What to know about the NHL season, with awards, playoffs and Stanley Cup picks

The goaltender who backstopped the U.S. to gold at the Olympics is suspended as he awaits a trade he requested, while a teammate from Milan is in limbo after asking for his own a change of scenery.

The absence of Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg and the uncertainty surrounding Detroit's Dylan Larkin are among the biggest storylines going into the NHL season, which begins Tuesday when the Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup banner before playing the Florida Panthers in a clash of the preseason favorites to win the championship.

With a record 1,344 regular-season games coming up before the playoffs and the Final in June, AP hockey writers John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno give their predictions on how everything will unfold:

Wawrow: General manager Mike Grier’s practical and patient approach pays off when the San Jose Sharks win the Pacific Division.

Whyno: Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks make the playoffs after acquiring Hellebuyck, getting a proven goaltender rather than waiting on Yaroslav Askarov.

Wawrow: It’s boom or bust in Edmonton, with the Oilers bringing in Mike Babcock as coach. Is that enough to make the difference or will the wheels fall off in Edmonton?

Whyno: Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh sink back to the bottom half of the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference after surprisingly making the playoffs in coach Dan Muse's first season.

Wawrow: Celebrini. He’s that good.

Whyno: Celebrini wins it for the first time, leading the league in scoring ahead of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon.

Wawrow: When in doubt, go with the NHL’s best goalie: Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Whyno: Boston's Jeremy Swayman has the best season of his career so far, challenging Hellebuyck and Dallas' Jake Oettinger for the mantle as the best U.S.-born goalie in the league.

Wawrow: It’s too easy to pick Colorado's Cale Makar, deserving as he is, every year. Let’s go with either Minnesota's Quinn Hughes or Montreal's Lane Hutson.

Whyno: Taking the layup. Makar signed the richest deal in NHL history, and while it does not kick in until 2027-28, he wants to show why he's worth every penny. It would be his third Norris honor.

Wawrow: Gavin McKenna, Maple Leafs. Toronto’s spotlight isn’t too big for a Yukon youngster who has answered many of his doubters already. He showed he’s ready to play against men based on his season at Penn State.

Whyno: There are cases to be made for several players, including McKenna and Philadelphia's Porter Martone, but Washington defenseman Cole Hutson follows brother Lane and wins it.

Wawrow: Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff, to make up for last year’s loss, though watch out for San Jose’s Ryan Warsofsky.

Whyno: Martin St. Louis after the Canadiens make another playoff appearance.

Wawrow: Carolina, Philadelphia, Washington, Montreal, Florida, Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Columbus.

Whyno: Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Buffalo, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia.

Wawrow: Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, Dallas, San Jose, Vegas, Anaheim and Edmonton.

Whyno: Colorado, Edmonton, Vegas, Dallas, San Jose, Utah, Anaheim and Minnesota.

Wawrow: Montreal beats Minnesota in six, ending Canada's Stanley Cup drought.

Whyno: Edmonton-Florida III ends the same way as the first two, with the Panthers winning it all for the third time in four years.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Toronto Maple Leafs' Gavin McKenna (92), right, and Auston Matthews (34) look on during second period NHL pre-season hockey action against the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson (48), front center, celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs, with teammates during third period NHL pre-season hockey action, in Montreal, on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

A U.S. government-funded TV advertisement promoting President Donald Trump alongside common Republican political talking points aired for a third straight day Friday with expanded spending and reach, even as it received bipartisan criticism.

The ad’s cost has jumped from $14,000 to $430,000 as it runs on a variety of network TV channels in markets across the country, according to AdImpact, which tracks media spending. The actual amount spent could be significantly more, depending on whether networks classified the ad as a political ad.

The 30-second spot features clips of Trump talking about defeating communism interspersed with onscreen text promoting the “largest tax cuts in history," “reigniting American manufacturing” and a call to “defend law and order and police.” The ad's soundtrack includes a chorus singing “love me” repeatedly and ends with a message disclosing it was paid for by the U.S. government.

Politicians of both parties on Thursday questioned whether the ad was appropriate, since laws prohibit taxpayer funds from being used for “publicity or propaganda” and limit the partisan political activities of government employees. Republicans running to defend their majorities in Congress in November's midterm elections have created ads with similar messaging about communism, the economy and crime.

Additionally, another ad paid for by the U.S. government began airing Friday, though information about how much it cost was not immediately available. The ad was airing on Newsmax, with a spot on at least two programs, Carl Higbie Frontline and Greg Kelly Reports, according to AdImpact.

The ad, lasting a minute, includes scenic videos of Mount Rushmore at night with quotes and clips from Trump's Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country's 250th anniversary.

“We know that this is not an ending,” Trump says in the ad. “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.”

Several House Democrats with senior committee roles on Thursday demanded that the first ad be taken off the air, calling it “the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea.” North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who is not running for reelection, called the ad “inappropriate” and likened it to something he would expect from the former right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The White House defended the ad and said it is “educational and unapologetically patriotic.” It didn’t answer an inquiry about what part of the government supplied the funds.

“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” the White House statement said.

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)