With the entire Stanley Cup playoffs bracket set, everyone is making their picks and predictions as to how the post-season will play out. EA Sports' NHL 26 completed their own version of a prediction with its yearly playoff simulation.

The end result was not a pretty one for the Los Angeles Kings, and fans will hope for anything other than what NHL 26 thinks will happen.

Confirmed on Thursday night, the Kings are facing the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have been a juggernaut all season long and even took home the Presidents' Trophy as the league's best regular-season team.

Colorado's performance this season was certainly not lost in this NHL 26 simulation.

In the first round of the playoffs, the video game predicted the Kings to get swept by the Avalanche in a 4-0 series defeat.

It may not be completely unrealistic for Colorado to sweep Los Angeles, considering the Avs finished the season with 31 more points than the Kings and are 19 positions apart in the NHL standings.

Although for the Kings not to pick up a single win in the post-season seems harsh, even if they are one of the least impressive teams to make the playoffs in some time.

How Do The Los Angeles Kings Match Up Against The Colorado Avalanche?The Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth, but are currently in line to face the NHL's best team, the Colorado Avalanche. How can the Kings match up against the Presidents' Trophy winners?

However, it's worth mentioning that Colorado has had a couple of first-round series in the last five campaigns where they swept their opponent as the top seed of their division.

It happened in the 2022 playoffs when the Avs swept the Nashville Predators, and in the 2021 playoffs when the St. Louis Blues were the victim of Colorado's dominance.

Whether it's looking back at history, the course of this past regular season, or the simulation of NHL 26, it's clear that the Kings are the biggest underdog in this year's playoff campaign.

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The quest for the 2026 Stanley Cup begins Saturday, Aug. 18 with 16 teams taking part in eight first-round series.

For the other half of the NHL, teams will look forward to seeing where they will draft in June. The annual draft lottery is scheduled to be held after the first round of the playoffs and will determine the order of the non-playoff teams in the first round.

The last-place Vancouver Canucks will have the best odds at 18.5% to win outright and 25.5% if a team in the 12 to 16 range wins and moves up the maximum 10 spots.

But last year, the New York Islanders won the lottery despite 3.5% odds and took Matthew Schaefer No. 1 overall. The Utah Mammoth won the second drawing and jumped to the fourth overall pick.

This year's draft is deep with Penn State's Gavin McKenna and Sweden's Ivan Stenberg leading the way.

Here are the odds for the draft lottery, per Tankathon, based on their final finish in the 2025-26 standings:

NHL draft lottery odds

Teams in the 12 to the 16 range can't win the No. 1 overall pick. They would move up 10 spots.

• 1. Vancouver Canucks: 18.5% (25.5% overall)
• 2. Chicago Blackhawks: 13:5%
• 3. New York Rangers: 11.5%
• 4. Calgary Flames: 9.5%
• 5. Toronto Maple Leafs: 8.5% (pick traded to Boston but is top 5 protected)
• 6. Seattle Kraken: 7.5%
• 7. Winnipeg Jets: 6.5%
• 8. Florida Panthers: 6.0% (pick traded to Chicago but is top 10 protected)
• 9. San Jose Sharks: 5.0%
• 10. Nashville Predators: 3.5%
• 11. St. Louis Blues: 3.0%
• 12. New Jersey Devis: 2.5%
• 13. New York Islanders: 2.0%
• 14. Columbus Blue Jackets: 1.5%
• 15. Detroit Red Wings: 1.0% (pick traded to St. Louis)
• 16. Washington Capitals: 0.5%

Top North American skaters

• LW Gavin McKenna, Penn State
• D Reid Chase, Sault Ste. Marie
• D Carson Carels, Prince George
• D Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota
• D Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert

Top international skaters

• LW Ivan Stenberg, Sweden
• D Alberts Smits, Latvia
• C Oliver Suvanto, Finland
• C Viggo Bjorck, Sweden
• RW Elton Hermansson, Sweden

How does the draft lottery work?

