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NHL Playoff Predictions: Predicting the Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket for 2026. Read RotoBaller's early predictions for the 2026-27 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 2026-27 NHL season is quickly approaching, which means there is no better time to attempt to build the Stanley Cup Playoff bracket. While it is still early, we already have an idea of which teams will likely be the final ones standing.
Below, we will predict the 2026-27 Stanley Cup Playoff bracket, naming each team for each seed.
Let's dive in!
Western Conference Wild Card #2 - San Jose Sharks
The Sharks finished the 2025 season with a 39-35-8 record, sitting just four points out of the postseason. While this team did not make many major additions to compete "now," as their focus remains on the future, they should be able to close the gap in 2026.
The heartbeat of this team is MVP candidate Macklin Celebrini. Last season, the former first overall pick emerged as a superstar, totaling 45 goals with 70 helpers over 82 games played. The main question remains in net with Yaroslav Askarov. If Askarov can take a step forward from his 3.63 GAA, this team could slide into the No. 2 wild card.
Western Conference Wild Card #1 - Utah Mammoth
While the Mammoth would likely be in the running for a top-3 spot if they played in the Pacific Division, being in the Central automatically puts them in the Wild Card. The Central consists of three of the top Stanley Cup contenders, which puts Utah in a tough spot to avoid a top seed in the opening round of the playoffs.
In 2026, the Mammoth claimed the No. 1 Wild Card with 92 points but figure to be even more competitive in 2026. In the offseason, they acquired two much-needed veterans, Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee, who will round out the cast of young players such as Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse and Dylan Guenther.
Pacific Division #3 Seed - Edmonton Oilers
While the Oilers feature the league's top 1-2 punch on offense, the rest of their roster has many major question marks, which will push them to the No. 3 position in the Pacific Division. Last season, the Oilers had an early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, falling to the Anaheim Ducks in the opening round.
In the offseason, the Oilers brought in veteran netminder Frederik Andersen to lead the crease following a shaky conclusion to the season for Tristan Jarry. However, Andersen is set to miss training camp and could also be held out at the beginning of the season, which could put the Oilers in a tough spot after the first month.
Pacific Division #2 Seed - Vegas Golden Knights
The reigning Western Conference Champions will sit in the No. 2 spot in the Pacific. The top of the Pacific Division is between two teams, and the Golden Knights will fall just short in the early power rankings.
The major question with this team is the voice behind the bench. Interim HC John Tortorella parted ways after their run to the Stanley Cup and will now turn to assistant coach Ryan Craig to lead the club. However, on paper, this team is very talented and should remain a popular favorite in the Western Conference.
Pacific Division #1 Seed - Anaheim Ducks
Sitting just above the Golden Knights are the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks took a massive step forward in their rebuild in 2026 as they finished as the No. 3 team in the Pacific Division with 92 points. However, for much of the first half, this team looked like a serious Stanley Cup contender but endured some growing pains down the stretch.
In the offseason, they bolstered their blue line by adding Nick Jensen on a two-year deal. They also extended breakout forward Leo Carlsson to a record-breaking contract. With many young stars set to take the next step, including Beckett Sennecke (who was a Calder finalist), Cutter Gauthier, and defenseman Jackson LaCombe, this team could flirt with a 100-point season.
Central Division #3 Seed - Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild being the No. 3 seed in their division is a bit unfair, but given they play in the most "front-loaded" division in the sport, it seems plausible. Last season, the Wild totaled 104 points and finished in the same spot as we are projecting.
In the offseason, Minnesota was relatively quiet and did not make any major strides to bolster them for another Stanley Cup run. The name to watch on this club will be young goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. With veteran goaltender Filip Gustavsson set to miss time early on, Wallstedt could take over this crease.
Central Division #2 Seed - Dallas Stars
Sitting in the No. 2 spot in the Central will be the Dallas Stars. The Stars were the center of much of the offseason talk as superstar forward Jason Robertson appeared to be one foot out the door. However, the Stars retained their top winger on a one-year deal to keep their contention window wide open.
In 2025, Robertson was the leader of the offense once again, putting 45 pucks behind the net and tallying 96 total points. While they may not be as potent as the top team in this division, this team is projected to win another 50 games.
Jason Robertson has scored a goal in SIX-STRAIGHT playoff games for the Stars going back to the 2025 postseason.
That is the longest playoff goal-scoring streak in franchise history 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CLvukcOh6o
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) April 23, 2026
Central Division #1 Seed - Colorado Avalanche
The reigning Presidents' Trophy winners will hold the top spot in the Central Division. While their postseason run came up short in the Western Conference Finals, this team remains the "one to beat" not only in the Central Division, but in the entire Western Conference.
This past week, the Avalanche made a big splash by extending superstar defenseman Cale Makar to an eight-year deal worth $163.2 million, which makes it the largest contract in league history. Makar is coming off a 79-point campaign (in 75 games) and has tallied more than a point per game in each season since 2021.
Eastern Conference Wild Card #2 - Boston Bruins
Starting off in the Eastern Conference will be the Boston Bruins, who will occupy the second Wild Card spot. In 2025, the Bruins claimed the No. 1 Wild Card spot with 100 points. However, with an emerging team in their own division (more on them later), the Bruins may take a slight step back in 2026.
