The NHL drops the puck on an extended 84-game campaign next week with Macklin Celebrini leading a new generation of superstars and record goalscorer Alex Ovechkin returning for what could be the final season of his glittering career. Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader with 929 goals, signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals, who he believes can challenge for the Stanley Cup, but he has not decided if this is his final season. There will be sky-high expectations on San Jose Sharks forward Celebrini, who is coming off an outstanding sophomore season, and fellow young gun Connor Bedard, who at 21 is the second-youngest captain in Chicago Blackhawks history.
Celebrini set a Sharks franchise record last season with 115 points, more than the team’s next two top scorers combined, and also produced a breakout performance while helping Canada to a silver medal at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. San Jose has not made the postseason since 2019, but the 20-year-old Celebrini, surrounded by perhaps the deepest Sharks roster in years, feels a renewed anticipation in the Bay Area. He is coming off a year in which he set career highs in goals (30), assists (45) and points (75) in 69 games and he is hopeful that offseason roster improvements will boost a Blackhawks team that has missed the playoffs for six straight years.
The intense spotlight of the Toronto media market will focus on rookie Gavin McKenna, who will be counted on to anchor the next era of the city’s Maple Leafs after they made him the first overall pick of the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna understands what he is getting into by joining Toronto, where a run of strong regular seasons repeatedly failed to produce playoff success before the Maple Leafs missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2016. The Stanley Cup remains the glaring omission from the 29-year-old’s resume.
McDavid led Edmonton to the Final in 2024 and 2025 and has piled up individual accolades in 11 NHL seasons, including being a three-time league MVP and six-time leading points scorer. The road to the Stanley Cup Final in June will be even longer as the NHL expanded its season by two games in an effort to balance out the number of divisional matchups. The action begins on Tuesday when the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes host the Florida Panthers in the first of five opening-night games.
The 2026-27 schedule also includes a pair of games in both Finland and Germany as the league continues efforts to expand its fan base outside of North America as well as outdoor games in Winnipeg, Salt Lake City and Arlington.
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