2026-27 NHL Preview: 84 Games, 7 Stories Worth Watching
The NHL season’s going to be a little longer than we’re used to starting this season.
For the first time in more than 30 years, teams will play 84 regular-season games instead of 82. The change part of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, with the two extra games to be played within each team’s division.
That means every team will now face each of its seven divisional opponents four times: twice at home and twice on the road. The extra divisional matchups figure to give an extra boost of competitiveness to the season while giving rivals two more chances to take points from one another.
To balance out the extra potential for wear and tear on players, the league also cut the preseason to four games — down from the six to eight most teams were previously playing.
The result of all this? The 2026-27 regular season will be the biggest in NHL history: 1,344 games spread across 194 days. This means plenty of great storylines to give even the biggest hockey fans their fill.
Take Alex Ovechkin, a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame lock who’s playing in his final season. Or the Tkachuk brothers, who are finally NHL teammates after each playing around a decade in the league.
In addition, the salary cap is soaring along with player contracts. And Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov, and Gavin McKenna are part of a young wave that will shape the future of the NHL for the next decade.
In other words, two extra games, while noteworthy, barely scratch the surface when it comes to top storylines this year. Here’s a breakdown of our top stories for this season:
1. The NHL’s Salary Cap Explosion is Changing the Cost of a Superstar
NHL teams suddenly have a lot more money to spend, and the league’s biggest stars are making sure they get their share.
The salary cap jumped from $95.5 million last season to $104 million in 2026-27, an $8.5 million increase. It’s currently projected to climb another $9.5 million (to $113.5 million) next season.
And player salaries are already starting to adjust accordingly, with Cale Makar making the first big splash.
The Colorado defenseman became the NHL’s first $20 million-a-year player in August, signing an eight-year, $163.2 million extension with the Avalanche. This is after Macklin Celebrini briefly held the leagues highest annual salary, signing for $18.8 million a year.
Leo Carlsson ($18 million) and Connor Bedard ($15 million) have also cashed in before their 22nd birthdays.
It’s being speculated the Makar may soon have company at the $20 million-per-year tier, however. Quinn Hughes could challenge Makar’s contract soon, while Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews become extension-eligible next summer.
This changing economy figures to put a bigger spotlight on hockey’s young stars, which may be good for collectors. Celebrini, Bedard, and others aren’t waiting until their primes to become marquee players in the NHL. Their contracts are already reflective of this status.
2. Ovi’s Last Ride
Alex Ovechkin’s spent an entire career chasing greatness. This season, he gets to bask in his accomplishments while adding a little extra padding to his Hall of Fame resume.
The prolific Russian scorer announced at the start of the season that he’ll retire at season’s end, bringing his 22-year NHL career to a close.
The 41-year-old already owns the record that once seemed unreachable, passing Wayne Gretzky in 2025 and entering this season with 929 career goals. He also has a Stanley Cup, three Hart Trophies, and an awfully long list of NHL scoring records.
As his career comes to a close, though, there are still some numbers worth watching. Ovi needs just 12 points to reach 1,700 and is only 11 goals behind Gretzky’s record of 1,016 combined regular-season and playoff goals.
For the most part, though, his legacy’s already been forged. So this season will be about watching one of hockey’s defining players one last time. Every stop on the road could become a farewell, and every goal will add to a record (or records) that may stand for decades.
Oh, and with Washington missing the playoffs last season, Ovechkin’s set to prove that he has one more Stanley Cup push in him.
3. The Bash Brothers are Finally NHL Teammates
Opposing teams already had enough reasons to dislike playing the Florida Panthers. Now there are two Tkachuks to deal with.
Florida acquired Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa in June, finally putting the 26-year-old on the same NHL roster as his older brother, Matthew. The price was steep, including three first-round picks, but Brady brings the same combination of scoring, physicality and agitation that has made his brother such a natural fit in South Florida.
The brothers have already offered us a preview of what that might look like. They played together for Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and again at the 2026 Olympics, where they helped the Americans win their first hockey gold medal since 1980.
Now they join a Florida team trying to get back on track after injuries derailed its attempt at a third straight Stanley Cup last season. Captain Aleksander Barkov is back after missing the entire year, and the Panthers suddenly appear loaded again.
4. Can Canada Finally Bring the Cup Home?
The Stanley Cup is as Canadian as maple syrup and the McKenzie Brothers.
Lord Stanley of Preston, then Canada’s governor general, donated the original silver bowl in 1892 as a trophy for the nation’s top hockey club. And Montreal was the first team to win it in 1893.
