The 2025-2026 National Hockey League (NHL) season has seen teams that have improved  from last season, while some teams decided to fall off a cliff. Let’s look at three teams who took some surprising strides and three that decided to take a game misconduct penalty and delivered a disappointing season.

Surprise: Buffalo Sabers 

I am so happy for the Sabers fanbase! After 14 years, the Sabers had their best season since the 2010-11 season. Now, 14 seasons later, they finally made the playoffs once again, although losing in the second round to the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabers finished the 2025-2026 season with 50 wins, 23 losses and nine overtime/shootout losses. They obtained a 40-goal season from forward  Tage Thompson and a 33-goal season from forward Alex Tuch. They also had a solid offensive performance from forwards Josh Doan, Jack Quinn and Zach Benson. 

The defense was spectacular with Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram and Mattias Samuelsson leading the charge offensively. Samuelsson led the team with 154 blocked shots, followed by Byram with 93 and Owen Power with 95. The goaltending was overall solid, led by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a .910 save percentage in 34 starts. Goaltender Alex Lyon followed, as he finished with a .907 save percentage in 34 starts. Colten Ellis also stood strong with a .903 save percentage in 14 starts. While they did solid in the postseason, I sure hope the Sabers can dominate and make the playoffs next season. 

Disappointment: Florida Panthers 

Despite winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, the 2025-26 season is one the Florida Panthers would like to forget. Not only did they miss the playoffs, but injuries killed the Panthers. As a result of the injuries, forward Matthew Tkachuk played only 31 out of the 82 games, defenseman Seth Jones and forward Brad Marchand played 52 games combined, and forward Sam Reinhart participated in 64 games.   

The team suffered a mediocre goaltending performance from Sergei Bobrovsky, who recorded a .877 save percentage and allowed 3.07 goals per game in 51 starts out of 52 games played. Daniil Tarasov wasn’t any better by recording a .895 save percentage, allowing 3.05 goals against in 31 starts out of 33 games played. 

The Panthers were okay offensively and defensively. They had four players —forwards  Reinhart, Marchand, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe — who scored 20 or more goals,  while everyone else didn’t quite meet up defensively. This performance was so bad that defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling stood out defensively, with 103 blocked shots and 98 blocked shots, respectively. After that, no one else got close. The Panthers need to focus on goaltending and defense while also making sure the team stays healthy.   

Surprise: Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks took a nice step in 2025-26 compared to last season. The Ducks were super solid defensively and offensively. Forward Cutter Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points, followed by forward  Leo Carlsson with 29 goals and forward Beckett Sennecke scoring 23 goals for the team. The defense was spectacularly led by Jacob Trouba with 149 blocked shots, Jackson LaCombe with 128 blocked shots and Pavel Mintyukov with 112 blocked shots. 

However, the goaltending was not entirely perfect with Lukáš Dostál leading the way with a mediocre .888 save percentage while allowing 3.10 goals. Ville Husso was no better, allowing 3.25 goals against and recording a .884 save percentage. 

It was nice to see the Ducks make it to the playoffs, though they got eliminated in the second round by the Vegas Golden Knights. I believe the Ducks will be back in the playoffs, and, with the right moves, this team will only get better from here. 

Disappointment: Edmonton Oilers

Let’s just cut to the chase: the Oilers blew another chance to win a Stanley Cup with their captain,  forward Connor McDavid. The Oilers were decent offensively and defensively, but awful in the goaltending region. McDavid scored 48 goals and 138 total points and forward Leon Draisaitl scored 35 goals and 97 points. This was followed by a 21-goal season by defenseman Evan Bouchard. 

The defense only saw Darnell Nurse leading the way with 167 blocked shots and Mattias Ekholm with 125 blocked shots. After that, no one else was to be seen. The goaltending did not help with Tristan Jarry on goal, only recording a .882 save percentage with a 3.32 goals against. Connor Ingram was not good either, with a 2.60 goals against and a .899 save percentage, and  Calvin Pickard was useless with a 3.68 goals against and a .871 save percentage.

Sure, the Oilers made the playoffs but lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs. If the Oilers want to win a Stanley Cup with McDavid, they need better goaltending really badly. 

Surprise: Minnesota Wild

So, who had the Wild making the playoffs in their bingo card? Not me! The Wild took the league by storm with an overall good offense and defensive team with solid goaltending. The Wild saw Kirill Kaprizov lead the way with a 45-goal season, accompanied by a 42-goal season by Matt Boldy. Quinn Hughes had a solid 53-point season with the Wild after getting acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in December 2025. 

The defense was awesome with Brock Faber leading with 148 blocked shots andJared Spurgeon with 137 blocked shots. The goaltending was amazing, with Filip Gustavsson with a .904 save percentage, while his teammate, Jesper Wallstedt, dominated with a .916 save percentage. The Wild may have gotten eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche, but this team has a bright future and are hoping to bring a Stanley Cup to the city in the near future. 

Disappointment: Detroit Red Wings 

Once again, the Detroit Red Wings fell short and did not make the playoffs. 

Detroit was okay offensively and defensively with the puck, but they were not Colorado Avalanche good. It was sure nice to see a 41-goal season from forward Alex DeBrincat, along with solid seasons from forwards Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane, and Dylan Larkin. The defense did see Moritz Seider lead the way with 180 blocked shots, followed by Ben Chiarot with 160 blocked shots. 

The goaltending did not step up to the plate as John Gibson led the team with a .901 save percentage, but Cam Talbot was no help with a .883 save percentage. If the Red Wings don’t improve this offseason,  they may want to think about hitting the restart button. 

Overall, the 2025-26 season was really entertaining to watch. This offseason will be interesting to see who improves for next season.I would expect the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars to bounce back.  As a Hockey fan, I can only imagine how fun the 2026-27 season will be.