What NHL Fans MUST Know For The 2026 Season (West Edition)

What NHL Fans MUST Know For The 2026 Season (West Edition)

The 2025 2026 NHL season is right around the corner. Every fan base still has a glimmer of hope heading into the year. So, let’s break down what every NHL fan must know heading in to the season West Edition. The Colorado Avalanche. Sweet old revenge ended the ABS season last year with Miko Rantin turning into Wayne Gretzky and scoring a hat-tick of game seven to eliminate his former team. Going into this year though, they finally get to start the season with their captain Gabriel Landis Cog healthy and ready to go. The expectation for this squad remains the same. Stanley Cup or bust for as long as Nathan McKinnon and Kale Mar in their primes. Both are the foundation of an AV squad built off of crippling speed. This offseason they brought in the human Sasquatch and Brent Burns to help the blue line and the combo of Scott Wedgwood and McKenzie Blackwood has provided a whole lot of wood in net while being a solid tandem. The same concerns for this ABS team though are still valid. Is their depth good enough to take them on a deep run. Not everyone’s quite sold on that bottom six and if injuries pile up like they did last year. The ABS could be relying on one line to do all the heavy lifting. Marty the slim shady natur is also in a contract year. He looked dynamite with McKinnon at times last season and they’re going to have to make a decision on him as well if there’s a lack of commitment on his part. With all that being said, we’ve seen for years now what this team looks like under Jared Bednar. They’re fast and ferocious, and they’re led by some of the best players in the world, both forward and defensively. That alone puts them in the conversation for potential cup contenders every single year. As long as management can avoid another rantin situation, this year should be no different. The Nate Dog is probably livid after last year’s first round exit. Their captain’s back and the ABS seem ready to roll. The Nashville Predators. The PRs absolutely swung for the fences last year in free agency and inadvertently became the most expensive retirement home in the league. They were a complete disaster, losing 22 of their first 29 games and were completely out of it by December. No U2 trip to the sphere was saving this team. Age and cap stress are indeed a problem still. The average age of players locked in beyond next season is 31.7 years old and more than half the cap is eaten up by just seven players. Offensively, they were shite being ranked 31st in the NHL and defensively they were just as bad being ranked 27th. Being older and slower, their tenacious forcheing game that made them so good in the 23-24 season took a big step back last year due to the team’s lack of speed. As of right now, looks like coach Andrew Bernett is going to get another year to try and come up with a system that better matches his current roster. Now, you combine that with the Roman Yosi health status being up in the air, the PRs are a team that look like they’re heading for some rough years down the road. Yes, if all their older guys can turn back the clock, they can potentially sneak in. But with how fast and structured teams are becoming in all three zones to keep up with the Panther standard, I just don’t see Nashville making it to the playoffs. Unless, of course, they go to the sphere, then I’m completely wrong. The St. Louis Blues. Now, the Blues were a fascinating story last season. After they started the season off slow to a 912 and one start, they asked Drew Banister what the shape of Italy was. He got the boot and in came coach Jim Montgomery. Tactically, he transformed the Blues to be a much more involved team with all five players on the ice. And then things clicked right after the Four Nations tournament. The team went 182 and two down the stretch and went on a franchise record 12game win streak to sneak into the last playoff spot in the West. They ended up getting Winnipeg and damn near made Connorbuck look like he was having a midlife crisis. And if it wasn’t for an insane game tying goal with two seconds left of game seven, the Blues were likely heading to the second round, but they didn’t. So this season, they’ll look to avoid the slow start entirely with a full camp with Jim Montgomery as coach. Overall, they got good depth and they got young pieces coming in. One of them being Jimmy Snugaroo. Other than having one of the best damn last names in hockey, he’s showing that he could be a big part of St. Louis’s future. They also got big game Bennington who is forever doubted by everyone, but he finds a way to win the big one. Their mobile back end is a very nice fit of a Montgomery system that asks a lot of his defenders to get active in all three zones. I like the Blues. I like their coaching, and I think you can expect them to be a playoff team again this season. The Utah Mammoth. The biggest news is that the Utah no-name brands are dead. They finally have a name coming into the season. They are the Mammoth and they seem ready to make some noise. Last year was the first year of their existence and even though they had stretches where they showed promise, the consistency wasn’t there. However, another year of growth and some nice additions in JJ Purka up front along with Nate Schmidt in the back could mean that Utah is ready to take another step. Last year they were one of the best rush teams in the NHL