There are two drawings, first for a chance at the top pick and then for a chance at the second pick. Winning teams can move up only 10 spots. The last-place team can draft no lower than third overall. Beginning with the 2022 lottery, a team cannot win more than twice in a five-year period. There are 14 ping-pong balls in the machine and each team is assigned a series of four numbers. The lower a team is in the standings, the more series of numbers it gets. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NHL draft lottery odds what teams have the best chance

The St. Louis Blues have started the process of reshaping their coaching staff.

On Friday, they announced that assistants Claude Julien and Mike Weber will not be brought back. 

“I would like to thank Claude and Mike for their contributions during their time with the organization,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement.  “With their contracts set to expire this summer, we wanted to give them the opportunity to move on to the next chapter of their coaching careers while we work to building a coaching staff that is best suited to lead our team moving forward.”

Julien, 65, joined the Blues as an assistant coach in the summer of 2024. The Blind River, Ontario, native helped guide the Blues to an 81-63-20 regular-season record during his tenure, along with a postseason appearance in 2025.  Julien has more than 20 years of coaching experience, including NHL head coaching stints with the Montreal Canadiens from 2002-06 and 2016-21, New Jersey Devils in 2006-07 and Boston Bruins from 2008-17, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Weber, 38, joined the Blues as an assistant coach in the summer of 2023. During his tenure, the Blues posted a 124-96-26 regular-season record and made a postseason appearance in 2025.  The Pittsburgh native previously served as an assistant coach with the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans from 2020-23 and the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires from 2018-20.

When Blues coach Jim Montgomery was brought in to replace Drew Bannister in November of 2024, he kept the assistants in place until now and will have the opportunity to bring in someone that he's had previous experience with, perhaps, or someone new that he hasn't worked with before but has some sort of experience with.

The Blues (37-33-12) concluded their season on Thursday with a 5-3 win against the Utah Mammoth, their fourth straight win, and fell four points short of reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs.

There will be more on these moves on Saturday when Armstrong, Montgomery and players address things at locker room cleanout for the and the start of the off-season.

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The Edmonton Oilers didn’t dominate the regular season, but they may have landed one of the most favorable first-round matchups in the bracket. Against a young and inconsistent Anaheim Ducks team, Edmonton enters the series with clear advantages in firepower, experience, and special teams.

While nothing is guaranteed in the playoffs, there are several reasons why the Oilers are widely viewed as the favorites heading into Round 1. This draw against the Ducks could be just what the team needed. 

Trending Stories: 

How Oilers Stack Up In the Western Conference Playoff Race

Connor Ingram Deserved Better in Oilers’ 2-1 Shootout Loss

Ducks’ Defensive Issues Play Directly Into Oilers’ Strengths

The Edmonton Oilers couldn’t have asked for a better stylistic matchup to open the playoffs. Simply put, the Ducks are terrible defensively. They ranked fourth-worst in the NHL in goals against and are the worst of the playoff teams. So too, their penalty kill ranked near the bottom among playoff teams — second only to the Ottawa Senators.

You can't be that bad in those areas and expect not to get scored on, and lots, by a dangerous team like Edmonton. 

With Connor McDavid leading the league in points (winning the Art Ross Trophy for the sixth time) and Leon Draisaitl expected to return, the Oilers boast the NHL’s most dangerous power play. They were top five in goals for, goals for on the power play, and exceled in several offensive categories. Anaheim’s inability to suppress chances or stay out of the box could make this a short series.  

Edmonton Is Peaking at the Right Time

The Oilers enter the postseason trending upward, having found another gear late in the season. While they struggled early by their own Cup-or-bust standards, the team came alive when things got serious. After the Olympic break, the team looked different. They weren't perfect, but the group that leaked chances and goals against, or got blown out by top-tier teams, disappeared. 

McDavid is back to doing McDavid things, scoring at an almost unbelievable rate. Matt Savoie looks like a 20-goal guy, Zach Hyman is back and healthy, Connor Ingram has set a new baseline in goal, and the defense is suppressing chances against and keeping goals down. Add in the contributions of Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and the depth on this team, and Edmonton suddenly looks like a team capable of overwhelming opponents in waves.

