Olympics, outdoor games, Panthers 3-peat bid will highlight 2025-26 season

Comebacks. Milestones. One farewell, maybe more. Not one, but two outdoor games in Florida. The first Olympics featuring NHL players in a dozen years. A wide-open race for the Stanley Cup, with one team trying to become the first to three-peat in 43 years.

The 2025-26 NHL season will be loaded with storylines and subplots, starting Tuesday with a tripleheader on ESPN: Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers (5 p.m. ET), Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers (8 p.m. ET) and Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET).

"It'll be tense," Colorado defenseman Cale Makar said. "There's really no off nights."

What more could you want? What more can we handle?

Two respected leaders are making comebacks. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing three years with knee problems and now the 32-year-old forward is ready for the regular-season grind. Former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews hasn't played for two years because of health issues; now the 37-year-old center is returning with his hometown team, the Winnipeg Jets.

One respected leader is playing his final season, and who knows how long we'll have some other superstars? Kings captain Anze Kopitar announced Sept. 18 that this will be it for him. The 38-year-old center is entering the final season of his contract. So are 39-year-old Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin and 40-year-old Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.

After breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals last season, Ovechkin is three goals from becoming the first to score 900. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby needs 37 points to reach 1,724 and pass Mario Lemieux for first in Penguins history. Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane needs 32 points to reach 1,375 and pass Mike Modano for the most in NHL history among players born in the United States. The 36-year-old forward also needs eight goals to reach 500, 49 assists for 900 and 57 points for 1,400.

"Some of these guys like Sid and Ovi and Malkin, they're still producing at such a high level," Kane said. "It's incredible. You want to do that too. You want to do that as you get older and prove that you can do it as well."

Savor each moment. Crosby has won the Cup three times with the Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017), but if it looks like they will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season, could the 38-year-old center agree to go elsewhere to chase the Cup again? Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has lost in the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two seasons and is entering the final season of his contract. What does the 28-year-old decide is best for his future?

In the meantime, the Panthers will host the New York Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2. Outdoor hockey? In Florida? Don't worry. The stadium has a retractable roof, so the NHL can keep it closed to build the ice, then open it at night for the first outdoor game in the Sunshine State. The League will build a climate-controlled tent for the first time to build the ice for the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, then remove it so the Lightning can host the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1. Incredible.

That will lead into the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the first Olympics featuring NHL players since Sochi in 2014. The Olympics will add an edge to the first half of the NHL season. Players across the League will be fighting for roster spots, and players already on rosters will want to be at their best.

"There's always a little bit extra motivation," said Crosby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2010, 2014) with Canada. "It's always in the back of your mind. It's always something that's pushing you."

Canada won the past four best-on-best tournaments. The United States hasn't won Olympic gold since Lake Placid in 1980 or a best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey in 1996. But the United States defeated Canada in Montreal in the 4 Nations Face-Off last season and took its archrival to overtime of the championship game. That will be in the back of the Americans' minds, pushing them.

"The expectation is to go to Milan and win the gold medal, and I think anything short of that would be disappointing," said Jack Eichel, a center for the Vegas Golden Knights and the United States.

After the Olympics, we'll go straight into the stretch run and the playoffs. The Panthers have won back-to-back championships and can become the first to win three in a row since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980-83. But they're already facing adversity, starting the season without two of their top players. Forward Matthew Tkachuk (lower body) is out until likely December; captain Aleksander Barkov (knee) is out 7-9 months.

The race is wide open. Many teams have a legit shot at the playoffs, including the one in Utah -- playing its first season as the Utah Mammoth, after its inaugural season as the Utah Hockey Club. Several have a legit shot at the Cup, including the Dallas Stars, who will play their first full season with forward Mikko Rantanen, and the Golden Knights, who have added another superstar in forward Mitch Marner.

"It's definitely tough," Makar said. "But it makes it more enjoyable when you come out on top."