After a long summer, we’ve finally arrived at the start of the 2025-26 NHL season. The two-time defending champion Florida Panthers will host the Chicago Blackhawks to kick off a three-game slate on Tuesday. And of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

The Leafs Nation staff submitted their awards picks, with one unanimous selection and a few surprises across the board.

Our panel of Arun Srinivasan, Alex Hobson, Michael Mazzei, Dylan Nazareth, Jeremy Tingly and Jon Steitzer submitted their picks ahead of Tuesday’s opening games. We encourage you to sound off in the comments!

Arun Srinivasan: Connor McDavid. A perfect storm of narrative meeting supreme production. McDavid should beat Nikita Kucherov for the MVP this year by a large margin.

Alex Hobson: Connor McDavid. 

Michael Mazzei: Connor McDavid. Even if he wasn’t in a contract year, I’d still think he’s the favourite. McDavid is the best player in the NHL until proven otherwise.

Dylan Nazareth: Connor McDavid. Maybe too easy a pick, but it’s his to lose this year, no?

Jeremy Tingly: Auston Matthews. A healthy start to the season, more pressure to lead the team, and evolving chemistry with Matthew Knies being a force on his line, Matthews is going to remind the rest of the NHL who the best goal scorer is, and arguably one of the league’s most complete players

Jon Steitzer: Mitch Marner. I’m not really serious about this but this seems like the Leafiest possible outcome. It will probably be Connor McDavid since he’s a few years removed from his last win.

Srinivasan: Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy was dominant during the second half of the year and when he’s at his best, there isn’t anyone in his tier. I’m banking on a return to top form for the Lightning superstar.

Hobson: Connor Hellebuyck. It’s his trophy to lose unless somebody else completely stands on their head.

Mazzei: Jake Oettinger. As dominant as Connor Hellebuyck has been in recent seasons, asking him to win the Vezina seems like a tall order. Plus I’m high on Oettinger, and think he’s going to take another step this year.

Nazareth: Jake Oettinger. Oettinger blocks Connor Hellebuyck’s three-peat, earning the Team USA starting spot at the Olympics in the process.

Tingly: Adin Hill. Vegas has an outstanding team in front of Hill, and with the Olympic team hanging in the balance, there’s lots to play for this season for Hill. Add in the fact Akira Schmid isn’t pushing for starts, and Hill’s workload should be among the top of the league this season. Hill’s coming off a career season and should back it up with another.

Steitzer: Andrei Vasilevskiy. Much like McDavid, it seems like Vasilevskiy has gone a little while with receiving hardware recognition for his strong performances and he seems like the safest pick to deliver this year

Srinivasan: Gustav Forsling. I’m going off the board here, but Forsling is the NHL’s premier 1-on-1 defender and with an uptick in points this year, while keeping the Panthers atop the Atlantic Division, he will get his recognition among the elite.

Hobson: Quinn Hughes. More or less the same logic as McDavid — he’s heading toward unrestricted free agent status, plus I see the Canucks as a whole improving without the Elias Pettersson/JT Miller drama.

Mazzei: Cale Makar. This man is an alien and just keeps finding ways to get better. I envy Avalanche fans that get to watch Makar play on a nightly basis.

Nazareth: Quinn Hughes. Hungry to get his team back on track, the Vancouver Canucks captain puts up a career year to propel them back to the postseason.

Tingly: Cale Makar. The Avalanche blueliner is in the prime of his career and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The combination of size, speed, two-way impact, and an Avs team that is going to be a force in the Western Conference should propel Makar to another Norris. Having the stability of Devon Toews for another season together should factor in as well.

Steitzer: Zach Werenski. He put together a great season last year and for if he can stay healthy he deserves a ton of credit for doing what he does on an underwhelming Blue Jackets team. I also wouldn’t hate Moritz Seider getting recognition either

Srinivasan: Anthony Cirelli. I voted for Cirelli last year and it will be a hotly contested race again, with Jack Eichel and Nico Hischier emerging as strong candidates. Cirelli is the NHL’s premier defensive forward and he’s in the prime of his career. This is the year Cirelli defeats a host of strong candidates in what should be the closest awards race.

Hobson: Auston Matthews. Aleksander Barkov is one of if not his biggest obstacle, and he’s out for the season. A strong rebound year on both sides of the puck could lead him to his first ever Selke.

Mazzei: Sam Reinhart. This would have been Barkov had he not been injured at the start of training camp. But I can see a Panthers player winning it and Reinhart seems like the ideal candidate.

Nazareth: Sam Reinhart. In Aleksander Barkov’s absence, Reinhart makes sure to keep the Selke in Florida for a third straight year.

Tingly: Anthony Cirelli.  After finishing 3rd last season in votes, and without Aleksander Barkov to take home the award, look for Cirelli to take home the crown as the best defensive forward. Last season, he seemed to put himself on the map, and this season, look for Cirelli to take the next step as the league’s best shutdown forward.

