Panthers 3-peat bid, Olympic hopes among top 2025-26 storylines

A possible three-peat for the first time in 44 years, fresh starts, eras that are or could be ending, others that are starting, milestone chases, contract questions, and the Olympics all are storylines generating interest and creating excitement around the NHL with the regular season now sharply in focus.

It all begins Tuesday with a tripleheader starting with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers hosting Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena (5 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).

Following the Panthers and Blackhawks, Mike Sullivan starts his run on Broadway when the coach leads his new team, the New York Rangers, into the season against his old team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).

The opening night drama concludes in Southern California, where Anze Kopitar begins his final NHL season as the Los Angeles Kings take on the Colorado Avalanche at Crypto.com Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).

And that's just to get it all started.

Here are 10 storylines to follow in the NHL this season:

Going back to the Olympics

For the first time since 2013-14 an NHL season will begin with players competing not only for their respective teams, but for the chance to represent their country on the world stage.

The men's hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 runs from Feb. 11-22 and could feature 160-180 NHL players competing, which NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said would be a record for the six Olympics that the League has participated in.

Roster building already has begun, with the 12 competing national teams naming the first six players to their rosters in June. The full rosters will be announced around New Year's Day, but there likely will be some changes made right up until the League breaks for the Olympics after games played Feb. 5.

The Olympics will be a part of the daily conversation and analysis of the League before, during and after the tournament, as players competing for roster spots on their national teams will have a significant impact on their respective NHL teams.

Ovechkin's next milestones, future

Alex Ovechkin still is chasing history in what could be his final NHL season.

The Washington Capitals forward, who turned 40 on Sept. 17, needs three goals to become the first player to reach 900 for his career. Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 goals last season, when he scored 44 to finish with a career total of 897.

A hat trick in Washington's season-opener against the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT) would get him to 900 goals.

Ovechkin is nine games away from playing in 1,500 regular-season games. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, with 1,497 games, could get there before him.

But the question that will loom over Ovechkin all season is if this will be his last in the NHL.

He is beginning his 21st NHL season, all with Washington, and the final season of the five-year, $47.5 million contract ($9.5 million average annual value) he signed July 27, 2021. He said Sept. 18 that he is not certain about his future and seems content to take his time to decide.

Kopitar's swan song season

Kopitar will be making the rounds in the NHL for the final time. The Kings center announced Sept. 18 that this season, his 20th, will be his last in the NHL before he moves back home to Slovenia with his family.

A statue of Kopitar likely will be commissioned to stand outside Crypto.com Arena once he is done playing, but for now the Kings' 38-year-old captain will want to go out with a bang, competing for his third Stanley Cup championship after helping L.A. win in 2012 and 2014.

Kopitar's status, in fact, could impact how the Kings play through this season, and how they approach the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, with the idea that a big motivation this season will be to make one more run with Kopitar.

He is first in Kings history in games (1,454) and assists (838), third in goals (440) and second in points (1,278) behind Marcel Dionne (1,307). He's first in playoff games (103), second in assists (62) to Gretzky (65), tied for second with Luc Robitaille in points (89) and third in goals (27).

Kopitar will join the 1,500-game club by playing in at least 46 games this season.

Milestone watch

Patrick Kane is 32 points away from breaking Mike Modano's record for the most points (1,374) by an NHL player born in the United States and 44 from Phil Housley's record for assists (894) by a U.S.-born player. He also is eight goals away from becoming the fifth U.S.-born NHL player to reach 500 goals.

Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos needs 18 goals to become the 22nd player in NHL history to score at least 600 in his career. Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares is six goals away from 500.

Sidney Crosby is 13 points away from 1,700, which would make the Pittsburgh Penguins center the ninth player with that many. He needs 37 points to pass Mario Lemieux as the Penguins all-time leading scorer (1,723).

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky needs 31 wins to set the record for most wins by a goalie born outside the United States. Henrik Lundqvist currently has the record (459).

Florida coach Paul Maurice is 70 games from becoming the second coach in League history to coach in at least 2,000 games, joining Scotty Bowman (2,141).

Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville is 31 regular-season wins away from 1,000. Bowman is the only other coach with at least 1,000 wins (1,244).

Sullivan's show on Broadway

The NHL schedule makers were on point in understanding storylines by having the Rangers open the season against the Penguins in New York on Tuesday and then having the two teams play again in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Making his regular-season debut behind the Rangers bench as their new coach will be Sullivan, who spent the past decade coaching the Penguins, including to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017.

Asked what he would tell the Rangers players about Sullivan, Crosby said, "He's going to push everybody. That's for sure."

