Six clubs that sat out the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs enter the new season with a credible route back over the line. Recent history supports a reshuffle: the NHL has averaged 5.5 new playoff teams per season since the current format arrived in 2013-14, after six teams turned over last year and five the year before.
- Florida Panthers: Florida is the clearest rebound candidate after its season was derailed from the opening day of camp by Aleksander Barkov’s season-ending knee injury. The club also carried the wear of three straight Stanley Cup Final trips and consecutive championships, then absorbed further injuries. Barkov is back, Brady Tkachuk joins his brother Matthew, and Jacob Markstrom takes over in goal following Sergei Bobrovsky’s departure. Markstrom began his NHL career in Florida before the March 4, 2014 trade that sent him to Vancouver for Roberto Luongo. The Panthers were No. 4 in the preseason Super 16 and look built for a return; their rise would likely squeeze out one of last season’s five Atlantic Division playoff teams.
- Washington Capitals: Washington posted 95 points last season and still finished three short of a Metropolitan Division berth. That total would have qualified in each of the prior three seasons, including as a third-place Metro finish in 2023-24 and 2024-25. With the schedule expanding from 82 to 84 games, the Capitals have the depth to push beyond 100 points. Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner strengthen the forward group, while a healthy Pierre-Luc Dubois is looking to recover the form that produced 66 points, including 20 goals, two seasons ago, when Washington won the Eastern Conference with 111 points.
- Capitals size watch: Washington will be difficult to move off pucks. Ilya Protas, listed at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, joins brother Aliaksei Protas at 6-6, 250. Tuch is 6-4, 219; Tom Wilson 6-4, 225; Dubois 6-4, 220; Alex Ovechkin 6-3, 238; Jenner 6-2, 204; Ryan Leonard 6-1, 205; and Dylan Strome 6-4, 200. Vincent Desharnais, 6-7 and 225, arrives on a blue line that also includes Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehervary and Matt Roy, all listed above 6-foot-2. Washington has a chance to chase Carolina for the division lead, not merely a wild-card spot.
- San Jose Sharks: The Sharks cut seven years out of the postseason and could end that drought now. They improved by 19 wins and 34 points from 2024-25, finishing last season with 39 victories and 86 points. The Western Conference cutoff was 90 points, leaving San Jose within range even if the bar climbs toward 95. Macklin Celebrini drove the attack with 45 goals, 70 assists and 115 points in 82 games during his second NHL season. Will Smith, Michael Misa and Collin Graf give the club more young scoring options, while No. 2 overall pick Ivar Stenberg could also factor in.
- Sharks blue-line and crease watch: San Jose addressed its biggest weakness after allowing 3.54 goals per game, 30th in the League. Jacob Trouba, Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring add experience and size to a defense corps that already has Dmitry Orlov, a Stanley Cup winner, and 20-year-old Sam Dickinson. Better work in front of the net could be the swing factor.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto’s season has a wide range after it missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Sergei Bobrovsky, 38, arrives on a three-year deal after winning two Cups in Florida. He is expected to settle the crease, but he is also coming off the weakest season of his NHL career. The Leafs have scoring talent and enough on defense to make an 84-game push if Bobrovsky returns to his Panthers form.
- Maple Leafs roster pressure points: Gavin McKenna, the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is entering a demanding spot in the top-six mix. He has been living with John Tavares and receiving guidance from Tavares and Auston Matthews, but his immediate impact could shape the forward deployment. On defense, Darren Raddysh joins after recording 70 points — 22 goals and 48 assists — in 73 games with Tampa Bay. His eight-year contract reflects that breakout, though he will not have Nikita Kucherov feeding him in Toronto.
- St. Louis Blues: St. Louis finished four points out last season despite collecting 33 regulation wins, compared with 22 for playoff-bound Los Angeles. The Kings made up the difference with 20 losses after regulation and the extra standings points that came with them. The Blues’ clearest path is improved special teams: they ranked 26th on the power play at 17.6 percent, 25th on the penalty kill at 76.7 percent, and finished minus-12 in special-teams goal differential.
- Blues additions: Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael were acquired in separate trades to broaden an attack that leaned heavily on Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud. Thomas led the team with 25 goals. McTavish, 23, had 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games for Anaheim; McMichael posted 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games with Washington. Brandon Carlo, listed at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, should add reach and weight to the penalty kill as well as the blue line.
- New Jersey Devils: The Devils have enough forward talent to make a serious climb if their goaltending holds. Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich are coach Sheldon Keefe’s main options in net. A positive season from that group would give New Jersey a path because the rest of the roster has considerable upside.
- Devils lineup watch: Anthony Mantha, Luke Evangelista and Evan Rodrigues add flexibility around a returning core of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer and Connor Brown. Luke Hughes has a chance to rebound in his fourth NHL season after a dip last year. The defense also needs Brett Pesce to remain available and Dougie Hamilton to have a larger impact. The Devils have speed, skill and size on the blue line, but their playoff case still starts with stopping pucks.
