Anthony Mantha's prove-it season has landed him a raise and a new deal in another city.

Mantha, 31, signed with the New Jersey Devils for two years at a $4.75 million average on Wednesday, July 15, two weeks after the start of free agency. He'll make $5.4 million this upcoming season and $4.1 million in 2027-28.

He had scored 33 goals and 64 points last season on a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins,

That goal total was more than any Devils player had last season. Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes led the way with 28 and 27 goals, respectively. His 64 points would have ranked fourth.

The question is whether Mantha can duplicate that. He had only one 20-goal season from 2019-25 and had one assist and a minus 5 rating in a six-game loss in the first round against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Anthony Mantha contract details

He will make $5.4 million in 2026-27 and $4.1 million in 2027-28 for a $4.75 million cap hit. According to puckpedia.com, all but $1 million a year of that is signing bonuses. 'the website says the Devils have $3.875 million left in cap space.

Top remaining free agents

Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Eeli Tolvanen, MIchael Bunting, John Klingberg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Mantha signs with Devils after 33-goal season

The Buffalo Sabres will not have to waste any time hosting one of their prominent former players, as the NHL's release of the 32 club home openers on Wednesday revealed that the club will begin the 2026-27 regular season against Bowen Byram and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, October 3rd. 

Byram, 25, who was heading into the final year of a two-year bridge deal, indicated to the Sabres that he would not re-sign with the club and wanted to go someplace where he could be a #1 defenseman. Before the NHL Draft last month, GM Jarmo Kekalainen shipped the blueliner to the Hawks for the #4 overall selection (Daxon Rudolph), defenseman Louis Crevier, and a 2026 second round pick, which was later flipped to Anaheim for blueliner Olen Zellweger. 

Our 2026-27 home opener is set for October 3rd!

The countdown to October is ON ⏳

Details → https://t.co/zhoxZTYhgS#LetsGoBuffalo | @Ticketmasterpic.twitter.com/0ievd2lzZb

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 15, 2026

The Hawks will be without young star Connor Bedard to start the season, as the center suffered a shoulder injury in a summer pickup game and had surgery last week that will keep him out a minimum of four months. 

Buffalo will start the schedule on the road in Columbus on Thursday, October 1st against the Blue Jackets. 

NEW YORK (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes will raise their second Stanley Cup championship banner on Sept. 29 before hosting the Florida Panthers to kick off the NHL season.

The opener pits the most recent champions against the winners the previous two years. The Panthers look primed to contend for another title until injuries derailed them and caused them to miss the playoffs. Carolina lost only one game to get through the Eastern Conference, then defeated Vegas in the final to win it all for the first time since 2006.

The league announced home openers for all 32 clubs Wednesday. The full schedule is set to be released on Thursday.

The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins will also face off as part of a five-game curtain raiser. The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Vegas Golden Knights in the nightcap.

Play begins before October as the league moves to an 84-game schedule for the first time since 1993-94. The 1,344 games will be the most in NHL history.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues and NHL announced on Wednesday each team's home opener for the 2026-27 season.

The Blues will host the San Jose Sharks for their home opener on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at Enterprise Center.

The Blues are also part of two home openers and will open the regular season on the road, Oct. 2 against the Dallas Stars and Oct. 6 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The league will announce each full 84-game regular-season schedule, and for the Blues it will feature two additional divisional games, on Thursday at noon.

Fans will get the opportunity to get their first glimpses of new additions for the upcoming season, including Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Brandon Carlo and Ross Johnston.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets  have announced that they've signed forward Luke Tuch to a two-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract. 

Tuch was acquired by the Blue Jackets in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens on June 25.  

In 114 AHL games, Tuch has 28 points. He has zero games played in the NHL. 

Tuch will most likely be expected to bring depth to the forward ranks in Cleveland, and could possibly be called up to Columbus should they need him. 

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The 2026-27 NHL season will have two major differences.

Each team will play 84 games for the first time since 2003-04 and as a result, the season will start in September.

