Every Eastern Conference Team’s Biggest Question Mark in 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Season Previews

The NHL schedule for the 2026-27 season has finally been released, and we can start discussing games rather than offseason acquisitions.

With the biggest dates on the schedules being released, it got me thinking about what the season may look like at the end of the year.

Obviously, there will be changes to the roster as the season moves along, but heading into the year, with the bulk of the offseason transactions completed, these are the biggest question marks for each team in the Eastern Conference.

Boston Bruins

Biggest Question: Can they repeat last season?

This one is basic, but I’ll tell you my thought process. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the Boston Bruins making the playoffs last season was one of the bigger surprises around the league.

What really drove them was fantastic goaltending from Jeremy Swayman, which I have no reason to believe will be any different this season, but some unexpected years from the forward corps.

Morgan Geekie was the hottest player in the NHL during the start of the season, but started to fall off, going 22 games with just two goals. Geekie can score 30 goals; he’s done it in back-to-back seasons now, but I wonder if the 39-goal season was just a flash in the pan.

Something I found interesting about Geekie is that it is the second straight season he has had a very high shooting percentage (S%) at around 22 percent. If that comes back down to earth, that would be a big hit to the Bruins’ scoring.

We’ll likely see a better goalscoring season from David Pastrnak, who had just 29 goals last season, so that would soften the blow, and JJ Peterka was a big add for the offense.

Peterka struggled to fit in during his one season with the Utah Mammoth, but still found his way to 25 goals. There are warts to his defensive game, but for a team that needs more offense you can bank on him. I think he can be a good fit for the Bruins.

That being said, I’m still concerned about the rest of the forward corps surrounding Pastrnak.

Fraser Minten also started to fall off after a hot start, posting just six points in the final 27 games of the season. Perhaps he learns from that, but the fall off was noticeable for a team that is so weak at the center position.

Hopefully, they get a decent first full season out of James Hagens, but the vibes surrounding him in Boston have been odd.

I’m also not a huge fan of the defense corps depth. The right side is pretty weak with Will Borgen and Henri Jokiharju, but Charlie McAvoy is so good that he can make up for the flaws. Mostly, what I’ll be watching for this season is where the Bruins can get their scoring from.

Buffalo Sabres

Biggest question: Can the youth step up?

The Buffalo Sabres had a storybook season, snapping a 14-year playoff drought and advancing to overtime of game 7 in the second round. Shortly after the playoffs ended, Alex Tuch was moved in a sign-and-trade to the Washington Capitals and Bowen Byram was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Although I loved the Byram trade for Buffalo, they still didn’t get anything that substantial in return roster player-wise. They took a smart bet on Olen Zellweger to try to help fill the gap that was left behind in the Byram trade, but he still isn’t as good as Byram.

They didn’t address the Byram loss, but they have an abundance of young talent in their forward group. Konsta Helenius has caught people’s attention after his brief stint with the Sabres and the World Championships. Jiri Kulich looked promising, but unfortunately, he missed a lot of time with blood clots, and they just locked up Zach Benson.

If the Sabres’ young talent face somewhat of a speed wobble, it could be a tougher season for them than it was last season.

Carolina Hurricanes

Biggest question: Does their goaltending still hold up?

I’m going to be honest, I had a really hard time picking a hole in this Carolina Hurricanes team. They’re coming off one of the more dominant playoffs we’ve seen, and really had no issues all regular season.

The only thing I can come up with is I wonder if a Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov tandem will be good enough. Last season, I understand people fell in love with Bussi’s story, but his numbers really weren’t all that impressive outside of the record.

He posted a -3.7 goals saved above average (GSAA), 10.4 goals saved above expected (GSAx) and a .895 save percentage (SV%). His partner, Kochetkov, spent most of his time in the AHL last season aside from the nine games he played with the Hurricanes. In those nine games, he had a 0.14 GSAA, 0.23 GSAx and an .899 SV%.

They also lost Frederik Andersen, who played most of the playoffs for them and ended up signing with the Edmonton Oilers in free agency. Goaltending is the only real thing I’d be somewhat unsure of in Carolina.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Biggest question: How do they start the season?

It feels like the last couple of seasons, the Columbus Blue Jackets have gone on ridiculous heaters during the midway point of the season to get themselves in playoff races, just to fall out of it at the end.