Experience Gap Favors a Battle-Tested Oilers Team

While Anaheim’s young core brings energy and unpredictability, playoff hockey is often about experience — and that’s where Edmonton holds a clear edge. "Playoff hockey is unique," said McDavid. "It's a skill to win in the playoffs, and we feel pretty good about that, having that skill, having been there and won a lot of playoff games."

The Oilers have built a reputation for elevating their game in the postseason, finding ways to win. The Ducks, meanwhile, will have to learn how to win at this level. Despite intriguing pieces like Jackson LaCombe and a promising young roster, they limped into the playoffs without much momentum. There are questions about their readiness, especially as the physicality and intensity ramp up over the course of a seven-game series.

Edmonton understands what it takes this time of year, and that maturity could prove decisive. If the Oilers handle business as expected, this series could serve as a launching pad — not just to advance, but to build momentum for tougher matchups ahead against teams like the Vegas Golden Knights or Colorado Avalanche.

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The Anaheim Ducks have punched their ticket to the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. This will be their first appearance in eight years, since the 2018 playoffs, where they were swept by the San Jose Sharks in the first round. 

Their opponents for their first playoff series in the 2020s will be the back-to-back Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers. The series will begin on Monday, April 20.

Before breaking down storylines and matchups, it’s worth looking at how this Ducks roster was constructed, what general manager Pat Verbeek’s vision is for them, and how it will look in these playoffs and beyond. 

Ducks to Face Oilers in Round One of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Ducks Extend Gulls Head Coach Matt McIlvane

Verbeek took over as Ducks general manager just six weeks ahead of the 2022 trade deadline with the goal of building a sustainable Stanley Cup-contending team. In order to do so, he felt his best route would be to perform a full, immediate teardown of the roster and fully commit to a rebuild. 

His first two seasons spent in the chair were the two worst in franchise history, totaling 58 and 59 standings points in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. His first four trade deadlines (2022-2025) were spent shipping out expiring UFAs for prospects and draft capital.

On the Ducks current roster, the players who were either on the team or drafted by Verbeek’s predecessor are Lukas Dostal (85th overall in 2018), Tyson Hinds (76th in ‘21), Jackson LaCombe (39th in ‘19), Mason McTavish (3rd in ‘21), Ian Moore (67th in ‘20), Troy Terry (148th in ‘15), and Olen Zellweger (34th in 21). 

Every other roster player was either drafted, signed via unrestricted free agency, acquired via trade, or claimed off waivers by Verbeek since Feb. 2022.

It’s safe to state that the core of the Ducks in the present and moving forward consists of LaCombe, Dostal, Leo Carlsson (2nd in ‘23), Cutter Gauthier (from Philadelphia via trade, 2024), and Beckett Sennecke (3rd in ‘24). There’s potential for players like McTavish, Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov (10th in ‘22), Tristan Luneau (53rd in ‘22), Roger McQueen (10th in ‘25), and others to continue their development and breakthrough into consideration to be named among the team’s core. 

Troy Terry (28) is consistently among the team’s leading scorers and has four years remaining on his seven-year contract. He is considered among “core” pieces, but would represent the eldest statesman in that regard. 

When analyzing the Ducks’ roster, core, and future core and comparing it to teams on a similar trajectory like the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Montreal Canadiens, the aspect that stands out most is how, in theory, Verbeek has built and procured this core and pipeline with this time of year (the Stanley Cup Playoffs) in mind.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are traditionally a war of attrition, where the ice “shrinks,” scrums occur after nearly every whistle, and in tight games, infractions leading to special teams can be harder to come by.

As a whole, the collective of players mentioned above are long, heavy, speedy, skilled in open ice, skilled in small areas, and more than willing to engage in extracurriculars after whistles, even (and often especially) the youngest among them. 

The Ducks’ young core will get their first taste of playoff experience, starting on Monday, when the puck drops on their best-of-seven series against the Oilers. They have a long way to go yet in their development to realize their potential, both as players and as a group in the most high-stakes games they’ll play in their careers. 

