NHL futures: NHL analyst reveals picks for 2026-27 season
SportsLine NHL analyst Scott Erskine has released his picks for the 2026-27 season, which begins Tuesday
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The Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years this past June, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Final. They've already received their championship rings, but they'll get the 2026-27 NHL season underway Tuesday as they raise the banner at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina prior to their meeting with the Atlantic Division-rival Florida Panthers.
Carolina will be looking to become the third team to repeat as champion in the last eight years. The Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021, while the Florida Panthers accomplished the feat in 2024 and 2025.
Some would say the Hurricanes dodged a bullet last postseason, as they didn't have to face the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. The Avalanche ran away with the Presidents' Trophy for the fourth time in franchise history, registering a franchise-record 121 points, and lost just one game while defeating the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild in the playoffs before being swept by Vegas.
But the Golden Knights were no slouches, earning their third trip to the Final in nine seasons of existence by going 12-4 while beating the Utah Mammoth, Anaheim Ducks and Avalanche. Vegas also could have had a commanding 3-0 lead over Carolina as it won two of the first three contests, with the loss coming in overtime in Game 2.
Colorado likely will eager to take out its frustrations over its playoff exit and become the first team to capture the Presidents' Trophy in back-to-back seasons since the 2016-17 Washington Capitals. Meanwhile, Vegas will be seeking its fourth Pacific Division title in five campaigns and Montreal will attempt to prove that its run to the Eastern Conference Final last postseason wasn't a fluke.
It all starts Tuesday, as the campaign kicks off with five games. Taking into account all the moves teams made during the offseason in order to improve their chances for glory, let's take a look at my picks for the 2026-27 NHL season.
Which teams will win their respective divisions in the 2026-27 NHL season? Which ones will meet in the Stanley Cup Final? And who will lift Lord Stanley's Cup? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the 2026-27 NHL predictions from the expert who has covered the league and the sport of hockey for more than 20 years!
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