The NHL rarely follows the script that looks obvious in September. Young players accelerate faster than expected, coaching changes unlock struggling rosters, and a handful of close losses turning into wins can transform an entire season. That unpredictability could be especially important in 2026–27, when clubs will play an expanded 84-game schedule beginning September 29.
Some potential surprises are rebuilding teams ready to move ahead of schedule. Others already showed playoff potential but may have another level that has not been fully appreciated. There are also established clubs entering the season with enough uncertainty that merely remaining competitive could exceed expectations. From rapidly developing young cores to veteran groups trying to rebound, these 17 NHL teams could produce some of the season’s most unexpected stories.
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim has already moved beyond being merely an interesting rebuilding team. The Ducks went 43-33-6 in 2025–26, returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017–18 and reached the second round. Cutter Gauthier was central to that breakthrough, leading Anaheim with 41 goals and 69 points in 76 games before producing another 12 points in 12 playoff games. Any uncertainty about his immediate future disappeared when Anaheim signed the 22-year-old to a six-year contract in September.
What makes Anaheim intriguing is that several of its most important players are still young enough to improve considerably. Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and Lukas Dostal give the organization high-end pieces at multiple positions rather than one isolated young star. The Ducks also added veterans including A.J. Greer and Nick Jensen during the offseason. After winning a playoff series, expectations will naturally rise, but Anaheim may still be underestimated if its younger core develops another step faster than anticipated. A second consecutive postseason appearance would no longer be shocking; becoming a legitimate Pacific Division threat might be.
Calgary Flames
Calgary finished 34-39-9 last season, but the record does not fully explain why the Flames remain interesting. Their biggest problem was unmistakable: scoring. Calgary averaged only 2.54 goals per game, the lowest figure in the NHL. Matt Coronato led the team with just 45 points, while Morgan Frost and Mikael Backlund each finished with 43. That kind of offensive production usually leaves very little margin for error, even when the goaltending provides nights worth stealing.
The potential surprise comes from improvement elsewhere. Calgary acquired 22-year-old defenseman Simon Nemec, who produced 26 points in 68 games last season, giving an already young roster another player capable of developing into a major piece. Dustin Wolf also gives the Flames a goaltender around whom they can build. Jonathan Huberdeau is expected to miss the beginning of the season as he works back from hip surgery, so the start could still be difficult. Yet Calgary does not need to become an offensive powerhouse to make a meaningful jump. Even average scoring combined with stronger defensive play and quality goaltending could turn several narrow losses into standings points.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago may have to survive the first part of the season without its biggest star. Connor Bedard, recently named captain, is expected to remain out until approximately November following shoulder surgery. That is a significant obstacle for a team that went 29-39-14 and finished last in the Central Division. Yet Chicago’s offseason also showed that management believes the rebuilding process is entering a different stage.
Patrick Kane has returned to the organization where he became one of the defining players of his generation, while defenseman Bowen Byram gives the Blackhawks another high-level piece on the blue line. Chicago is also waiting for prospects and young players such as Roman Kantserov to establish themselves. Kane cannot recreate the Blackhawks of the early 2010s by himself, and Bedard’s absence could make October difficult. Still, the roster contains more legitimate NHL talent than it did during the earliest stages of the rebuild. If Chicago stays competitive until Bedard returns, the second half of the season could look considerably different from what its recent records suggest.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus was closer than its sixth consecutive missed postseason might make it seem. The Blue Jackets finished 40-30-12 in 2025–26 and remained in the playoff race before losing nine of their final 11 games. That collapse became a major offseason talking point for coach Rick Bowness, who made changing the team’s approach and expectations a priority. A club that reached 40 wins does not necessarily need a dramatic transformation to get back into meaningful April games.