and that’s because they got some young lethal weapons in Dylan Gunther, Logan Culie, and their captain Clayton Keller. Keller doesn’t get a lot of love for being an absolute star because before he was in Arizona, now he’s in Utah, but he put up 90 points in 81 games. He’s crafty. He makes players around him better, and he’s the captain leading this team. And even though this team missed the playoffs, they ranked fifth in the NHL in terms of expected goal differential. Their offensive fluidity and two-3 system when it got cooking made them a dangerous threat in the Ozone, but the results didn’t fully materialize into wins. As with most teams, goalending will be the biggest question mark for Utah. The duo of Carol Velca and VTEC Vanichek are good enough to screw you out of winning a week in fantasy out of nowhere, but Utah needs them to be both consistent enough to help them make the playoffs. Overall, the Mammoth are going to be an exciting team to watch that are going to be right on the bubble of playoff contention. The good news is that Gary probably wants them to make the playoffs after dumping all that money into it. So maybe he finds a way to slip the refs to 20 before each game so that Utah can start off on the power play. The Minnesota Wild. The Wild have actually been the embodiment of mid for years now. There’s a reason why they’re called the Minnesota Wild Mild, but last season was a tiny bit different. Stretches of dominance and flashes of brilliance, but also ugly cold spells and injuries to bring everyone back to earth. They started strong with 20 wins in their first 30 games. Carell the Thrill Capriovv was in MVP form leading the league in scoring, but then he got hurt and everything went upside down. February was brutal. They were winless and nearly got outsc scored 2 to1, but they were able to keep things on the rails just long enough to make it into the playoffs and get bounced by Vegas in six games. That’s now 10 straight seasons without advancing past the first round. Now, the noise coming into this season is the future of Capri off with him on the last year of his deal. He reportedly turned down an 8-year, $16 million deal that would have been the largest in NHL history. Of course, that’s because there are reports that he feels he could get more than that. Now, Capri is damn good, and at his best, he could be one of, if not the best winger in the league. But at 18 or even 19 million, that’s just no bueno. We don’t even know if Conor McDavid is going to get that type of money. And that puts the Wild in a very curious spot. Do they pay the man the bag to keep one of the best players in franchise history, a Wild, or do they move on and try and build in the aggregate? In addition to that, health is a serious concern, as Capriav has never played a full 82 game season. From top to bottom, the Wild are likely a playoff team, but not one that makes any noise. And in a season where their best player is looking for the bag, there are some tough decisions that loom going forward. If Minnesota doesn’t have a committed Capriov and is way out of it come December, there could be a massive change in the middle of the season. The Chicago Bedards. Yes, the Blackhawks will get their name back as soon as they prove to me and everyone else that they’re more than just Connor Bedart. Until then, the kid is under immense pressure to prove to everyone that he can live up to the hype. They finished second last in the league last season with Bard seeing a slight dip in production. People are already quick to make their judgments about Bard and his projection. However, at just 20 years old, he’s led the team in scoring in both of his seasons and he’s doing it with virtually no help. It’ll probably be the same this year as the Hawks did try to add some secondary scoring in Birkovski, Toninado, and Laferdy, but nothing’s moving the needle. The hope here is that a player like Frank and Nazar can take another step and absorb some of the heat off of BDard on any given night. Now, Nazar just got a nice payday this off seasonason, so expectations are very clear. They also got a new coach and Jeff Blashel, which has Red Wings fans saying, “Good luck, pal.” But this year is likely another year of misery in Chicago. That being said, it can’t be a season filled with disaster. There needs to be improvement for guys like Baddard and Nazar while learning how to become a more competitive team each and every night. It’s dark times in Chicago, but if they play their cards right, the future can be theirs. The Dallas Stars. An ugly breakup is just the worst. And that’s exactly what went down between coach Pete Dbor and the Dallas Stars after giving Jake the yank early in game five of the conference finals and then burying him postgame. There was no turning back. So, the Stars have fired the very man who took him to three straight conference finals and brought in Glenn Gullson. Now, there is some question marks regarding this roster as they had a ton of turnover with their depth both up front and on defense. A full year with the Moose Miko Rantin should be nice, but it’s hard to say if the Stars truly improve from last season with the coaching change. Dallas is undoubtedly a playoff team. They got too much talent and game breakers not to be. But until we see how that talent is deployed under Gatson system, I’m not sure we can fully deem them as a bonafideed cup contender. Then again, because we’re skeptical, watch them rally around