These are also the games where details are paramount, and mistakes are amplified to the highest degree. With the exceptions of Beckett Sennecke and Cutter Gauthier (to a much lesser extent), who can be relied upon to provide instant, game-changing offense, the remaining projected core pieces have the capability and skillsets to progress into quality 200-foot impact players and control game flow in every zone. 

In the crease, Lukas Dostal (25) has traditionally played his best when games matter most, whether on the Olympic, World Championship, or World Junior stage. Though the playoffs are a completely different beast, Dostal has placed the team firmly upon his back for extended stretches, kept them in games they have no business remaining in, and has the talent to steal an entire series for the Ducks. The hockey world has witnessed what can happen when goalies heat up in the spring.

Beyond this playoff run, the Ducks have a stable of young, talented potential roster contributors with complementary skill sets at various levels below the NHL. Players like Eric Nilsson, Nathan Gaucher, and Lucas Pettersson down the middle, wingers like Nico Mayatovic, Herman Traff, and Maxim Masse, defensemen like Stian Solberg, Noah Warren, and Lasse Boelius, and finally, goaltenders like Damian Clara, Tomas Suchanek, and Calle Clang all have the potential to be excellent foils to the Ducks’ high-profile core pieces. 

Though young, though inexperienced, the Ducks’ youngest players are their drivers and lifeblood, and the next two weeks will provide themselves an opportunity to display how translatable and effective their styles, brands, skillsets, etc. are in the Stanley Cup playoffs and confirm that Verbeek’s approach and blueprint for the rebuild was, ultimately, the proper direction for the Anaheim Ducks organization.

Anaheim Ducks Clinch Playoffs for First Time in Eight Years

Cutter Gauthier Becomes Fourth Anaheim Ducks Player in History to Record 40 Goals in a Season

Anaheim Ducks Goaltender Lukas Dostal Nominated for King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Bruins-Sabres predictions roundup: Experts make picks for first-round series originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A rivalry will be reborn in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Boston Bruins meet the Buffalo Sabres in a much-anticipated first-round series.

The Sabres are making their first postseason appearance since 2010 when they lost to the B’s in Round 1. It’s been a long time coming for Buffalo. But the Sabres have been picking in the top 10 of the NHL Draft for more than a decade, and eventually they were going to break through.

They did so in impressive fashion, too. The Sabres didn’t just limp into the playoffs. They won the Atlantic Division and were one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Buffalo’s roster is loaded with scoring depth up front and has a great blue line, led by potential Norris Trophy finalist and captain Rasmus Dahlin.

The one thing the Sabres don’t have is playoff experience. Many of their best players have never played in a postseason matchup. Will the moment be too big for the Sabres? How will they handle the pressure?

The Bruins have a lot more playoff experience. They also have a huge goaltending advantage. There are also more unknowns with the B’s.

Will their power play, which ranked 28th post-Olympic break, rediscover its elite form from earlier in the season? Will the bottom-six forwards provide enough offense? Can 19-year-old rookie James Hagens make an impact? The Bruins also struggled on the road for much of the season, and they don’t have home-ice advantage in this series.

Which team has the upper hand in this first-round showdown? Here’s a roundup of expert predictions:

Nick Goss, NBC Sports Boston: Bruins in six

Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic: Sabres in seven

Tom Gulitti, NHL.com: Sabres

Dan Rosen, NHL.com: Sabres

Amalie Benjamin, NHL.com: Bruins

Matt Larkin, Daily Faceoff: Sabres in five

Sara Civian, Bleacher Report: Sabres in seven

Austin Nivison, CBS Sports: Sabres in five

Alexander Baumgartner, CBS Sports: Sabres in six

MoneyPuck’s analytics model: Bruins have 45.7 percent chance to win

The Los Angeles Kings are preparing for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In the lead-up to this post-season, it's been a roller coaster year for the Kings, and they almost didn't earn a playoff berth.

