National Hockey League preseason review
Photo Courtesy of Brooke Klugewicz
The 2026-2027 National Hockey League (NHL) preseason spanned from Sept. 19-26 with a 65-game slate. This year, the preseason was reduced to accommodate the expansion of the regular season from eighty-two games to eighty-four games plus two more divisional games per team, according to the official NHL website.
The NHL Eastern Conference consists of East Coast teams and Canada. The official rankings from the NHL were finalized with the Montréal Canadiens first in the Atlantic Division and the New Jersey Devils first in the Metropolitan Division. The Canadiens finished with eight points and the Devils with seven. The Devils tied with the Washington Capitals for seven points in the end, so it looks like we are going to have a close season.
There are many up-and-coming players who were first introduced this preseason, including Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Porter Martone of the Philadelphia Flyers, Ivar Stenberg of the San Jose Sharks, James Hagens of the Boston Bruins, and many more. According to ESPN, these rookies all ranked in the top 10 of the 2025-2026 draft and are all aged 18 or 19 years.
According to the ESPN website, McKenna ranks number one in the 2026 draft and is an important addition to the Maple Leafs. On the offensive line, McKenna will be able to get playing time this season and make a great addition to their team. Martone ranked number six in the 2025 draft and plays great offense. He will be fun to watch as he scores points in the regular season. Stenberg ranks number two in the 2026 draft and is from Sweden. With much talent on both the offensive and defensive lines, he is most likely to have the most impact a rookie can have on a team. Lastly, Hagens ranked number seven in the 2025 draft. From Boston College, he was deemed the best player at the Bruins’ rookie camp and is expected to make the team with his offensive and scoring skills.
With that said, many players have continued to show up for their teams in the preseason. Some questions have been brought up about who will play with Toronto’s center, iceman, and team captain, Auston Matthews. Recruits they receive will definitely be to the advantage of the team, according to The Hockey News.
The Philadelphia Flyers, specifically, seem to be off to a great start and are ready for the regular season, as two players have stepped it up since the last regular season. The Flyers’ Matvei Michkov had an intense off-season of training and has a promising season ahead of him. According to YouTube, Michkov spent his summer in Russia practicing three times a day with a Flyers conditioning coach and six weeks at Panarin training camp. This hard work and dedication showed off when he stepped onto the ice for the first time during the official preseason and scored the opening goal. Things are looking very promising for Michkov and other players like Jett Luchanko as well. Luchanko has had a lot of consistency with scoring a point in each preseason game he played. After battling many injuries and bouncing around for the past two years, he is finally making moves on his own team and stepping up.
While the preseason is over, there is a lot to look forward to for NHL fans in the regular season, with many new and returning players making moves. This season is looking to have lots of extraordinary talent, energy, and excitement! You can watch the regular season on ESPN or ABC.