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.
You can further support my blog by checking out my merch here: CPF Store
