Eight NHL players under the most pressure in 2025-26

Any NHLer lacing up the skates for a new hockey season understands the familiar feeling of pressure.

But not all pressure is created equal. It comes in all shapes and sizes and varying degrees — the pressure to win, the pressure to prove your worth, the pressure to make the most of a fresh start.

For some players, it feels like thereâ€s more on the line this year. Itâ€s with that in mind that weâ€re looking at eight players entering pivotal seasons with a little extra pressure riding on 2025-26.Â

With his new contract in hand and a new sweater on his back, the 2025-26 campaign brings a new beginning for Mitch Marner — and a new kind of pressure. As the Vegas Golden Knights have proven every season of their eight-year existence, the only way they know is all-in. That they maxed out their salary cap to sign the hottest free agent just before he hit the market to an eight-year, $96-million contract is just par for the course at this point.Â

While Marnerâ€s well-earned reputation as one of the most talented playmakers in the game should already have him hitting fan-favourite status in the Silver State before he even laces up his skates for the season opener, everyone knows the real way to a hockey fanâ€s heart is playoff wins. Thereâ€s a certain kind of pressure that comes with being a teamâ€s highest paid player upon arrival, and that pressure grows with your paycheque. His lack of playoff success in Toronto adds to it, too.

He got paid. Now itâ€s his turn to show a whole new hockey market — one that sees winning as an expectation and a reality — why heâ€s worth the investment, and the right man to seamlessly carry the club into another chapter of winning.

“Pressure†has become a bit of a polarizing term in Toronto. Classify it however youâ€d like — a privilege to some, stifling to others, business as usual for many — but thereâ€s no denying the feeling that itâ€s ratcheted up each year the team in blue and white falls short of a Stanley Cup.

Last year brought an extra dose of pressure for Matthews as not just the teamâ€s most talented goal-scorer but its captain, too. This season brings another twist, with Marner now in Vegas and the Core Four era concluding without a Cup. What does the post-Marner chapter look like? Few have the power to answer that question like Matthews, who after sharing the talent spotlight for the better part of a decade must now take an even larger share.Â

We all know he has the talent to be up to the task. But after Year 1 of his captaincy was hindered by injury, Matthews is in need of a bounce-back. Can he get back to his 60-goal ways? And can he do it without Marner dishing him up? A well-timed resurgence from a healthy captain Matthews would go a long way in launching this next chapter in Toronto.Â

Speaking of necessary bounce-backs… few players need a redeeming season as much as Elias Pettersson. Nearly everything that couldâ€ve gone sideways in Vancouver last year did, and Petterssonâ€s meagre 15 goals and 30 points — in Year 1 of the eight-year pact worth $11.6 million annually, no less — only exacerbated the issues.Â

With the team looking relatively at centre going into a pivotal season with a new head coach and talk of Quinn Hughes†future with the club already loud (despite the fact heâ€s still two years away from UFA status), thereâ€s a lot of pressure on Pettersson to lead this offence. This is a franchise that cannot afford to go in the wrong direction.Â

Last summerâ€s shopping spree was supposed to mark a giant leap deep into the post-season fray for the Nashville Predators — a team that had spent the previous five years toeing the line between contending and not. Instead, the squad stumbled backwards in the standings, falling from fourth place in the Central Division and a hard-fought early out in Round 1 in 2024 to seventh in the division and a stake in the 2025 lottery. Offence dried up across the board, and while the blame canâ€t be placed on any one player, itâ€s hard not to look at the teamâ€s highest-paid free agent signing and expect a whole lot more.Â

Stamkos†drop in production last year, going from a perennial 80-plus point captain of Tampa Bay to a 53-point player in Nashville, saw his team struggle to gain any semblance of momentum in the standings. Individually, it saw him overlooked by Team Canada brass when building its Orientation Camp invitation list.

