One bold prediction for every NHL team in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs
The Vegas Golden Knights will make a training change in the center of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Buffalo Sabers will attain the Eastern Conference closing.
The Minnesota Wild advances previous the first spherical for the first time since 2015.
Those have been amongst the responses TheAthletic obtained this week when he requested his hockey workers for bold predictions for the postseason.
Here are some predictions from writers, with puck drop on playoff hockey simply hours away.
Pittsburgh Penguins
They will attain the second spherical
The Penguins get the greatest draw of anybody in the East. With all due respect to the Flyers, the Penguins are the greatest team on paper. And the Penguins are getting a greater draw than the Hurricanes, who received the Metropolitan Division. Carolina may simply lose her first-round matchup, which really offers the Penguins an actual probability to achieve the Eastern Conference closing. They had a 9 % probability to achieve the postseason in Vegas sports activities books in October and have turn into fairly a narrative. — Josh Yohe
Philadelphia Flyers
Matvei Michkov will lead the team in scoring
Michkov returned this season. After 26 targets and 63 factors in his rookie yr, he managed simply 20 targets and 51 factors in 2025-26. But popping out of the Olympic break, which he used to get in some much-needed conditioning work and coaching, Michkov was considered one of the Flyers’ only wingers down the stretch. He scored enormous targets in key wins over Winnipeg and Carolina, suggesting he has a knack for rising to the event. — Kevin Kurz
Ottawa Senators
They will advance to the Eastern Conference closing
The Senators turned their season round with a robust second half propelled by enhancements in goaltending and penalty killing. But their normal construction of sturdy defensive work and pouncing on offensive possibilities has been their bread and butter all yr lengthy. It’s a playoff-ready fashion that may take some groups abruptly this yr, and it may result in them successful a spherical or extra. — Julian McKenzie
Carolina Hurricanes
They will attain the Stanley Cup Final
The Hurricanes have been criticized for not reaching the Stanley Cup Final, however that is their greatest team since Rod Brind’Amour took over as coach. The Hurricanes shall be clear favorites in the opening spherical and once more in Round 2 ought to they advance. The path on the different half of the Eastern Conference bracket is harsher. If Carolina could make fast work of her opponents in the first two rounds, she’s going to set herself as much as be able to get previous the closing convention. — Cory Lavalette
Boston Bruins
James Hagens will make an offensive affect
Hagens had an help in his NHL debut in opposition to the Blue Jackets. It was a very good warmup for what’s to come back. The 19-year-old is in the operating to be the No. 3 left wing for Game 1 due to his velocity, ability, puck-moving capability and consciousness. There are extra targets and assists coming in the playoffs for the No. 7 choose from 2025. — Fluto Shinzawa
Buffalo Sabers
They will go to the Eastern Conference closing
By successful the Atlantic Division, the Sabers have set themselves as much as maintain their feel-good story going deep into the playoffs. The Bruins will not be a simple out, but when the Sabers survive that sequence, they are going to get the winner of a Lightning-Canadiens sequence that’s going to be grueling and bodily. It’s bold to foretell a playoff newcomer to win two rounds, however the Sabers have the path and the roster to do it. — Matthew Fairburn
Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrei Vasilevskiy will return to playoff kind
It could not sound bold, figuring out Vasilevskiy’s status in the Lightning’s three straight journeys to the Stanley Cup Final. But the actuality is, he hasn’t lived as much as that title in the final three postseasons. It would not fall absolutely on his shoulders, however the strain is on for him to search out his kind and be a postseason sport breaker once more. — Shayna Goldman
Montreal Canadiens
Jakub Dobeš will report a first-round shutout
It is bold as a result of Dobeš is dealing with the Lightning. But it may occur as a result of Dobeš allowed a single purpose to the Lightning twice in a span of 10 days in a pair of Canadiens wins in opposition to their future first-round opponent. Making one additional save is in him. From the commerce deadline via the finish of the season, Dobeš led the NHL in targets saved above anticipated, in response to Hockey Stats. Only Nashville’s Justus Annunen was even shut. — Harpoon Basu
