Ranking NHL Teams I Have Yet to See Play in Person (2026)

 We are fully in the dog days of the NHL offseason, and that means it is time to bring back a relatively recent annual tradition in which I provide a yearly update on a major hockey life goal of mine before the next season starts. Last season, I made significant progress on my life goal of seeing all 32 NHL teams play in person, as I finished the 2025-26 season at just over the halfway point in completing this goal. For the 2026-27 NHL season, I am hoping to add at least a few more teams from this ranking to my list of teams I have seen play in person by season's end. As for the teams in this updated ranking, I have a desire to see all of them play in person, but certainly some more than others. Like in years past, the NHL teams I have yet to see play in person will be ranked from least to most desirable, and brief explanations will be provided with each respective team. Let's begin: 

15) Calgary Flames 

Last place in this updated ranking is pretty straightforward. While seeing the Flames play in person will complete the Pacific Division for me, this particular team regressed significantly last season compared to the 2024-25 season, and they are currently in full rebuild mode. As a result of being in full rebuild mode, the Flames do not feature many players currently on their roster that truly excite me, especially in their forward group. In addition, my Sharks face the Flames more often per season than all other teams in this list, making their matchups not feel as special compared to those against non-division opponents. 

14) St. Louis Blues 

Coming in next-to-last on this list is the St. Louis Blues. I am not a huge fan of this team and currently view them as a mushy middle squad, in which they are not good enough to go on a deep playoff run and not bad enough to earn a top draft pick. While the Blues have made more roster improvements this offseason and are in a better franchise state than the Flames, their roster remains less inspiring than most others on this list heading into next season. 

13) Winnipeg Jets 

While I do not see the Jets as a bonafide playoff team heading into next season, they have at least a few star players on their roster that are more fun to watch than any current player on the Flames or Blues. Those specific players are Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor. In addition, Winnipeg is only a few seasons removed from winning a President's Trophy, so although I would not count on it, there is always a possibility that they could bounce back and sneak into the playoffs in 2026-27. 

12) Nashville Predators 

The Predators may no longer be a serious playoff contender and have one of the least appealing uniforms in hockey. However, they feature some star players that keep them competitive on most nights, such as Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Steven Stamkos, and Juuse Saros, and call an attractive tourist destination with a great fan atmosphere home. 

11) Utah Mammoth 

The Mammoth find themselves in the bottom half of this list because I am not as big of a fan of them as I am of other teams ranked above them here. On a more positive note, Utah's roster is filled with a great mix of young and veteran talent that is only getting better and more fun to watch after making the playoffs last season. 

10) Columbus Blue Jackets 

The Blue Jackets have a cool logo and a cannon inside their arena. While not the most attractive or relevant hockey team, their roster is led by superstar defenseman Zach Werenski, and Columbus is one of two teams remaining to complete the Metropolitan Division leg of this goal. I also tend to view Eastern Conference teams as more desirable to watch in person due to their lower frequency of facing off against my Sharks per season compared to Western Conference opponents. 

9) Ottawa Senators 

I am unsure what to make of the Ottawa Senators heading into next season, but they are an intriguing team due to one of their top performers in Tim Stutzle and one of their biggest offseason additions in Sharks fan favorite William Eklund. 

8) Buffalo Sabres 

I am not the biggest Buffalo Sabres fan, but they have climbed this ranking compared to previous years. This is due to the Sabres finally having the pieces in place to form a consistent competitor and break their record-long playoff drought last season. I have doubted Buffalo countless times in the past, but based on how they finished last season, I think their playoff contention window is just opening up. 

7) Detroit Red Wings 

While the Red Wings now hold the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, I have always taken a bit of a liking to to this particular team due to them being a storied Original Six franchise. For several decades until the late 2010s, Detroit has amassed a ton of success and had several hockey legends play for them. As for the current Red Wings, I see them taking a step back next season, but I like a few of their players as well, most notably Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider. 

6) Minnesota Wild 

The Wild are a stacked team whose Stanley Cup window is wide open, and they have become more exciting last season with their major addition of Quinn Hughes to their blue line. It also helps their cause to have one of the most incredible logos in all of sports and be one of the easier teams to root for in most scenarios. 

