(Photo by Fox Sports)

(Side note: I used the order that Google had on their standings)

DETROIT RED WINGS

It's time to panic, Hockeytown. The supposed turnaround that was promised has been taking a while now to the point where management fired their head coach......the day after Christmas. They added John Gibson to help with goaltending as Detroit hopefully enters the playoffs, please?

FLORIDA PANTHERS

For the second consecutive season, the Panthers hoisted the Stanley Cup. Management decided to be bold and extend Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand. The goal is to build a dynasty and continue to win Stanley Cups moving forward, and to think, years ago, this franchise was hanging by a thread.

(Side note: The Winter Classic is held in Miami this season. Funny what winning can accomplish.)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAVES (because they LEAVES the playoffs ear......anyways)

Same ol' song and dance from the Leafs, another dominating regular season produces another setback in the playoffs. Brendan Shanahan was the sacrificial lamb in this season of malaise. Did the Leafs do enough to replace Mitch Marner, and did they add enough depth on defense and goaltending? Only time will tell. Should I start the clock now?

OTTAWA SENATORS

Okay, okay, the Sens made the playoffs last season and are a squad that can stride for more in 25-26. Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux will lead this team on the offensive end with Linus Ullmark offers solid goaltending. Things are looking up for the Senators, hopefully.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The fall is coming, but let's enjoy this for now, the Lightning has stringed up some playoff appearances in the last few years. Will they be a title contender? Heck no, but Tampa's core (Kucherov, Hedman, Point and Vasilevskiy) will make damn sure they will fight to stay afloat.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Les Canadiens made a huge jump by making the playoffs last season. Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach continue to improve and the Xhekaj brothers would add a formidable one-two punch. Montreal will look to capitalize on last season's success. Allez-y messieurs.

BUFFALO SABRES

The Sabres have been swimming in a lake of mediocrity for the last decade, and things might not change for this year. They could, but probably not. If you don't believe me, this is the look of first-round pick Radim Mrtka.....

Not very surprising.

BOSTON RUINS

Yep, that record breaking season traumatized this organization to where they saw mainstay Brad Marchand get traded to Florida and have him hoist up the Stanley Cup. This will be the rebuild year that Bruins fans were treading, but at least, their new uniforms are dynamite.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

So, the Devils made the playoffs last year, are they going to tease us into falling short this season, hopefully not. The Hughes Brothers continue to improve as Jersey will depend on them to ride into postseason action.....barring that pesky backslide.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Now that Ovie has the record, the Caps are preparing for life, potentially without him. They encountered a strong regular season, only to bow out of the second round. Can John Carlson and PLD help Washington fulfill a joyous season before Ovie hangs 'em up?

CAROLINA HURRICANES

They have become the San Jose Sharks of yesteryear, great regular season, but the goal is far from there. The Canes have a window that is slowly closing. This is the season to capture that elusive brass ring....or Stanley Cup.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

If you are a movie junkie, you know the line, "ICEBERG RIGHT AHEAD!" This is the state of the Penguins. This campaign should be the end of Crosby, Malkin, Karlsson and Letang in Penguins gear. Unfortunately, it has to be done.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

They did acquire Trevor Zegras from Anaheim, so that's a positive. The Flyers are somewhere between they are getting it corrected, and we still have work to do. I really don't see a playoff berth this year, but they can surprise everyone.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

After a trying year, the Blue Jackets came this close to a playoff berth. This season, they will try to push through and claim that playoff berth. The development of Adam Fantilli and the leadership of Zach Werenski could make it happen.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Belmont's NHL team kind of hit a snag last season, but they were able to win the #1 pick and select Matthew Shaefer to add on a roster that hopes a healthy Anders Lee and a focused Bo Horvat can guide them into postseason bliss.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From Cup contenders to tragic tale, the Rangers are back to figuring out what to do. Trading Jacob Trouba and Chris Krieder don't really help matters, but acquiring JT Miller does? Are you sure James Dolan isn't meddling with everything? Also, Mike Sullivan is the new head coach.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

The Avs have a small window of Cup opportunities until time runs out. Hey, Gabriel Landeskog is back after a long absence and acquiring Brock Nelson could help the team into one final push. Let's hope we don't hear a knock on the door.

