While the Florida Panthers will be watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs from afar, the stage is set for some new names. For a full rundown on who's facing who, check out our breakdown here.
Only five times in history has the Stanley Cup winner failed to make the playoffs the following season. Due to injuries, the Panthers joined a select group of clubs that previously included the Toronto Maple Leafs (1967-68), Montreal Canadiens (1969-70), New Jersey Devils (1996-97), Carolina Hurricanes (2006-07), and Los Angeles Kings (2014-15).
But it's been 13 years since the last time the regular season winner also captured the legendary Stanley Cup.
The last team to win both the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season was the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. However, that season was shortened to just 48 games due to a lockout.
The last time a team won both in a full-length season was Detroit, 19 years ago, during the 2006-2007 season.
So, how does the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs stand to be unique? Let's get into it.
Colorado Chasing a Rare Double
This year, the Avalanche are in a strong position. It’s not just their offense—they’re the only team to score over 300 goals (3.68 per game).
Colorado also boasts the league’s best defense (2.48 goals against per game) and will enter the playoffs nearly at full strength, showing great potential to become the first team since that historic 2006-2007 Red Wings squad to win the Presidents' Trophy and Stanley Cup (in a full season).
The only players on the injury list are Nazem Kadri and defenseman Josh Manson, but both are expected to be ready for the start of the playoffs. The key will be whether Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas can handle the pressure of being the favorites.
The leadership of Gabriel Landeskog and the hunger of Brent Burns—the new record holder for consecutive games played by a defenseman—could be the final push they need to lift the trophy.
Will Draisaitl be back for the Oilers?
With Florida out of the running, a new opportunity opens up for the perennial runners-up from Edmonton. The Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final to Florida two years in a row.
But this year, they suffered a major blow before the playoffs even began—Leon Draisaitl got hurt.
To put it in perspective: the German forward has scored 50 goals and at least 100 points in four of the last eight seasons—more than any other player in the league.
"We’ll probably lose some scoring, so we’ll have to find other ways to win without him. The most important thing now is to control the game," reflected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Ironically, this shift in mindset could actually help the Oilers.
In previous years, their offensive stars carried them into the playoffs, but defense is what wins in the postseason. Draisaitl’s return isn’t out of the question—he’s already back in training—but it’s clear that even more responsibility will fall on the shoulders of superstar Connor McDavid.
However, should the Oilers go back to the Stanley Cup Finals and lose, they will become just the third team in the league's history (Toronto Maple Leafs 1938–1940, St. Louis Blues 1968–1970) to lose the SCF in three straight years.
Crosby back in the playoffs for 'Battle of Pennsylvania'
For three straight years, the Penguins missed the playoffs, and most expected that during their rebuild, they’d be on the outside looking in again.
Pittsburgh even used 44 different players this season—the most of any team.
But the one constant was Sidney Crosby. The captain and leader took charge and pulled the Penguins out of their slump. Once again, for the 20th straight season, he averaged at least a point per game and led the team with 74.
Even at 38, and despite missing 14 games due to an injury during the Olympics, he dominated the team’s scoring and gave his longtime teammates one more shot at a playoff run.
He still has a year left on his contract, while veteran Kris Letang has two, but Evgeni Malkin’s contract will be up following the playoffs, and it’s unclear if he’ll get a new one.
Crosby’s return to the playoffs is even more impressive because, for the first time in eight years, Pittsburgh will face their Pennsylvania rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the opening round.
Pittsburgh has won just three of their seven previous playoff series against them.
Farewell to the Slovenian King
While Crosby hasn’t announced his retirement yet, another star captain has been saying his goodbyes in several arenas this season.
The final dance awaits Anze Kopitar, two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings.
"This has been my home for 20 years," the Slovenian forward said during a ceremony after the Kings’ last home game of the regular season against Edmonton. At that moment, he didn’t know that the win over the Oilers, a subsequent victory against Seattle, and some collapses by rivals would extend his final season by a few more weeks.
The Kings’ strength, now driven by the performances and scoring of Artemi Panarin, will be put to the test by Colorado.
New Starting Goalies
This season has also seen the rise of new starting goaltenders. Compared to last year, there are familiar faces in net for new teams such as Edmonton (Connor Ingram), Carolina (Brandon Bussi), Vegas (Carter Hart), and Pittsburgh (Stuart Skinner), the former Oilers goalie who was traded mid-season this year.
Even in Minnesota, fan-favorite Jesper Wallstedt will be making his NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs debut.
Other goalies making their playoff debuts are Karel Vejmelka in Utah and Lukas Dostal in Anaheim, as Czech goalies continue to stand out among teams.
Two more tall Czech goalies have become game-changers for their teams.
Jakub Dobes of Montreal could even be in the running for Rookie of the Year after winning 29 games.
And then there’s Daniel Vladar, who, after moving from Calgary, helped Philadelphia reach the playoffs for the first time in five years.
That means there will be four Czech starting goalies in the playoffs—only Canada has more, with five.
"Morning Coffee" in Buffalo
The longest playoff drought in NHL history is finally over. After 14 long years, Buffalo is back in the postseason.
The Sabres started the year as underdogs but finished as Atlantic Division champions for the first time in 16 years. Their 109 points mark the fifth-best season in the organization’s more than 50-year history.
On the ice, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin have been outstanding, but the transformation from outsiders to winners was orchestrated by local hero Lindy Ruff, who returned after a December front office shakeup.
The iconic coach has been part of every major moment in Sabres history—including the memorable but heartbreaking 1999 Stanley Cup Final and their last playoff appearance. "People might find it strange, but I never really left. I’ve been here since 1979," he said.
One of the things Ruff introduced was "morning coffee."
"Just come to the rink a little earlier, wake up with a coffee, and chat with your teammates," he explained—a philosophy that helped bring the team together.
New rivalries born, classic matchups return
The Stanley Cup Playoffs start with eight matchups, and some of them feature fierce rivalries with deep history.
The most heated matchup has already been mentioned—Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will meet for the first time in eight years.
Boston and Buffalo have also had their share of hard-fought battles in the past, who will be facing each other for the first time since the 2010 quarter-finals when Boston won in six games (4-2).
The Montreal vs. Tampa Bay series is sure to be tense as well—their last regular-season meeting saw a whopping 126 penalty minutes handed out.
This series will be especially meaningful for Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, who now coaches the Canadiens but spent nearly his entire playing career with the Lightning.
Expect plenty of emotion in the Dallas vs. Minnesota matchup, too.
Three decades ago, the original North Stars moved from Minnesota to Dallas, leaving the hockey hotbed in the north without an NHL team for years.
The Wild have lost both previous playoff series against Dallas and are eager for revenge.