As with every NHL season, training camps will have numerous battles for players to either earn jobs, or earn spots on specific lines. Which four training camp battles are likely to be the most compelling?
As the 2026-27 NHL season draws near, it’s soon going to be time for players to compete for elevated roles in training camp.
Every team has at least a bit of roster fluidity at one position or another, and although the league’s new schedule minimizes the number of pre-season games teams can play, the new system means that players could be fighting for jobs just during practice time.
Which training camp battles are we looking forward to? Here are five:
1. Maple Leafs' Forward Lines
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a slew of changes this summer, but for the most part, Toronto’s defense corps and goaltending is largely set pretty much in stone.
The Maple Leafs’ sixth defense position might be a battle between newcomer Emil Andrae and returning veteran Troy Stecher, but otherwise, they’re set. And in net, we know Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz will be the tandem.
However, when it comes to Toronto’s group of forwards, there’s many combinations that Maple Leafs fans are going to be intensely focused on. Does No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna start the season on the first line with Auston Matthews, or is it best to start him on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander?
If you do put McKenna on the second line, who gets the opportunity with Matthews – newcomer Jack Roslovic? Where will new head coach Jim Hiller fit Easton Cowan into the equation?
Additionally, how will Toronto’s bottom-six forwards – almost all of who were acquired this summer – settle in? Will returning veteran Steven Lorentz get squeezed out of a job? And who’ll be the third-line center – Teddy Blueger, Colton Sissons or even Nick Paul?
There’s no shortage of potential looks for the Maple Leafs, and camp will have to sort things out for at least the start of the season.
2. Blackhawks Top-Line Center In Bedard’s Absence
The Chicago Blackhawks will be without superstar center Connor Bedard to start the season after he underwent shoulder surgery in July. The timeline return was projected to be approximately four months, and that means a possible November return for the franchise cornerstone.
With Bedard unable to play to start the year, which player gets bumped up to be the No. 1 center? Chicago has two young candidates in Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar.
Frondell looked good in his first taste of NHL action at the end of last season, posting nine points in 12 games. And Nazar had a solid sophomore NHL season, putting up 15 goals and 41 points in 66 games.
Either Nazar or Frondell will see their time cut back when Bedard returns, but Blackhawks management would love for one of them to emerge as the clear choice for a second-line role. The stakes are high for these youngsters, and a strong camp will likely decide who starts the year at the top.
3. Sharks Youngsters Assimilating To The NHL Level
The San Jose Sharks are an up-and-coming team that has legitimate playoff expectations this season, but that doesn’t mean their lineup is locked in. We know that superstar center Macklin Celebrini and third-year winger Will Smith almost assuredly will play together on San Jose’s top line, but after that, there’s some questions.
To wit: how will the Sharks handle the rookie season of Ivar Stenberg, and what opportunities will be afforded to 19-year-old sophomore center Michael Misa?
Veteran Alexander Wennberg had a solid 2025-26 season, with 18 goals and 55 points in 80 games, but Misa’s upside is considerable, and San Jose may choose to give him looks on the second line. And Sharks GM Mike Grier brought in a veteran forward in Mason Marchment, so he has to be worked into the mix as well.
The Sharks have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to elite young talent, but now is the time when those youngsters are challenged to assert themselves as legitimate forces in hockey’s top league.
4. Rangers' New-Look Forward Core
The New York Rangers sent out a letter to their fan base last season, promising to get back into the playoff fight immediately. And Rangers GM Chris Drury followed through on that promise, making extensive changes, including the addition of star winger and former Vegas Golden Knight Pavel Dorofeyev along with defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi.
But after the Blueshirts made a late-summer signing with the addition of winger Eeli Tolvanen (formerly of the Seattle Kraken), it’s intriguing to project how the Rangers’ forward lines will come together.
As it stands, six of the Rangers’ top-12 forwards are 25-years-old or younger, and most of those youngsters need to have a strong training camp to justify head coach Mike Sullivan leaning on them as the season begins.
The Rangers’ goaltending and defense are more or less set, but the way the forward group materializes will go a long way toward defining how much success the Rangers have in 2026-27.
Drury is under intense pressure to fix what’s been broken of late in Manhattan, and if his young forwards don’t come through with important contributions, there could be widespread change next summer.
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