The Blue Jackets also added Valeri Nichushkin, who recorded 49 points in 72 games last season. His size, scoring ability and special-teams value should give Columbus another option around an emerging group that has accumulated significant experience during the rebuild. Zach Werenski remains the foundation on defense, while several younger players are moving into larger roles. The challenge is turning potential into consistency. Columbus has spent multiple seasons looking capable of taking the next step without actually completing it. If the late-season collapse of 2025–26 becomes a lesson rather than a pattern, the Blue Jackets could finally convert years of promising pieces into a playoff berth.
Detroit Red Wings
Few teams enter the season with a stranger combination of talent and uncertainty than Detroit. The Red Wings finished 41-31-10 last season but missed the playoffs for a 10th consecutive year, the longest postseason drought in franchise history. Dylan Larkin subsequently requested a trade and is no longer captain. He also entered training camp recovering from an upper-body injury, leaving one of Detroit’s most important players surrounded by questions before the first regular-season puck has even dropped.
There is still enough talent to make Detroit dangerous. Alex DeBrincat produced 41 goals and 85 points last season, while the Red Wings added Viktor Arvidsson after he recorded 25 goals and 54 points for Boston. Moritz Seider remains a major piece on defense, and the organization continues to wait for several younger players to take bigger roles. Detroit’s surprise path is unusual: instability could sink the season, but it could also force other players to assume responsibility earlier than expected. If the lineup finds stability and the Larkin situation becomes manageable, a decade-long playoff drought could finally be challenged.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal’s surprise would not come from simply making the playoffs anymore. The Canadiens finished 48-24-10 last season and advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, turning a young roster into one of the NHL’s fastest-rising groups. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky form the kind of first line that can dictate games, while the organization’s broader collection of young players provides Montreal with unusually high long-term upside.
The question is whether the Canadiens can move from exciting upstart to sustainable contender faster than expected. Depth behind the top line remains important, particularly at centre. Oliver Kapanen scored 22 goals as a rookie but produced only four over his final 25 regular-season games, showing how development rarely moves in a perfectly straight line. Montreal is also watching its young goaltenders closely as Jakub Dobes attempts to establish himself in a larger role. After reaching the conference final, the Canadiens will no longer sneak up on opponents. Surprising the league now would mean proving last season was not the high point of the rebuild but merely the beginning.
Nashville Predators
Nashville’s final record of 38-34-10 hides one of the more interesting splits from last season. The Predators were just 8-13-4 entering December, putting themselves in another difficult early hole. They subsequently went 30-21-6 but still finished four points behind the final Western Conference wild-card position. For a team that has missed the postseason in consecutive years, simply avoiding another damaging start could completely change how the standings look in March.
There were also meaningful roster changes. Mavrik Bourque arrived after producing 41 points, including 20 goals, for Dallas and could receive an opportunity at centre. Nashville added several other forwards as it reshaped the group around its remaining veterans. The largest variable may still be Juuse Saros. He played 59 games last season but posted a career-worst 3.16 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. If Saros returns closer to his established level and the revamped forward group generates consistent offense, Nashville has a plausible route from sixth in the Central Division back into the playoff race.
New Jersey Devils
A 42-37-3 season and seventh-place Metropolitan Division finish represented a major disappointment for New Jersey. The roster still contains the speed and high-end talent that previously made the Devils look like one of the East’s emerging contenders, but injuries and inconsistency prevented that group from establishing momentum. Jack Hughes’ health remains especially important because so much of New Jersey’s ability to attack at speed flows through him.
The Devils tried to add more scoring options rather than simply hoping for a healthier season. Anthony Mantha signed after setting career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists and 64 points for Pittsburgh, and New Jersey also added other forward depth. Goaltending is the obvious question. With Jacob Markstrom gone, the Devils are expected to lean on a combination that includes Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich. That uncertainty lowers expectations, which is precisely why New Jersey belongs among the potential surprises. If the goalies provide steady rather than spectacular results and the core stays healthier, the Devils have enough offensive talent to climb significantly from last season’s disappointing finish.