More than a century later, the Cup does some traveling during the NHL Finals and after, when each member of the winning team enjoys his “Day with the Cup.” But most of the time, it lives in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
However, a Canadian NHL team hasn’t hoisted the Cup above their heads in a while. We’re talking more than three decades.
Montreal was also the last to do it, winning the Stanley Cup in 1993. Since then, Canadian teams have made some impressive runs, including Edmonton during back-to-back Finals in 2024 and 2025. But U.S. teams have continued to prevail.
Could the team that last won it for Canada finally do it again in 2027? Montreal seems to have a legitimate shot.
The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final last season, and much of its core talent is still young. Nick Suzuki topped 100 points, Cole Caufield scored 50 goals, and they’re joined by Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, and defenseman Lane Hutson.
NHL.com’s Dan Rosen even picked Montreal as his top Stanley Cup contender entering this season. Wouldn’t it be something if Montreal was able to reset history?
5. Where will Connor Hellebuyck End Up?
Connor Hellebuyck helped the United States win Olympic gold in February. Eight months later, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner is sitting out the start of the NHL season after requesting a trade from Winnipeg.
The 33-year-old goalie publicly asked for the trade in August following a disappointing season in which the Jets missed the playoffs. When he failed to report to training camp in September, the team suspended him.
Hellebuyck has spent his entire 11-year NHL career with Winnipeg, where he won the 2024-25 Hart Trophy as league MVP along with his three Vezina Trophies. He's also under contract for five more seasons at $8.5 million annually, a seemingly attractive price for a team looking for elite goaltending.
So where's he going to land?
Buffalo, New Jersey, and Carolina have all been mentioned as possible destinations. But Hellebuyck holds a full no-movement clause, giving him considerable control over his next team.
Reports also indicate he's unwilling to accept a trade to another Canadian franchise.
Wherever he ends up, Hellebuyck could dramatically improve a contender's Stanley Cup chances.
6. Hockey’s Next Generation of Superstars is Here
The NHL's next generation of superstars is already making a name for itself. And some of these players aren't even old enough to buy a beer.
Start with San Jose's Macklin Celebrini. The 20-year-old scored 45 goals and 115 points last season, finishing fourth in NHL scoring. He's since signed a $94 million contract extension and become the youngest captain in Sharks history.
Chicago's Connor Bedard, meanwhile, is coming off a 75-point season, although shoulder surgery will delay the start of his fourth NHL campaign. Montreal's Ivan Demidov recorded 62 points as a rookie and figures prominently in the Canadiens' Stanley Cup plans.
Then there's Gavin McKenna, the 18-year-old selected first overall by Toronto in June. After producing 51 points in 35 games at Penn State, he's expected to make an immediate contribution alongside established stars such as John Tavares and William Nylander.
For hockey card collectors, this changing of the guard should be especially interesting. These are the players whose rookie cards and early autographs could help define the hobby for a number of years.
7. Will Carolina Repeat?
The Carolina Hurricanes spent 20 years trying to win their second Stanley Cup. Now they're hoping the wait for No. 3 lasts only a single season.
In June, Carolina defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to claim its first championship since 2006. The victory capped off an eight-year run under coach Rod Brind'Amour that included eight consecutive playoff appearances.
A ninth straight year looks promising as the Hurricanes have kept most of their championship roster together for 2026-27.
Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jaccob Slavin, and Jordan Staal are back. So is Logan Stankoven, who led Carolina with 11 goals during last year's playoffs.
The biggest questions involve goaltending, where Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov will take over following Frederik Andersen's departure to Edmonton. And forward Seth Jarvis is also expected to miss the start of the season following shoulder surgery.
Recent NHL history shows that back-to-back championships are far from uncommon. Pittsburgh repeated in 2017, Tampa Bay did it in 2021, and Florida won consecutive championships in 2024 and 2025.
Carolina certainly has the talent to join that group. The challenge, though, is getting through a longer 84-game season with a championship target on their backs.
84 Games, Plenty of History
From Ovechkin’s farewell tour to Montreal’s push to end Canada’s Stanley Cup drought, the 2026-27 season has no shortage of storylines. Add soaring salaries, a Hellebuyck trade that could reshape the playoff race, the Tkachuk brothers finally sharing a locker room, and Carolina chasing a repeat, and those two extra games start to look like a bonus for us fans.
For collectors it’s a season of milestones and firsts. Ovi’s final goals, Celebrini and Bedard’s early prime, and McKenna’s rookie year could all turn into the memorabilia people chase after for years to come. So buckle up. It’s going to be a long, entertaining ride.