WINNIPEG JETS

Okay, the Jets broke out of the gates and captured the President's Trophy as Connor Hellebuyck went prime Dominik Hasek. However, the Cup was out of reach as they fell in the second round. Can the Jets continue momentum in 2025-2026?

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Deep in the bowels of the NHL basement, the Blackhawks are still trying to figure out how to build a team around Connor Bedard. Let's be real, it's not going well, and Chicago's NHL team is looking at another season without playoff acceptances.

DALLAS STARS

Once again, the Stars are the darkhorse to win the Cup. Adding Mikko Rantanen and extending him can help their cause. This is Dallas's year, also those Jason Robertson trade rumors are false, right?..........Right?

MINNESOTA WILD

The Wild are.....almost there and need to use their cap space to help the depth instead of splurging on past mistakes by going all-in a huge contr....

Well, then.....they have a commitment to players, I'll give them that.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Speaking of commitment to players, the Preds did that last off-season, and it failed miserably. Can Barry Trotz and his acquisitions he made last year have a bounce back campaign or will the same "what could have been" be present in Smashville?

ST. LOUIS BLUES

This sounds familiar, fired a head coach during the season, only to have the new one (Jim Montgomery) rally the Blues to the playoffs. It didn't end with Gloria playing, but St. Louis has a bright future ahead.....in those slick new uniforms.

UTAH MAMMOTH (Really, they went with that?)

With a batch of young talent and an owner doing the necessary procedures to make the Delta Center hockey accessible, the Mammoth could breakthrough and surprise everyone with a playoff berth.

Hope you are taking notes, management of a potential team in Phoenix.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Stuck in a playoff drought, the Ducks decided to raid the Rangers by grabbing their captain and leading scorer. Also, Coach Q brings his championship expertise to an up-and-coming squad.

In my opinion, this was the highlight of the Ducks' off-season.

CALGARY FLAMES

This squad are the Philadelphia Flyers of the Western Conference, you don't know if they are rebuilding or looking for a playoff berth, they are just there. Anyhoo, I expect them to be the same as last year, just there.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

After a loss in the second round, VGK decided to go after the big fish in free agency, Mitchell Marner. He and Jack Eichel could become one of the most lethal combos in the league, but can the defense hold up with Alex Pietrangelo out?

LOS ANGELES KINGS

Another playoff berth, yet another first round exit by the Edmonton Oilers. They even hired the architect of that team, Ken Holland as the man to help this franchise. Let's hope that the Kings can send out their captain, Anze Kopitar, off to retirement on a high note.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

I see no playoffs here, but the core of Macklin Celebrini, #2 overall pick Michael Misa and Will Smith will bring optimism and excitement for a franchise that needs a jolt. Hopefully, they can make a little bit on noise this season.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Wha...what happened? The Canucks fell flat as Rick Tocchet will find another job in the NHL that he doesn't deserve. Hopefully, Vancouver will figure this out. Also, how long till Quinn Hughes will want to play with his brothers in Jersey.

SEATTLE KRAKEN

Two years ago, the Kraken made the playoffs. Since then, this franchise is still trying to figure out who they are. Are they a playoff caliber squad or are they a rebuilding group? Many questions, including, is this Shane Wright's breakout?

EDMONTON OILERS

Another season of so close, yet so far away. The Oilers were undone in the Cup Finals, again by the Panthers. Can a newly signed McJesus and LD finally lift the Cup that Oilers fans have been coveting?

Well, that was the NHL preview for 25-26. Time to crack up the NHL on TNT theme.

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