Which Canadian teams will make the 2026-27 Stanley Cup playoffs?
The 2026-27 NHL season remains young, but it has been a competitive one for most of Canada’s teams so far. With the exception of the lowly Vancouver Canucks, every other Canadian club either holds down a playoff position or is within five points of one (with games in hand) through Thursday’s action.
So let’s revisit the annual question: Which Canadian teams make the playoffs this season?
MATT LARKIN: I’ll say the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. In other words, my pre-season picks are unchanged. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been solid in bursts so far, but their defense is still way too messy for that playoff spot to hold up, I reckon. The Winnipeg Jets’ return in the trade for Connor Hellebuyck won’t bring enough immediate help to get them into the playoffs, and while I appreciate the Calgary Flames’ recent hot streak, it was largely thanks to a surge from goaltender Devin Cooley, who has since landed on injured reserve.
PAUL PIDUTTI: Ahead of the season, I had the same three Canadian teams as Matt making the postseason. I’m going to add a fourth: Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa… and the Winnipeg Jets. I’d love to see Toronto make it as a reward for a creative, aggressive offseason. I think they’d cruise to the postseason in the Metropolitan or Pacific Divisions. But the Atlantic Division is looking gnarly early, and I can’t convince myself they will emerge from that gauntlet unless their 5-on-5 play or goaltending levels up fast. The Western Conference, meanwhile, has six near-locks and 10 uninspiring teams that will yield two playoff spots. I’m betting on the Jets — a scrappy, veteran team with low expectations and a clean post-Hellebuyck slate — to emerge from the rubble for an April whiteout in Manitoba.
STEVEN ELLIS: I’m going with Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. I Know Linus Ullmark has been an absolute beast for the Senators, but they’re asking a lot out of him right now. Behind him? It’s impossible to trust Jonas Johansson and Samuel Ersson. If Ullmark misses any additional time after he returns next month, I’d be very, very worried about this team moving forward. It’s nice seeing Tim Stützle obliterate opponents, though, but I’d like to see more out of Dylan Cozens, Ridly Greig and Fabian Zetterlund. Beyond that, I think Toronto is still figuring out its identity up front, and the lines are starting to click. Defensively, the team is still a mess, and I know Sergei Bobrovsky is a bit shaky right now. But at their best, they can be an absolute force to deal with, so I have them taking up one of the final Wildcard spots.
SCOTT MAXWELL: I’ll be the pessimistic one and say that only Edmonton and Montreal will make the playoffs. I was really high on the Senators in my preseason predictions because of their defensive structure, underrated offensive lineup sans Brady Tkachuk and elite goaltending from Linus Ullmark. However, that defensive structure hasn’t been as strong for this year’s team, and the lack of goaltending depth behind Ullmark worries me. The Leafs and Jets have been fun teams to watch this year, but they’re too inconsistent in their own zones for me to have faith in either pulling off a playoff run. Heck, I’m not even all that high on the Oilers and Canadiens. The Oilers have played horribly under Babcock and are riding the coattails of Connor McDavid’s historic start, which I think is a good enough recipe to make the playoffs (but probably not win a Stanley Cup). The Habs have shown the same problems that had me wondering in the preseason if they might miss the playoffs this year, particularly in their own zone, but they’ve been good enough offensively and have gotten excellent goaltending from Jacob Fowler, which has me believing they’ll be back in the playoffs again.
ANTHONY TRUDEAU: Tardy as usual [submitting my answer], I’ve had more days than Paul to watch the Jets crash back down to Earth. For that reason, I’m out. That said, I’ll keep Ottawa in to join chalk choices Montreal and Edmonton. I have more faith in the Oil and the Habs’ talent to cover for so-so under-the-hood numbers than in Toronto’s, and their recent playoff pedigree makes them more likely to weather the sort of storms Sergei Bobrovsky’s rocky start had brought over the GTA. As for the Sens, I hear Scott’s concerns over whether Ottawa, which has been so stingy under coach Travis Green, can survive being merely OK in their own end. Still, with Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub back in the fold, the Senators have started to look like their recent successful vintages despite wild swings in the scoresheet wrought by a terrifying (negative connotation) tandem of Ersson and Johansson. Maybe I’m just compensating for cursing Ullmark a few weeks back with a Vezina shout-out. For what it’s worth, a strain beats the heck out of a tear. Ullmark will be back at some point, and with a better team in front of him than the one that rode him through an injury-hit October.
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