There were long stretches of this regular season that Los Angeles would like back, or to forget about entirely. Add that to the ultimate decision to fire Jim Hiller and make way for D.J. Smith, and it certainly wasn't a pretty year.

Nonetheless, the Kings are in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and that's all that matters. But looking back at how they played in the regular season, there are certainly a number of areas where the team must improve if they want to make an impact in the post-season.

Here are three improvements the Kings must make going into their first-round series against the Avalanche.

Home Record

For some strange reason, the Kings haven't been very good at home this season. Among all teams going to the playoffs, Los Angeles has the fewest home wins with 15. In fact, they have the fourth-fewest home wins in the NHL.

Their home record is certainly a head-scratcher, especially considering how well the Kings played at Crypto.com Arena last season. In 2024-25, Los Angeles registered a remarkable 31-6-4 record at home, the best in the league.

How Do The Los Angeles Kings Match Up Against The Colorado Avalanche?The Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth, but are currently in line to face the NHL's best team, the Colorado Avalanche. How can the Kings match up against the Presidents' Trophy winners?

The Kings will need to find that gear again for their home games in the post-season. They won't have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and wins are already difficult to come by at this time of the year. 

Therefore, Los Angeles can't afford to drop any home games and must put in their greatest effort in front of its fans.

Special Teams

Los Angeles has been a bottom-five team in the league in special teams, both the penalty kill and power play.

The Kings finished the campaign with the fifth-worst power play in the NHL. It executed at 17.0 percent, and that won't be good enough for the playoffs.

Teams will get fewer opportunities on the man-advantage, meaning the Kings won't have many opportunities to get their power play right. And if Los Angeles plans to play a tight-checking game, like they always do, those power-play chances will need to be taken. In some instances, a good power play can be the reason a team advances to the next round.

The same can be said about the penalty kill and how crucial it is to fix that for the playoffs.

Has D.J. Smith Shown Enough To Become The Kings' Permanent Bench Boss?From now until the end of this season, what does Los Angeles Kings interim head coach D.J. Smith need to do in order to earn the full-time position?

For a team that takes pride in being defensively sound, the Kings are third-last in the NHL in penalty killing, producing at a 74.6 percent rate. Since Smith was given the reins behind the bench, the Kings' rate on the penalty kill is actually the worst in the league at 70.6 percent.

They'll need to button that up before Game 1 on Sunday, going up against a high-flying offensive team like Colorado.

Closing Out In Overtime

It's been incredible how the Kings consistently required overtime during the regular season this year. In fact, Los Angeles set an NHL record for the most overtime and shootout losses in one season (20), and the most games needing an extra frame in one campaign (33).

Kings’ Record-Setting Overtime Losses Are A Growing ConcernThe Los Angeles Kings made history twice in last night's overtime loss against the Nashville Predators, and it's a bad sign.

They benefited from those overtime losses in the regular season to some degree. With each loss in the extra frame, they were still permitted one loser point. 

However, it's a whole new ball game in the post-season. Teams don't get any sort of consolation reward for losing in overtime in the playoffs. 

The difference now is that teams will compete regularly at 5-on-5 rather than the regular season overtime format of 3-on-3 for five minutes and a shootout to follow.

Nonetheless, breaking NHL records for not getting the job done in overtime must be left in the rearview mirror for the Kings going into this post-season.

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With the regular season now in the books, the NHL has released the full first-round schedule for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the series between the Ottawa Senators (WC2) and Carolina Hurricanes (M1) series.

The league announced on Friday that Games 1 and 2 will take place in Raleigh on Saturday and Monday. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Ottawa on Thursday and next Saturday. Here's the full list of dates for each game in the best-of-seven series.

Game 1: Ottawa at Carolina, 3 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SN, OMNI TVAS)

Game 2: Ottawa at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN2, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC TVAS)

Game 3: Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET April 23 (TBS, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Carolina at Ottawa, 3 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS, OMNI)

*Game 5: Ottawa at Carolina, April 27 TBD

*Game 6: Carolina at Ottawa, April 30n TBD

*Game 7: Ottawa at Carolina, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

Normally, Senators fans would also be keeping a close eye on Atlantic Division playoff opponents, but because of the way wild cards played out this year, they're participating in the Metro tournament.

