NHL betting season preview spotlights a three-peat bid by the Florida Panthers, a dethroning drive by the Vegas Golden Knights boosted by Mitch Marner, and strong futures for Colorado and Edmonton. The betting menu is rich: moneylines, totals, puck lines, prop bets, parlays and live in-play bets, with Panthers (+600), Avalanche (+800), Knights (+800) and Oilers (+850) drawing the most action for 2025-26.

For fantasy managers, off-season moves reshape value: Marner’s arrival sharpens Knights’ ceiling, while MacKinnon/Makar and McDavid/Draisaitl anchor top-tier contending duos. Track workload shifts, depth players who could surge when stars rest, and goaltending workloads to gauge risk and upside early in the year.

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.

Stuart Skinner’s extension debate is the marquee NHL storyline in Edmonton as the Oilers weigh a long-term marry-the-arc plan. Zach Laing’s five-year projection at a 6.817 million cap hit carries a mature edge: a high-ceiling bet on Skinner through his prime, tempered by a 22% chance the model assigns to hitting that exact outcome.

Skinner’s postseason numbers dipped to a 2.99 GAA and .889 SV% across 15 games in 2024-25, a contrast to the spring when he lifted Edmonton in back-to-back Cup Final runs. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky outdueled the Oilers’ tandem in the Final, while GM Stan Bowman defended his goaltenders and Kris Knoblauch rode Skinner in must-win Game 6. For fantasy, a long-term Skinner in Edmonton could stabilize a once-volatile position, but the playoff skid injects risk into any price tag. The piece also frames rival stoppers—Kuemper, Hill, and Oettinger—as benchmarks to contextualize Skinner’s ceiling and downside as the Oilers navigate this contract crossroads.

The Vegas Golden Knights face a critical decision regarding their goaltending situation as they contemplate whether to seek assistance for Adin Hill. Hill, who started 50 games last season, saw a decline in performance during the playoffs, raising concerns about his reliability moving forward. The backup position is currently held by Akira Schmid, who has limited NHL experience, making his consistency a potential issue. With tight salary cap constraints, adding a more experienced goaltender could prove challenging. Additionally, the Golden Knights’ defense may be less formidable this season due to the absence of key players like Alex Pietrangelo and Nic Hague.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames are contemplating the future of Nazem Kadri, who enjoyed a career-high 35 goals last season. As he approaches his 35th birthday, his contract carries a full no-move clause, complicating any potential trade discussions. Teams like the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils have expressed interest, with the former possessing the assets to facilitate a deal. However, the Flames may hesitate to part with Kadri, especially as they aim for a playoff resurgence.

In today's NHL landscape, teams are increasingly cautious about investing heavily in goaltending on the trade market. Many organizations believe they can achieve success with average goaltending, provided their supporting roster is strong enough. For instance, the Vegas Golden Knights triumphed with Adin Hill, not necessarily recognized as a top-tier goalie, largely due to the team's strong defensive core. Teams like Edmonton maintain confidence in their current goaltenders, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, believing that improvements to their offensive depth can offset any shortcomings in net.

This trend reflects a broader strategy where teams prefer to allocate resources to bolster their skater positions rather than overpaying for goaltending talent. Darcy Kuemper's success with Colorado exemplifies how a talented roster can support a goaltender and still achieve remarkable outcomes. As teams continue to evaluate their rosters, the emphasis on maximizing value from goaltending while investing in other areas remains pivotal.