The tricky thing with bold predictions is remembering to rein yourself in when imagination takes over the brain the way Connor McDavid takes over a game. Then again, what’s too pie-in-the-sky when you consider Quinn Hughes didn’t even make it to Christmas as a member of the Vancouver Canucks this season?
For all the talk of a locked trade market earlier this year, we’ve already witnessed a whopper — Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for four pieces — that represents as big a swap as we’ve seen in years.
And that’s saying something considering Mikko Rantanen was traded not once, but twice just last season. (Seriously, who had that among their 2025 bold predictions bullets?)
Player movement will certainly be a big part of our bold hockey predictions for 2026, alongside Olympic performances, individual excellence and, of course, some crystal-balling for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So, with 2026 now just days away, here are some stabs at what we’ll see in the hockey world next year.
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• One year after Team USA’s Cole Hutson — who, thankfully, appears to be OK after absorbing a shot to the back of his head versus Switzerland — became the first defenceman to lead the World Junior Championship in scoring last January, Canada’s Zayne Parekh will become the second in 2026.
• The Canucks and Devils will hook up for a non-Hughes trade in January when Kiefer Sherwood is sent east to Jersey.
• Marie-Philip Poulin will score two goals in her final Olympic gold medal game.
• Sweden will win men’s hockey gold on the 20th anniversary of its 2006 Olympic triumph. Czechia will pull off a shocking upset in the playoff round and the backlash in Canada for not dressing Connor Bedard and America for passing on Jason Robertson will be severe.
• The Buffalo Sabres will re-sign Alex Tuch to an eight-year deal and trade defenceman Owen Power before the March 6 trade deadline.
• The Los Angeles Kings will trade for Jordan Kyrou
• Nathan MacKinnon will become the first 70-goal scorer since Teemu Selanne and Alex Mogilny in 1992-93.
• The Calgary Flames will make the playoffs.
• The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche will play a seven-game second-round series that features a total of six-plus overtime periods.
• Marc-Andre Fleury will appear in a 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff game.
• The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet in an Eastern Conference Final for the ages.
• The Seattle Kraken will win the NHL Draft Lottery and select Gavin McKenna first overall. The Pittsburgh Penguins will then sprint on stage to take defenceman Keaton Verhoeff No. 2, while the Vancouver Canucks begin their next great Swedish love affair with Ivar Stenberg at No. 3.
• The Boston Bruins will expedite their organizational re-tool by drafting eighth and 12th overall, thanks to pocketing Toronto’s 2026 first at the 2025 deadline.
• The Carolina Hurricanes will ink UFA Artemi Panarin to a six-year, $66-million pact on July 2.
• The Minnesota Wild will hire Pete DeBoer to be their new coach in the summer.
• Alex Ovechkin will sign a two-year extension with the Capitals.
• After missing the playoffs by two points, the Leafs will have a cards-on-the-table talk with captain Auston Matthews that results in him being dealt to the Sharks for a package built around Michael Misa.
• After missing the playoffs by three points, the Jets will double down on their aging core by re-acquiring Sean Monahan from the retooling Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Quinn Hughes will sign an eight-year extension with the Wild late in the summer before the new CBA term limits take effect. In the joyful aftermath, Minnesota fans will immediately start speculating about Jack Hughes becoming the team’s No. 1 centre as a free agent in 2030.
