Four Bold Predictions For The 2026-27 NHL Season: Barzal To Stars, Hellebuyck To Blackhawks, And More

The NHL's 2026–27 season is almost here, and it's pre-season predictions time at TheHockeyNews.com.

We kicked things off with our pre-season predictions for each of the NHL's four divisions, then we posted our picks for this year's individual awards, and in the final component of the series, we're offering four bold predictions for the year.

When we say 'bold' predictions, we're not suggesting these predictions are guaranteed to come to pass. Rather, they're all things we think may make sense happening, under the right circumstances. Far-fetched? Maybe. But they sure sound enjoyable to debate and discuss. 

With that, here are our four bold predictions for the upcoming NHL season:

Just when you thought Tortorella was out of the game, the Predators drag him back in. And before you say this could never happen, ask yourself, did anyone see the Vegas Golden Knights hiring Tortorella at the end of the season – or at any point in the year, for that matter?

After the Predators flurry of additions this summer, GM Chris MacFarland has them built for a bounce-back season. But the Central is still one of the league's most competitive divisions, and Brunette was not hired by MacFarland. 

It's usually the coach who is changed before any players are traded and Brunette doesn't have a recent track record of success, so he's entering the season as one of the most-likely coaches to be let go.

The Predators would be Tortorella's seventh team, but every time you think he's reached the end of the line, another team takes a chance on him. We think the next, and the last, could be Nashville.

Did you see Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff's press conference this week, where he discussed the team suspending Hellebuyck for refusing to report to training camp? Did that look like a GM who wants to play nice with Hellebuyck?

Or does it look like Hellebuyck is in for quite the wait until Winnipeg is good and ready to trade him for the best possible trade package? From our perspective, it's the latter. 

You may feel like this would be quite the haul for just one goalie. That's accurate. But we're talking about Hellebuyck, who is only two years from winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Accepting anything less than this type of trade haul wouldn't sit well with Jets fans.

But acquiring a young goalie in the 25-year-old Knight would give Winnipeg a solid goalie tandem with first-year Jet Stuart Skinner, and Nazar would help them now and in the long haul.

The Blackhawks could take a major step forward with Hellebuyck aboard, and although Nazar would be sorely missed, paying a price this steep would still be worth it.

For months, if not years now, Pettersson's name has been in trade rumors, but the combination of his massive salary and the six years left on his contract essentially made him untradeable.

But if Canucks GM Ryan Johnson is patient this year, he could find a willing trade partner in the Penguins. Picking up Pettersson would still require a decent return, so long as Vancouver eats a few million in any trade.

That said, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas must know the Canucks won't simply give Pettersson away, even if the chief appeal to any Pettersson trade is getting out from under his $11.6-million salary.

Marcus and Liam Ruck, both of whom were selected by the Penguins in this year's draft, are B.C. natives. Even if the Rucks aren't guaranteed to be high-impact players, Johnson would have an easy sell to Canucks fans.

Indeed, with the legendary Sedin Twins in management, adding the Rucks would make for excellent PR for Vancouver. Dubas could justify trading the Rucks if he also got DeBrusk, who is signed for five seasons.

This trade would work for both sides, but Canucks fans may need to wait a few months for the trade to be palatable for each of them.

The Stars and Islanders are under a ton of pressure this season, for different reasons. Dallas desperately needs to go further in the playoffs than they've gone in recent years, while the Isles are desperate just to get back into the post-season after missing out on the playoffs each of the past two seasons. 

So, if the Stars struggle to start the year, and the same goes for the Islanders, both Dallas GM Jim Nill and Islanders counterpart Mathieu Darche will be looking to shake things up. The best way to do so would be a deal like this.

Robertson is under contract only for this season before he becomes a UFA next summer, but Barzal is signed for the next five years at a relatively-reasonable $9.1 million per season.

With veteran center Tyler Seguin's $9.8 million per season contract set to expire at the end of this season, Nill would get a high-end replacement and free-up millions to spend elsewhere either this season or down the line.

Neither Barzal nor Robertson are perfect players, but you can project the end of the road coming for them sooner than later in their current respective markets. The Islanders also have more than enough cap space to accommodate a significant raise for Robertson beginning in 2027-28.

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