their new coach and sweep the Panthers in the finals. Sometimes that’s just the way she goes. The Winnipeg Jets. The Jets spent a lot of time on People’s Fraud Watch last year after winning the President’s Trophy. Those people were almost correct after Connor Halabuk couldn’t stop a beach ball in round one and almost lost in seven games to St. Louis. Luckily for them, they survived another round just to be balanced in six by Dallas. This year, the roster remains mostly the same with some key additions. First is Gustav Nyquist who can provide some death scoring. And second is the hometown kid Jonathan Taves. That’s right. He’s done puking in India for his detox and he’s ready to get back to the game. He’s 37 and hasn’t played in a few years, so there’s a ton of question marks, but the IQ doesn’t go away. Formerly one of the most intelligent two-way forwards in the modern NHL and an absolute gamer. This could be a home run if his body is up to the grind. The rest of the team is still solid. They’re deep both up front and on the back and they’re extremely well coached as their neutral and defensive zone coverage suffocated teams last season. Then you have the reigning MVP in Connor Halabuk. He can be unbeatable some nights which made them a bonafide playoff team. However, it’s his play in the postseason that has everyone skeptical to name the Jets true cup contenders. As good and as well coached as this team is, they will only ever go as far as Connor Halabuk will take them. The Anaheim Ducks. After years of being ass, it looks like the rebuild in Anaheim may finally be turning the corner. They were never truly in the Pacific Division race last year, but they found consistency, avoiding long skids outside of one fivegame losing streak. They jumped from 59 to 80 points last year, which was the biggest improvement in the West, and it was driven largely by a strong second half. Perhaps the best young defenseman that no one knows about is Jackson Lome. The East Coast bias has kept this kid’s name under wraps, but that won’t be the case for long. He logged over 22 minutes a night, had 14 tucks, and he’s got the ability to dictate the pace of the game. At 24, he’s only going to get better, especially as the Ducks improve around him. Now, even though their young studs and Mason McTavic and Uncle Leo Carlson caught fire late in the season, their offense was still one of the worst in the league, being 30th in the NHL, and they were historically bad on the power play, clicking at 11.8%. That is god awful. But here’s the thing, Slick. The Ducks made some moves this off season. First, they brought in the PETA guy from Sausage Party and Chris Crider. Injuries could be a problem, but the man is a menace in the crease and will be a big improvement in the net front on the peeper. They also brought in assistant Jay Woodcraftoft to help with the power play. He’s the guy, if you remember, who turned Edmonton’s power play into a cheat code in the 2023 season. Danny got sent into the shadow realm after the Oilers had a historically bad start. The biggest change on the bench, though, is them bringing in Joel Quenville. After four years away from the game, Quenville strictly from a hockey standpoint can take this team to the next level. Now, the game has evolved drastically in a short four years, but he was at the center of turning a young Blackhawks team into a dynasty. We will monitor how he does this tactically throughout the year on the channel, but the Ducks went out and got someone who’s been there and done that. Aside from Mason McTavish still not being signed as we make this video, I love the Ducks heading into the season as a dark horse and I expect them to flirt with a wild card spot and potentially be a coin toss for actually making it into the dance. The Calgary Flames. Yes, the Canadian team stuck in mid- purgatory missed the playoffs by precisely zero points. They actually didn’t make it because the Blues had the tie break. Even though everyone’s still piss poor about trading Matthew Kachchuck and catapulting a dynasty in Florida, their only saving grace for their fans has been to watch McDavid and the Oilers lose in back-to-back cup finals. The Flames are a team that are just caught in the middle right now. They had two 50point scorers in Jonathan Hubedo and Nazim the Dream Cadri and they’re both over 30 and locked into long-term deals. They do got some young bucks coming in mainly in defenseman Zay Perk who is a highly touted defensive prospect that can hopefully turn out to be a stud puck moving D on the level of some of the very best in the game but that doesn’t help them right now. The Flames depending on their start and where they are near the trade deadline may sell the farm to fully commit to a rebuild. Defenseman Rasos Anderson has already been in trade rumors forever and it almost seems inevitable at this point that he gets dealt. However, there is one bright spot that could have Calgary surprising people again this year, and that is the Wolf Pack in between the pipes. Dustin Wolf Calder Caliber season finished 2916 and 8 with a 9-10 save percentage. He was a huge reason why they flirted with a playoff spot. And if he follows that up this season, they could find themselves in the same situation. Now, like I’ve said in the past, goalies weird me out. They’re inconsistent, tough to project, and are at the mercy of the structure and defense in front of them. So, who knows? But expect Calgary to go one of two