This season, after we saw the Zach Werenski fiasco unfold, and the reporting that Kirill Marchenko also wants out of Columbus, the start of the season will be crucial to this team keeping things on the rails.

If they flop out of the gate once again, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the noise around Werenski pick up once again.

Trade rumours aside, the Eastern Conference is so competitive this season that you can’t dig yourself a hole if you want to make the playoffs. With the addition of Valeri Nichushkin plus locking Charlie Coyle up to a long deal, I don’t see how anything but making the playoffs would be a success.

Detroit Red Wings

Biggest question: What happens with Dylan Larkin?

The Detroit Red Wings are a tough one for me to decide because what the Red Wings get in return for Larkin will decide the direction of the season. If you get a package based around picks and prospects, we’re almost definitely looking at a step back year for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

With changes in the leadership group we’re going to have to wait for a general manager hiring before anything about Larkin begins to pickup again.

Florida Panthers

Biggest question: Which Jacob Markstrom do you get?

Like Carolina, I’m having a tough time poking holes in the Florida Panthers roster. Adding Brady Tkachuk makes this one of the best forward groups I’ve ever seen.

They lost Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency after he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then traded for Jacob Markstrom to replace him.

He’s one of the most confusing goalies in the league to me because of how up and down, year to year, he is. Last year, he was horrible, posting a -12.97 GSAA, -2.12 GSAx and a SV% of .883.

Aside from injuries, the only thing that can make this season an unexpected struggle for the Panthers is their 36-year-old goaltender having another down year.

Montreal Canadiens

Biggest question: Who is playing second-line center?

The Montreal Canadiens have done an outstanding job locking up their young core to unbelievable contracts, the only hole I see on the roster is second-line center.

As of right now, Puckpedia has Jake Evans as the projected second-line center. Now, if it’s actually Oliver Kapanen, Phil Danault or Evans, the fact is any of the three of them isn’t a good enough answer.

The Habs showed they didn’t trust Kapanen by healthy-scratching him in the playoffs. Danault and Evans both don’t score enough to be real bonafide second-line centers.

Maybe someone steps up and fills that role, but I’m not quite sure who, and I think the Habs need another body there to become real Stanley Cup contenders.

New Jersey Devils

Biggest question: Can Jack Hughes stay healthy?

Last season was terrible for the New Jersey Devils. It felt to me like a lot began to go downhill when they were unable to secure Quinn Hughes in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. What also really hurt the team was Jack Hughes getting injured in a non-hockey incident that left him out of the lineup for 19 games.

I don’t love their blue line, which could be an issue, and I considered picking their goaltending as well, but if Hughes is able to stay healthy, I think they have a chance to push for a wild-card spot.

In just 61 games last season, he posted 27 goals and 50 assists for 77 points. If you’re able to have him available for even 75 games, I think they have a shot. If he misses another 20 games, then I don’t see them being in the hunt this season.

New York Islanders

Biggest question: Does Peter DeBoer have a big impact?

Last season, the New York Islanders made a shocking decision to fire Patrick Roy on April 5 and hire Peter DeBoer to replace him.

I definitely see why general manager (GM) Mathieu Darche made the choice, because while they were in the wild card race, it was heavily propped up by goaltending.

The Islanders ranked bottom 10 in goals scored, but allowed the 8th fewest goals in the league. Ilya Sorokin stood on his head, posting a 15.49 GSAA, 52.29 GSAx and a .906 SV% in 55 games.

DeBoer needs to find ways to tighten this team, which has a good mix of youth and veterans, because, regardless of how good Sorokin is, I can’t see him repeating the same season.

Even if they don’t make the playoffs, but they get guys like Callum Ritchie to take a step and Matthew Schaefer to post a similar season to last, I think that would be an alright season.

New York Rangers

Biggest question: Are the new additions enough to push them into playoff contention?

I’m going to be honest, I have no clue what GM Chris Drury is going for with this ‘plan’ for the New York Rangers.

I love Pavel Dorofeyev, and they have other good pieces like Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere and obviously Ilya Shesterkin. What I don’t understand is if they’re fully committing to trying to be a contender. If they were, why would you sell on Vincent Trocheck when he could’ve fit very nicely with Dorofeyev?

I understand Elliotte Friedman said on 32 thoughts that it seemed like Trocheck just got his head wrapped around being traded, but at the end of the day you need to do what’s best for your team.

