NHL’s hot topics waiting for answers

Fringe players in the National Hockey League will have special reason to enjoy the 2025-26 season, which gets under way this week, thanks to a nearly three-week break — book those Caribbean vacations, boys — smack dab in the middle of the 82-game regular season.

That’s because the league’s best players — McDavid, Matthews, Rantanen, Crosby et al — will be playing for their countries at the Olympic Games in Italy. The NHL schedule, which increases from 82 to 84 games per team next year, will be dark from Feb. 6 until play resumes on Feb. 25.

Picking the various countries’ Olympic teams will be one of the most discussed aspects of the 2025-26 NHL season, but there are other hot topics, too. Such as …

— Can the Florida Panthers pull a three-peat? After beating Edmonton in the Stanley Cup final in back-to-back years, the team re-signed almost all of its key players and even though star forward Sasha Barkov could miss most or all of the season, there’s no reason to believe coach Paul Maurice will not have another juggernaut on his hands;

— Is this the year Conner Bedard breaks out? The Blackhawks’ phenom, still only 20 years old, is entering his third season, and will enjoy a stronger supporting cast thanks to a number of recent high draft picks. Bedard scored 22 goals in only 68 games in his rookie year, and slowed slightly in his sophomore year, potting 23 in 82 games. This might be the year he explodes.

— Which Canadian teams will dominate this year? The Winnipeg Jets were regular-season champs last year and will likely join Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal in the playoffs. Watch for the Canadiens to make the largest gains because their youthful contingent is among the league’s best.

— Will this be Ovi’s last year? Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record last season, finishing with 897. The Russian star just turned 40 but coming off a 44-goal season in just 65 games suggests he still has plenty in the tank.

— How will the Toews’ experiment work in Winnipeg? Jonathan Toews, almost a surefire Hall of Famer after an outstanding 15-year career with Chicago Blackhawks, missed two full seasons due to COVID-related issues. He signed over the summer with his hometown team, the Jets, and at age 37 is expected to centre the team’s second line. It was a big gainer for the Jets, who picked up a productive player without having to give up anything in return.

— Will the Hughes’ brothers join forces? Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks is among the NHL’s elite defencemen. Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is among the league’s elite forwards. Luke Hughes is not elite, but he’s a solid blueliner with the Devils. Hot gossip around the league has the brothers wanting to join forces, which would mean the Canucks and New Jersey would have to swing a trade.

— Who will have the best sophomore season — Lane Hutson of Montreal? Macklin Celebrini of San Jose? Goalie Dustin Wolf of Calgary? Matvei Michkov of Philadelphia? Or someone else?

Stay tuned. We’ll know the answers six months from now.

OUT OF BOUNDS

• RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Recently, a college baseball game in Jacksonville was halted when an osprey dropped a fish in right field. Yes, well inside the fowl pole.”

• Michael Rosenberg of SI.com after the U.S. fell far behind Europe on Saturday in the Ryder Cup: “I can think of some ways for the U.S. to win this, but they all involve food poisoning.”

• Columnist Norman Chad, with a comment overheard from a competitor at the Westminster Dog Show: “Several of the big-name pooches here are blogging for Dog World magazine.”

• Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “Greg Norman resigned as CEO of LIV golf. He said he wanted to spend more time with his wine cellar.”

• Retired quarterback great Peyton Manning: “You hear about how many fourth-quarter comebacks that a guy has and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters.”

• Headline at fark.com: “Head-butting soccer players at risk of brain damage, compared to players of real football who are already brain damaged.”

• Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail, writing that the Blue Jays’ success this year is due to the “little people … overperforming. Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, Tyler Heineman, Eric Lauer, Brendon Little, et al. You’ve heard of Murderers’ Row? The 2025 Blue Jays are Misdemeanours’ Row.”

• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl retired earlier this week and his son, Steven, is taking over the program. Hey, I’m not saying nepotism is involved here, but it seems the best way to climb the coaching ladder at Auburn is to start on daddy’s shoulders.”

• Retired Bills coach Marv Levy, when asked if an upcoming Super Bowl was a ‘must win’ for his team: “This is not a must win. World War 2 was a must win.”

• Headline at fark.com: Cleveland QB Shedder Sanders, whose starting quarterback is Joe Flacco: ‘I know I’m capable of doing better than some current NFL QBs.’ He’ll definitely get some Flacc for that remark.”

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