The NHL returns on Tuesday [7 October] — and the dawn of the new season ushers in a fresh set of storylines to watch on the ice, in front offices, and around the league.
From the looming possibility of franchise-altering trades to the countdown to the Winter Olympics and the march to unrestricted free agency, here are three of the plot-lines we’re watching for in 2025-26.
Will Connor McDavid re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers?
Connor McDavid is the world’s best hockey player. It isn’t close. And he’s now less than a year from becoming an unrestricted free agent.
The Canadian’s eight-year, $92.8 million contract expires at the end of this season — and the entire hockey world is waiting to see if (or when) he signs on the dotted line with the Edmonton Oilers.
McDavid’s contract decision arrives at a pivotal moment in the league’s history: after years of stagnation, the salary cap is now exploding, and players are getting paid.
Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has already raised the bar by signing an eight-year deal worth a record-breaking $17 million per season.
McDavid already had a blank cheque — and Kaprizov’s pact with the Wild has only intensified speculation about what the game’s best player will earn on his next deal.
Logically, McDavid can ask for whatever he wants.
But maximising the value of his next contract will come at a cost, making it more difficult for the Oilers to build a competitive team around him.
After two failed trips to the playoff final, McDavid — who has won every individual award available to him — is hungrier than ever to add his name to the Stanley Cup.
In the months to come, his contract decision will boil down to one consideration: does McDavid believe he can win the Stanley Cup with the Oilers?
If not, a trade or free agency awaits the game’s greatest player.
Which players will be selected for the Milan-Cortina Olympics?
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks (Image: NHL)
For the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games, NHL players are heading to the Olympics.
There’s plenty to look forward to in Milan (especially after last year’s sensational Four Nations Face-Off), with months of roster debates to come.
While the first handful of players have been selected (the likes of McDavid, David Pastrnak, and Auston Matthews), dozens of roster spots remain unclaimed.
Will up-and-coming Canadians Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard make the cut? Matthew Tkachuk’s fitness is a concern for the Americans — will he be fit enough to reprise his starring role? And what about the tournament’s ten European teams: could they spring a surprise?
Time will tell, but the countdown to the Olympics is truly on.
Is Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins future in doubt?
Sidney Crosby, Team Canada (Image: NHL)
Since the Four Nations Face-Off, conversations around Sidney Crosby’s future as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins have intensified.
Ultimately, the decision is for Crosby to make.
The 38-year-old has full trade protection — and, even if he didn’t, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas wouldn’t trade the team’s captain and lifeblood without his say-so anyway.
It’s now three seasons since Pittsburgh last featured in the playoffs, and there is a growing sense that it may be a waste of everyone’s time for Crosby to play out the final years of his career on a rebuilding team.
With the Penguins years from contention, will Crosby ask for a trade for one last tilt at the Stanley Cup?
If he does, Pittsburgh will net a hefty package, supercharging their rebuild.
Food for thought…
Honourable Mentions: Mitch Marner, Salary Cap, Stanley Cup
Mitch Marner isn’t a Toronto Maple Leaf anymore.
He was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on the eve of free agency, ending a tumultuous decade with his hometown team.
Marner’s exit from Toronto still stings — for him, for the Maple Leafs, and for fans in Toronto and beyond.
The 28-year-old has a reputation for shrinking under the spotlight: will he deliver in Vegas this term?
Taking a bigger picture view, change is coming for every team in the NHL.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement — the league’s rules — is being updated next season, with sweeping ramifications on how the salary cap operates.
Unlike in previous seasons, the cap will apply in the playoffs, shrinking the Long-Term Injury Reserve loopholes that existed previously.
That change will impact the trade market, so let’s see how it plays out.
Finally, and most obviously, we have the chase for the Stanley Cup to think about.
The Florida Panthers are hoping to make it a three-peat, while the Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars lead the betting odds.
Strap in: we’re set for another scintillating NHL season.
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