For the next couple of days, the word “happy” will be ubiquitous as we all ring in the new year with well wishes for family, friends, the person dropping off takeout and the blessed baristas who make mornings possible with their work.
“Happy New Year!” is something we’ll all hear and say around town, even if actual joy levels fluctuate.
When it comes to NHL teams, some must definitely work harder than others to find something cheerful to toast. For every Colorado Avalanche squad that could set a new points record, there’s a Winnipeg Jets club left dazed from getting knocked off its Presidents’ Trophy perch.
Still, hockey — like everything outside the rink — features highs and lows, and it’s critical to lean into the good when you get a chance.
With that in mind, as we flip the calendar and ponder what’s ahead in 2026, it seems prudent to highlight at least one reason to be happy for all 32 NHL teams.
1. Colorado Avalanche (30-2-7): In addition to all the wins their team is producing, Avs fans could be watching the first 70-goal season since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny both netted 73 in 1992-93. With 39 games in the books, Nathan MacKinnon is currently on pace for 71 goals.
2. Dallas Stars (25-8-7): Here’s to the fourth-longest tenured captain in the NHL still going strong; 17-year vet Jamie Benn is scoring at a 27-goal pace this season after his 2025-26 debut was delayed by a punctured lung.
3. Minnesota Wild (24-10-7): However it all works out, Wild fans must be happy to have a GM in Bill Guerin who has the go-for-it gene. Is “Billie Guts” a great or gross nickname?
4. Tampa Bay Lighting (23-13-3): Cheers to the unexpected delight of seeing Darren Raddysh on pace for 72 points, a mere 35 more than his career high of 37.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (24-12-3): To all that cap space (nearly $14 million, according to Puckpedia) and the possibility that something big could be done with it before the March 6 trade deadline.
6. Detroit Red Wings (24-14-3): Only five teams in the league have two guys with at least 20 goals and Detroit is one of them thanks to Alex DeBrincat (20) and Dylan Larkin (21).
7. Philadelphia Flyers (20-12-7): Where would the Flyers be without three newcomers in Trevor Zegras, Dan Vladar and Christian Dvorak? Cheers, boys.
8. Montreal Canadiens (21-12-6): Lane Hutson (62nd overall in 2022) is really turning into one of the biggest draft coups of the past 10 years. In terms of scoring by defencemen, his 78 points in 2025 are outstripped only by Cale Makar (91) and Zach Werenski (82).
9. Buffalo Sabres (21-14-4): A 10-game winning streak? Need we say more?! What a way to ring in 2026.
10. Florida Panthers (21-15-3): Remember when the Panthers acquired Brad Marchand at the deadline and we all thought it would be a fun little three-month fling? This guy is leading the team with 23 goals and feels like an essential member of the squad.
11. New York Islanders (22-14-4): Given how quick they were to stick up for him the other night, the Isles clearly understand how happy they should be to have Matthew Schaefer in 2026 and well, well beyond.
12. Edmonton Oilers (20-15-6): Knowing Connor McDavid will be on the Oilers at least into 2028 is enough for Oilers fans to raise a glass.
13. Washington Capitals (21-14-5): Here’s to having Jakob Chychrun locked up long-term. The second-year Capital is leading all blueliners with 15 goals this season.
14. Vegas Golden Knights (17-10-11): The Knights wish they could toast to good health, but that’s just not been the case with this veteran-packed lineup.
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (17-12-9): A 2026 that involves being in a playoff chase? Pens fans will clank a glass to that.
16. Toronto Maple Leafs (18-15-6): If the past few games are any indication, all is not lost in Toronto. And, given the way the club has looked at times earlier in the season, that’s something for Leafs fans to wrap their arms around.
17. Ottawa Senators (18-15-5): Here’s to Tim Stutzle and the 17 points he’s put up in his past 10 games, a run that’s put a second 90-point season in play for the Sens’ most talented offensive stick.
18. San Jose Sharks (20-17-3): There’s getting lucky with a first-overall pick, and then there’s catching a comet like the Sharks did with Macklin Celebrini in 2024. Here’s to a dream Shark Tank.
19. Anaheim Ducks (21-16-3): How can you not be happy to know Leo Carlsson is going to be at the top of your lineup for years and years to come?
20. Los Angeles Kings (16-13-9): Cheers to Anze Kopitar, the Slovenian trailblazer who has half a season to go in his spectacular NHL career.
21. New Jersey Devils (21-17-2): Another squad that can only wish to be toasting good health. Instead, the Devils are enduring another season with significant injuries to key players.
22. Columbus Blue Jackets (17-16-6): New toys are always something to get excited about, so cheers to Mason Marchment and the four goals he has in five outings with Columbus.
23. Seattle Kraken (16-14-7): Here’s to the hope that Jake O’Brien — the eighth-overall pick last June — can one day be the offensive dynamo Seattle so desperately needs.
24. Nashville Predators (18-17-4): Raise a glass to Steven Stamkos, who scored his 600th NHL goal Wednesday night in a win over Vegas. And while you’re at it, keep your glass elevated and toast the idea Nashville could actually see a playoff game in 2026, which is not something we expected to say quite late in 2025.
25. Calgary Flames (18-18-4): Flames fans can be happy to have a goalie duo of Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley that is one of 10 in the NHL to produce a team save percentage of .900 or above.
26. Boston Bruins (21-18-2): Cheers to the possibility of having a couple picks in the top half of the first round thanks to pocketing the Leafs’ 2026 first-rounder at last year’s deadline.
27. Utah Mammoth (18-19-3): It hasn’t been all roses in Utah this year, but knowing the team is so supported by ownership and still has plenty of young talent developing in the NHL or arriving shortly should have Mammoth supporters stoked for 2026 and beyond.
28. New York Rangers (19-18-5): Cheers to Adam Fox’s return to the lineup on Wednesday and the slim hope he can spark this sagging squad.
29. St. Louis Blues (15-18-8): Maybe it’s time to toast some longtime Blues who could be moving on from St. Louis early in the new year, given where the team is at.
30. Vancouver Canucks (16-20-3): Hey, if you’re going to trade a captain with major NHL hardware on his shelf, it’s always nice to land a return package that offers hope for the future. At least 2026 — unlike ’24 and ’25 — won’t be defined by endless speculation about serious stars moving on from the team.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (14-18-7): It would have been lovely to toast Connor Bedard making Team Canada, but 2030 is a lock. And at least — unlike the Connor in Edmonton — Bedard’s early-career blossoming will dovetail with the return of regular best-on-best hockey events. His chances at glory are coming.
32. Winnipeg Jets (15-19-4) Here’s to the last possible moment where there can be some flickering hope for this cratering Jets club; Winnipeg can try to save its season early in 2026 when it plays nine of 11 at home from Jan. 6 to Jan. 24. You don’t often say this, but the team will need a Sabres-like run to get back in the fight.
