Canadian NHL Teams October 2026: Senators Surge, Canadiens Stumble, Leafs Find Their Game

Two weeks into the 2026-27 NHL season, Canada's seven teams are telling three very different stories. The Ottawa Senators are flying at the top of the Atlantic Division. The Montreal Canadiens — last spring's Eastern Conference finalists — can't keep the puck out of their net. And the Toronto Maple Leafs, sparked by a five-point night from William Nylander, are starting to look like the contender they were supposed to be.

Here's where every Canadian team stands as the season's first month unfolds.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ottawa Senators: The Early Surprise

Nobody saw this start coming — or maybe everybody did. The Senators sit atop the Atlantic Division at 3-1-0, coming off a thrilling 2-1 win over Philadelphia, according to TSN's divisional breakdown. Ottawa has allowed two or fewer goals in three of four games while scoring at a healthy 3.00 per game clip.

What's remarkable is they're doing it short-handed. Star defenceman Jake Sanderson played just 4:29 of the season opener — a win over the Maple Leafs — before leaving with a lower-body injury, and fellow blueliner Artem Zub hasn't debuted yet while rehabbing a knee injury. Centre Tim Stutzle looks every bit the star, leading the team with three goals and six points through four games.

After last season's tear to reach the playoffs, Ottawa has picked up right where it left off. In the NHL's most competitive division, the Senators look like a genuine threat.

Montreal Canadiens: High Hopes, Leaky Defence

The Canadiens entered the season with sky-high expectations after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last spring. Two weeks in, the defence hasn't cooperated. Montreal sits near the bottom of the Atlantic at 1-2-1, having conceded 19 goals in four games — the division's worst defensive record early on, per TSN.

There are bright spots: captain Nick Suzuki leads the team with seven points, and the power play has shown life. A 1-0 shootout win over Detroit on October 10 — with rookie Jacob Fowler in net — showed what this team can be when the goaltending holds. But until the defensive structure tightens, the Habs will keep playing catch-up.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Stars Aligning

Toronto sits in the middle of the pack at 3-2-1 after a statement 6-3 road win in Colorado on October 10, where Nylander tied a career high with five points and Auston Matthews added four. Sergei Bobrovsky earned his first win of the season with 30 saves.

The Leafs' season has been defined by its new faces: first-overall draft pick Gavin McKenna is already producing, Nick Blankenburg scored in his Toronto debut, and Nick Paul has slid into John Tavares's top-six role while Tavares was away for the birth of his fourth child — son Tucker — according to NHL.com's status report.

After missing the playoffs last year, a "rejuvenated" Leafs roster was supposed to contend again, TSN notes. The Colorado win was the first real evidence it's happening.

The West: Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Jets

Out west, the picture is mixed. The Vancouver Canucks were dismantled 6-2 by the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 11. The Calgary Flames dropped a 4-2 decision to Anaheim on home ice October 10. The Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets remain works in progress as the Western Conference sorts itself out.

With all seven Canadian teams in action and the season barely two weeks old, the only certainty is volatility. But if the early returns hold, this could be the year Canada's best Stanley Cup hopes come from the nation's capital — not its biggest markets.

Sources

• TSN — Senators start hot, Canadiens cold, Maple Leafs down the middle
• NHL.com — Status Report: Tavares out after birth of son
• Sportradar — NHL 26/27 scores and results