The NHL season is a long grind before the real drama begins in the playoffs. Here’s how the schedule works and what stood out from the 2025-26 campaign.
Regular Season Basics
- 82 games per team spread across roughly six months, typically October through April
- 16 teams from each conference’s standings qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs
- The Presidents’ Trophy goes to the team with the best regular-season record
The Colorado Avalanche captured the Presidents’ Trophy for the 2025-26 season, entering the playoffs as the league’s top seed. The Florida Panthers, two-time defending champions, suffered a stunning fall from grace, becoming the first two-time defending champion to miss the playoffs since the 1969-70 Montreal Canadiens.
A Season of Shakeups
The Winnipeg Jets also failed to qualify despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy a year earlier, underscoring how quickly fortunes can change across an 82-game grind. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning extended their playoff appearance streaks to every year since 2018.
From Regular Season to the Cup
All of that regular-season positioning set the stage for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the Carolina Hurricanes ultimately made the deepest run. The gap between regular-season success and playoff success remains one of hockey’s most compelling storylines every year.
Why the Grind Matters
Unlike shorter seasons in other sports, the NHL’s 82-game slate rewards depth and health over a single hot streak. Injuries, goaltending changes and trade deadline moves can reshape a team’s identity by the time the playoffs arrive, exactly as they did for the eventual 2026 Stanley Cup champions, who looked far different in June than they had back in October.
The Bottom Line
The NHL regular season sets the table, but as the 2025-26 campaign proved, a great regular season is no guarantee of playoff success. Our Stanley Cup Playoffs recap covers exactly how the postseason played out.