3 way too early predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season

Anyone else counting down the days until we have hockey back in our lives? Okay, good. Same.

At least we have the schedule released for next season and the busy days of free agency are behind us. What are my too early predictions you ask?

1. The Florida Panthers will three-peat as Stanley Cup Champions

The Florida Panthers realistically could win their third Cup in a row next season; if they don't run out of gas first.

ESPN Bet has the Panthers as favorites at +600, Fanduel has the Cats at +700, the odds in their favor here as well. A lot of teams have bolstered their rosters with free agency signings this off season and teams that were on the cusp could likely get to that next level. This makes me personally hesitant to put money on Florida winning for a third time in a row, but hey, there's still time to place that bet.

But I wouldn't be surprised if they won again.

This offseason the Panthers signed their resident bad boy tough guy Brad Marchand to a lengthy, well-deserved six-year contract extension. The pesky forward is in South Florida to stay, and rightfully so. He proved his worth to this franchise with an incredible 20-point post-season which got him into Conn Smythe conversations.

The actual Conn Smythe trophy winner was forward Sam Bennett after scoring 15 goals throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He was about to become a free agent until the Panthers swooped in and dealt Bennett an eight-year contract extension on June 27. Bennett is so valuable to this franchise. According to NHL.com, head coach Paul Maurice said Bennett is "the prototypical Florida Panther identity." They clearly want to keep this energy in their locker room.

Their brick wall in net Sergei Bobrovsky is signed through the 2025-26 season and they have staple players returning in forwards Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, and many more. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad is signed (hello eight-year contract extension this June) along with lethal blue liners Seth Jones, Gustav Forlsing and many more.

The thing about Florida is that their roster is incredibly deep, and they skated circles around players and teams through the playoffs. Will Paul Maurice go from coaching for many years with no Cup to show for it right into a being three-peat champion?

Maybe.

2. The Winnipeg Jets will make the Stanley Cup Final

The President's Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets have signed free agent Winnipeg-native Jonathan Toews this off season. Toews has been away from the game of hockey since the 2022-23 season. He missed the entire 2020-21 campaign because of illness (Chronic Immune Response Syndrome), he then came back and tried to contribute but had to step away in 2022 for a longer time period. When he left the NHL, he was still with the Chicago Blackhawks, serving as captain since 2008 and leading the team to three Stanley Cup wins in five years (2010, 2013, 2015). Toews never said that he was retiring from hockey though. Fast forward to the past June and it was announced that his hometown team in the Winnipeg Jets were bringing him back into the game of hockey starting in the 2025-26 season.

According to NHL.com, Jets head coach Scott Arniel said "we got the best free agent." Needless to say, they're excited to bring Toews aboard.

The Jets have been busy this free agency, signing short deals to key pieces in their lineup. Most recently they inked young forward Gabriel Vilardi to a six-year, $45 million contract. He is in his hockey prime and had a career year last season.

The Jets are backstopped by Connor Hellebuyck, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner (has won back-to-backs currently). He also won the Hart Trophy last season as the league MVP. To say they're set in net is an understatement.

After having the best record in the entire NHL last season with 116 points; the Jets succumbed to the pressure of the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; a classic tale of the President's Trophy curse.

They're built to win now though; I say the Winnipeg Jets will make it further in the playoffs next season, dare I say as far as the Stanley Cup Final?

3. We will see a day in October where all 32 teams score on the same day

It's called the Frozen Frenzy for a reason; every team in the National Hockey League will hit the ice twice this upcoming season. Mark your calendars for two dates; Oct. 11 and Oct 28. Fans have seen OT, shoot outs, fights, hat tricks, high and low scoring affairs, shut outs, and more in the four previous Frozen Frenzies. What the NHL has yet to see is a goal scored from all 32 teams in the same day.

My too early prediction is this barrier will finally be broken. This October we will see all 32 teams score a goal on the same day.

The most goals that have ever been scored on the same day in NHL history is 114, from a 15-game day back in November of 23'. The most goals ever scored in the Frozen Frenzy is 102; from Oct. 24, 2023. The NHL saw the Frenzy (a16-game day) Apr. 8, 2023 (the first ever), the aforementioned Oct. 24, 2023, Jan. 13, 2024, and Oct. 22, 2024. The 2025-26 season will feature the fifth and sixth instances of the Frenzy, both planned for a fall showdown in October.

In the previous campaign we saw such high scoring games toward the end of the season through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I can see this trend continuing into next season, which leads me to think that fans will see the first ever day where all 32 teams score a goal.