The NHL season is opening with London-area fingerprints all over it again.
From captains and Cup chasers to young players still carving out their place, the league is loaded with talent that came through London, the Knights or the area’s minor hockey pipelines. And once more, the list is long enough to make the city’s hockey footprint feel bigger than it should on paper.
There are four current NHL captains with deep London ties: Montreal’s Nick Suzuki, Kings defenceman Drew Doughty, Robert Thomas in St. Louis and Islanders boss Bo Horvat. The group also includes names with plenty of star power beyond the captain’s patch, with Patrick Kane back in Chicago, Corey Perry returning to the Kings and Matthew Tkachuk set for another run with the Panthers.
Mitch Marner, the 2026 playoff scoring leader, is chasing the Cup with Vegas. Evan Bouchard and Nazem Kadri are back in the mix with Edmonton and Colorado, respectively, and both will be trying to stop him.
There are more local connections spread across the league, too. Dorchester native Boone Jenner is headed to Washington after serving as Columbus captain, John Tavares remains in Toronto, and Winnipeg’s Dylan DeMelo gives the Jets some veteran stability.
Luke Evangelista has moved from Nashville to New Jersey, former Capitals defenceman John Carlson is now with Tampa, Connor McMichael has landed in St. Louis and Alex Formenton is getting another chance in Edmonton.
The Flyers are the club that jumps off the page for local followers. They have Elgin-Middlesex product Travis Konecny and Knights mainstay Christian Dvorak, while Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko are all part of the next wave, even if Barkey is out for a bit to start because of an injury.
The younger crop keeps the pipeline fresh. Sam Dickinson is expected to get major blue-line minutes as a sophomore with San Jose, Ryan Winterton is set to be a full-timer in Seattle, and 2025 Memorial Cup champion Blake Montgomery should see games with Ottawa.
Five names stand out as especially worth tracking.
Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens. The 27-year-old Jr.
Knights grad is the face of Montreal and has already been named the youngest captain in franchise history, doing that in 2022. He’s coming off a career-high 101 points and is expected to be right in that neighbourhood again.
Montreal is aiming high, and Suzuki could end up in instant legend territory if he helps carry the Canadiens into the spring.
Easton Cowan, LW, Maple Leafs. Toronto’s drafting of Gavin McKenna may actually help Cowan slide a little out of the spotlight, which is no bad thing.
The 21-year-old Mt. Brydges native had 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games last season, then helped lead the Marlies to the Calder Cup.
He’s already shown he can win, and his willingness to stand up for teammates only adds to the appeal.
Corey Perry, RW, Kings. At 41, the Knights legend is the oldest forward in the NHL and the second-oldest player in the league behind Brent Burns. Perry sits 28 points shy of 1,000 for his career and remains one of the league’s enduring outliers: a veteran whose edge, instincts and hockey sense still matter in a faster game.
Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Panthers. Florida took a long step back in the 2026 playoffs and lost the Stanley Cup crown to Carolina, but the Panthers are expected to bounce back with healthier star power.
Tkachuk, 28, should be at the centre of it, especially with his brother Brady in the mix. He hasn’t been fully injury-free for three years, but that may only add to the sense that he could come back in beast mode.
Jared McCann, LW, Kraken. The Stratford native and former Jr.
Knight got off to a late start last season because of injury, but still scored 20 goals in 52 games. Since joining Seattle six years ago, he has hit 20 or more every year, including 40 in 2022-23.
If the Kraken are going to push for their first playoff berth in four years, McCann is going to be a big reason why.
The old line about building a strong roster from ex-Knights and London-trained players still holds up. This season, as usual, the city’s reach is everywhere.
In Other News...
Senators Roster Picture Just Got Much Messier Before Cutdown Day
Ottawas training camp trim started in earnest over the weekend, with the Senators releasing five players from their camp roster and loaning 10 more to Belleville as the organization begins narrowing the field before NHL cutdown day. The moves were part of a familiar late-camp sorting process, but this one has felt a little more complicated for Ottawa, especially with the roster still being shaped by injuries, absences and a few moving parts in goal.
The crease picture shifted again after the Senators lost Leevi Merilainen on waivers, then brought in Jonas Johansson from Tampa Bay to help stabilize the depth chart. Elsewhere, the club is trying to make its final decisions while several players are already unavailable, including Jake Sanderson and Andre Burakovsky after both left Saturdays action with injuries, and Ridly Greig, who will miss the first two games because of a suspension. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face One Huge Test In Their First Season Without Brady
The Senators are heading into the 2026-27 season with a very different feel after trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in June, and the challenge now is making sure the offense still has enough punch without the player who defined so much of their identity. Ottawas path forward leans on a broader cast, with Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens and William Eklund expected to drive the attack while Jake Sanderson anchors a defense that has a chance to be a real strength.
The next layer of the test is in goal, where Linus Ullmark is slated to carry a big load with newcomer Samuel Ersson brought in to help support him. The Senators have spent the past few seasons learning how to play meaningful hockey again, and this year will be about proving that progress can survive a major roster shift, even as the club quietly weighs whether it has enough depth behind Ullmark to get through a long season. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Blue-Line Decision Signals Where Ottawa Is Headed
The Senators blue-line picture is starting to take shape as camp rolls on, and Ben Huttons brief audition was part of that process. Ottawa brought the veteran defenseman in on a professional tryout ahead of 2026-27 training camp, giving him a chance to compete for a depth role while the team sorted through a crowded group of defenders. He got into three preseason games, but the organization also had prospect Carter Yakemchuk pushing for attention and a few other players in the mix for roster spots.
Where that leaves the back end is a little clearer now, even if the full depth chart is still being finalized. Ottawa has moved on from Huttons PTO, leaving Nikolas Matinpalo in position as the extra defenseman and signaling that the Senators are leaning toward younger internal options as they map out their next step on defense. [Read more 🡒]