opens the door for someone to take the crown in the Atlantic Ocean, and no team is perhaps better suited than Tampa Bay’s lightning. Their core, although aging, still performs at a high level, and they have the general talent to win the division. Nikita Kucherov is regularly in the race for the Art Ross, but the high-end talent does not end there. Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Andrei Vasilevsky and Victor Hedman can give lightning the best core in the Atlantic Ocean with Tkachuk and Barkov in the long term.
Even the depth of lightning, which consists of players like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nick Paul and Anthony Cirelli, should be enough to place the lightning over the edge. It would not surprise me if they insist almost 105-110 points towards the end of the season.
For whom can the lightning challenge?
The injuries of the Panthers can be too much to overcome to take a run in the first place, although they should still be a Playoff team. Although the Maple Leafs are probably due to a regression this season, they can pose the biggest threat to lightning in the Atlantic Ocean.
Even Mitch Marner signed With the Golden Knights in Free Agency, the Maple Leafs still have a solid core in Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander. Matthew Knies looks like a solid addition to the top six, and the net -loving tandem of the Maple Leafs by Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz is one of the more underrated duos in the NHL.
The key for the Maple Leafs has improved on five-five. They finished in the lower third last season in the expected goal share (XG%) and usually came by because of their great goal congregation and deadly Power Play. That is generally not a formula for sustainable success from year to year, so they must be better at five-five. If they are, they can challenge lightning.
Metropolitan Division: Carolina Hurricanes
The Metropolitan Division is the weakest it has been in years, but the Carolina Hurricanes are one of the few teams that have not fallen much. They have added some scoring talent by Signing Nikolaj Ehlers In the Free Office and their defense lifted by gaining K’andre Miller in an exchange with the New York Rangers.
There is no doubt that the hurricanes are the most talented team in the metro. They are the tough favorites to win it for a reason, but they are not without any mistakes. They are a Sebastian Aho injury away from first-line center Jordan Staal, and their references is an important question mark. Yet the depth of the hurricanes appears unparalleled in the metro. They are no guarantee to win the division, but it would be a surprise if they didn’t.
Who can first challenge the hurricanes?
The Washington Capitals won the metro with 111 points per season, but there could be some hard regression for them this season. That does not mean that they will miss the play -offs, but that they have been set at 94.5 for a reason. If there is a team that can challenge the hurricanes, it should be the New Jersey Devils.
Related: how the metropolitan division of the NHL became the worst
The key for the Devils is the health of Jack Hughes. He played in just 62 games in each of the last two seasons Because of shoulder injuries. If that is the case again, they are rather in a battle for a wildcard place than first. But if Hughes stays healthy, the talent is there. Their depth must be improved with the additions of Evgenii Dadonov, Connor Brown and Arseny Grityuk, and their defense and goaling must be one of the best in the metro. It requires some work to catch the hurricanes, but they are the metro team that is most suitable for giving the hurricanes a run for their money.
Central Division: Dallas Stars
The plant is perhaps the best in the NHL, with no fewer than six teams that can compete for play -off spots. The jets had a season for the centuries in 2024-25, which won the trophy of the presidents and the central divisiekroon, but it will be difficult to repeat those efforts. They should still be a playoff team, but the Dallas Stars look the best for a central division title this season.
There are not many teams that can compete with the middle depth that the stars have; How many clubs can a player like Wyatt Johnston have as a 3C? Moreover, there are two star players on the wing in Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson. They have two no. 1 defenders in Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley, and their goaling must be top 10 in the NHL. Despite the coaching change, they should still be one of the top five-five teams in the NHL; It would be a surprise if they were not with their selection.
Who can challenge the stars first?
Although the stars have to be the favorites to win the plant, I would not argue with your fight if you have the Colorado Avalanche that takes the lead. Nathan Mackinnon is a top three player in the NHL, and Cale Makar is perhaps the best defender in the competition. There are some questions about the depth of the avalanche, but their high-end talent is one of the elite. The race for the plant should be on the thread between these two teams, and it would not shock me if the avalanche would win.
Pacific Division: Vegas Golden Knights
Adding a player from Marner’s caliber only helps the Golden Knights, who already have one of the best schedules in the NHL. Marner has been one of the most valuable players in the competition for some time, with his game generally worth an extra 2-3 victories per season. Combine that with the talent that the Golden Knights already have, and they should be the favorites to win the Pacific.
If there is a team that can match the center depth of the stars, it is the Golden Knights with Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson. On the wing there is more than just Marner. There is Mark Stone, an emerging top duffer in Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev. They may miss Alex Pietrangelo, whose gaming career is over, but this team can reach the 110-point marking if they remain healthy.
Who can first challenge the Golden Knights?
This is probably clear, but the Edmonton Oilers pose the biggest threat to the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. Every time you have two of the best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, you will always get a chance to win your division.
However, the oilers are not without any worries. Goal tending remains a question mark, but they are also one of the older teams in the NHL. They have played a lot of hockey in the last two seasons, so could that catch them? Fortunately there seem to be no other serious threats in the Pacific.
The Los Angeles Kings must be a Playoff team, but they may not even be able to challenge this season for second place. Bottom feeders such as the San Jose Sharks, and especially the Anaheim ducks, have been improved, so there are not that many Freebies when playing against the bottom of the division. But that still shouldn’t matter to the oilers. Their high-end talent should first keep them in the race.
The injuries of the Panthers have added a new wrinkle to the favorites of the division, but there may be a turnover in the division winners this season. It will be interesting to see how things are going on in what an exciting NHL season should be 2025-26.
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