The season usually starts in early October but the date was moved to Sept. 29 to accommodate the extra two games per team.

The opening day schedule was announced on Wednesday, July 15, and will feature five games, including the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes raising their banner before a 5 p.m. ET game against the 2024 and 2025 champion Florida Panthers.

The Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights will host the Chicago Blackhawks at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Three of the games will be shown on ESPN and the other two on Sportsnet.

The full 2026-27 schedule will be announced on Thursday afternoon.

NHL opening day schedule

‼️ MARK YOUR CALENDARS ‼️

The puck drops on the 2026-27 season September 29th! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/LsUHolwBHO

— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2026

Every NHL team's home opener

The @NHL announced today the 2026-27 regular season, expanded to 84 games with the addition of two more divisional contests per team, will open on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In addition, the League announced each team’s home opener.

Details: https://t.co/jMxZCwXZU6pic.twitter.com/wfrDekHQs1

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) July 15, 2026

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL 2026-27 schedule will start Sept. 29 with 5 games: Here are details

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils signed winger Anthony Mantha to a two-year, $9.5 million contract, the team announced Wednesday.

He will count $4.75 million against the salary cap through 2027-28. The Quebec native is coming off a breakout season with Pittsburgh in which he set career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists and 64 points.

Mantha, who turns 32, in September is nearly two years removed from tearing the ACL in his right knee and beginning a lengthy rehab process. He joins the Devils as new general manager Sunny Mehta’s latest addition to bolster the roster after missing the playoffs.

Mehta earlier this month hinted that he was not done his offseason makeover after trading goaltender Jacob Markstrom to Florida for Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist. After signing journeyman David Rittich to compete with Nico Daws for the backup goalie job, the signing of Mantha takes one of the final remaining high-profile free agents off the board long after most teams did their spending on July 1.

Devils round out their coaching staff

With Sheldon Keefe returning for a third season as coach and first with Mehta in charge, the Devils rounded out their staff behind the bench and in the goaltending department.

Leo Luongo, brother of Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo, was hired as director of goaltending, with Dan Stewart joining as goalie coach and Ted Donato and AJ MacLean hired as assistants. Donato is making the jump to an NHL bench after spending the past 22 years in college as the coach at Harvard.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

It’s going to be a spotlight-filled start to the season for the Florida Panthers.

On Wednesday, the NHL announced the home openers for all 32 teams across the league.

Among those 32 games, the Panthers will be featured in five of them.

First off, Florida’s home opener is set for Saturday, Oct. 10 against the Minnesota Wild, so set your calendars for Brady Tkachuk’s Sunrise debut.

While that will be the first time Panthers fans will be able to see their boys on home ice, its far from Florida’s first game of the season.

That will come on Sept. 29 (yes, you read that correctly) when the Cats visit the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes for their banner raising extravaganza.

ESPN will nationally broadcast the game, which has been set with a 5 p.m. start time.

The reason for the earlier-than-usual start to the season is that the NHL expanded its regular season schedule to 84 games, starting in 2026-27.

Next up for the Panthers will be a trip across the country for a trio of California home openers.

First, on Oct. 1, Florida will be in San Jose to open the season for the Sharks.

Three nights later on Oct. 4 the Panthers will be on The Pond for the Anaheim Ducks’ first home game.

Florida will then head across town for the home opener for the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 6.

The full season schedule will be released on Thursday, and with the Panthers expected to be one of the league’s top teams and Stanley Cup contenders, it will be interesting to see how prominently their games are placed across the full 84-game slate.

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It's still over two months away until the 2026-27 NHL regular season kicks off. However, the NHL has revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be in action on the first day of the campaign.

Their season opener will be on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. ET, the second game of the day. Toronto will be hosting longtime rival Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, with the broadcast on Sportsnet.

The Maple Leafs' season opener, which is also their home opener, comes after the Florida Panthers visit the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, at 5 p.m.