5) Toronto Maple Leafs 

Last season for the Maple Leafs was a major disappointment for their standards, but they have increased their chances of bouncing back next season with their additions of first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, star defenseman Darren Raddysh, and veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to name a few. 

4) Montreal Canadiens 

I have the Canadiens ranked in my top four of this list because they are a storied Original Six franchise that has set themselves up very well to be a perennial playoff contender for years to come. Their roster is loaded with depth at every position. I especially like their top star players of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, and Ivan Demidov. Their current front office and coaching staff do a lot of things well, and I see them as a preview of how my Sharks are shaping up to be in the near future. 

3) Florida Panthers 

The Panthers are not far removed from winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025. While last season was very much an underwhelming off year for them, the Cats are the most likely non-playoff team from last season to bounce back and go on a deep playoff run next season. Most of their roster that won back-to-back Cups has remained intact, and they acquired Brady Tkachuk to help bolster their offense and grit this offseason. In addition, the Panthers should be getting a healthy Aleksander Barkov back for a full season in 2026-27. 

2) Carolina Hurricanes 

Carolina is the runner-up in this list for several reasons. The Canes are one of a handful of teams in a tier below the Sharks that I like and will root for in most scenarios. Another major reason for their respective place in this list is that the Hurricanes are a powerhouse of a team that won the Stanley Cup last season and are in a prime position to do it again next season. I especially enjoy the play and personality of Seth Jarvis, the Canes' arena atmosphere, and their Storm Surge victory celebrations. Besides the Blue Jackets, the Hurricanes are the other team I would need to see play in person to complete the Metropolitan Division leg of this goal. However, the only reason I have Carolina as the runner-up is because I like the team ranked above them here a bit more. 

1) Tampa Bay Lightning 

The Lightning are atop this year's updated ranking of NHL teams I have yet to see play in person. This is mainly due to them being my favorite Eastern Conference team if I could only choose one. Most of their core from the last time they won the Stanley Cup in 2021 is still with the team, such as Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Steven Stamkos has been a great core piece for the Bolts for several years, and Jake Guentzel has been a solid replacement on their roster ever since Stamkos departed in free agency a few years ago. John Carlson is certainly an intriguing addition to this Lightning team after Tampa moved on from Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade. In addition, Jon Cooper has been one of the better coaches in the NHL for the past several years, and Amalie Arena is one of my favorite NHL arenas. Tampa Bay has been one of the most well-run organizations in the NHL for most of its history, and they have consistently found ways to win games and put up winning seasons for at least the past decade. 

Lastly, I am heavily looking forward to the return of hockey in just over a month and hoping that my list of NHL teams I have yet to see play in person shrinks by the end of next season! Be sure to follow along and stay tuned to find out how my journey to see all 32 NHL teams in person progresses. 

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Sharks Re-Sign Collin Graf to 3-Year Contract

 The Sharks’ final remaining restricted free agent has officially agreed to a new contract, as Collin Graf has signed a new three-year deal carrying an average annual value of $4.25 million. 

Last season with the Sharks, Graf recorded 21 goals, 25 assists, and 46 points in 81 games, setting career-bests in nearly all offensive categories. He also reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career and finished the 2025-26 campaign ranking third on the Sharks in goals, sixth on the team in points, and seventh on the team in assists. In addition, Graf factored in on all three of the Sharks' shorthanded goals scored and registered eight multi-point games last season. Among undrafted NHL players, Collin Graf ranked tied for fourth in points, tied for fifth in goals, and tied for sixth in assists last season. 

Going forward, with the Sharks' forward depth being a bit crowded heading into next season, Collin Graf will play more of a utility role in San Jose, as Team Teal plans to plug and play Graf on any of the four lines whenever necessary. Overall, it was just a matter of when before the Sharks and Collin Graf  agreed to terms on a new contract before next season. He's an important young depth forward for this up-and-coming Sharks team, and it's great that they were able to get this last crucial matter of the offseason done to keep Collin Graf around in teal for at least the next few years. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Sign Macklin Celebrini to 5-Year Contract Extension

 Macklin Celebrini has cashed in big time with his next contract, signing a massive five-year contract worth $94 million. This equates to roughly $18.8 million per season, making Celebrini the highest-paid player in the NHL starting next season. 