ways this season. Either a total tire fire if they decide to sell the farm or just mid enough to stick around in the playoff hunt. Regardless, I wouldn’t expect to see them in the playoffs. The LA Kings, who for the duration of this year are property of the Edmonton Oilers. Four straight first round exits to the Oilers means they’ve lost ownership of their own damn team. It’s hard what to make of this Kings team because they got some really young good pieces in guys like Quinton Biffield and Brandon Clark. But former Oilers GM Kenny Holland may potentially be an Oilers spy and an inside man because their summer was an odd one. He did pick up some decent depth in guys like Joel Armia, Andre Kusemeco, and Cory Perry. Yes, having the 800-year-old spring chicken all but books you a loss in the cup final. However, Perry unfortunately suffered an injury during camp that will keep Mel for the foreseeable future. So that’s no bueno. And on top of that, the Kings one’s solid decor has changed as they let go Vlatis Gabricov and Jordan Spence only to replace them with the best damn defenseman we’ve ever seen in Cody Cece and Brian Dumulan. Now, the biggest strength for the Kings last year was in between the pipes in Darcy Keer. A 922 save percentage had him as a Vzna finalist and they’re going to need him to be that good again if they want to have a chance. Expectations for this team, well, it’s either losing the cup final thanks to Cory Perry or get eliminated in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers. Both of those options end up with the Kings falling short in the playoffs, which is likely going to happen. Side note, Adrien Kempe is one of the most underrated weapons in the league, and with him in a contract year, look out for that monster. The Edmonton Oilers. Oh, what a time it is to be an Oilers fan. Conor McDavid watch is on full display no matter what until he decides to resign. Back-to-back heartbreaking losses in the cup final to the Florida Panthers is enough to turn Conor McDavid into the Joker and on a path that is driven by one desire and that is to win. There’s been a lot of turnover in Edmonton. Guys like Kane, Arverson, Skinner, Perry Brown, Clinberg, and Derek Ryan are all gone. That’s a good chunk of their depth, but they felt they needed some fresh and younger blood. Going into this season, they are relying on some younger pieces to fill in the gaps, and that’s a big question mark as well. However, as the time I’m recording this video, the Oilers have still not found an upgrade in between the pipes as Stuart Skinner is still the starting goalie. Yes, it is crazy to think that a guy who’s led you to back-to-back cup finals isn’t good enough to take you to the next level, but consistency has been an issue. And a few times in their playoff run, they’ve had to go to Calvin Picker to save the day. Skinner can be really damn good and not so good. He’s the Carrie Price Vesatasa hybrid that can help Edmonton but just hasn’t proven he can get them over the hump just yet. Now the current goalie Tandem finished 16th in the NHL last season in overall save percentage and that is the very definition of average and Edmonton can get away with it because of their lethal offense and decent defensive game. As long as Leon Dryidle and Conor McDavid are on the same team, the Oilers are a threat to go all the way. But the unknowns are stacking up and who knows what will happen if this team takes a while to gel and doesn’t get off to a good start. The Oilers have started the last two seasons off horribly, but turned it around in the best way possible. If that happens again this season, and with all the noise and uncertainty of McDavid’s future, there could be fireworks and drama in Edmonton. This could be the last dance for McDavid in Edmonton, and I fully expect them to sort it out and be a cup contender this April. Beyond that, who the hell knows? The San Jose Sharks. The Sharks finished last year as the worst team in the NHL, but you wouldn’t know it because of how bright the future is. Yes, yes, they suck. But Mlin Celbrini looks poised to be the future superstar of this league. Already playing an impressive two-way game at just 18 years old. He put up 63 points in 71 games and may have won the Calder if he didn’t get hurt. The Fresh Prince of San Jose and Will Smith also improved greatly as the year went on. And the Calvary is coming for the Sharks. They are widely considered to have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and they just drafted another potential stud overall in Michael Misa. A one-two punch of Celabbrini and Misa for the next decade could be a nightmare for the league. Also, they traded for Carrie Price. Now, don’t get your hopes up. It’s just a paper transaction for cap reasons, but in between the pipes, they got Yaroslav Ascarov, who will likely be the tendee of the future in San Jose. Aside for the Sharks being a lock to become the future 2026 Cup champs, this will likely be another year of growth for the very young core. A year with them not being one of the worst teams in the league would be a fantastic start. I don’t have them flirting with the playoffs just yet, but I think they’ll follow a similar path to Anaheim’s season last year. A solid improvement led by their young guns coming into their own. The Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks easily take the cake last season for the most dramatic team in the league. The year before they took the