Rangers forward Will Cuylle said that's happening already, telling NHL.com training camp was hard with long days at the rink but exactly what he expected. How the Rangers respond in the regular season will determine Sullivan's true impact on his new team in his new home.

Marner in Vegas to win big

Mitch Marner has a new home, a fresh look, and a big opportunity with the Vegas Golden Knights.

All eyes will be on Marner when he makes his Vegas debut, against the Kings at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT) after he had 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games during nine seasons with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marner landed in Vegas on June 30 via a sign-and-trade with Toronto. He starts an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million AAV) playing on Jack Eichel's wing on the Golden Knights' first line.

Marner now lives in daily sunshine while learning all about his new surroundings with a fresh start in front of fans who are just getting to know him. He has talked about it being a breath of fresh air for him and his family.

But just like in Toronto, it will be the results that matter most.

Life without Marner

On the flip side of Marner's fresh start in Vegas are the Maple Leafs beginning the post-Marner era and figuring out how to make up for the impact he made, which went beyond the 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists) he had in 81 games last season.

Marner was Toronto's best two-way forward and finished seventh in the voting for the Selke Trophy as the League's best defensive forward last season.

Toronto, of course, still has forwards Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Tavares, but it appears it will be a by-committee approach to make up for Marner's absence.

Matthew Knies has a chance to emerge as a major part of Toronto's revamped core with Marner gone. The 22-year-old had 58 points (29 goals, 29 assists) in 78 games last season.

Toronto also will rely on Max Domi and newcomers Nicolas Roy, who was acquired from Vegas in the Marner trade, and Matias Maccelli, acquired from the Utah Mammoth. Rookie forward Easton Cowan also might get a chance to be an impact player.

A big key, though, will be Matthews and his ability to stay healthy and return to being a 100-point player. He was limited by a lingering injury last season and still had 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games, but it was a steep drop from his 69 goals and 107 points in 81 games in 2023-24.

Future of Crosby, Malkin, Letang

Could this be the last time Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkinand Kris Letang open the season as teammates in Pittsburgh?

It could be.

For starters, Malkin is in the last year of his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026. The Penguins are not, at least entering the season, expected to be serious playoff contenders this season. It’s reasonable to think they will have to at some point approach Malkin and discuss his future before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.

If the Penguins are not in the playoff picture, trading him is certainly on the table.

Crosby has this season and next remaining on his contract. To date he has said he is all in with the Penguins and trying to win with them. The motivation to prove doubters wrong is obviously strong. But if Crosby determines it won’t happen for him again in Pittsburgh then it’s certainly possible that he would approach the organization about a change. That could happen this season or at least before next season.

Letang is signed for three more seasons, but it Malkin and Crosby are gone or potentially could be moved out of Pittsburgh than he and the Penguins also might consider a change of scenery.

This is their 20th season as teammates and potentially their last. It is a storyline that will follow the Penguins all season.

Three-peat reality, challenges

Winning the Stanley Cup for the third straight season already was going to be a difficult task for the Florida Panthers.

It grew immensely more difficult when center Aleksander Barkov went down with a season-ending knee injury early in practice Sept. 25, the first day Florida's veteran players were on the ice during training camp.

Barkov had surgery on the ACL and MCL in his right knee Sept. 26 and the Panthers announced a recovery time of 7-9 months.

The Panthers also are without forward Matthew Tkachuk until at least December and possibly into January. Tkachuk underwent surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle Aug. 22.

In addition, center Tomas Nosek is out with a long-term injury, according to general manager Bill Zito.

So that's what the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are up against as they try to do something that hasn't been done since the New York Islanders won four consecutive championships from 1980-83.

How they adjust to life without Barkov while dealing with Tkachuk's absence until he returns will determine the type of start they get off to this season.

Kane, Toews, Quenneville in the headlines again

They're in different locations, but Kane, Quenneville and center Jonathan Toews, three of the most important members of the Chicago Blackhawks' three Stanley Cup championships from 2010-2015, all are in the NHL again and going after big things.

Kane, in his third season with the Red Wings, is trying to become the highest-scoring U.S.-born forward while attempting to help the Red Wings reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Toews is back in the NHL with his hometown Winnipeg Jets, returning after a two-season hiatus caused by health issues. He played 1,067 games with the Blackhawks from 2007-23 and was their captain for 15 seasons.

Quenneville also is back in the NHL as Ducks coach. He resigned as Panthers coach Oct. 28, 2021 after being named in an independent investigation into the Blackhawks for allegations by former player Kyle Beach of sexual assault by then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

They're not in Chicago anymore, but these three former Blackhawks all will play a role in the storylines that unfold throughout the 2025-26 season.