This is the first time an NHL regular season will begin in September since the 2007-08 campaign. That's because the 84-game schedule is being brought back for this upcoming season, which hasn't happened since 1993-94.

The Leafs and Habs come as no surprise as the season opener for both these Original Six teams. Both teams have played their season openers against each other for the past six years, making the 2026-27 fixture the seventh straight time the two historic franchises have met on the first day of the year.

This is the first time in the post-COVID-19 era that the Maple Leafs will play on the first day of the NHL regular season.

Maple Leafs Announce 2026 NHL Pre-Season ScheduleThe Toronto Maple Leafs have announced their schedule for the 2026-27 NHL pre-season.

Toronto's season opener this past year came on the second day of the season, when they defeated Montreal at Scotiabank Arena by a 5-2 score. Bobby McMann, Calle Jarnkrok, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander and Auston Matthews were the five unique goal scorers that day on Oct. 8, 2025.

In their last six season openers, the Maple Leafs have a 4-2-0 record, all against the Canadiens, as mentioned. In that span, Nylander has the most goals with six, while Matthews comes second with four goals to his name. In fact, Matthews registered a hat trick in the season opener of the 2023-24 campaign, scoring a late equalizer with 1:07 remaining in the game, allowing his team to later win in the shootout.

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The 2026 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes will raise their championship banner to usher in the start of the 2026-27 season.

Per the NHL, the Hurricanes are the first game slated for the new season, when they host the Florida Panthers on Sept. 29 at Lenovo Center with puck drop set for 5 p.m.

On that same night, they'll raise the banner recognizing them as the 2026 Stanley Cup Champions as well.

The NHL released the home openers for all 32 teams on Wednesday and the Hurricanes will be one of five games set for Sept. 29.

ESPN will air all three games as part of a triple header with Carolina/Florida being followed by New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins at 8 p.m. and Chicago Blackhawks @ Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m.

There will also be a pair of Canadian games, with the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs going head-to-head, followed by the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers.

The NHL will release the full 2026-27 schedule tomorrow (Thursday, July 16).

‼️ MARK YOUR CALENDARS ‼️

The puck drops on the 2026-27 season September 29th! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/LsUHolwBHO

— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2026

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The Golden Knights will be part of an opening-night tripleheader broadcast on ESPN in the U.S., when they open the season against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sept. 29.

‼️ MARK YOUR CALENDARS ‼️

The puck drops on the 2026-27 season September 29th! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/LsUHolwBHO

— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2026

The start date is the earliest Vegas will have started since joining the league in 2017. The Knights have never opened their season earlier than Oct. 2.

Last season, they opened the regular season on Oct. 8, with a shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Opening Knight at The Fortress ⚔️@naqviinjurylaw | #VegasBornpic.twitter.com/TuOfar48F9

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 15, 2026

The early start date means less time to prepare under first-year coach Ryan Craig, especially after losing in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final.

The last game of the Cup final was on June 14, which means the Knights will have had 107 days off in between. Perspective: the Blackhawks' season ended on April 15, which means they'll have had 167 days off in between.

"I think, like in previous years, when you lose in the finals; you get all the way, it sucks, for sure," veteran defenseman Shea Theodore said. "It's gonna be a quick summer, it's gonna be a quick turnaround, and we need to get our rest, we need to get guys healthy and ready to go."

Entering its milestone 10th season in the NHL, the Golden Knights are 7-1-1 in regular-season openers. They also boast a 5-1-1 mark when opening the regular season at home.

The Knights are 17-3-4 all-time against the Blackhawks, including a 10-2-1 mark when hosting them in Vegas.

PHOTO CAPTION

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) makes a save against Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena.

The NHL Public Relations is announcing each NHL team's home opener for the 2026-27 NHL season. With the season now expanded to 84 games, two more divisional games were added per team.

This season, the Colorado Avalanche will open the season against the Los Angeles Kings at home on September 30.

The @NHL announced today the 2026-27 regular season, expanded to 84 games with the addition of two more divisional contests per team, will open on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In addition, the League announced each team’s home opener.