New York Islanders
The Islanders were still sitting third in the Metropolitan Division as late as April 4 last season, yet finished 43-34-5 and missed the playoffs after a disastrous closing stretch. That makes New York less of a traditional rebuilding sleeper and more of a team searching for ways to stop giving away an opportunity that was already within reach. Peter DeBoer now enters his first full season as coach with several obvious areas to address.
The power play is at the top of the list. New York converted only 16.5% of its opportunities last season, ranking 30th in the NHL after finishing 31st the year before. Even a moderate improvement could create meaningful additional standings points. Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, has another year of experience, while youngsters such as Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund could also become contributors. The Islanders do not need every prospect to become an instant star. Better special teams, a stronger finish and continued development around Schaefer could be enough to put them back into the postseason picture.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa’s offseason changed the personality of the franchise. The Senators went 44-27-11 in 2025–26 and reached the playoffs before losing in the first round, but captain Brady Tkachuk was traded to Florida in June. Losing a player so closely associated with the team’s identity would normally make expectations fall quickly. Ottawa, however, did not respond by beginning another rebuilding cycle.
William Eklund was acquired after scoring 53 points in 78 games for San Jose, giving Ottawa a 23-year-old forward who can immediately fit into the top six. The Senators also brought in Andre Burakovsky, added Samuel Ersson to the goaltending group and retained veteran Claude Giroux. The result is a different roster rather than necessarily a weaker one. Replacing Tkachuk’s combination of offense, physicality and leadership will take more than one player, but Ottawa still possesses an established core. If Eklund flourishes with increased responsibility and the younger pieces continue developing, the Senators could remain much more competitive than the dramatic captaincy change suggests.
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia already delivered one surprise last season. The Flyers finished 43-27-12, then went 18-7-1 after the Olympic break to secure third place in the Metropolitan Division. They defeated Pittsburgh in six games for the franchise’s first playoff-series victory since 2020 before Carolina swept them in the second round. That experience matters because 12 players returning this season made their postseason debuts during that run.
Instead of rebuilding the roster again, Philadelphia largely chose to see how much further that group can develop. Matvei Michkov remains central to the team’s offensive ceiling, while Porter Martone gives the Flyers another highly regarded young forward to watch. Philadelphia also acquired Joseph Woll to strengthen its goaltending options alongside Dan Vladar. The Flyers are now in an awkward but promising position: expectations have risen, but much of the roster is still developing. If the post-Olympic version of Philadelphia was closer to the team’s true level than its earlier form, another substantial step could come sooner than many anticipated when the rebuild began.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh’s surprise would be less about suddenly arriving and more about refusing to disappear. The Penguins went 41-25-16 last season, finished second in the Metropolitan Division and made the playoffs, yet questions about age continue to follow a roster still associated with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is entering his 21st NHL season, and every new campaign naturally raises another round of questions about how long Pittsburgh’s veteran foundation can remain competitive.
The supporting cast has changed. Anthony Mantha departed after leading Pittsburgh with 33 goals, and the Penguins signed Andrei Kuzmenko while acquiring Nicholas Robertson from Toronto to replenish the scoring. Kuzmenko had 13 goals and 25 points in 52 games for Los Angeles last season and enters Pittsburgh with an opportunity to play alongside elite creators. The Penguins no longer have the margin for error they enjoyed during their championship years, but Crosby and Malkin have spent much of their careers making conventional aging curves look unreliable. Staying near the top of the Metropolitan Division again would qualify as another quiet surprise.
San Jose Sharks
San Jose went 39-35-8 last season and remained in the playoff conversation much longer than many rebuilding teams typically do. That record represented an important shift from the stage when the Sharks were accumulating high draft picks while waiting for their next core to arrive. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are no longer simply future pieces; they are becoming players around whom San Jose can build an increasingly credible NHL lineup.