If Stamkos (and fellow forward Jonathan Marchessault and defenceman Brady Skjei, both of whom also saw dips in production after signing with the Predators) cannot pick up the pace and bring Nashville back to relevance, we could be in for some existential questions and messy salary cap conversations. Â

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Three years ago, Zegras was the talk of the hockey world. As he dazzled us with his highlight-reel skill and did-you-see-that?! goal-scoring, the young forward became the poster boy for some seriously fun, instantly iconic moves — literally. He landed on the cover of NHL â€23, launched into a rare tier of NHL star-power. But then his game started to stall, his lack of defensive development making him a liability at times and ultimately causing tension between player and management.Â

A fresh start was needed, and now he gets exactly that in Philadelphia — a prime opportunity to relaunch his career and rediscover his potential as a leading man for the Flyers and in the league. Can he make the most of it? At 24, heâ€s not yet entered his prime and if he can harness that natural star-power and develop into a 200-foot player, he could be one of the gameâ€s biggest stars on a team thatâ€s full of young talent looking ready to emerge from its rebuild.

Zegras†status as a pending RFA makes this year extra interesting, as does his current AAV of $5.75 million. If he can get back to his 60-plus point seasons he had with the Ducks, thatâ€s a steal and a strong bid for a raise. If he canâ€t, how will the Flyers proceed?

Turning around the fate of a franchise is no easy feat, and letâ€s be honest: The Chicago Blackhawks didnâ€t exactly surround Connor Bedard, their prized first overall pick in 2023, with the kind of talent to help him thrive. But with an influx of young talent expected to make the roster out of camp, it appears help is on the way in Chicago. The pressure is now on for Bedard to lead the charge. At age 20, and entering the third year of his entry-level deal, his performance as the leader of these new-look Blackhawks will inform the contract negotiations to come, which could also set the tone for the rest of the squad.Â

Can Bedard take his game to the levels we all expect of a first overall pick?  He hasnâ€t been able to take the league by storm as expectations dictated. He wasnâ€t named to Team Canadaâ€s 4 Nations Face-Off squad, but earned an Olympic Orientation Camp invite (along with 2024 No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini). How he responds this season should tell us a lot about what we can expect from the Blackhawks and whether they really are ready to emerge from this rebuild.Â

Swayman missed all of training camp last year during his marathon contract standoff, and while he helped raise the tide for goalies league-wide, he did himself no favours as far as his own season went. Swaymanâ€s lack of runway leading into 2024-25 showed in the form of his career-worst GAA (3.11) and save percentage (.892), which only exacerbated the Bruins†own lack of goal-scoring.

There was, admittedly, a lot going on last year that contributed to a dip in Swaymanâ€s steady presence. The splitting of the squadâ€s MVP-calibre goalie tandem brought a huge adjustment, and the teamâ€s lack of offence and eventual status as deadline sellers — even shipping captain Brad Marchand to a division rival — made it a trying season for everyone, let alone the goalie relied upon to steal more than a few wins.

With offensive projections looking as low as ever, Swaymanâ€s ability to get back to his 2023 self — the version of him that convinced Bruins brass he was worthy of the clubâ€s top spot — will be crucial to keep Boston relevant.

Youâ€d be hard-pressed to find a more pressure-packed place in hockey than the blue paint during a Stanley Cup Final game. Stuart Skinner knows this more than most, and while each of the past two springs ended in heartbreak, heâ€s showed heâ€s capable of meeting the moment. He has to be.Â

Despite questions about whether heâ€s the best man for the job, he remains Edmonton’s starter and the clubâ€s best option for success. Consistency, though, hasnâ€t always been his strong suit — one need not look too far into each of the last two regular seasons to see that. Skinnerâ€s hot-and-cold seasons cast doubt about the strength of the Oilers†crease, and thereâ€s little room for doubt on the team right now. With all eyes on Connor McDavidâ€s contract situation heading into 2025-26, this is a team that must do everything in its power to show its captain it can get back to the Cup Final — and win this time. Skinnerâ€s role in that is pivotal.

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