Minnesota Wild
They will advance to the second spherical for the first time since 2015
This is the greatest team in Wild historical past and hardly the similar one Dallas confronted in 2023. First, there are the three legit superstars in Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes. Kaprizov performed damage in 2023, Boldy wasn’t a star but, and Hughes wasn’t in Minnesota. Plus, Joel Eriksson Ek basically missed the sequence, Ryan Hartman had a knee damage, and Brock Faber was a third-pair defenseman contemporary off school ice. This is now a talented, deep team that may get targets from three strains and beat groups up in the backside six. — Michael Russo
Dallas Stars
Jason Robertson could have a couple of multi-goal sport in opposition to the Wild
Robertson has simply three multi-goal video games in 56 profession playoff video games, however he is discovered one other gear this season. And he certainly shall be additional motivated to ship Minnesota normal supervisor Bill Guerin house early after being left off Team USA’s Olympic roster. Can he match Mikko Rantanen’s spectacular first-round efficiency in opposition to Colorado final spring? He may have to (or at the least come shut) in the hardest early matchup of the postseason. — Mark Lazerus
Edmonton Oilers
Their secondary scoring exhibits up
This train is perhaps more durable for the Oilers than another team. Would anybody be shocked if Connor McDavid and a soon-to-be-available Leon Draisaitl dragged them for two, three or 4 rounds? Nope. Would anybody be shocked in the event that they self-destructed in the first spherical in opposition to Anaheim, their latest run of stable defensive play not standing? Nope. How about this: Their second layer — Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin — comes up with some large, crucial targets to win them a sequence. It’s bold, however it should not be. — Sean Gentille
Anaheim Ducks
They will upset the Oilers
Is this bold sufficient? Let’s simply say the Oilers higher not let it occur and have Connor McDavid begin questioning whether or not they’ll ever win all of it. The Ducks cannot defend persistently, and their shaky penalty kill in opposition to a prolific Edmonton energy play is not a very good match. But there shall be loads of targets in this sequence, and Lukáš Dostál has big-game capability even when he is had a so-so season. Anaheim can rating and is not intimidated by Edmonton’s high-paced sport. If Dostál outplays Connor Ingram, who is aware of? — Eric Stephens
Vegas Golden Knights
They will make a training change in the center of the playoffs
I do not consider this has ever occurred, however these are alleged to be bold, proper? Vegas fired Gerard Gallant after he took an growth team to the Stanley Cup Final. It fired Pete DeBoer after he twice led the team to the closing 4 of the playoffs. He fired his Cup-winning coach, Bruce Cassidy, with eight video games left in the season. John Tortorella has sparked the team, however what if that magic wears off after a sequence or two? We’ve seen this group make bolder strikes in the previous. — Jesse Granger
Utah Mammoth
Logan Cooley will escape as their greatest offensive driver
Clayton Keller has been Utah’s offensive engine and greatest participant all season lengthy. Cooley, in an injury-plagued season, is producing at a 65 factors per 82 video games tempo, which is sweet, however not elite. With his elite velocity and ability mixture, nonetheless, I’m predicting Cooley will use the 2026 playoffs as a launching pad for his arrival as a real star participant in this league. — Harman Dayal
Colorado Avalanche
They will win a Game 7
I do not know which spherical, and I do not know if it would result in a championship, however I believe that is the yr the Avalanche will overcome their Game 7 dropping streak. They’ve misplaced seven Game 7s in a row relationship to the 2002 Western Conference closing in opposition to Detroit. — Peter Baugh
Los Angeles Kings
They will give Anže Kopitar three extra house video games
There is bold and there’s wacky. Wacky is pondering the Kings will pull off the mom of upsets in opposition to the team that might be the heavy Stanley Cup favourite so long as it will get previous the Minnesota-Dallas winner in the second spherical. But bold is pondering the Kings will steal a few wins and make Colorado sweat a little bit. That would imply attending to a Game 6 in LA, and if which means one other send-off for the stylish heart in entrance of his appreciative fan base, that is not a foul factor. — Eric Stephens
