The 2026-27 NHL regular season begins Sept. 29 with an extended 84-game schedule that allows for more divisional rivalry games as 32 teams compete for a playoff spot and plenty of stars look to build on prior success. In recognition of the 16 Stanley Cup Playoffs spots up for grabs, #NHLStats explores 16 storylines for the 109th NHL season.
1) Expanded 84-game season offers more opportunities for stars to shine
The 2026–27 season expands to 84 games per team, an all-time high 1,344-game schedule, with stars looking to boost their stat totals – highlighted by reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, who has his sights on a third career 90-assist season as well as a second straight and fourth career 130-point campaign; Wayne Gretzky had the last of his League-record 13 such performances in 1993-94 (the last 84-game season).
* From statistical pursuits to historic achievements, several NHL stars have something significant on the line in 2026-27. Here are six #NHLStats questions to follow throughout the season:
2) Expanded schedule also makes room for more rivalries
The third 84-game season in NHL history (also 1992-93 & 1993-94) will produce two additional rivalry matchups per team and all 32 teams in action on the final day of the season. The final day will have 12 divisional matchups, tied for the most on one day in League history (also 12 GP on Dec. 27, 2023; excluding 2020-21 which was exclusively intradivisional play).
* Divisional competition already ran deep during the 82-game campaign in 2025-26, with two of four division crowns (Atlantic & Pacific Divisions) decided within the final four days of the regular season.
3) Championship pedigree on fully display on opening night
One of the NHL’s budding rivalries opens the 2026-27 season when the reigning champion Hurricanes welcome the Panthers to Raleigh for the season opener as Carolina has its sights on repeating as champions like Florida did in 2024-25. This will be the third time in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) where each of the two previous Stanley Cup champions share a mutual season-opening game.
* The opening-night Panthers roster will feature a notable addition in Matthew Tkachuk’s brother, Brady,who was acquired in an offseason trade. The brothers are no strangers to suiting up with one another during the past two seasons after doing so with Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off Brady: 3-0—3 in 4 GP; Matthew: 2-1—3 in 3 GP) and while capturing a gold medal at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics (Matthew: 0-6—6 in 6 GP; Brady: 3-2—5 in 6 GP).
* The Hurricanes and Panthers are two of the NHL’s perennial contenders across the past five years, ranking first (304) and third (288) in combined regular-season and playoff wins during that span. Despite ranking fourth and fifth respectively, the Oilers (282) and Stars (279) enter 2026-27 looking to replicate that same success by claiming a Cup.
4) Crosby vs. Ovechkin becomes a legacy leaderboard series
With both signed through the 2026-27 season and among the top 10 on the NHL’s all-time points list, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin return for their 22nd seasons – all as division rivals – after 100 all-time head-to-head meetings (including playoffs) and nearly four years removed from the last Stanley Cup Playoffs featuring both icons (2022).
* The pair of superstars will meet for the first time this season on Oct. 7 during a clash on TNT and look to add to their legacies – which jumpstarts a campaign with plenty of accomplishments on the horizon for Crosby (654-1,107—1,761) and Ovechkin (929-758—1,687). The former will become the longest-tenured captain in NHL history (20 seasons) and the latter is within striking distance of becoming the League’s all-time goals leader (including playoffs). Ovechkin needs 11 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky (1,016) for the record.
5) The No. 1-pick pipeline
Gavin McKenna has his sights set on making his debut in 2026-27 and contribute to a standard set by recent No. 1 picks – Matthew Schaefer, Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard to name a few – who made their mark in the NHL as teenagers. McKenna hopes to follow the path of Schaefer, Celebrini and Bedard as the fourth straight No. 1 overall pick to earn an opening-night roster spot, find the score sheet in their NHL debut and finish their rookie campaign with at least 20 goals and 50 points.
* Schaefer’s record-breaking rookie campaign had the Islanders within striking distance of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and headlined a group of Gen Z players that comprised 60% of skaters – an NHL single-season first. Schaefer (23-36—59) needs two goals to overtake Bobby Orr (24) and Ray Bourque (23) for the second most by a teenage defenseman, and needs 41 points to join Phil Housley (132) as just the second blueliner in League history with 100 or more points before turning 20.
* Celebrini is coming off a franchise-record setting campaign for points and the third-highest producing campaign by a teenager in NHL history (45-70—115) but the 20-year-old’s breakthrough season now shifts toward guiding the Sharks to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2018-19. Celebrini can join Wayne Gretzky (3x), Mario Lemieux (2x), Sidney Crosby (2x), Dale Hawerchuk (2x) and Jimmy Carson (2x) as the sixth player in NHL history with multiple 100-point campaigns before turning 21.
