Bold Predictions for the Rest of the 2025-26 NHL Season

We've got about a month left to go in the 2025-26 NHL season, and we've already experienced our fair share of boldness. Quinn Hughes became a member of the Wild; the top three teams in his Central Division have been dominating the rest of the league, the Atlantic playoff race is the tightest we've seen in years, and oh, yeah, the Leafs and the Panthers aren't even involved in said playoff race.

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone and teams are making their final playoff pushes, we've got one more opportunity to squeeze some bold predictions in for the final stretch of the season.

The Maple Leafs Won't Fire Craig Berube

Is it bolder to say the Leafs will or won't fire head coach Craig Berube at this point? He certainly isn't all to blame for this utterly disappointing season, but the Leafs are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and someone has to take the fall.

They were already out of a playoff spot, and they've come out of the Olympic break with a 2-6-2 record in their last 10 games. They've looked nothing like the team that was perennially at the top of the league in scoring for years. Most of this can be attributed to poor roster decisions, though, like not having an adequate plan in place to even attempt to replace Mitch Marner.

The Leafs have tried — and at times succeeded — to play a harder style of hockey, and they've brought in sturdier defense to reflect that. But it has come at the cost of their high-scoring identity, and it just doesn't work for this core. Berube was, of course, brought in to coach as a complement to the direction the team tried to go. His ineffectiveness is more reflective of a failed experiment and not his personal choices as head coach, though, and he could be a decent option to keep around and motivate in the upcoming uncertain times.

The Kings Won't Play the Oilers in the First Round ... Because They'll Miss the Playoffs

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Artemi Panarin

Just when we thought the stars would align for the Kings and they wouldn't have to face the Oilers in the first round for a fifth consecutive year, we are now asking ourselves if the Kings are going to make the playoffs at all.

Obviously, the addition of Artemi Panarin is a big needle-mover, but there's a lot of sneaky competition for that No. 2 Wild Card spot out West, and the Kings haven't done much to convince us they truly deserve it for most of the season -- especially now.

Meanwhile, the Predators are right there and didn't do the fire sale at the deadline we anticipated. The Sharks continue to intrigue: The team is still young and flawed, but Macklin Celebrini and the fast style of hockey they play could be enough to punch them a ticket. The Kraken, despite their recent slide, have been contending all year long and just acquired Bobby McMann from the Leafs.

There's too much going on around this playoff bubble for the Kings to be as complacent as they've been, even with Panarin gifted to them.

Florida Tanks the Rest of the Season

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Sam Reinhart

Look, do I think these Panthers players are the type of team to accept the premise of a "tank," roll over, and go along with it? No. Was their No. 1 center, anchor, and arguably best player, Aleksander Barkov, hurt all season? Was most of the rest of the top six also obliterated by injury? Was the whole team coming off back-to-back brutal Cup runs? Yes.

The Panthers certainly didn't decide to stink at the beginning of the season, but it was clear all along that their collective tank was depleted, and too many key players were injured to do much about that. So they've found themselves at the bottom of the East with the playoffs almost certainly out of reach.

Keep in mind, the 2026 first-round pick the Panthers sent to the Blackhawks for Seth Jones is top-10 protected. This means that if the Panthers end up in the top ten in the draft lottery, they get to keep it. This season wasn't intended to be a waste, but now we're here. Might as well get something out of it and regroup for next year.

Matthew Schaefer Gets Hart Trophy (MVP) Votes

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Earlier this week, Wayne Gretzky said on the NHL on TNT panel that Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer should be in the Hart Trophy conversation, and I couldn't agree more.

The Calder Trophy front-runner and No. 1 overall pick entered the league at 17, and almost singlehandedly changed the complexion and direction of the team. We can talk about the impact of Ilya Sorokin's strong comeback season, but the Islanders wouldn't be in a playoff position without Schaefer. Period.

The teenager eats significantly larger minutes than even some of the best rookie defensemen in the past, and he's looked comfortable from Day 1. He leads the rookie field with 20 goals and a plus-13 in 65 games, and he's averaging a whopping 24:18 minutes per game. No other rookie is averaging 20+ minutes. He's spending so much time on the ice because he's directly making the impact that put the Islanders back in a playoff spot, and he deserves the props.

The Sabres Win the Eastern Conference

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Jason Zucker and Rasmus Dahlin

Who woulda thunk at the beginning of the season that these Sabres wouldn't just be in a playoff spot, they would be leading the East in March?

Their latest epic win streak came to a close last night after eight straight dubs, and they've earned a narrow lead in the Atlantic over the Lightning as a reward with 86 points. This team — yes, you're reading this right —the Buffalo Sabres—has been the vibiest team of the year. The competition pool for the Eastern Conference Champion right now is the No. 1 Hurricanes (88 points), the Lightning (84 points), and the Canadiens (82 points).

All teams want to accrue as many standings points as possible for seeding, but the Sabres are living at the perfect intersection of good vibes, catharsis, positioning, and ability. They're gaining momentum at the perfect time, and they could really benefit from a No. 1 seed. Why not see how far this wagon goes and finish off this magical season as strong as possible?