Comebacks. Milestones. One farewell, maybe more. Not one, but two outdoor games in Florida. The first Olympics featuring NHL players in a dozen years. A wide-open race for the Stanley Cup, with one team trying to become the first to three-peat in 43 years.

The 2025-26 NHL season will be loaded with storylines and subplots, starting Tuesday with a tripleheader on ESPN: Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers (5 p.m. ET), Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers (8 p.m. ET) and Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET).

"It'll be tense," Colorado defenseman Cale Makar said. "There's really no off nights."

What more could you want? What more can we handle?

Two respected leaders are making comebacks. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned during the 2025 Stanley Cup P

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