2025-26 NHL SEASON PREDICTIONS

 

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The 2025-26 season is upon us, and as always, TFP’s Panel of Experts have offered their two-cents on how this NHL campaign will play out. Feel free to chirp us on X at your convenience.

TFP Panel

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

Bamford

Belle

Bernstein

Calabretta

Gaffar

Hutcheon

Pagnotta

Paton

Ward
 

TFP Panel

Stanley Cup Champion

Stanley Cup Runner-Up

Bamford

Belle

Bernstein

Calabretta

Gaffar

Hutcheon

Pagnotta

Paton

Ward
 

TFP Panel

Art Ross

Rocket Richard

Hart

Norris

Vezina

Calder

Selke

Lady Byng

Jack Adams

Bamford

 Mitch Marner Leon Draisaitl Mikko Rantanen Cale Makar Jake Oettinger Sam Rinzel Nico Hischier Anze Kopitar Dean Evason

Belle

 Connor McDavid Auston Matthews Leon Draisaitl Quinn Hughes Connor Hellebuyck Matthew Schaefer Sam Reinhart Kyle Connor Ryan Huska

Bernstein

 Nikita Kucherov Kyle Connor Nathan MacKinnon Quinn Hughes Jake Oettinger Zeev Buium Jack Eichel Jack Hughes Bruce Cassidy

Calabretta

 Connor McDavid Auston Matthews Connor McDavid Cale Makar Jake Oettinger Ivan Demidov Nike Suzuki Jaccob Slavin Jon Cooper

Gaffar

 Connor McDavid Mikko Rantanen Nathan MacKinnon Quinn Hughes Jake Oettinger Michael Misa William Karlsson Anze Kopitar Martin St. Louis

Hutcheon

 Nathan MacKinnon Leon Draisaitl Nathan MacKinnon Cale Makar Adin Hill Ivan Demidov Anze Kopitar Jaccob Slavin Martin St. Louis

Pagnotta

 Connor McDavid Mikko Rantanen Nathan MacKinnon Cale Makar Jake Oettinger Ivan Demidov Nico Hischier Nick Suzuki Martin St. Louis

Paton

 Nikita Kucherov Auston Matthews Auston Matthews Cale Makar Anthony Stolarz Ivan Demidov Anthony Cirelli Anze Kopitar Craig Berube

Ward

 Connor McDavid Leon Draisaitl Connor McDavid Cale Makar Jake Oettinger Ivan Demidov Anze Kopitar Anze Kopitar Martin St. Louis
 

TFP Panel

Last Place Team

Biggest Name Traded

Bamford

 Quinn Hughes

Belle

 Sidney Crosby

Bernstein

 Evgeni Malkin

Calabretta

 Sidney Crosby

Gaffar

 Erik Karlsson

Hutcheon

 Sidney Crosby

Pagnotta

 Erik Karlsson

Paton

 Artemi Panarin

Ward

 Sidney Crosby

TFP Experts:

Tab Bamford - Columnist, Chicago
Shawn Belle - Former NHLer, Host of Hello Hockey
Dennis Bernstein - Sr. Writer
David Calabretta - Montreal Correspondent
Irfaan Gaffar - Host, The Latest & DFO Rundown: Insider Edition
Shawn Hutcheon - Boston Correspondent
David Pagnotta - Editor-in-Chief
Ryan Paton - Host, The Hot Stove on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio
Aaron Ward - NHL Analyst, 3-time Stanley Cup Champion