6 things we’ve learned from NHL season so far, including Stars, Flames, Maple Leafs takeaways

| Getty Images We are still in the early stages of the 2026-27 NHL season, but there are some trends emerging that are worth paying attention to when it comes to the larger narrative of the season. Whether it’s gambles that paid off in free agency, prospects emerging, or teams languishing in the pain of the season already — there’s plenty to keep an eye on moving forward. The New York Rangers have been an early surprise to kick off the year. Currently in 1st place in the Metropolitan Division, this team has some important wins already by beating the Utah Mammoth, a playoff-caliber team in the West — and, more surprisingly, a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, believed by many to have Stanley Cup potential out of the East. The Rangers have been fantastic defensively, only allowing eight goals so far — good for 3rd in the NHL. It certainly helps when you have Igor Shesterkin in goal, but beyond that the defensive unit is just playing really solid hockey. The team has grown offensively through trading away Artemi Panarin, playing a more holistic game which includes more skaters. Alexis Lafrenière is beginning to show glimpses of the potential that made him a No. 1 overall pick, Mika Zibanejad is solid as ever, but the emergence of Gabriel Perreault is something to really focus on. Perreault has been fantastic to start the season, and if the Rangers have found themselves an elite top-line wing then this team has the potential to be a major surprise throughout the season. Beyond the Rangers there are a handful of other developments to keep an eye on. The Dallas Stars are WEIRD This team made the bold choice of keeping the band together in the offseason by re-signing Jason Robertson to a one-year deal in an attempt to make a run, sacrificing their already waning depth in the process. So far it’s impossible to know what this team really is. They had convincing wins over the Sabres and Sharks, two solid teams who should be in the mix — but also dropped to the Predators and Blues, teams they should easily beat. The key to the season is going to be whether or not those first two losses were rink rust, or if they’re indicative of the same inconsistency which has marred the Stars the last couple of seasons. The East is going through a shakeup It’s astonishing that already in this season we’re seeing the Canadiens and Flyers down at the bottom of the table. The Canadiens’ defense is atrocious, giving up 19 goals in four games — putting the team in positions where they just can’t win, even with prolific scoring nights. Things for the Flyers are even worse, because they just can’t score a dang thing. Boasting only six goals in five games, the Flyers are the worst-scoring team in the league — slipping lower than last season, where they already struggled. There hasn’t been the offensive leap forward for Trevor Zegras or Matvei Mitchkov many hoped for, and now the defense is porous as well. It’s going to be a long season for the Flyers if this continues. On the other side of the ledger, we have the aforementioned Rangers who are surging, but also the Senators, Capitals, and Islanders — all of whom have taken a step forward. It’s going to be fascinating to see whether or not these teams can keep pace. Carolina’s goaltending problems continue It’s early, but the defending champs have major goaltending issues oncemore. After famously making the switch to Brandon Bussi during the Stanley Cup finals, hopes were high that the Canes had finally found someone in the net who could make things happen. Instead, it’s been an exceptionally ugly start to the year. Despite having a defense that has only allowed 105 shots in five games, Bussi’s save percentage is .851 with a 3.24 GAA. Backup Pyotr Kotchekov isn’t faring much better, also having a sub-.900 save percentage. This team has been able to overcome goaltending issues for the last several years, but it’s clear they need a major shakeup to hope to compete this season — because their hot goal scoring won’t last forever. The Flames might be the worst team … ever Nobody expected Calgary to be good this year, but the Flames are a disaster to start the season. Not only are they 0-4, but have a staggering -17 goal differential to kick off the year. Nothing is going right, as the Flames can’t score, can’t defend, can’t stop shots — can’t do anything really. If this lingers into November it’s going to be time to start the “worst of all time” watch. That is held by the 1974-75 Washington Capitals, who went 8-67-5 with a -265 differential. The Flames are on pace for a -349. The Maple Leafs have taken a tentative step forward Plenty of time for them to screw this up, but right now things are looking pretty good for the Leafs *knock on wood*. They might only be 2-2-1, but they’re playing teams close and look more cohesive on both ends of the ice. Jim Hiller was a questionable hire, but so far the former LA Kings coach has Toronto playing more organized hockey. Gavin McKenna is also well ahead of schedule with three points in five games, and playing with more confidence every time he hits the ice. Realistically we may still be a couple of years from this team competing, but they look pretty good.

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