.jpg?w=2560 "NHL Winners and Losers")
It's been a month since the puck dropped on the 2026-27 NHL regular season. As with the start of every season, it's brought its share of surprises and notable news.
We've seen this era's greatest scorer on an early pace to set a single-season points record. A blockbuster trade on the eve of opening day, followed by another nearly a month later. We've also seen a promising young team serving notice that they're poised to challenge the top teams in the Western Conference.
The past four weeks also had their share of disappointments. Some rebuilding teams are struggling, as are some promising clubs coming off strong performances last season. It also wasn't a good month for a couple of veteran-laden teams.
Join us as we look back on the first month of this NHL campaign to determine its winners and losers.
Losers: Rebuilding Teams
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Calling a rebuilding team a loser in the opening month of a season feels like kicking them when they're down. They're in the middle of an often difficult transition and they will be outplayed on most nights.
Nevertheless, there's no sugarcoating what the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are currently enduring. They are the two worst teams in the NHL, and there's no indication they'll get any better as the season rolls along.
The Canucks' placement in the basement isn't unexpected. Their rebuild began when they traded superstar Quinn Hughes to Minnesota last December. That lead to further trades of several core veterans, along with the offseason changes in management and the coaching staff.
Chicago, however, shouldn't be in this situation following four years of rebuilding. However, they continue to disappoint despite a roster led by young superstar Connor Bedard and filled with promising talent like Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell, and Artyom Levshunov.
We would've included the Calgary Flames on this list after they lost six of their first seven games. However, they've since won four straight, including victories over the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
Perhaps Vancouver and Chicago can draw inspiration from the Flames' recent red-hot streak and claw their way up the standings. However, it seems more likely that they'll still be near the bottom of the standings in a month's time.
Winners: Utah Mammoth
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Several clubs emerging from long rebuilds last season were expected to be among the early challengers for first place in their respective divisions.
However, the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks have endured their share of inconsistency throughout October, much to the disappointment of some of their fans.
On the other hand, the Utah Mammoth have thus far performed to expectations, jockeying with the Minnesota Wild for first place in the Central Division. Having made the playoffs last season, the Mammoth want to take the next step toward becoming a potential Stanley Cup contender.
Led by veteran scorers Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, rising stars Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley, and puck-moving defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, the Mammoth are among the league's highest-scoring teams. Their 3.62 goals-per-game average ranks sixth overall.
The Mammoth also made some notable offseason additions, signing free agent left winger Anders Lee and acquiring versatile forward Vincent Trocheck. Their experience and leadership have been invaluable during this season.
Defensive issues remain for the Mammoth. Their 3.31 goals-against per game is the league's 10th-highest, while their penalty-killing (67.4) ranks 29th. Nevertheless, their overall performance in October indicates they're on the right track as they attempt to establish themselves as a legitimate playoff contender.
Losers: The Kings and Penguins
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According to James Mirtle of The Athletic, the average age of an NHL team in 2026-27 is 28.5. Eleven of those teams have an average age of 29 or older.
Most of those 11 clubs have had varying degrees of success during the opening month, sitting atop or near the top of their divisions. However, the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins struggled as the month went on.
The Kings entered this season with the league's oldest roster (31.4), featuring greybeards Drew Doughty, Corey Perry, Mats Zuccarello, and Darcy Kuemper. The result is a club struggling to stay out of the Western Conference basement.
The Penguins (29.3) have spent the past two seasons transitioning from aging veterans to younger players. Having endured a 3-6-1 stretch between Oct. 7 and 24, management is reportedly willing to entertain offers for older stars like Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust.
It's possible the Kings and Penguins regain their footing and rise in the standings as the season progresses. However, their sputtering performances throughout the opening month suggest some of their veterans may no longer have what it takes to help their clubs as they once did.
Winners: Fans of Early Season Blockbuster Trades
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The imposition of the salary cap in 2005 all but ended the era of early-season blockbuster trades in the NHL.
Most clubs carried limited salary cap space to start the season because they used most of it during the offseason to bolster their rosters.
Before this season, blockbuster moves rarely occurred early in an NHL season, with some notable exceptions.
On Nov. 30, 2005, the Boston Bruins traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks. It was nearly 16 years before the next one happened, as the Buffalo Sabres shipped Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 4, 2021.
Since this season kicked off, however, we've had two blockbuster deals.
The first one occurred the day before opening night, but it generated plenty of buzz that carried over into the start of this season. On Sept. 28, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs made a six-player swap, with winger Kirill Marchenko heading to Toronto for power forward Matthew Knies.
Over three weeks later, the Winnipeg Jets shipped three-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goalie Nico Daws, prospect center Alexander Command, and two draft picks.
Each trade happened for different reasons, but the common factor was that the teams involved had more salary-cap flexibility. The sharp rise of the cap from $95.5 million last season to $104 million left several clubs flush with cap dollars and a willingness to spend in the trade market.
The salary cap will rise to $113.5 million for 2027-28 and is projected to reach a whopping $127.5 million for 2028-29. That means more October blockbusters in the offing over the next two years.
Losers: Promising Eastern Conference Teams
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The Buffalo Sabres, Montréal Canadiens, and Philadelphia Flyers entered this season facing heightened expectations. The Sabres ended a league-record 14-season playoff drought by finishing atop the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final, and the Flyers reached the second round.
