Florida sits as the Cup betting favorite at roughly +600, with Carolina and Colorado nipping at their heels. Edmonton, Vegas, and Dallas present strong cases, while most markets stay chalky heading into the season. For fantasy players, Florida's top line and Edmonton's dynamic duo anchor early projections, with Colorado and Dallas providing solid depth upside in later rounds.

Florida Panthers dominated last season’s hits tally with 2,280, led by A.J. Greer’s 222, a standout among a league where big hitters aren’t always playoff-bound. Vancouver Canucks (2,065) and Boston Bruins (2,053) also piled up hits, while the New York Rangers (1,928) showed similar bite. On the fistic side, Nashville led with 37 fights, yet none of the top fight teams made the playoffs, underscoring that aggression alone isn’t a guaranteed recipe for postseason success.

Bruins and Panthers emerge as the clearest anchors for aggression-driven fantasy angles, but aggression didn’t translate to trophies last season. Nashville’s offseason additions, Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei, didn’t salvage a playoff bid for the West’s top-10 fight teams. Betters should weigh the balance of hits, fights and scoring as they forecast 2025-26 outcomes.

UND's Ralph Engelstad Arena hosted a revived pro camp, mixing nostalgia with development. Brock Boeser, Derek Forbort, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Matt Kiersted trained alongside two-time Cup winner Matt Greene, while Nick Schmaltz and Drake Caggiula skated for the first time with former UND stars since the CBS Line days. Europe-bound players kept the reunion partial, with >20 alumni back and campus upgrades on display. The event underscores UND's enduring NHL pipeline and the program's renewed pull.

Mitch Marner spoke frankly about playoff heartbreak and the personal toll it took, including security at home after the Maple Leafs’ elimination and a harsh online backlash. He described leaving the Leafs—after nine seasons and a $96-million extension—and landing with Vegas in a high-stakes reset. The piece frames a bittersweet exit, with Marner reflecting on his bond with teammates and the reality of fan passion shaping a star’s next chapter, including fantasy implications of a fresh top-line role in Vegas.