2025-26 NHL Regular Season Recap: Winners, Losers, and Key Trends

Winners and Losers From the 2025-26 NHL Regular Season The 2025-26 NHL regular season concluded on Thursday, April 16, 2026, after a grueling 1,312-game slate that began on October 7, 2025. This season marked the final year of the traditional 82-game schedule before the league transitions to an 84-game format in 2026-27 as part of the new collective bargaining agreement. A mid-season break in February accommodated NHL participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Italy—the first time NHL players have competed in the Games since 2014. The Colorado Avalanche captured the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s best regular-season team, finishing atop the overall standings. Their success was built on a potent offense and resilient defense, hallmarks of a squad that has remained among the NHL’s elite since their 2022 Stanley Cup triumph. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers opened the season in grand fashion, raising their second consecutive Stanley Cup banner before hosting the Chicago Blackhawks in the nationally televised tripleheader that kicked off the year on ESPN and Sportsnet. The regular season’s conclusion set the stage for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, which are scheduled to initiate in April and culminate with the Stanley Cup Final in June. Sixteen teams will advance to the postseason battle for hockey’s ultimate prize, having navigated a season defined by international competition, strategic roster moves and the ever-present pursuit of excellence in the world’s premier hockey league.