Youngest & Oldest NHL Teams 2025-26: Average Age Rankings for All 32 Teams

By Adam Martin Oct 8th, 2025 9:50 AM EST

The Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins are on opposite ends of the NHL age chart entering the 2025-26 season. Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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The 2025-26 NHL regular season is finally here!. Anticipating another year of exciting hockey betting action, we at Bookies.com have taken a deeper dive into all the final opening-day rosters and ranked them by age, from youngest to oldest teams.

The ages for the projected rosters are courtesy of Sportrac. Check out our findings below:

NHL 2025-26 Rosters, Youngest To Oldest

Which NHL Teams Are Youngest In 2025-26 Season?

According to our research, the Montreal Canadiens are the youngest team in the NHL this year, with an average age of 25.23 years. The Habs were one of the surprise teams last season when they snuck into the playoffs as the final seed in the Eastern Conference, though they were bounced in the first round by the Washington Capitals.

Still, the young players in Montreal gained valuable experience, so despite once again being the league’s youngest team, look for the Habs to make a playoff push this season. And the team traded retired goalie Carey Price – who has not played since 2022 but was still on Montreal’s books in the final season of an eight-year contract he signed in 2017 – to San Jose, clearing salary cap space.

The second- and third-youngest teams are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Buffalo Sabres. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, haven’t made the playoffs in five years, but hope to snap that streak with a projected roster age of 26 on average. Both Buffalo and Chicago will hope that their young and talented players finally break out.

The Sabres, who have an average age of 26.13 years, have a 14-year playoff drought, the longest in NHL history, and tie the New York Jets of the NFL for the longest playoff drought in the Big 4 leagues.

Rounding out the bottom five are the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks at 26.58 and 27, respectively. These teams also both missed the playoffs last year.

Keep track of NHL odds all season at Bookies.com.

Which NHL Teams Are Oldest In 2025-26 Season?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the oldest team is the Winnipeg Jets, with an average age of 30.17. The Jets are one of the best teams in the league, and despite having little in the way of playoff success despite having great regular seasons, the Jets are still considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

The top five oldest teams are considered Stanley Cup contenders at top sportsbook sites: The Los Angeles Kings (29.74), the Florida Panthers (29.19), the Colorado Avalanche (29.17), and the Edmonton Oilers (29.13). Those four franchises made the playoffs last year, with the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup, and all of these squads will likely make the postseason once again.

As for overall trends, out of the 10 youngest teams, only the Canadiens made the playoffs last year. Out of the 10 oldest teams, all made the playoffs except for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.

At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Carolina Hurricanes are considered the favorites to win the Stanley Cup at +750 odds, as of October 8. After that are the Edmonton Oilers at +800, the Tampa Bay Lightning at +850, the Vegas Golden Knights at +900, and the Colorado Avalanche at +900.

While having a young roster is sexy on paper, it also seems clear that experience in the league is valuable. Ultimately, the best teams mix in their young stars with their veteran leaders, and we’ll find out after 82 games and four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs which teams end up being the best in the NHL.

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