NHL Season Predictions: Bold Projections for 2025-26 and Beyond

The website's hockey writers have made their predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season. The teams expected to perform well include Carolina, Devils, and Washington in the Eastern Conference, while Tampa Bay, Toronto, and Ottawa are also anticipated to have strong showings. In the Western Conference, teams like Colorado, Dallas, and Utah are predicted to excel, with Vegas, Edmonton, and Los Angeles also expected to do well.
The Eastern Conference finals are projected to feature Tampa Bay against Carolina, while the Western Conference finals are expected to see Vegas face off against Colorado. The Stanley Cup final is predicted to be between Vegas and Tampa Bay. Individual awards are also forecasted, with Nikita Kucherov from Tampa Bay expected to win the Hart Trophy for MVP, Quinn Hughes from Vancouver projected to win the Norris Trophy for Defense, Igor Shesterkin from the Rangers anticipated to win the Vezina Trophy for Goaltender, and Ivan Demidov from Montreal predicted to win the Calder Trophy for Rookie. Craig Berube from Toronto is expected to win the Adams Award for Coach, and Andrew Brunette from Nashville is predicted to be the first coach to be fired.
In the subsequent season, the predictions for the teams in the Eastern Conference include Carolina, Devils, and Rangers, with Tampa Bay, Florida, and Toronto also expected to perform well. In the Western Conference, Dallas, Minnesota, and Colorado are projected to excel, with Vegas, Edmonton, and Los Angeles also anticipated to have strong showings.
The Eastern Conference finals are predicted to feature Carolina against Florida, while the Western Conference finals are expected to see Dallas face off against Vegas. The Stanley Cup final is projected to be between Dallas and Carolina. Individual awards are also forecasted, with Leon Draisaitl from Edmonton expected to win the Hart Trophy for MVP, Quinn Hughes from Vancouver projected to win the Norris Trophy for Defense, Jake Oettinger from Dallas anticipated to win the Vezina Trophy for Goaltender, and Ivan Demidov from Montreal predicted to win the Calder Trophy for Rookie. Martin St. Louis from Montreal is expected to win the Adams Award for Coach, and Andrew Brunette from Nashville is predicted to be the first coach to be fired.
In the final season prediction, the teams expected to perform well in the Eastern Conference include Carolina, Devils, and Washington, with Tampa Bay, Montreal, and Florida also anticipated to excel. In the Western Conference, teams like Los Angeles, Vegas, and Edmonton are predicted to do well, with Colorado, Utah, and Vancouver also expected to have strong showings.
The Eastern Conference finals are projected to feature Carolina against Montreal, while the Western Conference finals are expected to see Vegas face off against Los Angeles. The Stanley Cup final is predicted to be between Vegas and Carolina. Individual awards are also forecasted, with Kirill Kaprizov from Minnesota expected to win the Hart Trophy for MVP, Quinn Hughes from Vancouver projected to win the Norris Trophy for Defense, Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg anticipated to win the Vezina Trophy for Goaltender, and Ivan Demidov from Montreal predicted to win the Calder Trophy for Rookie. André Tourigny from Utah is expected to win the Adams Award for Coach, and Andrew Brunette from Nashville is predicted to be the first coach to be fired.
In conclusion, the website's hockey writers have made bold predictions for the upcoming NHL seasons, forecasting the performance of various teams and individual award winners. Fans will have to wait and see how accurate these predictions turn out to be as the seasons unfold.