So far, however, the Sabres, Canadiens and Flyers have had disappointing opening-month performances.
The Sabres were inconsistent through the opening month (5-4-3). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's stats are among the worst for starting goaltenders. Young forwards Josh Doan, Konsta Helenius, and Jiri Kulich have struggled to score, and they've fallen behind early in too many games.
Injuries to key players like Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, and Oliver Kapanen tested the Canadiens' depth. Undisciplined penalties, sloppy defensive play, and the inconsistency of starting goalie Jakub Dobeš contributed to a 4-3-2 record in their first nine contests.
The Flyers were dreadful through their first nine games (0-6-3). Their anemic 1.93 goals-per-game is the league's worst, as Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, and promising rookie Porter Martone struggled to score. Injuries to key players like Tippett, Travis Konecny and Rasmus Ristolainen didn't help.
As the opening month ends, the Canadiens have reeled off three straight wins, suggesting they could be overcoming their earlier woes. The Sabres still seek consistency, while the Flyers are struggling to claw their way out of the Eastern Conference basement.
Winner: Carolina Hurricanes
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After winning their first Stanley Cup in 20 years, the Carolina Hurricanes entered this season facing the challenge of repeating as champions.
Dropping their first two games to the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals sparked concerns that the Hurricanes were suffering from the dreaded "Stanley Cup hangover," the result of a shortened offseason followed by an even shorter preseason.
However, the Hurricanes quickly put those concerns to rest with a seven-game win streak. Granted, those wins came against weaker competition like the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks, the inconsistent Montreal Canadiens, and the struggling Philadelphia Flyers.
Nevertheless, the defending champs defeated teams they were expected to beat, stockpiling much-needed points as they climbed into first place in the overall standings, where they've been since Oct. 20.
Their championship roster remains largely intact, led by veteran stars Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jaccob Slavin, along with young guns Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven. Their improved depth enabled them to offset injuries to core players like Seth Jarvis and Taylor Hall.
Any concerns that their shortened offseason would affect their aggressive forechecking and stifling defensive game have been put to rest. They're third in goals-per-game (3.79), possess the fourth-best goals-against per game (2.36), while their power play and penalty killing are among the league's best.
It remains to be seen how the Hurricanes fare as they face tougher opposition as the season goes on. Nevertheless, they've served early notice that they intend to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Losers: NHL Goaltenders
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For over a decade, NHL goals-per-game averages have been rising. From 2.65 during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, it climbed to 3.14 by 2022-23. Those numbers dipped over the following three seasons but remain high at 3.09 in the opening month of this season.
Meanwhile, save percentages have been dropping. From a high of .915 in 2015-16, they've been steadily decreasing, reaching .896 last season and .893 during the first month of 2026-27.
It wasn't that long ago that a goalie with a save percentage below .910 was considered past their prime or good enough for backup duty. Today, it's not uncommon for starters to have save percentages hovering near .900.
Sportsnet's Justin Bourne explained several factors behind this trend. Shooters are getting better, while goalies have become predictable in their positioning. Shots are counted differently, puck possession is more valued than before, and goalies face more screened shots.
Bourne noted the widespread use of composite sticks by today's skaters bring more flexibility into their shots. He also pointed out that shooters are more creative, taking shots from angles once believed too difficult to score.
The butterfly style of goaltending has been universally adopted, bringing what Bourne called more structure to the position. However, it's also made it easier for shooters to anticipate their moves.
By the end of last season, eight goalies with at least 25 games played had save percentages over .910. During the opening month of this season, 11 goalies with at least five starts have save percentages over .910.
Given the current direction of save percentage and goals-per-game stats, those numbers likely won't improve as the season progresses.
Winner: The Edmonton Oilers' Leading Scorers
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When a team carries the NHL's top two scorers since 2015-16, and one of the highest-scoring defensemen since 2021-22, they're going to generate lots of offense.
Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and defenseman Evan Bouchard haven't disappointed their fans with their scoring abilities. However, the pace they've been on to open this season hasn't been seen in the NHL for decades.
Since the Oilers' 6-5 overtime loss in their opening match against the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 29, McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard have been tearing it up offensively, carrying their club to an 8-2-2 record and third place in the Western Conference standings as of Oct. 28.
Bouchard led all defensemen during that period with seven goals and 21 points in 12 games. At his current pace, he would reach 147 points over 84 games, eclipsing Bobby Orr's single-season record of 139 points.
Draisaitl was second among league scorers with 12 goals and 24 points in 12 games. He's on pace to reach 168 points, which would break his previous career high of 128 points in 2022-23.
McDavid, meanwhile, had a league-leading 26 assists and 34 points. He's on pace for the greatest single-season performance ever. At his current pace, he would finish with over 182 assists and 238 points, topping Wayne Gretzky's single-season records for assists (163) and points (215).
It remains to be seen if McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard can maintain their current level of production. Most likely, their pace will drop over the grind of a long season. Nevertheless, the three Oilers superstars have had one of the most memorable months for NHL scorers in a long time.
Stats and standings (as of Oct. 28, 2026) via NHL.com, Hockey-Reference.com, and The Concourse NHL
.jpg?w=2560 "NHL Trade Ideas for Dylan Larkin")