6) Another season set to showcase three generations of talent
The 2026-27 campaign is set to feature another display of decorated 20-season veterans, prime-age superstars and elite young talent in action from September to April.
* Patrick Kane (508-892—1,400), the NHL’s all-time scoring leader among U.S. players, was signed by the Blackhawks on July 23 and returns to Chicago for his 17th season with the franchise. The three-time Stanley Cup champion enters 2026-27 three assists shy of also overtaking Phil Housley (894) for the most by an American player in League history.
* David Pastrnak, on the verge of becoming the fifth player in Bruins history with 1,000 career points, has a Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy on his resume in addition to four consecutive 100-point seasons – highlighted by a career-best 71 assists with the franchise in 2025-26. He can join Peter Stastny (6; 1980-81 – 1985-86) and Jari Kurri (5; 1982-83 – 1986-87) as the third player born outside North America with five consecutive 100-point campaigns. Of note, Nikita Kucherov can also achieve the feat in 2026-27.
* Leo Carlsson is entering his fourth season with the Ducks after being selected with the third-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Following a career-best campaign in 2025-26, Carlsson (61-80—141) is on the cusp of overtaking Paul Kariya (68-79—147) for the most goals and points by a Ducks player age 21 or younger and needs to find the back of the net nine times to join Mats Sundin (83) as the only Swedish players in NHL history to score 70 or more career goals before age 22.
7) Milestone moments are on the radar
From veterans chasing career-defining milestones to the League’s brightest stars climbing all-time leaderboards, the 2026-27 campaign will be loaded with moments that could reshape Records.NHL.com.
* The hockey world is set to witness an NHL record for longest “Ironman” streak for the second time in five seasons should Brent Burns continue his stretch and appear in his 1,065th consecutive game when the Avalanche host the Blue Jackets on Feb. 15, 2027. He needs 58 contents to pass Phil Kessel, who skated in the last of his 1,064 straight games April 13, 2023.
* Claude Giroux (379-786—1,165) is one of four players within striking distance of 1,200 career points and could also overtake Jeremy Roenick (1,216) for 50th place on the all-time points list. The NHL can feature eight or more active players among the top 50 all-time scorers for the first time since 2008-09 (10 players).
* Following the announcement that the statistical history of the Winnipeg Jets will now include both iterations of the franchise (WIN: 1979-1996, ATL: 1999-2011 & WPG: 2011-present), Mark Scheifele (372-535—907) is lined up to reclaim his standing atop the club leaderboard as he moves within reach of overtaking Dale Hawerchuk for the most goals (379) and points (929) by a Jets player. Scheifele also needs only 19 assists to overtake Thomas Steen (553) for the franchise record for career assists.
* Milestone seasons are on the horizon for each of the Golden Knights (10th), Red Wings (100th), Blackhawks (100th) and Rangers (100th). Vegas is 401-224-76 (701 GP) through its first nine NHL campaigns and needs 45 wins to match Edmonton (446) for the most by a single franchise through its first 10 seasons – a mark the Golden Knights have hit in four of their previous nine campaigns and three of the past four.
8) Race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins opening night
Postseason turnover has been a constant under the current Wild Card format, with five or more teams changing year over year in nine of 11 seasons, including six new participants in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jets, Blues and Flames are just three teams hoping to follow that trend and rebound from postseason absences: Winnipeg captured the Presidents’ Trophy only two seasons ago, St. Louis has made nine playoff appearances in 13 seasons since 2013-14 and Calgary has recorded two 40-win seasons in the past five years.
* The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs saw a six-team turnover with the Sabres, Penguins, Bruins, Flyers, Mammoth and Ducks all qualifying after missing the postseason last year – that was the second-highest total in NHL history behind 2020-21, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2014-15 (all w/ 7). In fact, there have been 26 different franchises to appear in the playoffs over the past three postseasons and each have won at least one game during that span.
9) Veteran leaders ready to add to their legacies
Some of the NHL’s most experienced captains, head coaches and general managers will continue their leadership roles in 2026-27.
* Florida’s bench boss, Paul Maurice, will partake in his 29th season as a head coach and move within one of Scotty Bowman (30) for the most in NHL history, while Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff – entering his 26th season and 18th with the Sabres – will pass Art Ross (17 w/ BOS) for the third most with one franchise. Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ general manager, Ken Holland, will tie Conn Smythe and Cliff Fletcher (both w/ 28) for the seventh-most campaigns in NHL history.