Management also added experience behind them. Jacob Trouba signed a four-year contract after recording 35 points and 10 goals for Anaheim, while the Sharks also added veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse and forward Mason Marchment. Swedish prospect Otto Stenberg is another young player who could push for meaningful responsibility. None of those moves automatically turns San Jose into a contender, but they reduce the burden placed entirely on the youngest stars. A rebuilding team often becomes dangerous when its prospects improve at the same moment management adds competent veterans. The Sharks appear to be approaching that intersection, making a genuine playoff push a realistic surprise scenario.
Seattle Kraken
Seattle was closer to contention last season than its 34-37-11 record suggests. The Kraken occupied a playoff position when the league paused for the 2026 Winter Olympics, only to go 2-6-0 immediately after the break and later endure a 1-8-2 stretch from March 17 through April 7. That collapse ended their postseason hopes and produced a third consecutive year outside the playoffs.
The organization responded without tearing everything apart. Seattle acquired 23-year-old Mackie Samoskevich and retained Bobby McMann after he scored 10 goals in just 18 games following his March arrival from Toronto. General manager Jason Botterill has said the Kraken could open the season with seven or eight forwards aged 23 or younger, which illustrates just how much internal growth Seattle is counting on. Offense must improve after the Kraken averaged 2.73 goals per game, 28th in the NHL. Yet if the younger forwards progress and Seattle avoids another catastrophic late-season slide, the team that briefly occupied a postseason position could stay there much longer this time.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues’ 37-33-12 record does not immediately scream contender, but their finish deserves attention. From March 1 through the end of the regular season, St. Louis went 16-4-3. Its .761 points percentage over that 23-game stretch was the best in the NHL. Goaltender Joel Hofer was particularly impressive, posting an .932 save percentage during that period and finishing the full season with six shutouts.
St. Louis then reshaped its offense around a younger group. Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael arrived in separate trades and are expected to receive significant top-six opportunities. That matters because the Blues finished 24th in scoring at 2.80 goals per game and leaned heavily on their top line. McTavish and McMichael do not have to replace every departed goal individually; they need to give St. Louis a more balanced attack. If Hofer’s late-season performance proves sustainable and the new forwards deepen the scoring, the Blues could turn one of last season’s strongest finishes into a full-season playoff push.
Utah Mammoth
Utah is no longer trying merely to establish itself. The Mammoth went 43-33-6 last season, earned the first Western Conference wild card and pushed Vegas to six games in the opening round. That performance came after a 38-31-13 inaugural season in Utah, creating a clear upward trajectory. The next question is whether this young group can move from qualifying for the playoffs to becoming a difficult opponent once it gets there.
The offseason additions suggest management believes the time has arrived to accelerate. Vincent Trocheck joined after a 53-point season, while longtime Islanders captain Anders Lee signed after scoring 19 goals and 42 points. They join a young core that already includes Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther. Guenther broke out for 40 goals and 73 points last season, while Utah had multiple players consistently generating chances from dangerous scoring areas. Adding experienced playoff veterans to that kind of young talent gives the Mammoth something they lacked a year ago. A move toward the top of the Central Division would be ambitious, but no longer far-fetched.
Vancouver Canucks
No team on this list has a lower starting point than Vancouver. The Canucks went 25-49-8 last season, finished with an NHL-low 58 points and scored only 210 goals. That was the league’s second-lowest total, ahead of only Calgary. Elias Pettersson led Vancouver with 51 points in 74 games, an unusually modest total for the leading scorer of an NHL team. After years of turmoil and major roster changes, the organization has effectively started another chapter.
Manny Malhotra takes over behind the bench, while Ryan Johnson became general manager and Henrik and Daniel Sedin moved into co-president roles. Brendan Gallagher and Jamie Oleksiak were among the veterans added, but the greatest improvement will have to come internally. Vancouver is not being positioned as a realistic Stanley Cup contender, and that actually makes its surprise threshold more attainable. Better structure, a rebound from Pettersson and meaningful contributions from younger players could make the Canucks far more competitive. After a 58-point season, even returning to the fringes of the Western Conference race would represent a dramatic turnaround.
