5 Bold Predictions For the 2026-27 NHL Season

The NHL is back!

At the time of writing this, the NHL season is set to kick off tomorrow night, and with that, I’ve already posted my standings and playoff predictions on this page. But now, I’ve got some bolder predictions that I thought deserved their own blog post.

Here are five bold predictions for this NHL season, which I think can be one of the more entertaining seasons we’ve had in years.

Quinn Hughes & Zach Werenski Get Traded

Starting off with Werenski, I think the writing is on the wall. The Blue Jackets have now traded Kirill Marchenko, who was arguably their best forward, and I just think they will really struggle in this Eastern Conference.

I think teams will get aggressive, like we saw when Quinn Hughes became available last year and the Canucks decided to ship him off to a team in the Wild that would give up more value to be able to (hypothetically) get two playoff runs out of him, rather than the idea of just renting him for a few months before free agency. I think the Blue Jackets will swallow the pill and trade the reigning Norris Trophy winner.

As far as Hughes goes, this might seem a bit shocking, but I honestly feel like if he wanted to be in Minnesota long-term, or at least extend, he would’ve done it by now. There’s not much of a negotiation there with Bill Guerin. Whatever he wants, he’ll get, and the fact that he hasn’t done it yet makes me believe that Hughes’ eye is already on playing with his brothers in New Jersey as soon as possible.

I think he’ll let the Wild know this throughout the season. Minnesota and New Jersey probably work out a trade that unites all three Hughes brothers in New Jersey, while the Wild are able to recoup some assets after taking a big swing last season to acquire Quinn last year.

Both Lane Hutson & Ivan Demidov Become Point-Per-Game Players

The future is so bright in Montreal right now, and a lot of the attention goes to Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky for what they’ve been able to do over the last two years. But I do think when we look at this Canadiens team in a few years, the two best players should be Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov.

I think this is the year they prove that, not that they haven’t already, and I think they both put up a point per game this season.

For Hutson, I don’t think that’s far-fetched at all. In his rookie year, he put up 66 points, and in his sophomore year, he put up 78. I think he can get there.

As far as Demidov goes, we saw last year how skilled he was. He put up 60 points in his rookie campaign and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. I think he plays even better this year. It looks like, for the time being, he’ll be playing on a line with Juraj Slafkovsky to start the year, with Chris Kreider joining the Habs slated to start the year with Suzuki & Caufield. And even if they have to shuffle that, the environment around him should be better.

I think the Canadiens will also make a move for a centre throughout the season, and Demidov reaches a point per game in his second year.

The Future Is Now: Macklin Celebrini Wins the Hart, Matthew Schaefer Wins the Norris

For Celebrini, I think if the Sharks are able to get into the playoffs in just his third year, especially in a weaker division, it could be enough to put him over the top. If he’s able to get San Jose there with what I don’t think is as good of a team on paper compared to some of the others in that division, I think they’ll give the MVP award to Celebrini, especially if he can rack up something like the 115 points I expect him to put up.

As far as Schaefer goes, he impressed the hell out of me in his rookie season on Long Island. I’m also higher on the Islanders than most people, and I have them making the playoffs, as you may have read in my previous blog post.

In a full year with Pete Deboer behind the bench, I don’t think there will be any sophomore slump. If the Islanders can get over the hump and get into the postseason this time around, I think Schaefer will get some recognition, and I think he takes home the Norris Trophy this year in just his second season in the league.

The Chicago Blackhawks End With the Worst Record In the NHL

This might sound harsh, but I just think this Blackhawks team is awful on paper, especially with Connor Bedard expected to miss a few weeks at the very least to begin the season after having offseason shoulder surgery.

I think this team is just so dependent on him. While the story of bringing Patrick Kane back was nice, I don’t think it’ll do much for them on the ice. I think it’ll be cool for Blackhawks fans to see their older generation come back together with their younger generation, but I don’t see it making a major difference in the standings.

And I also want to clarify that this doesn’t mean I think they won’t be competitive. I think the NHL will be very competitive this season, and I don’t think there’s a truly awful team in the league. But for a team that’s so dependent on one player to keep them afloat, and with Bedard already having dealt with injuries throughout his career, I think the Blackhawks are in for another rough season.

I have them finishing at the basement of the NHL, which would be a very disappointing outcome for people in the Windy City.

This Is Sidney Crosby's Final Year In Pittsburgh

I know, I know. I’ve said this, I think, each of the last two seasons, but this is the year.

The Penguins were surprised last year by making the playoffs. I think this year, they’ll be more or less what we expected them to be last year: one of the weaker teams in the NHL. Not awful, but I don’t think they’ll be close to a playoff spot.

I think this will also be Evgeni Malkin’s final year in Pittsburgh. Erik Karlsson is a free agent after this season, and I don’t think he’ll have much desire to re-up in Pittsburgh. As his career comes to an end, I think he’ll be looking to go join a contender and win a Stanley Cup.

If that’s the case, I don’t think Crosby wants to be the only veteran left on this roster. While it may hurt him in the moment, I think he’ll come to the realization that if he still has the desire to compete and win another Stanley Cup, he’s going to have to do that elsewhere.

He could go join a more veteran group, whether that’s in Colorado, or a younger group that has already established itself, like Montreal. Nevertheless, I think this is the year.

He doesn’t have a contract as of writing this after this season with the Penguins, and I think Sidney Crosby departs Pittsburgh after this season following a legendary run.

The Penguins can finally go into rebuild mode, which I think, secretly, Kyle Dubas really wants to do.