* The 2026-27 campaign will be the fourth in League history (also 6 in 2025-26, 2022-23 & 2019-20) to feature six players who have captained their team for at least 10 seasons.
10) Marquee events ready to return for another season
Five marquee events will take place in 2026-27 with most featuring recent Stanley Cup champions and contenders. More #NHLStats on the tentpole events for 2026-27 can be found here.
* The 2026 NHL Global Series Finland (Nov. 12 & Nov. 14) will pit the reigning Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes against the Kraken in Helsinki, with Seattle set to become the 27th active franchise to contest a regular-season game outside North America. International outings continue with the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany between the Blackhawks and Senators leading into the Christmas break (Dec. 18 & Dec. 20). It will be the second time the NHL visits Germany for regular-season action (2011 Premiere Series) and will kickstart a stretch of at least three straight campaigns the League will play a regular-season contest in Germany.
* The Discover NHL Winter Classic will feature the reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche against the Mammoth as Utah becomes the 32nd team to contest an open-air game – meaning every active franchise will own at least one appearance.
* The 2027 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series has hosts Dallas, one of the top teams over the past five seasons, facing off against Vegas – the 2026 Stanley Cup finalist and playoff rival (3 postseason series; last: 2024 R1).
11) The NHL is an international game
The new season will once again reflect the game’s growth across the world after 2025-26 was the 25th straight season to feature 20 or more birth countries represented among NHL players.
* Sweden led all European representation with 102 players in 2025-26 and then had a record seven players born in the country selected in the opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
* Rasmus Dahlin was a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2025-26 and can become one of the fastest defensemen born outside North America to reach 500 career points (102-332—434 in 586 GP). Filip Forsberg registered his third 40-goal season in 2025-26 and can become the fourth Swedish-born player to reach the mark in consecutive campaigns, following Markus Naslund (3 from 2000-01 – 2002-03), Mats Naslund (2 from 1984-85 – 1985-86) and Kent Nilsson (2 from 1979-80 – 1980-81).
* Nikita Kucherov (401-723—1,124 in 879 GP), the reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner, enters the season 14 points shy of claiming Tampa Bay’s all-time scoring record and doing so while approaching 900 career games. He is likely to maintain his rank of fourth-most points among players born outside North America at that milestone – behind Peter Stastny (1,188), Jaromir Jagr (1,184) and Jari Kurri (1,184).
* Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider became the third German player and first blueliner from his country to record a 50-assist season (50 in 2025-26). In 2026-27, Seider can join Hockey Hall of Fame members Nicklas Lidstrom (6x) and Paul Coffey (2x) as the only Red Wings blueliners to reach the mark in multiple campaigns.
12) Teams look to build off postseason appearances
The 2026-27 campaign brings an opportunity for teams to build upon their success in 2025-26. Clubs like the Sabres (14 seasons) and Ducks (7 seasons) snapped lengthy playoff absences, while the Canadiens, Flyers and Wild all won a postseason series for the first time since 2021, 2020 and 2015, respectively.
* The Canadiens, led by the career years from Nick Suzuki (29-72—101) and Cole Caufield (51-37—88), posted their best campaign in more than a decade. Should they both reach those benchmarks again in 2026-27, Suzuki can become the third Montreal skater with consecutive 100-point campaigns, while Caufield can become the second to score at least 50 goals in consecutive seasons.
* Travis Konecny (27-41—68) led the Flyers in scoring for the fifth straight season and now sits one campaign shy of tying the longest run in franchise history, while Dan Vladar (29-14-7) can become the fastest netminder to record 30 wins with the club since Ilya Bryzgalov (53 GP in 2011-12).
* After being acquired by the Wild on Dec. 12, 2025, Quinn Hughes (5-48—53 in 48 GP) ranked second on the team in points and co-led Minnesota in playoff points (4-11—15) – a stretch that included the series-clinching goal in the First Round. Hughes (66-419—485 in 507 GP) is on the verge of becoming the second-fastest American defenseman to hit 500 points (Brian Leetch: 496 GP).
13) New faces in new places
After the offseason produced plenty of activity, 2026-27 will see recognizable names debut on new teams: Sergei Bobrovsky in Toronto, Pavel Dorofeyev with the Rangers and Brady Tkachuk uniting with his brother, Matthew, in Florida. .