Steitzer: Nick Suzuki. Bergeron is retired. Barkov is injured. Age is catching up with Kopitar. It’s either going to be Reinhart or Suzuki winning it and without Barkov, I’m willing to bet Reinhart will take a step back

Srinivasan: Ivan Demidov. Demidov is an electrifying talent worth the price of admission and will lead the Canadiens to a second consecutive playoff berth. Montreal hasn’t arrived quite yet, but Demidov, along with Lane Hutson, will be at the forefront of another promising era of Canadiens hockey, where his high-end skill and playmaking will have the league standing at attention.

Hobson: Ivan Demidov. Leafs fans (rightfully) will have a hard time appreciating the Canadiens rookie, but if how he played in Russia in 2024-25 is any indication of what he can do in the NHL, he should run away with the honours.

Mazzei: Ivan Demidov. This is his to lose unless proven otherwise. As much as I would love to see Matthew Schaefer win this, Demidov is gonna have the better season in my opinion.

Nazareth: Ivan Demidov. The Montreal Canadiens’ rookie arrives as expected, bringing the award to the same team two years in a row for the first time since the 60s

Tingly: Ivan Demidov. It was a small sample size but Demidov showed his game-breaking abilities to cap off last year, and this season, with a bigger role, look for the Canadiens’ rookie winger to bring back the Calder to Montreal. A point per game isn’t out of the question here.

Steitzer: Ivan Demidov. I’d love to be a homer and say Easton Cowan and I truly believe he’ll help, but I’m confident Demidov will be given an opportunity to put up big numbers.

Srinivasan: Auston Matthews. Matthews is getting to high-danger areas with relative ease. He looked great throughout the preseason, so I’m going to take a cautiously optimistic route and suggest that he’s back to being the best goal-scorer alive.

Hobson: Auston Matthews. Let’s get crazy. People seem to think Matthews is going to go in the opposite direction without Marner. What if he flips the narrative and excels even more on both sides of the puck?

Mazzei: Kirill Kaprizov. My heart wants to say Auston Matthews, but my brain is telling me he’s not going to win it this year. Kaprizov just seems like he’s in for a monster year.

Nazareth: Leon Draisaitl. The German forward brings home the Rocket Richard for a second straight season with McDavid feeding him all year long.

Tingly: Auston Matthews. Another 60-goal season incoming? It certainly feels like that’s very achievable for Matthews, who looks as healthy as ever for the Maple Leafs. A lot will ride on how many power-play goals he can pot early on this season to get himself going in October/November, but don’t be surprised to see the Maple Leafs’ captain once again leading the league in snipes. 

Steitzer: Auston Matthews. I’ve heard he’s quite good.

Srinivasan: Nikita Kucherov. McDavid may be the consensus best player in the league, but Kucherov habitually goes under the radar somehow when it comes to the discussion of the league’s best scorers. Another 100-assist campaign isn’t out of question for the league’s best winger.

Hobson: Connor McDavid.

Mazzei: Connor McDavid. I just think he’s going to go beserk and light the league on fire. The Oilers will benefit from it with another strong regular season.

Nazareth: Connor McDavid.

Tingly: Connor McDavid. Only an injury is going to hold back McDavid from being the league’s top point getter. He’s motivated as ever to win in Edmonton and that starts, and finishes with McDavid putting up points in bulk.

Steitzer: Nikita Kucherov. I’ll go with the non-Oiler option.

Srinivasan: Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens. Montreal will take a leap this year due to the internal development of its core, while St. Louis’ playing credentials lends him instant credibility with his team, and across the league.

Hobson: Dean Evason, Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets made quiet strides last season and I think they’re going to continue to do so

Mazzei: Adam Foote, Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are about to go on a big turnaround and return to the playoffs. Foote should be able to bring out the best in his players and end up winning this award.

Nazareth: Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens. The former player turned coach earns the honour after whipping this young team into dangerous shape

Tingly: Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens. I fully expect to see the Montreal Canadiens take a giant step forward in their progression this season, and it starts with St. Louis’ impact behind the bench. If the Habs can push for the Atlantic Division title, don’t be surprised to see St. Louis take home the crown as the NHL’s best bench boss.

Steitzer: Glen Gulutzan, Dallas Stars. He’s going to get good goaltending and strong defence and the Stars will make any coach look good.

Srinivasan: Lightning over Stars in 6. As much as I want to join my comrades in choosing the Maple Leafs, I’m going with the Lightning. They still boast a Hall of Fame core and I’m betting on Andrei Vasilevskiy to shut the door in a resurgent playoff campaign, capturing the Conn Smythe for the second time in his career.

Hobson: Maple Leafs defeat Oilers in 7.

Mazzei: Maple Leafs defeat the Stars in 6.

Nazareth: Oilers defeat the Panthers. I really hate this prediction, but it’s written in the stars.

Tingly: Maple Leafs over Golden Knights. 2026 is the Leafs year to finally win the Stanley Cup. It’s a more balanced attack, led by goaltending and defense, and Craig Beurbe now has one year under his belt which helps when it comes to what buttons to push and when. Brad Treliving won’t be sitting on his hands pre trade deadline, and if Matthews is back to 100 percent healthy, this team is capable of doing the impossible. Vegas seems like, even with the Marner aspect, the most complete team in the West.

Steitzer: Oilers over Lightning in 7. At some point McDavid is going to get his ring, if they find a goaltender, it could be this year.