NHL training camps and preseason games are just around the corner, and this provides an opportunity for me to update everyone on my biggest hockey life goal ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season. Earlier this year and during the final four months of last season, I was fortunate to have made some pretty significant progress on this life goal, adding four teams to bring my total to ten NHL teams that I have seen play in person, which equates to about a third of the league. With under a month to go before the start of the 2025-26 regular season, there are 22 NHL teams that I have yet to see play in person, and I will likely have at least one or a few opportunities throughout next season to inch closer to achieving this big life goal. This fun post ranks the 22 NHL teams I have yet to see play in person based on how much I want to see them play in person. I factor in how much I personally like each team, the current state of each franchise prior to the start of next season, and players on each team's roster into this specific list. In addition, brief explanations will be provided with each team's respective ranking. Without further ado, let's begin:
22) Utah Mammoth
I am interested in seeing every NHL team in this list perform in person, but I have the Utah Mammoth ranked last because they seem the least exciting out of all the NHL teams I have yet to see in person. They do have an amazing primary logo and some great young players like Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Logan Cooley, but Utah has yet to take the leap into becoming a legitimate playoff contender.
21) Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres rank towards the bottom of my list here due to their lengthy cycle and track record of mediocrity, and their inability to build a winning culture that players want to be a part of. The only reasons why the Sabres rank above the Mammoth in this particular list are due to Buffalo being in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division, and the Atlantic is the lone division in the NHL in which I have not seen any teams from it play in person so far.
20) Calgary Flames
Although they nearly made the playoffs last season, the Calgary Flames do not seem as exciting as some other teams in this list that I have yet to see play in person. They do get the benefit of the doubt being a Canadian-based team, which always adds intrigue to every NHL matchup that I may potentially get to see in person.
19) St. Louis Blues
I am not a big Blues fan by any means, but as demonstrated towards the end of last season and the first round of the playoffs in which they pushed the Jets to seven games, St. Louis is plenty capable of flying under the radar, being sneaky good, and catching the league by surprise heading into next season.
18) Vancouver Canucks
Out of the three Western Canadian teams, I like the Canucks the best. This likely has to do with my mostly positive experience when traveling to Vancouver several years ago. In addition, they have at least a few intriguing players in Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Elias Pettersson the forward, and there's always the potential for them to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season for their standards if all goes to plan.
17) Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have cool uniforms and a cannon in their home arena, and they were in the playoff discussion for much of last season until near the very end. They may not be the most thrilling team or have the best track record, but they are certainly intriguing.
16) Winnipeg Jets
I do not love or hate the Winnipeg Jets, but they had one of their best seasons in franchise history last season, finishing with the best record in the Western Conference. In addition, they are in a great position to have a similar or possibly better season in 2025-26 like they did last season, and Winnipeg should be exciting to watch nonetheless.
15) Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers may not have the greatest product on the ice at the moment, but they have some young, up-and-coming stars that are certainly helping them head in the right direction.
14) Ottawa Senators
The Senators took a significant leap last season, ending an eight-year playoff drought, and are only primed to get better from there. Led by star players such as Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, the Senators are an interesting team capable of making plenty of noise throughout the league next season.
13) Nashville Predators
I have always been somewhat fascinated by the Nashville Predators, and they definitely have the star power to potentially bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
12) Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have been one of the more fun teams to watch in the NHL as of late, with Kirill Kaprizov being their biggest X-factor. In addition, besides the Sharks, the Wild have one of the coolest and most creative logos in all of sports.
11) Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins may be on the downswing as of last season and heading into 2025-26, but they are a storied Original Six franchise with many years of success under their belts. In addition, while their current roster does not contain as many names that pop out at me like they used to, the Bruins still feature a fantastic superstar centerpiece in David Pastrnak who make them worth watching night in and night out.
10) Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are one of my most hated teams and one of the Sharks' biggest rivals. As much as I pray on their downfall and want to see them lose, the reality is that Vegas is a successful and talented team that does whatever it takes to win.
9) Montreal Canadiens
Some of the teams I am most interested in seeing play in person are based in Eastern Canada, and this definitely applies to the Canadiens. Montreal made it back to the playoffs last season for the first time in four years, and they are set up well to contend for years to come. In addition, the Habs are a storied Original Six franchise with one of the most passionate fanbases in all of hockey.
8) Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are another storied Original Six franchise with several decades of success under their belts, and I have always liked them to an extent. They currently have the young stars and veteran presence to take the next step towards potentially ending their lengthy playoff drought. However, the main aspect placing the Red Wings below a handful of other teams I like in this ranking is their front office being too patient with their rebuild, leading me to not take the Red Wings as seriously as some other NHL teams. Still, anything can happen this coming season that could turn the Red Wings' fortunes around.
7) Toronto Maple Leafs
Out of all Canadian-based teams, I am most intrigued by the Toronto Maple Leafs and want to see them play in person the most. The Leafs are currently one of the top contenders in the Atlantic Division, led by the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, Matthew Knies, and Morgan Rielly. In addition, my desire to want to see the Maple Leafs play in person more than most teams is closely tied to my life goal of traveling to Toronto to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.
6) Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been a perennial playoff contender from the late 2000s through the end of the 2010s, with a few Stanley Cup victories to add to that playoff window as well. Although a full rebuild is on the horizon for the Penguins, they are ranked this high for one reason: Sidney Crosby. Simply put, he is one of the greatest hockey players of our generation. Another big reason why I find it very important to see Sidney Crosby play in person at least once is due to him remaining highly productive in his late 30s. Due to his age, it may be only a few years before his on-ice performance begins to regress and he may decide to hang up the skates. If I am given the opportunity to see Sidney Crosby play in person at least once before he ultimately retires, it would be a dream come true.
5) Florida Panthers
The Panthers are a powerhouse hockey team based in South Florida that is also the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. Unlike seemingly many hockey fans outside of the Sunshine State nowadays, I actually enjoy what the Panthers have going on and built in the past few years. In addition, I want to travel to Miami and its surrounding coastal towns and beaches more than anywhere else in the U.S. that I have not previously traveled to before. The combination of an on-ice product and culture set up to win now and for several more years to come plus South Florida being one of my top bucket-list travel destinations makes seeing the Panthers play in person extremely appealing.
4) Carolina Hurricanes
There is no denying that the Carolina Hurricanes are generally fun to watch, and the vibes surrounding that team are oftentimes great. The Hurricanes are loaded with talent such as Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, and Jaccob Slavin, and their most notable additions this offseason such as Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller should help improve their chances of finishing top three in the Metropolitan Division and going on a deep playoff run once again. In addition, I enjoy the storm surge team celebrations the Hurricanes perform whenever they win at home against most teams. In recent years, the Carolina Hurricanes have had something special going on in Raleigh and been a relatively easier team to root for.
3) Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are my favorite team in the Central Division. A few of their core superstar players, notably Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, make the Avs relatively easy to root for, and Colorado has some of the best uniforms in the NHL. In addition, they added Sharks legend Brent Burns to their blue line this offseason, who is still going strong and performing at a relatively high level into his early 40s. Besides multiple reasons to admire them, the Avalanche won a Stanley Cup with MacKinnon and Makar in 2022 and are in a prime position to contend for years to come.
2) New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have always been a team that I have liked to an extent and at times have clashed with the team above them in this ranking for my favorite NHL team in the Eastern Conference. They are one of the most iconic NHL teams that represents the biggest sports market in the U.S. and calls the world's most famous arena home. The Rangers also have some great uniforms and talent to take them on a deep playoff run. In addition, the Rangers being near the top of this list has been heavily influenced by the fact that I saw the two other New York City-area teams in the Islanders and Devils play in person in San Jose last season. The Broadway Blueshirts had a disappointing 2024-25 campaign for their standards, and I believe they are primed for a bounce-back 2025-26 season.
1) Tampa Bay Lightning
If I could choose only one team in the Eastern Conference to root for, it would be the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are a team in a non-traditional hockey market that has been a well-run juggernaut for many years. The Lightning feature many players that I like that have been significant contributors towards their contention window remaining open for the past several years, namely Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. I also enjoyed Steven Stamkos' tenure with Tampa, and the Bolts seem to be doing just fine after he left to join the Predators and was replaced by Jake Guentzel before last season. Their dominance from the late 2010s through now has resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, and the Lightning appear to be in great shape to contend again for the foreseeable future. Overall, I enjoy many aspects about the Tampa Bay Lightning, especially their players, coaches, clubhouse culture, and day-to-day operations, placing them at the top of my list of NHL teams that I have yet to see play in person and want to see play in person heading into the 2025-26 NHL season.
Lastly, if there are any other fun hockey rankings or aspects that you would like for me to cover on CPF Hockey in the future, please let me know in the comments. Absolutely looking forward to the return of hockey in the coming weeks!
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