Buffalo is the defending champion. Vancouver is the class of the league. Saskatchewan and Georgia are knocking on the door. And somewhere in Albany — wait, make that Oshawa — a relocated franchise is trying to figure out what it even is anymore. The 2025-26 NLL season has everything: a clear favorite, a crowded pack of contenders, and enough storylines to keep the indoor lacrosse world arguing until April. Let’s get into it.

The Elephant in the Room: Vancouver Is the Team to Beat

There is no honest way to write a 2025-26 NLL preview without starting here. The Vancouver Warriors finished last season as the best regular-season team in the league and they are returning virtually the same roster. Keegan Bal is a problem no defense has solved — 124 points last year isn’t a fluke, that’s a player operating at a different level than almost everyone sharing a floor with him. Vancouver went 13-5, won the West, and ran through opponents like they were playing a different sport at times. If you’re picking a champion in October and Vancouver isn’t on your shortlist, you’re letting storylines cloud your judgment.

That said: this league humbles favorites. The path to a championship runs through playoff lacrosse, which is its own sport with its own logic. Vancouver has to actually win four rounds, not just look dominant in November.

The West: Three Teams Hunting Vancouver

Colorado (12-6), Saskatchewan (12-6), and Georgia (12-6) all finished within a game of Vancouver and all have legitimate championship ceilings. Colorado under GM Brad Self — who just won GM of the Year — has been methodically built to compete in April. Saskatchewan has Ryan Keenan anchoring a culture that shows up every year. Georgia has Swarm DNA and a roster deep enough to give anyone problems across a three-game series.

Pick one to make noise in the West: Georgia. They have the talent to run with anyone, and a hot goalie in a short series is worth two wins by itself. Don’t sleep on the Swarm.

The East: Buffalo’s Title Defense Meets Toronto’s Ceiling

Buffalo came in as defending champions and finished 11-7 — good enough to make the playoffs, not good enough to project confidence. Championship hangovers are real in this league. Dhane Smith (118 points last year) is still one of the best offensive players alive, but the Bandits’ defense will need to tighten up if they want to actually defend their title instead of just wearing last year’s rings to warm-ups.

Toronto (11-7) is the other co-favorite in the East, and there’s a case they’re the more dangerous team. The Rock have experience, depth, and the kind of organizational stability that translates in playoff series. CJ Kirst is going to be a name the rest of the league gets very tired of over the next few years — track that rookie.

Halifax (8-10) and Ottawa (8-10) are on the bubble. Halifax is the wilder card — they have the talent to get hot and beat a higher seed, but they’ve also been a .500 team for a reason. Ottawa’s Callum Jones is criminally underrated on the defensive end; if the Shores can generate enough offense to support that defensive identity, they’re dangerous in a short series.

The Albany Problem — Now the Oshawa Problem

The Albany FireWolves are no longer the Albany FireWolves. The franchise announced a full relocation to Oshawa this past August, rebranding as the Oshawa FireWolves. It’s the right move — Albany never cracked the fan base this league needed it to, and the Ontario market is as hungry for box lacrosse as anywhere in North America. But relocation seasons are rocky. New city, new fanbase to win over, same roster trying to figure out what home ice even feels like anymore. Expect growing pains. They finished 6-12 last year and there is no reason to expect a playoff run in Year One of a new identity.

Storylines to Watch All Season

Keegan Bal’s scoring chase: He dropped 124 points last year. Connor Fields had 119. Dhane Smith had 118. This is one of the deepest scoring races the NLL has seen in years — Bal is the frontrunner but Fields and Smith are right there. Watch this all season.

Brett Dobson’s MVP defense: The Georgia goalie won both MVP and Goalie of the Year last season, which almost never happens for a goalie. The target on his back this year is enormous. Can he back it up?

Zach Currier and San Diego’s identity: Currier won Transition Player of the Year and is one of the most complete floor players in the game. San Diego finished 8-10 — stuck in the middle of a brutal West. This year feels like a pivot point for the Seals: either push toward contention or start a longer rebuild.

The Pick

Vancouver wins the West title. Toronto comes out of the East. In the NLL Final, Toronto over Vancouver in three — not because Toronto is more talented (they’re not), but because the Rock have been here before and winning a championship is its own skill set. The Warriors have dominated regular seasons. Playoff lacrosse is where institutional knowledge matters, and Toronto has more of it than any other team in this league. Anarchy’s call: Toronto Rock, 2025-26 NLL Champions.

Now go prove us wrong, Vancouver. We’d love nothing more than to revisit this in April.