The Bruins made a sizeable trade in the summer by acquiring winger JJ Peterka from the Mammoth. Peterka has put at least 25 pucks behind the net in three straight seasons and should slide onto the top line alongside David Pastrnak.
Eastern Conference Wild Card #1 - Buffalo Sabres
The darlings of the 2025 season will slide down to the No. 1 Wild Card in our projections. While this is not a "knock" on their projected play, the Atlantic Division is very deep this season and will automatically push a top contender to a Wild Card.
Last season, the Sabres smashed all expectations, snapping their decade-long playoff drought. Buffalo would finish the season with 109 points, which put them atop their division. However, they will have some concerns about some deeper spots in their lineup, as they lost defender Bowen Byram in a trade and winger Alex Tuch.
Atlantic Division #3 Seed - Tampa Bay Lightning
Like in the Central Division, the Lightning may be one of the most competitive No. 3 seeds in recent memory. In 2025, the Lightning finished in the No. 2 spot with 106 points but held the tiebreaker over the Canadiens, who shared the same point total. However, they would fall to Montreal in the opening round of the postseason.
While this team may be getting old on paper, they still have some of the top players in the sport. On offense, MVP candidate Nikita Kucherov is coming off potentially the best season of his career, and top netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy is likely to be a Vezina favorite once again.
Atlantic Division #2 Seed - Florida Panthers
The Panthers had a disastrous season in 2025 but are poised to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. First, they dealt with many serious injuries during the season, including top center Aleksander Barkov, who did not play a single game. Additionally, winger Matthew Tkachuk missed several months.
However, not only are Barkov and Tkachuk both healthy, the Panthers made a major splash in the offseason by acquiring Matthew's brother, Brady Tkachuk, in a blockbuster deal. The Panthers now enter the new season with a deep forward room, with the only "question" coming in the crease, with Jacob Markstrom set to take on starting duties.
Atlantic Division #1 Seed - Montreal Canadiens
Sitting in the top spot are the Montreal Canadiens. Even though they held the No. 3 seed in the division at the conclusion of the 2025-26 regular season, they went on to march to the Eastern Conference Finals and gave the Carolina Hurricanes a strong fight to represent the conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.
This is one of the youngest teams in the sport, with many rising superstars across the lineup. On offense, players like Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky could be among the top scorers for years to come, while future Norris Trophy winner Lane Hutson occupies the blue line.
In net, the Canadiens have two budding stars in Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler. This team is built not only to win the Atlantic but also to lift Lord Stanley.
🚨 GOAL CAUFIELD 🚨
Start your Friday with this beautiful goal from Cole Caufield! pic.twitter.com/pXM5oh0V02
— NHL (@NHL) July 10, 2026
Metropolitan Division #3 Seed - Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins were a surprise team in 2025, claiming the No. 2 spot in the Metropolitan Division and hosting a playoff series. However, their run ended quickly as they fell to their rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in six games. While we do expect some regression, the Penguins should still be the favorite to hold the No. 3 position in the division.
In the offseason, they opted to hold on to many key veterans who were on the trade block, including Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson. Additionally, even though it may seem there is a question in the crease, they have one of the sport's top goaltending prospects, Sergei Murashov, who could be a sleeper pick for the Calder.
Metropolitan Division #2 Seed - Washington Capitals
Even though the Capitals fell short of the 2025-26 Stanley Cup Playoffs, this team is well-positioned to return to their "2024 form." Two seasons ago, the Capitals were a favorite out of the Eastern Conference and even won the Presidents' Trophy. However, after some regression, they should bounce back and compete for a top spot in the division.
In terms of productive offenses, there may not have been a bigger winner than the Capitals. They acquired star winger Jordan Kyrou and added depth in Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner. The backbone of this team will be goaltender Logan Thomson, who posted some of the most elite metrics at the position and is a great sleeper pick to win the Vezina.
Metropolitan Division #1 Seed -Carolina Hurricanes
Without a doubt, holding the top spot in the Metropolitan Division will be the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Even though Washington could make a run for this spot, it is hard to cut out the reigning champions in this early ranking. In 2025, the Hurricanes won the Metropolitan Division by a wide margin, finishing with 113 points (the Penguins had 98).
They will primarily return the same team in 2026 but could face some early-season struggles with top winger Seth Jarvis recovering from offseason surgery. For now, Jarvis is projected to miss potentially the first half of the season.
Western Conference Summary
Pacific Division # 1 - Anaheim Ducks
Pacific Division # 2 - Vegas Golden Knights
Pacific Division # 3 - Edmonton Oilers
Central Division #1 - Colorado Avalanche
Central Division #2 - Dallas Stars
Central Division #3 - Minnesota Wild
Wild Card #1 - Utah Mammoth
Wild Card #2 - San Jose Sharks
Eastern Conference Summary
Atlantic Division # 1 - Montreal Canadiens
Atlantic Division # 2 - Florida Panthers
Atlantic Division # 3 - Tampa Bay Lightning
Metropolitan Division # 1 - Carolina Hurricanes
Metropolitan Division # 2 - Washington Capitals
Metropolitan Division # 3 - Pittsburgh Penguins
Wild Card #1 - Buffalo Sabres
Wild Card #2 - Boston Bruins
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