Welcome to the 2026/27 season
Hello, hockey fans.
I'm beginning this season trying something new—sharing a weekly recap of the happenings in the Midwest is Best league. I'm shamelessly stealing this idea (down to the blog platform) from a league member, Kevin, who started doing this in his fantasy football league. Thanks for the fun idea, Kevin! (Conversely, if you hate it, you can blame him.)
I will not be using AI to generate these posts, so they will stop if I become too lazy.
First off, the permanent name of this league is Midwest is Best. That was both out of a firm belief in the sentiment and a way to slight the Californian, Richie. This year, in honor of Ryan Hubbert stepping away after 11 years managing a team, the league has been temporarily renamed The Spirit of Ryan Hubbert. Now, don't take that amazing honor as a reason to leave this league. I know it's incentivizing, but I won't do it again.
Today marks the start of the NHL regular season and the 12th year of the Midwest is Best league. Whether you've been with us since the beginning or are joining us for the first time this year, I'm glad you're here.
We're in for a great year of hockey, filled with unexpected meteoric rises, players living up to the hype, slumps, heartbreaking injuries, and more. Which team will reach the mountain peak to claim the ultimate prize (i.e., $175 and bragging rights)?
The plan is for this blog to briefly recap the previous week and highlight upcoming matchups. For the inaugural post, I decided to give a season preview based on our draft.
Kim Kardashian (Richie "Rich")
With the #1 pick this year, can Kim K pull things together all season for a run? A lot of that will depend on just how dominant McDavid decides to be, though he doesn't have to do it alone. If Jack Hughes can return to previous heights, he and forwards like Guenther, Kempe, and Zibanejad provide enough support to create a weekly threat.
Kim K drafted a weaker D-core compared to other teams, anchored by Raddysh. But if Ghostbear and Dougie Hamilton start receiving injections of younger men's blood, maybe they'll be able to tap back into some past magic.
Richie drafted a goalie earlier than the rest of the group in Vasilevskiy. Can he return to his dominance that took Tampa to three consecutive Finals and two Stanley Cups?
Big Macs (Kevin)
The Big Macs went for a Colorado Double Stack in Nate Dog and Necas. That combo is prime for some massive nights, especially given plenty of people rank MacKinnon above McDavid in our league.
They round out their offensive core well with Eichel, DeBrincat, and Guentzel. It's a strong offense which should provide a decent level of consistency. A question mark will be whether Tuch plays up to his large contract with Washington.
Shesterkin and Swayman backstop the team. They'll need to carry a lot of the load as the defensemen leave something to be desired. But, who knows, maybe Mike Matheson will decide to drop 60+ this year.
Not Gavin a Good Time (welcome, Andy!)
The team name says it all here... or does it?
While some vets (Crosby and Scheifele) are playing the middle for Gavin, the team is balanced out by a lot of young talent. Stenberg showed some exciting potential in the preseason, and Will Smith and Logan Cooley both have big upside.
Andy's blue line is led by Hughes, who will play his first full campaign with the Wild this year. Will he be motivated to play lights out to maximize his next contract or take a step back with his new-ish squad?
Gavin's goaltending is solid with the potential of being a sleeper power tandem. Jakey O was previously a points god in this league and Vejmelka will have more rest this season with Cossa joining the team. If they can stay healthy, there could be some big point totals in store.
OG (Brian)
It was an interesting draft for OG, who made a few picks well above their average draft position. He's relying on Suzuki maintaining his consistent play, Kaprizov playing up to his contract, and most of all, banking on a return to form from Marner, who didn't have the best regular season last year with his new team.
He has a solid, young D-corps that could prove to be a shrewd move. Sanderson, Faber, and Clarke have already shown something but have much higher ceilings.
OG made both goaltender picks relatively early—Thompson 28th overall and Wallstedt 48th overall. Thompson has become a regular producer in this league, but Wallstedt was inconsistent last year. If the latter can take a step this year, the duo could be reliable. It was a bold strategy. Let's see if it pays off.
Rebuilding Since 2019 (Matt "Sully")
Rebuilding Since 2019 was present for the draft for the first time in three years, and he is feeling optimistic heading into this season. But with Karlsson, Stamkos, and Tavares on the team, will the rebuild ever end?
