It’s the time of year where everything still looks good on paper. The puck hasn’t dropped yet and all those off-season moves that were supposed to transform rosters remain full of promise. Every team theoretically has the chance to go 84-0.
We know that won’t happen, though. Inevitably, there will be teams that we think don’t have any chance who end up making a playoff push and vice versa. There’s always a team or two that have high expectations who we believe could be Cup contenders that stumble. It’s easy to pencil in a handful of teams that should cruise to a playoff spot or division title, but nothing is guaranteed.
Even the best teams have flaws and there’s a lot that can go wrong over a long season. In order to avoid disappointment, you have to accentuate your positives and try to mask your shortcomings. However, that’s easier said than done, but the teams that do the best job of overcoming their flaws are usually still standing late in the spring.
Here are the biggest potential flaws for each division favourite heading into the season:
Edmonton Oilers – Can’t overcome lack of depth
The Oilers pushed all their chips into the middle of table this summer, bringing in Mike Babcock behind the bench in what seems like a Stanley Cup-or-bust season. It was a huge bet to make on a guy that has had a ton of success in the past, but little to none in recent memory. Babcock hasn’t coached in the NHL in six seasons and hasn’t won a playoff series in well over a decade.
Now he’s inheriting a roster that’s very top heavy and as good as the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard are, the Oilers clearly took a step back last season. Edmonton had a hard time replacing Corey Perry, Connor Brown and Viktor Arvidsson a year ago up front, and the forward group looks very similar again heading into 2026-27. The only addition of note is Alex Formenton, who hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2021-22 campaign and is likely headed for a bottom-six role. The Oilers will be banking on players like Isaac Howard and Matthew Savoie taking a big step forward, which is a big leap of faith.
Darnell Nurse has departed on the blue line and say what you will about his tenure in Edmonton, but he still averaged over 22 minutes a night during his time as an Oiler. It will be a big ask for the incoming Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin to pick up the slack. That could put even more strain on the goaltending, which we know has been an issue for years in Edmonton. Tristan Jarry, who is coming off a nightmare season, will be tasked with trying to turn things around, as Devon Levi is largely unproven and free-agent signing Frederik Andersen is already injured.
All this is to say that Babcock better be able to implement some magic to a largely returning roster that struggled to find any consistency last season.
Colorado Avalanche – Regression takes a toll on key players
No one could catch the Avalanche last season after they exploded out of the gates, losing just twice in regulation before the new year. Colorado was powered by several incredible campaigns that exceeded expectations, but how much of that is sustainable?
Martin Necas ended up with 100 points after shooting 18.4 per cent on the year, which was significantly above his career average. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood finished with a .921 save percentage to go along with 31 wins, numbers that very few expected and something that will be hard for the 34-year-old to replicate. Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri will be 35 and 36 respectively come October, so at some point it will be hard to count on them to continue producing at a high level. Then there’s Brent Burns, who scored 12 times from the blue line a year ago at age 41. It would be foolhardy not to expect a little regression there.
Let’s also keep in mind both the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild finished with well over 100 points in 2025-26, so they could easily overtake the Avs for a division crown if some of Colorado’s key players take too big of a step back.
Carolina Hurricanes – Didn’t do enough in the off-season
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That seemed to be the Hurricanes' strategy this off-season and rightfully so. Carolina finally put it all together last spring and their incredibly balanced lineup was too much for the rest of the field to handle, so they chose to pretty much keep everything status quo heading into 2026-27.
However, a division foe and perhaps the Canes' biggest challenger this season in the Metropolitan Division took the opposite approach. The Washington Capitals loaded up and brought in Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner to add to an already talented group. Not to mention players like Cole Hutson, Ilya Protas and Ryan Leonard are a year older and figure to be more significant contributors this time around. The Caps look as big, skilled and physical as anyone in the league and are now arguably as deep as Carolina.
The Hurricanes' depth also took a bit of a hit this summer with Frederik Andersen leaving, Seth Jarvis currently injured and Alexander Nikishin seemingly headed for a breakup with the organization. That means there is more pressure on Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov to stay healthy and carry the load in net, while Eric Robinson may need to move up the lineup until Jarvis is ready to return. Carolina still has more than $8 million in cap space available and perhaps it would have been wise to be more aggressive in free agency to try to bolster an already strong lineup just a little more.
Florida Panthers – Goaltending doesn’t hold up
Injuries ravaged the Panthers last season but they figure to be back in full force after some off-season moves bolstered an already potent lineup. The addition of Brady Tkachuk makes Florida’s forward group one of the scariest in the league, as the Panthers are clearly doubling down on their physical style of play.
If there’s one lingering question mark, though, it’s between the pipes. Florida chose to let Sergei Bobrovsky walk in free agency and replaced him with Jacob Markstrom, which was somewhat of a curious move. Markstrom is making close to the same money as Bobrovsky, is roughly the same age and is coming off a similarly poor season. Now he joins a Panthers squad that relied on Bobrovsky to bail them regularly when the defence broke down. Due to Florida’s aggressive forechecking style and the way its defence crashes down low to keep pucks alive, the Panthers are actually vulnerable at times to odd-man rushes and breakaways. In fact, during their two Stanley Cup-winning seasons, the Panthers gave up 132 breakaways, more than any other team in the NHL over that span.
It’s not like the Panthers are well insulated at the position either if Markstrom falters. Akira Schmid, with his 82 career games and sub .900 save percentage spread over five seasons, would be the next man up. We’ve seen bad goaltending derail really strong teams before, so Florida will be hoping Markstrom can stay healthy and have a bounce-back season.
