This Week in the NHL: The Rat returns to Boston

With 32 teams, games every night and countless narratives emerging, the NHL season can make one’s head spin, and it’s easy to miss out on the weekly storylines. Not to worry; every Monday from October to April, I’ll map out the major events, games, plotlines and milestones on tap for the next seven days.

So what’s happening the week of Oct. 20-26?

Oct. 20: Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List for 2026 NHL Draft

Per annual tradition, Central Scouting will publish its first ‘Players to Watch’ list of the 2026 NHL Draft season, labelling each prospect with an A, B, C, W or LV. An ‘A’ is a first-round candidate, B is second or third round, C is fourth or fifth round, W is sixth or seventh round and LV is designated for “injured players who have not had sufficient viewings to be categorized.” Among the most anticipated ‘A’ prospects are Penn State right winger Gavin McKenna, North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff and Frolunda right winger Ivar Stenberg, who make up the top three in Steven Ellis’ most recent rankings for Daily Faceoff.

Oct. 21: Adam Henrique’s 1,000^th game

Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators, 7:00 p.m. ET

Time flies. Wasn’t Adam Henrique just a Calder Trophy finalist alongside Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Nope, that was 2011-12. Henrique has put together a solid NHL career as a middle-six forward, delivering seven 20-goal seasons and playing in all situations. His 17 shorthanded goals place him ninth on the NHL’s active list, and he’s set to become the 405^th NHL skater to play 1,000 games.

Oct 21: Brad Marchand returns to Boston

Florida Panthers @ Boston Bruins, 7:30 p.m. ET

A year ago, who would’ve predicted we’d witness a Marchand return game, visiting Boston clad in a fresh Stanley Cup ring won with the Bruins’ division rival Panthers? Hockey is an unpredictable sport. The Panthers visited the Bruins last March after acquiring Marchand, but he was injured at the time and didn’t suit up. The Rat sits fourth on the Bruins’ all-time leaderboard in games, fourth in goals and fifth in points and played on the 2010-11 Stanley Cup team as a rookie, so he’ll get a meaty tribute, no doubt. The Bruins reportedly had it ready had he taken the ice for the matchup last season and opted to save it.

Alex Ovechkin’s 900^th goal & 1,500^th game

Did ‘Ovi’ use up all his luck for the magical 2024-25 season in which he broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record? Through six games of 2025-26, Ovechkin has one goal and sits two away from 900. Even if he doesn’t get there this week, he’ll achieve a milestone, as the Washington Capitals’ Saturday home game against the Ottawa Senators will be his 1,500^th, making him the 24^th player to log that many in the NHL.

Nikita Kucherov’s 1,000^th point

The magic-mitted Tampa Bay Lightning right winger owns three Art Ross Trophies, a Hart Trophy and two Stanley Cup rings, and he’ll soon add 1,000 points to his list of accolades. Entering this week, Kucherov sits just three points shy. He’ll become the 1,000 club’s 101^st member and the 12^th active player to get there.