The winner of this series will face the winner of the Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers series. That series will go off like this:

Philadelphia Flyers (M3) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M2)

Game 1: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SN, TVAS)

Game 2: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET April 22 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS)

*Game 5: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, April 27 TBD

*Game 6: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, April 29 TBD

*Game 7: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

The Atlantic playoffs will feature Boston at Buffalo, and Montreal at Tampa, and will have games on the following dates:

Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)

Game 1: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 5:45 p.m. ET April 19 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 2: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 3: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 24 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 26 (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS)

*Game 5: Montreal at Tampa Bay, April 29 TBD

*Game 6: Tampa Bay at Montreal, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Montreal at Tampa Bay, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Boston Bruins (WC1) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)

Game 1: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 19 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 2: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. ET April 23 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Buffalo at Boston, 2 p.m. ET April 26 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS)

*Game 5: Boston at Buffalo, April 28 TBD

*Game 6: Buffalo at Boston, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Boston at Buffalo, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Through All The Noise, The Playoff-Bound Senators Held Their Ground
Drake Batherson's Eight-Year Career Climb Is One For The NHL History Books
Senators Announce Plans For 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff Ticket Sales This Week
Shane Pinto Should Be One Of The Selke Trophy Favourites
Great Opportunities: The Rise Of Senators Defenseman Jordan Spence

Getting Martin St-Louis to reveal his lineup in the last few days of the season has not been an easy task; in fact, the Montreal Canadiens’ coach even asked journalists if anyone had good questions to ask him the last time he was asked. On Thursday, however, with the playoffs fast-approaching, when he was asked if blueliner Arber Xhekaj had shown him enough to earn the right to start the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the bench boss was clear:

Yes, I believe he has. He has played good hockey, played physically, and stuck to his identity. He had good reps down the stretch. Of course, we lost Dobber [Noah Dobson], which allowed him to get more minutes, and I liked what I saw.

- St-Louis on Xhekaj's play

NHL Reveals Schedule For Canadiens vs. Lightning Series
Opinion: A Goal Is A Goal – The Race To The Rocket Richard Trophy
Canadiens’ Likely Lines And Pairings Ahead Of Series Start Are Surprising

For the 25-year-old who will be a restricted free agent this summer, this is a big opportunity. He’s been involved in a duel with Jayden Struble for the last three seasons, with both players trying to earn a regular spot as the Canadiens’ sixth defenseman, but neither has been able to grab the job and keep it. Now, with other blueliners like David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom knocking on the Canadiens’ door, Xhekaj and Struble may be running out of time.

While there’s no denying that the youngsters bring more raw talent, the gritty defender brings something to the table that none of the other three players have: a lot of physicality and a knack for fighting.

Last season, when the Canadiens started their series against the Washington Capitals, they did it without the hard-nosed blueliner, but this year, Dobson’s injury has given him an in. As long as he can make the right reads on the ice and not take himself out of the play by over-committing to land a big hit rather than play the game that’s in front of him, Xhekaj should be fine.

𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟 | 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡

🚨 | Jake Evans (12)
🍎 | Arber Xhekaj (3)
🍏 | —
🆚 | Philadelphia Flyers
🗓️ | Apr. 14, 2026 pic.twitter.com/auQWdB7Dcq

— Canadiens 🎥 (@habsvidsroom) April 15, 2026

Xhekaj is built for playoff hockey, but not for the kind of system Martin St-Louis has his men playing. Still, over the last four years, he has had the opportunity to learn what the coach expects of his players and to work on his reads. Now, it’s time for him to show that he can use the knowledge he gathered when it really counts, not only for the team, but for his own future in the Canadiens organization.

Arber Xhekaj with the TKO on Scott Sabourin 🤯 #GoHabsGo#GoBolts
pic.twitter.com/5LtSgaKGH7

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) December 28, 2025

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