With World Juniors season in full force, it has everyone thinking about the future.
In this piece, I’ll be breaking down what every NHL team could look like five years from now. Whose future is the brightest, and whose is the bleakest?
Elite: David Pastrňák, James Hagens, Charlie McAvoy
Top-six, top-four, or starter: Jeremy Swayman, Mason Lohrei
First-round draft picks: 2x in 2026 (BOS, TOR), 2x in 2027 (BOS, FLA), 1x in 2028 (BOS)
Due to a disappointing 2024–25 campaign, the Boston Bruins accumulated some future assets, highlighted by No. 7 pick James Hagens. However, with their bounce back this season, the short- and long-term look murky.
James Hagens, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
As constructed, the Bruins don’t seem good enough to win the Stanley Cup now or in the distant future. With that said, despite nearing their 30s, David Pastrňák and Charlie McAvoy should remain high-end players five years from today.
Ultimately, some big decisions will have to be made. Do they go all-in, building around their current-day stars while they still can, or do they build around Hagens?
Elite: Rasmus Dahlin
Top-six, top-four, or starter: Tage Thompson, Owen Power, Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius, Radim Mrtka, Mattias Samuelsson, Bowen Byram
First-round draft picks: 1x in 2026 (BUF), 1x in 2027 (BUF), 1x in 2028 (BUF)
A long-time criticism of the Buffalo Sabres for me has been their lack of elite-level talent. That’s highlighted here.
I’m making the assumption that Tage Thompson, at 33, will age out of that tier. So, it’s up to new general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen to make some splashes. The team absolutely has the assets to replicate a Quinn Hughes-esque move.
Elite: Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Lucas Raymond, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Trey Augustine
Top-six, top-four, or starter: Sebastian Cossa, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Carter Bear, Max Plante
First-round draft picks: 1x in 2026 (DET), 1x in 2027 (DET), 1x in 2028 (DET)
For all the flak that general manager Steve Yzerman has gotten since returning to the Motor City, this is the strongest group we’ve seen so far. This group of defensemen is incredibly strong, and the goaltending is poised to be fantastic.
Moritz Seider, whom I severely underrated in my “Top 50 Players in 5 Years” piece, is poised to win a Norris Trophy someday, too.
Some more forward talent will be necessary as Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat get up there in age. But that shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish, given the assets these Detroit Red Wings possess.
Elite: Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk
Top-six, top-four, or starter: Sam Reinhart, Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Anton Lundell, Mackie Samoskevich
First-round draft picks: 1x in 2028 (FLA)
It’s difficult to project what players will be in their mid-30s—some age more gracefully than others—but the Florida Panthers should be fine. A quartet of Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Gustav Forsling will keep them in the Cup hunt for a little while.
More long-term, there may be a fairly grueling rebuild ahead for this team. With one of the league’s worst prospect pools and a lack of young talent outside of Anton Lundell and Mackie Samoskevich, they could have to start from scratch. But that’s a ways away.
Elite: Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Jacob Fowler