Outside of the seasoned vets, ee's putting a well-rounded team on the ice, including Aho, Schmaltz, Pastrnak, and Rantanen (someone who is supposedly fully healthy to start this season).
He made the bold choice of only drafting three defensemen, but his blue line includes the young phenom Lane Hutson, the used-to-be phenom Erik Karlsson, and the exciting Zayne Parekh. If you can't fill your bench with the top talent, streaming the rest is likely not a bad move.
He's being backstopped by Markstrom, who's playing with the Panthers for the first time this season. Let's see if he and Dumb and Dumber can get Florida into fighting shape.
Dostal in the Wind/I'm sure he will rename (Alan)
Alan is starting his second campaign in the league after an admirable rookie season that saw him place third.
Alan's team bet on Greaves and Dobes in the blue paint. Both may be newer names to casual hockey fans but made a name for themselves last year. Goalies are notoriously voodoo, so it will be interesting to watch their campaigns in 2026/27.
Hard to argue with taking Makar in the first round. He's a unicorn defender who can put up points like a star offenseman—and of course he's on one of the best teams in the league. Makar shares a blue line with Dahlin, Fox, and Harley, making this one of the top blue lines around.
His team banks on a lot of young talent—Carlsson, Slafkovsky, Knies, Martone, Benson, Doan, and Peterka. If a few players make a jump, this team could be scary. If not, there are plenty of options on the waiver wire!
Singin' the Blues (Justin)
Three years ago, you would have been asking yourself how someone could possibly have scored Draisaitl and Matthews in the same draft. How quickly things change. If Matthews returns to form this season, that could make for one of the strongest offensive cores with Boldy, Keller, and Panarin also on the squad.
His defense skews slightly older, some might say more experienced. Let's see how that pays off for him.
He picked Sorokin as his sole netminder. Not a bad choice if the Islanders can provide some semblance of support for the star goalie.
South Tigers' Team (Myles)
The reigning champ. Can Myles hold onto his title?
If his well-balanced offense has anything to say about it, maybe. Led by Kucherov, the South Tigers have Johnston, Caufield, and Forsberg. Once Bedard and Jarvis are back from injury, this could be a threat. A big question will be whether Sloth from The Goonies will play well with his brother in Sunrise, FL.
His defense is uncertain, but if LaCombe builds on his promise and Cole Hutson breaks through, it could be solid enough.
Knight will need to live up to his name to be a reliable source of points for the South Tigers. But sometimes a lackluster team (Hawks) can make a goalie look great.
VERY KNIES/New name incoming (Ben)
Ben is always a threat. I've regretted inviting him to the league on day one, as he has dominated and made a fool out of me on more than one occasion. He's a great (fantasy) hockey mind.
His team this year looks to continue that trend, led by Macklin Celebrini, who exploded last year. He'll be supported by this year's #1 pick, Gavin McKenna, the recently-traded Marchenko, Tage, and Matt Tkachuk. That's an offense that can cause trouble, especially when combined with the sturdy D-corps.
Who knows what heights Schaefer will reach this year, and I think there's a general feeling Byram will take a big step this year QBing the Hawks' PP1.
He smartly chose Wedgewood as his primary goalie. Minding the net for the mighty Avalanche is a great gig! He followed that up with a savvy choice to take Hellebuyck well below his typical value.
Seider House Rules (Brent)
The commish had a middling draft, starting with the 9th pick, and I don't have much confidence in this team.
I invested early in defense this year as the opportunity arose. With Werenski, Bouchard, and Seider, this team has a top-three D-corps in the league.
The big bet is on young Anaheim players, Gauthier and Sennecke. If they continue to grow, that duo could help me have a solid season. Without that, we'll see.
A couple of other bets: With the Knies trade, the late Fantilli get could pay off big. And, if Larkin decides to work his ass off to prove something, I may have gotten good draft value.
My biggest question mark is goaltending. With Saros and Wolf, I have the potential for a cycle of booms and busts and little consistency. Forecasting matchups will be key.
If you read all of this, you get some sort of prize (TBD). But you have to take me up on it.
Good luck, gang.
-The Commish