Florida navigates the 2025-26 season as the odds-on favorite to seal a third straight Cup, anchored by continuity in Ekblad, Bennett, and Marchand. The front office doubled down on defense and depth, wary of playoff wear after years of deep runs. Five challengers—Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Oilers, Hurricanes, and Rangers—have revamped rosters and remain dangerous, while fatigue and health will shape Florida’s regular-season legs and postseason stamina.

Depth retention and patient acquisitions characterize Florida’s approach, aiming to keep the core intact while adding veteran postseason savvy. The league’s parity means the Cup path will demand top-level health from Ekblad and Barkov and continued secondary contributions. The Panthers enter as the team to beat, but the chase for a three-peat is a chess game with a short, unforgiving spring window.

Fantasy readers should watch internal roles emerge: Lundell and Luostarinen are poised for bigger roles; depth pieces could become playoff wildcards; and goaltending opportunities might hinge on health and schedule pressure. The season will test whether continuity can outlast the grind of four straight deep playoff runs and whether Florida can sustain elite possession and balanced scoring across seven-game series.

Canada’s Olympic plans center on a Four Nations pipeline, led by Crosby, McDavid, Reinhart, Point, MacKinnon and Makar, with the roster built to win and finalized after a Calgary orientation camp. Cooper compares the process to fine-tuning a Ferrari as Armstrong weighs a wide pool and a three-goalie race featuring Binnington, Hill and Montembeault. The Olympic return of NHL stars is framed around front-of-net play and depth, with a January roster reveal ahead of Milan’s Feb. 12 opener against Czechia.

Goaltending remains the most open competition, while the 25-man Canada squad will blend veteran leadership with high-end talent. The setup balances NHL club commitments with international success, aiming for a gold-medal performance in Milan-Cortina and signaling a new era of Canada at the Games after 2014.

News from Calgary emphasizes a structured, competitive process: players must earn their spots nightly, lines will be tested, and scouts will parse an eligible group of 50-plus names. The strategy centers on winning battles around the net and ensuring goaltending consistency, all under a clear mandate to excel on the international stage.

Connor McDavid’s contract status with the Oilers remains unsettled as he enters the final year, underscoring one goal above all: a Stanley Cup in Edmonton. Friedman framed McDavid’s stance as Cup-first, with no clear preference on term, suggesting a short-term pact could have been in play but not guaranteed. The saga isn’t going away as Edmonton pursues sustained contention and McDavid weighs whether the window lines up with his championship priorities.

For fantasy managers, the outcome matters a lot. A long-term deal would lock in McDavid’s elite production and keep Oilers’ top-line chemistry stable, while a delayed decision could add cap-constraints and depth questions that ripple through surrounding players and the PP unit. Monitoring Edmonton’s approach to staying a contender in coming seasons is essential for roster planning.