Overreacting to Dylan Larkin, the Flyers, the Rangers and the Start of the 2026-27 NHL Season

We're less than one month into the 2026-27 NHL season, and absolute chaos has already ensued.

We've seen an Igor Shesterkin goalie goal followed by the devastating injury that took him out for the season. We've struggled through a terrible Flames team and a somehow arguably worse Flyers team. We've got the reigning Champion Hurricanes picking up right where they left off as they lead the league with a six-game winning streak and the league's best record (6-1-1).

We haven't seen it all yet, but we've seen enough to start forming the opinions that will become the hills we gladly die on all season. Here are five overreactions to the start of the 2026-27 NHL season.

The Flames Are Going to Be Historically Bad

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Dustin Wolf

Hey, we've gotta hand it to the Flames: They got their first win of the season during Tuesday's Frozen Frenzy in a 4-2 win over the Ducks. You gotta start somewhere, and 1-5-0 is at least better than the Flyers' winless start to the season — we'll get to Philly.

The lone win doesn't take away from just how brutal Calgary's start to the season has been, though. The four goals in Tuesday's game took them up to averaging just two goals per game, and that's despite taking plenty of shots. Their -17 goal differential is second-worst in the NHL. Worst of all, typically solid Dustin Wolf is sporting a 4.56 goals-against average and an .839 save percentage.

Fear not, Calgary fans; this is all part of the process, and this is exactly where we expected the Flames to be at this stage of the rebuild. Still, they objectively stink, and they could have one of the worst NHL seasons ever if they keep it up.

The Canes Are Definitely Going Back-to-Back

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Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho

The reigning Stanley Cup Champions have picked up exactly where they left off this season, leading the league with 13 standings points, a 6-1-1 record, and a six-game winning streak.

Sebastian Aho is off to his best career start, ranked third league-wide in points with six goals and 13 points in eight games. No Freddie Andersen, no problem so far: Pyotr Kochetkov is crushing it in net with a 4-0 record, a .911 save percentage, and a 1.73 goals-against average.

The team as a whole ranks No. 4 in the league in goals per game with 3.88, and fifth with 2.38 goals against per game. The Canes are back to being a jack of all trades, and yes, a master of all trades as well.

The Flyers' Problems Are More Than Just a Coach and Lack of a No. 1 Center

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Trevor Zegras

As terrible as the start to the Flames' season has been, it was completely expected and even embraced as part of their rebuild.

The Flyers, on the other hand, made it two rounds into last season's playoffs with their promising young core. They had their concerns headed into the season, like that glaring hole in the all-important first-line center role and goalie Dan Vladar's training camp injury. Plus, they likely overachieved last season, and most of us came into this one wondering if they'd be able to maintain a playoff spot, let alone take a step forward, without addressing the aforementioned issues and then some.

The Flyers have kicked off the NHL season on an eight-game losing streak and a 0-5-3 record. They're the only team in the league yet to win, and they own the league's worst goal differential at -21.

Defense hasn't been their strong suit in this era, and it's even worse than last season. Meanwhile, scoring has been virtually non-existent: Trevor Zegras and Porter Martone have just one goal apiece in eight games. The young core is going to have to turn things around on the scoresheet to, uh, win at least one game, let alone make the playoffs.

The Rangers Will Still Make The Playoffs Without Shesterkin

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Dylan Garand

The news that Igor Shesterkin was out for the season was going to be devastating no matter what, but it stung even more because the Rangers were off to an incredible start.

They came into the season immediately correcting last season's scoring woes, including a goal from Shesterkin himself. The new additions, such as Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, were fitting in swimmingly; the "kids" looked fantastic, and the team overall looked slated for a bounce-back year.

The good news? None of that has stopped in Shesterkin's absence. The Rangers are second only to the Hurricanes in the Metro with a 6-2-0 record, 12 points, and a goal differential of 13. Dylan Garand has been admirable stepping in for Shesterkin, sporting a 3-1-0 record with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage. New York is second in the league with just 1.75 goals against per game in total, and on the offensive side, the Blueshirts are averaging a respectable 3.38.

Not only will New York be just fine, but they're also going to make it back to the playoffs. In the biggest plot twist of all, it will have to be without Shesterkin.

The Red Wings Should Embrace the Tank and Trade Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson Now

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The Flyers and the Flames might own the worst records in the league to start the season, but the Red Wings definitely own the worst vibes.

They're at the bottom of the Atlantic with a 1-3-2 record, four points, and a negative six-goal differential. They're averaging less than three goals per game, and while they're scoring a decent 3.17 goals per game, it doesn't appear to be sustainable whatsoever.

This team has an extremely shaky foundation right now: no permanent GM, with Shawn Horcoff serving as the interim, and a checked-out former captain in Dylan Larkin, who remains in limbo. Why not just embrace a tank at this point and trade Larkin and Simon Edvinsson, who has also reportedly requested a trade? I guess that would require a permanent GM, huh?

The Wings reportedly locked up Alex DeBrincat to a $91 million contract Tuesday, but that's a drop in the bucket for the work that needs to be done to fix this team.