* Bobrovsky (456-266-111) will begin his 17th NHL season with a new team, the Maple Leafs. He ranks seventh on the League’s all-time wins list and needs just four more to pass Henrik Lundqvist (459) for the most in NHL history by a netminder born outside North America. A 35-win campaign would also leapfrog the goaltender past Ed Belfour (5th; 484) and Roberto Luongo (4th; 489).
* The Rangers traded for and signedDorofeyev, who is the highest goal scorer from last season (37) among players to begin 2026-27 on a new team. Dorofeyev is coming off two straight 30-goal campaigns and can become the third Rangers player in the past 20 years to reach that mark in his first season with the club, following Artemi Panarin (32 in 2019-20) and Marian Gaborik (42 in 2009-10).
* The Tkachuk brothers will team up for the first time since winning gold together at the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, a squad that also included another brotherly pair in Jack and Quinn Hughes. Jack, the League’s second-highest scorer post-Olympic break, continues to share the ice with his brother, Luke, in New Jersey and can face off against his older brother, Quinn, on Feb. 28, 2027 – roughly a year after the gold-winning contest. The familial ties also extend out west to Vancouver as new head coach Manny Malhotra could soon be behind the bench coaching his son after the Canucks selected Caleb with the third-overall pick at the 2026 NHL Draft.
14) Offense from the defense has become the new normal
Evan Bouchard (21-74—95 in 2025-26) leads a group of seven blueliners coming off a 70-point season (third-highest in NHL history) and can become just the sixth different defenseman in League history to register consecutive 90-point campaigns. Bouchard was also one of six defensemen to score 20-plus goals in 2025-26 alongside Jakob Chychrun, Matthew Schaefer, Darren Raddysh, Zach Werenski and Cale Makar. The last time the League featured six or more blueliners with 20-plus goals in consecutive seasons was 1988-89 to 1993-94 (6).
* Werenski, the reigning James Norris Memorial Trophy winner and the only other blueliner to hit the 80-point plateau last season, was the lone defenseman in the League to lead his team in scoring (22-59—81 w/ CBJ) – a feat he also achieved in 2024-25. He can become just the sixth blueliner in NHL history to be a team’s outright points leader on three occasions and would join Ray Bourque (5x w/ BOS), Erik Karlsson (4x w/ OTT, 1x w/ SJS), Denis Potvin (4x w/ NYI), Roman Josi (4x w/ NSH) and Brent Burns (3x w/ SJS).
15) Who will have the NHL EDGE in 2026-27?
The 2026-27 season will be the sixth since the introduction of NHL EDGE data. Here is a snapshot of key category leaders from last season:
* Sabres defenseman Louis Crevier notched an NHL-best six 100+ mph shots last season (w/ CHI), but Ryan Pulock (33) still leads the League in that category since tracking began in 2021-22.
* Connor McDavid registered a speed burst of 22-plus miles per hour 151 times last season, 90 more than the next closest skater (Owen Tippett: 61). It was the category’s highest single-season total since 2021-22 and boosted his overall total to 469 such instances; he is on track to become the first player to record at least 500 speed bursts of 22+ mph.
* Seven players have skated 300 or more total miles in a season since 2021-22, but McDavid is the only one to do so multiple times. He led the League in two of those campaigns (2025-26 & 2022-23). McDavid (1,478.44 miles) can become the first player to pass the 1,500-mile threshold in the NHL EDGE era (since 2021-22).
* Ilya Sorokin (452) and Spencer Knight (432) were the only goaltenders to record at least 400 high-danger saves last season. They can join Connor Hellebuyck (2021-22 – 2023-24), Jordan Binnington (2022-23 – 2023-24), Alexandar Georgiev (2022-23 – 2023-24), Andrei Vasilevskiy (2021-22 – 2022-23), Igor Shesterkin (2021-22 – 2022-23), John Gibson (2021-22 – 2022-23) and Juuse Saros (2021-22 – 2022-23) to reach the mark in consecutive campaigns since 2021-22.
* Carolina paced the NHL in offensive (45.5%) and defensive (36.1%) zone time percentage for the fifth straight season. The defending champions are the only team to cross the 45% mark in the offensive zone since tracking began in 2021-22 and have never fallen below the total in a full regular season. The Panthers are the only other team to rank among the top five for offensive zone time percentage in each of the past five campaigns.
16) League trends to look out for
Before turning the page to 2026-27, here’s a look back at some of the trends that shaped the 2025-26 season and could continue making an impact in the season ahead.
