The Colorado Avalanche are shaping up to be the Stanley Cup winners in 2026, according to my predictions.
I made this statement a month ago, when they asked me for my prediction for the Cup. At that moment, I felt that I was going against the current, considering the good performance of teams like the Edmonton Oilers, who have lost consecutively in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Dallas Stars, with three consecutive losses in the Western Conference finals, and the Vegas Golden Knights, who added Mitch Marner in the offseason.
My surprise was great to see that the predictions of the Alofoke Deportes hockey family also favored the Avalanche. Something that made me reconsider my choice.Following tradition, I revealed my Stanley Cup pick to a team member during the player media event in Las Vegas:
Me: I wanted to inform you that I am predicting that you will win the Stanley Cup.
Cale Makar, Avalanche star
Makar: I appreciate that.
Cale Makar, Avalanche star
Me: I also wanted to inform you that I am not good at making Stanley Cup predictions.
Cale Makar, Avalanche star
Makar: Well, let’s hope we prove otherwise.
Cale Makar, Avalanche star
I predict that the Avalanche will outperform the Carolina Hurricanes, who are looking to break their losing streak in the Eastern Conference under the direction of coach Rod Brind’amour. Below, I detail my predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season, divided by division.Good luck to all 32 teams! I hope everyone enjoys the season.
Atlantic Division
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Ottawa Senators
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Florida Panthers
- Buffalo Sabres
- Montreal Canadiens
- Detroit Red Wings
- Boston Bruins
A clear example of the constant restructuring of power in the Atlantic Division is that the Lightning have not led the division since 2018-19. Despite having key players like Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Victor Hedman, the team has struggled.The Lightning, with a team full of talent, should win the Atlantic Division this season. The Kucherov line, with Point and Guentzel, averaged more than four goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. The Cirelli and Hagel pairing produced a 61% expected goals percentage together last season. Tampa Bay will have at least one new banner to raise in the rafters after this season.The Senators, who made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2017, could continue to rise if the forward group performs well.The loss of Mitch Marner represents a decrease in points for the Maple Leafs. However, the arrival of Matthew Knies could compensate for this drop.The Panthers could struggle without Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, which could end their attempt to achieve a third consecutive championship. Sam Reinhart is the most important player for the Panthers this season.The Sabres are the most perplexing team in the Atlantic Division. Although they have shown improvements, they still have many questions to answer.The Canadiens could take a step back this season before improving in the future. They have problems on defense, which could be a challenge.The Red Wings don’t have the talent to make the playoffs, but they have enough to limit their chances in the draft. This situation is the palpable result of the “Yzerplan”.
Metropolitan Division
- Carolina Hurricanes
- New Jersey Devils
- Washington Capitals
- New York Rangers
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New York Islanders
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Philadelphia Flyers
The Metropolitan Division is shaping up with four teams with strong playoff possibilities and another four that could be a source of points for the first ones, with one exception.The Hurricanes have the same odds as the Oilers and the Golden Knights of making the playoffs. Carolina has reached a points percentage of .604 or higher in six of its seven seasons with Brind’Amour as head coach.The Devils could be preparing for an attempt at Quinn Hughes. Their goal is to see how they perform with a healthy Jack Hughes.The Capitals, with Alex Ovechkin in the last year of his contract, can focus on repeating their incredible 111-point season. Hoping that the young players maintain their level.