Macklin Celebrini needs little introduction as to why he is worth every penny of his first big-boy contract. He has cemented himself as a superstar, the Sharks' current face of their franchise, and the guaranteed next captain for Team Teal. Celebrini set several different NHL and Sharks franchise records during his sophomore campaign last season, most notably the Sharks' single-season points record with 115 (45 goals, 70 assists). He led the Sharks in nearly all offensive stat categories last season and factored in nearly half of all goals the Sharks scored during the 2025-26 campaign. In addition, the Sharks' chances of winning increased dramatically each night that Macklin Celebrini scores at least a goal or point last season. 

One potential concern that this contract extension may present in a few years is that it could place the Sharks in a salary cap crunch situation, in which they would have to trade away an important depth player or two in order to stay cap-compliant. However, this is not a significant concern at the moment, but most importantly, this is a significant order of business that has been handled and will greatly benefit both Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks. New contracts for both Collin Graf and Will Smith should be finalized sooner than later as well. Celebrini taking the middle ground between team-friendly and max term on his next contract is fantastic, and he and the Sharks will only perform better from here. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Hire Jeff Kealty as Assistant GM

 The Sharks announced the latest addition to their front office earlier today: Jeff Kealty as their new assistant general manager. 

Kealty will not only work directly with Mike Grier on all aspects of hockey operations, but oversee the Sharks' professional scouting staff as well. He was previously the assistant general manager and director of scouting for the Nashville Predators for the past eight years, and has been involved in some capacity with professional and amateur scouting with the Predators from 2001 until now. With the Predators, Kealty and his scouting staff were instrumental in drafting several players that shaped Nashville into a perennial playoff contender for much of the past two decades. Another aspect that influenced this most recent hire is that Kealty was a former teammate of Mike Grier when they both played for Boston University during the mid 90s. 

While I was not familiar with Jeff Kealty before he joined the Sharks front office, he sounds like a great addition in helping Team Teal get back to the playoffs and eventually contend for a Stanley Cup. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Macklin Celebrini Named NHL 27 Cover Athlete + Sharks 2026-27 Season Schedule Released

 While the NHL offseason cycle continues to slow down significantly, there have been a few notable Sharks headlines announced this week that are worth discussing here. Let's begin: 

The first significant Sharks headline announced this week was that Macklin Celebrini has been confirmed as the cover athlete for the upcoming EA Sports NHL 27 video game. This is a huge honor for Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks, and the EA Sports NHL franchise, as Celebrini is now the youngest player to ever grace the cover of an EA Sports NHL video game. He is also the first Sharks player to be on the cover of EA Sports NHL since Owen Nolan in 2001, and the only other Sharks player to be featured on the cover of an NHL video game besides Celebrini and Nolan was Joe Thornton for NHL 2K7. 

Secondly, the NHL announced season/home openers for all 32 teams for next season yesterday, followed by the full season schedule earlier today. As for the Sharks, I will not be doing a full season schedule breakdown here, but they open their 2026-27 season on Thursday, October 1 at home against the Florida Panthers. Team Teal also plays eight of their first 12 games on the road next season. The Sharks' longest homestand of the 2026-27 campaign consists of seven games between January 18 and February 15, with the NHL All-Star break splitting that particular homestand as well. San Jose's other longest road trip next season is six games from March 9-18, in which they will be visiting a mix of Eastern and Western Conference teams. Fortunately, the Sharks will not be playing in as many back-to-back sets of games next season as they did last season. New promotional theme days/nights for the Sharks next season include collaborations with PWHL San Jose, Love Island, the Golden State Warriors, and Hello Kitty. Team Teal concludes its 2026-27 regular season on Saturday, April 10 at home against the Anaheim Ducks. 