Having Shesterkin will win you a few games you shouldn’t, and having a true top defenseman in Fox are two things tons of other teams can’t relate to. They have a good base, but I’m not quite sure the depth is enough to get them over the line.

If the Rangers don’t make the playoffs this season, I think it’s time for Drury to go.

Ottawa Senators

Biggest question: Can Linus Ullmark bounce back?

The Ottawa Senators have been a circus for the back half of last season and this summer. Brady Tkachuk getting moved is obviously the number one story, but he wasn’t at his best all of last year. Between injuries and other distractions with his podcast, it was a disappointing year for the former captain.

The real issue with the Sens last season was goaltending. They were one of those teams last season that had great advanced numbers but couldn’t buy a save throughout the regular season.

Those odd rumours surrounding Linus Ullmark became a real story around the team, but he was able to get it back on track near the end of the season and push them into the playoffs. Once they got to the playoffs, Ullmark was absolutely fantastic and kept the four games against Carolina tight.

This season, they replaced Tkachuk with William Eklund, and I don’t think that is a good one-for-one replacement. If the Sens are going to make the playoffs again, they’re going to need Ullmark to play as he did down the stretch all season.

Philadelphia Flyers

Biggest question: Who is Matvei Michkov?

The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the biggest surprises in the league last season, not only making the playoffs but beating their interstate rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in round 1. Although I’d consider their season about 90 per cent successful, the other 10 percent revolves mostly around how Matvei Michkov performed.

An ongoing theme revolving around Michkov was the media around the team and head coach Rick Tocchet was the fact that Michkov came into camp out of shape. Even with Tocchet giving him just an average time on ice of 14:50, he was still able to score 20 goals.

The Flyers have tons of youth already that played big roles last season, but if Michkov becomes the player many thought he would during the draft process, that would raise the ceiling significantly of this team.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Biggest question: Will the goaltending hold up?

I feel like I’ve said this about three teams already, but the Penguins were another one of the biggest surprises from last season. They were looked at as one of the only sellers before the season, but were able to make the playoffs.

This season, I look at their goaltending, and I have some serious questions. Arturs Silovs had fine numbers in 39 games, posting -9.44 GSAA, 2.09 GSAx and a .888 SV%, and the backup is Sergei Murashov, who had good numbers in the AHL.

It’s true teams don’t need elite goaltending to have great years, but I don’t think the Pens are strong enough to repeat what they did last season and the goaltending won’t help cover up their flaws.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Biggest question: Can Brayden Point bounce back?

Brayden Point had by far the worst season of his career in 2025-26. He battled injuries and just didn’t look like himself at all when he was on the ice.

I think the Tampa Bay Lightning did well replacing Darren Raddysh with John Carlson, and I really like the upside of their new backup goaltender, Dennis Hildeby.

To me, everything aside from Point seems like business as usual for the Lightning. If Point has another rough season, it’ll be tough to compete in the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Biggest question: Can Auston Matthews return to form?

I’ve liked a lot of the moves new Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka has made so far, outside of the goaltending. With that being said, none of that matters if Auston Matthews can’t get back to scoring at least 45 goals.

The bottom-six Chayka has put together is very defensively minded, and the goal scoring is going to have to come from the top-six. Having Gavin McKenna likely playing with Matthews and Matthew Knies should help the captain get back to form, but we haven’t quite seen it in a couple of seasons.

I’m confident Matthews can get back to where he was, but the Leafs season relies on him. This might be the most important season Matthews has had in the mecca of hockey.

Washington Capitals

Biggest question: Do they have enough at center?

It’s hard not to like what the Washington Capitals did this offseason. Adding Tuch, Jordan Kyrou plus Boone Jenner creates a much stronger forward corps than they had last season. When you pair that with their strong blue line and great goaltending, I believe we’ll see the Caps return to the playoffs.

While I think the Capitals are a playoff team, what I believe may make them fall short is the lack of a first-line center. When I look at this forward corps, they kind of remind me of the Minnesota Wild, a team that is so strong on the wings but just not quite strong enough up the middle.

We’ve seen that matter, and I wonder if either Dylan Strome takes a step or if they find a way to make a move for someone like Larkin. I understand they’re right up against the salary cap, so it may be tough, but that’s what I think they may need.