Road to the Stanley Cup set to begin

Is it October yet? You bet it is.

That means a brand-new hockey season is here — full of fresh starts, clean slates and endless possibilities.

The puck officially drops on Tuesday with a trio of games and will keep rolling for more than eight action-packed months until a champion is crowned.

To get you ready, Dump & Chase dives into some of the season’s most compelling storylines and dusts off the crystal ball for some fearless puck predictions.

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Three-peat?

The NHL hasn’t seen a three-peat since the New York Islanders dominated the early 1980s, winning four consecutive Cups before the Edmonton Oilers ended their reign in 1984.

After ex-Jets head coach Paul Maurice guided the Florida Panthers to consecutive titles, it will be fascinating to see if they can capture a third straight Eastern Conference crown — something the Tampa Bay Lightning nearly accomplished earlier this decade.

The Lightning won two straight Cups before falling to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Final, showing that a three-peat is possible, even if Tampa Bay didn’t quite finish the job.

Panthers GM Bill Zito did the unthinkable, retaining three key pending unrestricted free agents — Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad — while also handing blue-liner Niko Mikkola an eight-year extension. This followed Sam Reinhart’s eight-year deal, keeping Florida’s competitive window wide open.

However, a potential season-ending knee injury to captain Aleksander Barkov, who joins Matthew Tkachuk on the shelf, means the Panthers will have to lean on their depth and experience, with others stepping up in their absence.

Still, with stud goalie Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes and a deep roster, Florida has the pieces to make another Cup run. Their biggest challenge is the number of rising teams in the Atlantic Division, echoing the competitive landscape the Oilers faced in the Smythe Division of the 1980s.

There’s enough skill and grit to mount another charge, and you can be sure Zito will be exploring creative solutions down the middle if Barkov is eventually ruled out for the season.

 

Olympic dreams

The 4 Nations Face-Off last February was just the delicious appetizer. Now comes the savoury main course: best-on-best hockey returning to the biggest stage in sports for the first time since 2014.

A Canada vs. U.S.A. showdown for gold would be hockey perfection, but don’t count out Sweden, Finland, Slovakia or Czechia.

Several Jets players — Connor Hellebuyck (USA), Kyle Connor (USA), Josh Morrissey (Canada) and Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland) — should be locks for their national teams, while Mark Scheifele (Canada) and Neal Pionk (USA) will need strong starts to earn spots.

Manitoba-born stars like Mark Stone, Seth Jarvis and Travis Sanheim — all of whom wore the Maple Leaf last winter — will also be in the mix to compete in Italy.

We can’t wait.

 

Sid the Kid

This is a story that just won’t go away — even if Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby would prefer it did.

As he prepares for his 21st NHL season, the first-overall pick in the 2005 draft has made it clear time and again: he wants to continue — and eventually conclude — his career with the Penguins.

But when Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, seemed to leave the door open to a trade in an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the hockey world interpreted it as a signal: another season of losing could make Crosby more open to moving to a contender.

What we do know is that Crosby is coming off an exceptional year, finishing 10th in NHL scoring with 91 points, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game, and excelling in all situations.

He also impressed for Team Canada at the 4 Nations — a gold medal performance that left fans wondering what adding a two-way centre of his calibre could mean for a team chasing the Stanley Cup.

Most observers never expected Marchand to play for anyone other than the Boston Bruins, yet he claimed his second Cup last spring and played a key role. In Crosby’s case, the Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens are often mentioned whenever trade rumours swirl.

If — and it remains a very big if — Crosby reaches the point where he prefers a move, teams would be lining up with their best offers. The decision is entirely in Crosby’s hands, and it’s not one he would take lightly.

Our best guess: Crosby plays out the season with the Penguins. But after four years out of the playoffs, the temptation to consider a change will likely be stronger than ever during the 2026 off-season.

 

Woe, Canada

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, could this finally be the year the Stanley Cup returns to Canada?

There have been multiple near misses since the Canadiens last won it all in 1993, including back-to-back Finals appearances by the Oilers.

Connor McDavid and company remain top contenders, eager to finally slay the beast. The Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs are firmly in “win-now” mode, while the other four northern teams — Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa — may not look as dominant on paper, but that’s why games are played on the ice.

It’s long overdue, don’t you think?

 

Captain Serious

Speaking of players who never thought they’d pull on a new NHL jersey, the homecoming of former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews isn’t just a local story. It’s one that will grab the attention of hardcore fans and casual observers alike.

After a two-year absence due to health-related issues, Toews has plenty of supporters, past and present, rooting for his success.

During training camp and the pre-season, he’s shown excellent physical condition, and his hockey sense is as sharp as ever. The 37-year-old is managing a lower-body issue, but all signs point to him being ready for the season opener next Thursday.

Questions remain about his offensive production, but it’s important to remember that Toews has always been a value-added player — bringing intangibles, elevating teammates, and making those around him better.

A proven winner throughout his career, Toews’s leadership is a major asset for a Jets team that captured the Presidents’ Trophy last season but fell 10 wins short of the Stanley Cup. Adding a three-time Cup champion with his winning pedigree will surely attract national headlines in addition to local coverage.

Slotted as the Jets’ second-line centre, Toews didn’t return just to mentor. He’s here to show he still has plenty left in the tank and to be part of a winning team again.

Bet against him at your own peril.

 

Ovie’s swan song?

With no goal-scoring record left to chase, what’s next for Alex Ovechkin, the “Great Eight”?

Now 40 and in the final year of his contract, Ovechkin hasn’t revealed what’s next. Washington Capitals PR hinted this past summer that 2025-26 might be his last season, then backtracked, saying no final decision has been made.

Last season showed there’s still plenty of gas in the tank — he had every motivation to overtake Wayne Gretzky — but it would be understandable if he chose to hang up his skates.

We’ve never seen a player like him, and probably never will. Savour it. His only (potentially last) regular-season visit to Winnipeg is Dec. 13.

 

Surprise, surprise

A year ago, the runaway winner in this category was the Columbus Blue Jackets, who endured the unthinkable loss of star player Johnny Gaudreau yet still nearly reached the Eastern Conference playoffs.

This year could be a toss-up between the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks have done some smart work, locking in two emerging core players — forward Mason McTavish and defenceman Jackson LaCombe — to lengthy, lucrative contract extensions.

GM Pat Verbeek has bolstered the roster with veterans like Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas, while Lukas Dostal has emerged as the clear-cut No. 1 goalie after John Gibson was traded in the off-season.

While Anaheim should be in the hunt for the final Western wild-card spot, it feels like the time is now for the Mammoth. Under GM Bill Armstrong and head coach André Tourigny, the team has been trending upward.

Armstrong added centre JJ Peterka over the summer to deepen the middle, and with plenty of draft capital and salary-cap space still available, the Mammoth could make further moves before the deadline.

 

Let’s make a McDeal?

There’s no debate: Connor McDavid is the best player in the NHL.

Yet at US$12.5 million per season, he’s only the fifth-highest-paid player, trailing Kirill Kaprizov (US$17M), Leon Draisaitl (US$14M), Auston Matthews (US$13.25M) and Nathan MacKinnon (US$12.6M).

That’s likely to change with McDavid entering the final year of his contract, but questions remain: a long-term extension? A short-term deal at a lower cap hit? No new deal at all, making him the league’s most coveted free agent next July 1?

No one knows yet, but the hockey world will be watching closely.

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld