SiriusXM NHL Network Radio previews the 2025-2026 season
Here we are, once again in the month of October. Summer came and went in the wink of an eye, as it always does. Winter awaits around the corner, even though the weather outside suggests summer is still winking at us.
Regardless, it is October, and October means the return of the National Hockey League. The six-month-long marathon that determines which 16 teams will compete for the Stanley Cup.
Stanley is usually the hockey name on everyone’s lips. And it still is. But there’s another name being spoken of a lot these days.
Connor. As in McDavid. Oh, and Sidney, as in Crosby.
The latter has won the Stanley Cup on three occasions. And no doubt he’d love to hoist that big, beautiful silver mug at least one more time. Odds are rather overwhelming that Sid would have to leave his beloved Penguins in order to accomplish that. He’s made it clear a number of times that he has no desire to change teams, but many speculate that he might just change his mind if the Penguins are buried in the Eastern cellar well before Christmas.
The former is yet to win the Big One, having come as close as one can get this past June, and the June before that, when his Edmonton Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup final both times to the Florida Panthers.
With Minnesota Wild superstar sniper Kirill Kaprizov recently signing a big, beautiful $136 million contract spread over eight years, the bar had been set high. How much would Connor McDavid ask for? The sky? The moon? Both? The summer went by without any indication that McDavid would put his name on a contract extension. Would Edmonton fans soon be drowning their sorrows at the bar if their captain decided his best chances at winning it all were in another uniform?
McDavid would unquestionably have been the number one free agent in National Hockey League history if it indeed came to that. But early on the day before the 2025-26 NHL regular season got going on three fronts, the Oilers and their captain reached an agreement, keeping Connor in the fold.
The spectre of 97 leaving the Alberta capital was going to hang over this team until either he signed an extension (short or long…most believed it would be a shorter-term contract), or he finally left behind his heated driveway for the warmer pastures of Los Angeles, or Dallas, or New York City, or…gulp…Toronto.
That’s all on hold for now. McDavid has agreed to a two-year contract extension that kicks in this time next year. The brevity of the term is not in itself a surprise; it’s the amount on the cheque that has raised eyebrows.
$12.5 million for those two additional years. Exactly what he’s making now. A hefty $4.5 million behind Kirill. Meaning the best player on the planet (most would agree with that) is nowhere near being the best-paid player on the planet.
Yet.
By agreeing to an affordable two-year extension, Connor McDavid has made clear his desire to win the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. And he’s provided financial flexibility for Oilers’ management to surround himself and his teammates with whatever is necessary to achieve that elusive goal. The next move is yours, management. The clock is ticking.
McDavid is staying put for the meantime. We’ll revisit this same topic 24 months from now. A lot of other dynamic players are also going to get their money soon (we’re also looking at you, Jack Eichel, Artemi Panarin, and very soon, Quinn Hughes). So, which team and which players are best poised to win the Cup this upcoming June?
In this final season of an 82-game schedule (84 beginning next year), and with the 2026 Winter Olympics smack dab in the middle of everything, how do things shake out?
Can the Panthers become the first team to achieve the Stanley Hat-Trick since the legendary Islanders did so from 1981 through 1983 (after also winning in 1980)? Many believed so, until star Captain Aleksander Barkov went down with a season-ending injury during training camp.
Don’t be so quick to write off the cats from Southern Florida from defying the odds, but it’ll admittedly be a tougher fight to even get back to the Cup Final. They will have to cope without impact forward Matthew Tkachuk for a few months, and eventually all this winning by the Panthers has to wear away at them. That’s a lot of high-stakes hockey. Remember, they were also in the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, coming up short against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Who are truly Golden this season, as they’ve added All-Star 100-point forward Mitch Marner to their impressive stable of entertainers. Are the VGK now the favourites to win the Pacific Division? Probably, but with the intense level of parity in the NHL these days, the hoary old cliché is finally true. Just get into the playoffs, and anything can happen.
Okay, the 91-point Montreal Canadiens weren’t going anywhere last spring; they truly were happy just to make the post-season cut for the first time since their remarkable run to the Cup Final back in 2021. The Ottawa Senators were pretty much in the same boat, and it showed, as they looked nervous in their first-round loss to their provincial rivals from Toronto. (Many expect the Sens to be better this season, and may nab a top three spot in the competitive Atlantic Division).
But you could have made a strong case for any of the remaining 14 playoff teams this past spring, going on an extended run. And this time around, maybe you can do so for all 16 postseason entries once we get to April.
As injuries are always a major factor in any sport, do you feel comfortable publicly declaring that the Florida Panthers are the runaway favourites to take over another Dairy Queen location this upcoming June? Are the Edmonton Oilers are strong as they were a mere four months ago? Is it finally time for the loaded Dallas Stars to load up and at least make it to the Stanley Cup Final? The exact same question is being asked of the Carolina Hurricanes. And now that Mitchell Marner has left for the bright lights of Vegas, have the talented yet perennially underachieving Toronto Maple Leafs finally run out of excuses why their springs always end early? Will the Los Angeles Kings finally avoid the Oilers (and losing to the Oilers) in the first round, and say goodbye to veteran forward Anze Kopitar with at least one playoff series win this spring?
Then there’s always the surprise teams. The Columbus Blue Jackets ended the 2024-25 regular season on a roll, only to come up a couple of points short of a playoff spot. Is it their time to shine? How about the “As The World Turns” teams from last season? Many believe the New York Rangers, with Mike Sullivan behind the bench, will do wonders for this talented team. Can either the Rangers or Vancouver Canucks put all the shenanigans behind them and return to the playoffs? Sure, they can, but to tell you the truth, in all the excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself of who would be out if those two teams are in. You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do they feel lucky?
Because Lady Luck always plays a factor in these proceedings. We’ve already touched upon injuries, and remember, most of the superstars are going to be over in Italy beginning in early February. The NHL shuts down for those two weeks, and the majority of players can jet off to the Bahamas or hang out with their heated driveways. The Olympic break could benefit older players, or Jordan Binnington.
Hey, don’t forget the Motor City! They’re going on a decade without playoff participation in Detroit, once unthinkable in the self-anointed metropolis known as Hockeytown. And one of the patron saints of the Winged Wheel, Steve Yzerman, has his hand on the tiller. The locals are getting restless. No, they are already restless.
A decade without playoff hockey? Luxury answers long-suffering fans of the Buffalo Sabres. The crossed swords haven’t crossed paths with the postseason in 14 years. This is the longest playoff drought in the long, storied history of the NHL. Think about that. Worse than the California/Oakland Seals/Golden Seals. Worse than the original Washington Capitals. Worse than everybody who’s ever played this game at the highest level. Would you pick the Sabres to finally end the drought this spring, to be one of the eight teams still standing in the East once the regular season dust settles in mid-April? No, no, you wouldn’t.
In the West, the rebuilding Calgary Flames (the roster and the arena) tied with the St. Louis Blues for the final Western wildcard invite, but lost out going to the barn dance thanks to the tiebreaker. Does that change this season? The Blues look to be for real, the Wild believe they’re a playoff team again, and here comes the hard-charging Utah Hockey Club!
Wait…make that the hard-charging Utah Mammoth, ready to steamroll their way to games in late April, and beyond. The Sharks and Blackhawks are both young and brimming with potential, and while not ready for prime time as of this moment, they will be teams to contend with in short order.
Okay, all good stuff. But we ask again, who are the real contenders for the Stanley Cup this upcoming season?
Got a quarter on you? Anybody carry cash around anymore? Take that quarter and flip it. As many times as you like.
The Panthers have to be near the top of that list. Same with Dallas, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Winnipeg Jets (if they ever figure out how to win a road game during the playoffs).
I also present to you and your quarter, the Hurricanes (do they still need another sniper?), and the Maple Leafs. What about the still formidable Tampa Bay Lightning? It wasn’t all that long ago the Bolts won two Cups in a row, and a quick glance at their current roster reads like an all-star team.
Boston? No. Philly? Not yet. Pittsburgh? Please.
If Jack Hughes stays healthy, it’ll go a long way towards the New Jersey Devils being a major factor in the Eastern Conference. Ovie and the Capitals? Did they overachieve last season? What about the young Anaheim Ducks, with Joel Quenneville back behind the bench? Did we leave somebody out? Of course we did. It’s a conspiracy, after all.
So, in an effort to answer the question, I fished around in my pocket and found a 1998 Canadian caribou quarter, residing there, hidden amongst the lint. After a series of coin flips, I landed upon the answer. The 2026 Stanley Cup final matchup will be this upcoming June.
The San Jose Sharks will defeat the Montreal Canadiens in six games.
Wait! No! That’s not going to happen.
Yet.
Keep your SiriusXM dial/channel/app locked on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio Channel 91 for non-stop hockey talk, the best in the business. And wall-to-wall play-by-play action from all 32 NHL teams, from Opening Night, right through to the Stanley Cup presentation.
Here are the games that can be found on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio Channel 91 during Opening Week.
Tuesday, October 7th – Channel 91
5:00 pm Eastern – Chicago at Florida
8:00 pm Eastern – Pittsburgh at NY Rangers
10:30 pm Eastern – Colorado at Los Angeles
Wednesday, October 8th – Channel 91
7:00 pm Eastern – Montreal at Toronto
10:00 pm Eastern – Calgary at Edmonton
Thursday, October 9th – Channel 91
7:00 pm Eastern – Chicago at Boston
10:00 pm Eastern – Calgary at Vancouver
Saturday, October 11th – Channel 91
1:30 pm Eastern – Los Angeles at Winnipeg
4:00 pm Eastern – St. Louis at Calgary
7:00 pm Eastern – Toronto at Detroit
10:00 pm Eastern – Vancouver at Edmonton
Sunday, October 12th – Channel 91
7:00 pm Eastern – Washington at NY Rangers
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