Oilers to seven games, even had them on the brink and then they fell short. Then last season came around and everything went wrong. That Demco wasn’t healthy. There was all the drama with Elas Patterson and JT Miller, which led to Miller being shipped out. People thought that that would actually fix Elias Person, but he still struggled afterwards. Quinn Hughes was also battling something all year and still almost dragged the damn team into the playoffs. It was a noisy circus from top to bottom. So the team said see youa to coach Rick Tocket and brought in Adam Foot as the new head coach. This season is monumental for Vancouver and the future of Quinn Hughes. Hughes’s contract is up after next season, but there’s a lot of noise surrounding this situation. You got his brothers coming out saying they would love to play with him. Quinn has even said himself that he’d one day like to play with his brothers. And with two of them already in New Jersey, well, talks are already heating up. It is imperative that Vancouver shows Quinn that they can and are ready to win now. They’ve added a Vander Kane in the offseason. Elias Person has apparently put on some muscle and everyone is hoping for a huge bounceback year. I think if Thatcher Demco can stay healthy and get back to form, Vancouver finds a way back into the playoffs. Also, to spice some things up, the Canucks should just totally throw a tampering charge at New Jersey because why the hell not? The Seattle Kraken. Ah, yes, the forgotten expansion team that is unfortunately stuck in mediocrity without a superstar. They fired coach Dan Balma and brought in Lane Lambert while also picking up Mason Marchmond and Ryan Lingren. Is that enough to make them a playoff team? No, I don’t think so. Like every new coach though, it brings in new systems and with the Kraken’s current roster, they will need to win games by committee and team buying. The offense was non-existent last year as the Kraken ranked 29th overall in five on-5 expected goal share. Going into this season, the former 2021 second overall pick in Mattie Beners needs to show more offensively for this team to really take another step. For a young player, he’s always been excellent on the defensive side of the puck, which at times has limited his offensive impact. Nothing wrong with that, but Seattle doesn’t have the offensive horses to make up for it. That’s where they need their other young Bucks in Capo Kako and noted staredown contest winner Shane Wright to take another step this year when providing offense. If all that happens and Seattle can be a four-line team, they may sneak into a wild card spot. That is a tall ask though and I think they likely fall victim to the same fate as last year. Too good to suck, not good enough to get into the playoffs, which leaves them in the worst spot in sports for building a team for the future. The Vegas Golden Knights. The Vegas injured reserves have been replaced by Florida and actually have been outlawed by the league for this upcoming season. So eager to find another way for people to hate them, they landed the big fish and signed superstar winger Mitch Mar. Last year, Vegas looked like a contender, but were swiftly outclassed by Edmonton in five games during the second round. Now they’ve added a top five winger in the league who can play on both sides of the puck. Tactically, Marner will fit really well with Vegas’s system. His anticipation is top-notch for stopping breakouts on the forche and his skill will pair very nicely with Vegas’s transition game, especially with a player like Eichel by his side. This sets up Vegas to have one of the deepest fourline teams in the NHL. However, it does come with a big blow on the back end. Their number one defenseman and Alex Petrangelo is likely out for the season, announcing that he’s stepping away from hockey. Vegas is without a doubt a playoff team, but the question mark will be how deep can they go? Maybe Marner gives everyone the double bird in Toronto and wins the K smite on route to a Vegas Cup. Or maybe he shits the bet again come playoffs and Vegas is looking to find answers. Jack Eel is also in the last year of his deal and as I’m recording this, he hasn’t signed an extension, but no one’s really worried that he’s going to leave. Either way, it looks like Vegas is going to be a cup contender going into next season. So, who do you think stands out in the West? Who’s going to be the best team? Who’s going to be the worst team? Drop a comment down below. Let us know your thoughts. and make sure you’re subscribed and turn on notifications for the channel. We’re going to have the East version of this video coming out very shortly in the next couple days or so. We will also have weekly recaps for when the season starts and team and player breakdowns all throughout the week. So, this is the place to be if you’re a hockey fan. So, stick around and we’ll see you in the next one.

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The 2026 NHL Season is almost here! This is everything hockey fans MUST know heading into the season (West Edition)

Time Stamps:

Colorado Avalanche – 0:14
Nashville Predators – 1:44
St. Louis Blues – 3:00
Utah Mammoth – 4:20
Minnesota Wild – 5:45
Chicago Blackhawks- 7:30
Dallas Stars – 8:39
Winnipeg Jets – 9:34
Anaheim Ducks – 10:50
Calgary Flames – 12:48
LA Kings – 14:27
Edmonton Oilers – 15:50
San Jose Sharks – 17:45
Vancouver Canucks – 19:01
Seattle Kraken – 20:26
Vegas Golden Knights – 21:43