The first month of the 2025-26 NHL season is in the books as of Friday, so let’s take a look at the biggest surprises through October. A couple of teams have stood out, while some individual players have also started to unexpectedly shine. This was supposed to be a long rebuilding year for the Penguins, while almost everybody expected them to be in the running for top NHL Draft lottery odds and a good chance at phenom prospect Gavin McKenna. Instead, through their first 12 games, they have put together an 8-2-2 record under first-year head coach Dan Muse and enter the weekend tied for most points in the league (18). It has been a perfect combination of a new voice behind the bench, their stars (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson) still playing great, outstanding goaltending and an influx of young talent that has made an immediate impact. There are several individual surprises on this team including 18-year-old rookie forward Ben Kindel, as well as under-the-radar free-agent addition