Overall, I love that Macklin Celebrini is on the cover of the next NHL video game, and the cover designs for both the standard and deluxe editions of NHL 27 look absolutely amazing, especially the deluxe version. While I do not play console games anymore compared to when I was a child, I almost want to purchase a copy of NHL 27 as a collector's item. Now that the Sharks' full season schedule for next season has been released, I have a better idea of what games I may potentially be able to attend in as soon as just over two months. I hope everything tilts in my favor in regards to attending at least a handful of games at the Shark Tank next season, and I am certainly thrilled about the possibilities of seeing the newest Sharks players and at least a few new opponents play in person for the first time. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Sign Libor Hajek to One-Year Contract

 The Sharks announced today that they have signed defenseman Libor Hajek to a one-year, two-way contract. 

Hajek last played for HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech professional league, recording six goals, seven assists, and 13 points in 44 regular season games last season, along with three assists in 17 postseason games to help his club win the Czech Extraliga championship. His tenure with HC Dynamo Pardubice in Czechia lasted for the past three seasons, in which he tallied 13 goals, 19 assists, and 32 points in 111 games. In total, Hajek has 35 points in 138 career games across parts of six seasons in the Czech Extraliga. 

Before his return to Czechia, Libor Hajek spent parts of five NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, registering four goals, eight assists, and 12 points in 110 games from 2018-19 through 2022-23. 

This latest addition to the Sharks is a low-risk prove-it deal, as Libor Hajek will be competing for their sixth or seventh defenseman spot for next season. If that does not go to plan, Hajek will be a solid addition to the Barracuda in the AHL and provide the Sharks some reinforcement in case one of their blueliners goes down with an injury. Hope his return for a second stint in the NHL and/or AHL is a successful one for Libor Hajek. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Sign Ivar Stenberg to ELC + More News & Notes

 At the conclusion of today's Sharks Prospect Development Camp and Scrimmage, the Sharks officially signed their 2026 second overall pick Ivar Stenberg to his three-year, entry-level contract. Stenberg is regarded as one of the best forwards in the 2026 draft class and will fit easily into the Sharks’ top-six forward core next season and for many more years to come. Last season for Frolunda, Stenberg recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, and 33 points in 43 games, leading the SHL in assists and points by a junior. His last season for Frolunda was the fifth-highest scoring season by an 18-year old in SHL history. He also scored four goals, six assists, and ten points at the World Junior Championships at the beginning of this year and helped lead Team Sweden to a gold medal at that tournament. On top of that, Stenberg tallied four goals, four assists, and eight points in eight games for Sweden at this year’s World Championships and led Frolunda to a Champions Hockey League title. 

Speaking of the prospect scrimmage, it took place earlier today at TechCU Arena, in which Team White, coached by Patrick Marleau, defeated Team Teal, coached by Joe Thornton, 5-3. Jake Gustafson, Ivar Stenberg, David Klee, Andre Gasseau, and Teddy Mutryn each scored for Team White, while Carson Wetsch, Max Heise, and Matteo Giampa each scored for Team Teal. 

In addition, San Jose announced a few Barracuda reinforcement signings today, signing forwards Brett Leason and Tye Felhaber along with goalie Kyle Keyser to one-year, two-way contracts. Leason spent most of last season with the Hershey Bears in the AHL, recording 14 goals, 30 assists, and 44 points in 56 games along with two goals in six Calder Cup Playoff games. He also skated in six games for the Washington Capitals. In total, Leason has 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 226 NHL games with the Capitals and Anaheim Ducks, along with 91 points (32 goals, 59 assists) in 170 AHL games. Both Felhaber and Keyser spent last season in the Colorado Avalanche organization. Felhaber registered 15 goals, 16 assists, and 31 points in 63 AHL games with the Colorado Eagles. On the other hand, Keyser split last season between the Colorado Eagles in the AHL and the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL. He posted a 9-4-1 record, 2.09 goals-against average, .922 save percentage, and two shutouts in 15 AHL games with the Eagles, along with a 6-4-1 record, 2.43 goals-against average, .917 save percentage, and one shutout in 12 ECHL games with the Grizzlies. 

Lastly, the only Sharks player under team control that still needs a new contract before next season is Collin Graf, while Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are eligible to sign contract extensions but have yet to do so at this time. Most importantly, it is great that the Sharks were able to sign Stenberg to his first NHL contract while he was in San Jose for development camp, and I am greatly looking forward to seeing how he performs during his rookie campaign starting in the fall. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Sjsharksnews via Instagram 

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