Details: https://t.co/jMxZCwXZU6pic.twitter.com/wfrDekHQs1

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) July 15, 2026

The 2026-27 season will officially start on September 29, with the Boston Bruins facing the New York Rangers, the Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes against the Florida Panthers, the Edmonton Oilers facing the Vancouver Canucks, the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens, and the night ending with the Las Vegas Golden Knights facing the Chicago Blackhawks.

Patrick Kane To The Colorado Avalanche? Why The Future Hall Of Famer Could Be A Perfect Fit — And A Risky GamblePatrick Kane remains one of the NHL’s most accomplished players, but the Colorado Avalanche must weigh his championship pedigree, offensive impact, salary cap concerns, and complicated history before considering a potential move.

The New York Islanders will be hosting the 2027 NHL All-Star festivities on Feb. 5th and 6th at UBS Arena. 

The NHL unveiled the logo for the event on Wednesday:

Meet the mark of the 2027 @Honda#NHLAllStar Weekend! ⭐ pic.twitter.com/4UAjzNjUk3

— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2026

Following the success of the league's return to best-on-best international hockey, the marquee event will build on that momentum with a three-on-three tournament. 

The event will feature five teams of nations, including the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. The fifth team will be comprised of players from the rest of the world. This comes after the league's return to the Olympics this past February and the Four Nations Faceoff last season. 

#NHL All-Star Game at @UBSArena will be an international 3-on-3 tournament: pic.twitter.com/vcosSZLWNw

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 2, 2026

The format of the event will remain similar to previous years. The weekend begins on Friday, Feb. 5, with the return of NHL All-Star Skills, which will highlight the league's young stars. Ten players aged 25 or under will compete in events including fastest skater, hardest shot, stick handling, one-timers, passing, and accuracy shooting. 

Players will earn points on placement in each event, with the top four advancing into a shootout against one of four goalies participating in the event. The top two players in the shootout will advance to a final obstacle course to decide the winner. 

The game itself will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, with 11-player rosters that will be mostly decided by fan vote. The NHL Players' Association will pick one forward, defenseman, and goalie for each team after fan voting concludes. After a round robin tournament, the top two teams will advance to a 10-minute championship game. 

Next season marks the second time the Islanders will host the All-Star Game and first time since 1983. Fans can sign up for more information on the event at the league's website. 

The Chicago Blackhawks and National Hockey League announced their home opener schedule for all 32 teams on Wednesday. 

The Hawks will start their season on the road, beginning against the Vegas Golden Knights on September 29th at 9:30 PM CT. They will also see the Utah Mammoth (Oct. 1) and Buffalo Sabres (Oct. 3) on this trip. 

On October 6th, the Blackhawks will return to the United Center, where they will host the St. Louis Blues. 

Chicago will participate in four home openers, including their own. The one against the Vegas Golden Knights on September 29th will be a part of a tripleheader on ESPN as the nightcap.  

The NHL is officially an 84-game league, and now every team knows who they will be facing to open the home portion of that expanded schedule. 

The rest of the schedule will be released on Thursday at 12PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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After two weeks on the free agent market, former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Anthony Mantha has found his new home.

Mantha has signed a two-year, $9.5 million ($4.45 million AAV) contract with the New Jersey Devils. With this, the 6-foot-5 forward has joined one of the Penguins' division rivals. 

It was surprising to see Mantha last as long as he did on the free agent market. He was one of this year's best free agent forwards after his career year with the Penguins. In 81 games with the Penguins on a one-year prove-it deal in 2025-26, he set career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists, and 64 points. 

While Mantha's time with the Penguins only lasted one year, there is no question that he was a great value signing for them. Even if he struggled during the playoffs, his excellent play during the regular-season was one of the many reasons why Pittsburgh made the playoffs last year.

Now, Mantha will be looking to continue to have success, but now as a member of the Devils. If he replicates his 2025-26 form with New Jersey, he will end up being a very good signing for them.