After a long three-month hiatus, the NHL season is finally here. Training camp and preseason games are winding down, and the regular season begins next week. Every season brings excitement, intrigue, and storylines.

The 26-27 campaign is no different. Every new season brings questions about who makes the playoffs, who wins the Stanley Cup, and more. With all that in mind, let’s dive into some predictions for this season.

1. Division and Wild Card Standings

We’ll start by looking at what the order of each division’s standings will look like. An (X) will indicate who will qualify for the playoffs. First up, let’s go out east to see how things will shake out.

Atlantic Division

1. Montreal Canadiens (X)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (X)
3. Florida Panthers (X)
4. Buffalo Sabres (X)
5. Boston Bruins (X)
6. Toronto Maple Leafs
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Detroit Red Wings

Metropolitan

1. Carolina Hurricanes (X)
2. Washington Capitals (X)
3. New Jersey Devils (X)
4. Philadelphia Flyers
5. New York Islanders
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
7. New York Rangers
8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Now, let’s take a look out west and see which teams come out on top.

Central

1. Colorado Avalanche (X)
2. Dallas Stars (X)
3. Utah Mammoth (X)
4. Minnesota Wild (X)
5. St. Louis Blues
6. Chicago Blackhawks
7. Nashville Predators
8. Winnipeg Jets

Pacific

1. Vegas Golden Knights (X)
2. Edmonton Oilers (X)
3. San Jose Sharks (X)
4. Anaheim Ducks (X)
5. Los Angeles Kings
6. Calgary Flames
7. Seattle Kraken
8. Vancouver Canucks

2. Stanley Cup Playoffs

Next, we see how the playoffs will unfold overall and which teams earn a chance to play for the Lord Stanley Cup.

1st Round:

Eastern Conference

Carolina defeats Boston 4-1

Montreal defeats Buffalo 4-3

Florida defeats Tampa Bay 4-2

New Jersey defeats Washington 4-2

Western Conference

Colorado defeats Anaheim 4-1

Minnesota defeats Vegas 4-2

Dallas defeats Utah 4-3

Edmonton defeats San Jose 4-3

2nd Round

Eastern Conference

New Jersey defeats Carolina 4-2

Florida defeats Montreal 4-2

Western Conference

Colorado defeats Minnesota 4-3

Dallas defeats Edmonton 4-2

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

Florida defeats New Jersey 4-2

Western Conference

Colorado defeats Dallas 4-3

Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Winner

Last, but certainly not least, who will be crowned the 2027 Stanley Cup champions?

Florida Panthers vs. Colorado Avalanche

Colorado defeats Florida 4-1

Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Nathan MacKinnon

It should be another phenomenal NHL season. The summer is over; it’s time to play some hockey.

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