Two teams have already forced their way into the NHL conversation early in the 2026-27 season, and both have made the league take notice for very different reasons. The Utah Mammoth and the revamped Rangers have each opened strong, and neither start looks like a fluke.
Utah is sitting at 5-2-0 with 10 points, and the reasons are easy to see. This is a team loaded with young talent, but it also has the kind of veteran presence that can steady things when the game gets messy.
Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are part of the young core driving the attack, while Clayton Keller and Anders Lee have supplied important leadership. The result is a group that blends speed, experience, and upside in a way that makes it tough to ignore.
That mix has helped Utah land near the top of its division, and the offensive numbers back up what the eye test says. The Mammoth are 3rd in goals % and 3rd in expected goals for, which tells the same story: they’re creating chances, and plenty of them.
The next step is finishing more of those looks. If the goaltending rises above average, this is the kind of roster that can become a real problem in the West.
On the back end, Mikail Sergachev adds another layer as a puck-moving defenseman who can chip in offensively. The main question is how long this level of play can hold.
The Rangers have taken a different path to early-season surprise, but the impact has been just as loud. Credit goes to Chris Drury for reshaping the roster, because this group has come out looking organized and hard to score on. Through its first 8 games, New York has given up just 9 goals, and the penalty kill has been both aggressive and effective.
Dylan Garand has stepped into a big spot with Igor Shesterkin injured, and he has looked very comfortable. That stability in net has helped fuel a start that has plenty of people looking twice.
Alexis Lafreniere is a big part of that story, too. The former No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft is off to the best start of his NHL career, a reminder that young players sometimes need time before everything clicks.
Right now, it looks like his game is finally coming together.
Pavel Dorofeyeve hasn’t gotten off to a strong start, but he remains the kind of streaky scorer who can swing things quickly. Even with that, the Rangers are firmly in the fight for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, and their opening run has turned plenty of heads.
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Ryan Smiths Latest Move Shows How Fast The Mammoth Market Is Changing
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Construction is scheduled to begin in February and be finished before the 2034 Winter Olympics, which gives the effort a long runway and a clear deadline. It also comes at a time when the citys sports profile could keep climbing, with the possibility of an MLB expansion team in the mix, a reminder that Smiths latest move is about more than one building or one arena. [Read more 🡒]