Predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season
HodgePodge by Charlie Hodge
Tez and I are ice cubes.
Now heading into the house after a day of harvesting spuds, yams, tomatoes and anything else possibly salvageable from the suddenly frozen ground our immediate destination is somewhere warm, like the hockey room, for either a hot rum or a yummy coffee.
Regardless of the beverage of choice the first point of businesses is simple. It’s the opening week of the NHL season which means its silly predictions time.
In other words – it’s time for the HodgePodge Multiple Choice Participation Hockey Pool also known as the ‘Laugh at Charlie’s Stupid Hockey Predictions’.
Having hockey fun can be so easy.
Let me help you with that.
Yup, get your bar fridge plugged in or cooler stuffed with ice, TV trays cleaned off, and channel changer batteries checked because our fine Canadian tradition – the NHL hockey season – is back. Tell any family members that are not hockey pundits you will see them come June (if the playoffs are done by then).
Remind them that you love them.
The only thing as much fun as watching hockey is being part of a hockey pool or multiple pools. Especially if you can get a couple of real dumb hockey people involved and then take their money. (That’s why I get involved every year in the media hockey pool. It’s kind of like taking candy from a baby – only these babies drink beer. I haven’t worked full time for media for more than a decade but because of this column I’m given some sort of alumni status, and they invite me in – but I digress).
With ‘Laugh at Charlie’s Stupid Hockey Predictions’ I annually put myself through the embarrassing ritual of making these predictions. You, the reader, can decide how much participation in the game you want to make. You can:
- A) skim read it, think it’s a pile of junk and throw it in the corner.
- B) clip it out, stick it on your (beer) fridge, and then laugh at me throughout the regular season and playoffs. (For some pathetic reason I find this amusing, and so do others). Hope you have fun. Get out your highlight pen and scissors. (No running).
- c) Fully participate by boldly posting your predictions on said fridge as well.
- d) Superstar participate by boldly posting your predictions on said fridge and then send me a copy to put in a future HodgePodge. (Only happened twice in approximately 20 years).
Sadly, I predict an ongoing series of serious injuries this season impacting multiple players and nailing the league everywhere. Injuries and chaos as seldom seen in the past will rule the day. With that in mind here is how I predict the four divisions will finish during regular season:
Pacific Division: Vegas, Edmonton, Vancouver, L.A., Seattle, Anaheim, Calgary, San Jose.
Central Division: Dallas, Winnipeg, Colorado, Utah, Minnesota, St. Louis, Nashville, Chicago.
Atlantic: Florida, Toronto, Tampa, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit. Boston, Buffalo.
Metropolitan: Carolina, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Washington, Philadelphia, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Islanders.
Connor McDavid will lead the league in scoring amassing 55 goals and 125 points. Draisaitl will slip to second with 119 points. Mitch Marner will finish third (117) in scoring just ahead of Vegas linemate Jack Eichel at 115. Leaf’s Auston Mathews will finish the regular season as the number five scorer third with a boggling 63 goals and 110 points in a season that sees scoring soar.. McKinnon will battle injuries and finish seventh.
Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes will lead the leagues’ defenceman in scoring.
Despite all the scoring prowess, injures will hurt both Edmonton and Toronto hence they’re not winning division titles. However, the playoffs will tell a different story. Both teams will finish in the finals of the playoffs.
The final four clubs in the Stanley cup showdown will be Carolina and Toronto out of the Eastern Division and Dallas and Edmonton out of the Western Division.
Logic says it will be Carolina and Dallas facing off for the cup but my heart says we will see a Toronto – Edmonton final so that is where I am going to put my heart and my predictions. Leafs finally win the cup!
As stated last year my Leaf prediction is based on the fact that I believe God is a hockey fan, and more than that, a Leaf fan. The lack of Cup victories since the early 1960’s was merely punishment for the club allowing the evil Harold Ballard and the Smythe clan to take control of the team for so long. Now, however, it seems the club’s years of abandonment and suffering are over and players like Auston Mathews, John Tavares, Willy Nylander and youngsters such as Mathew Nies, Easton Cowan are ready to win it all.
Besides – one can dream or what’s a Heaven for?
So there you are. Grab your scissors and magnet and have extra fun this winter.
