ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wild officially know where their 2026-27 season will begin.
The NHL announced the home openers for all 32 clubs on Wednesday, confirming that the Wild will open the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 1, against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
Two days later, Minnesota will return to Saint Paul for its home opener against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Grand Casino Arena. The remainder of the league's 84-game schedule is set to be released on Thursday.
For Minnesota, the opener presents an immediate Central Division test. Nashville has often been a difficult building for opponents, and division games carry even more weight this season following the NHL's move to an 84-game schedule, which adds two additional divisional matchups for every team.
The Wild will then waste little time returning home, welcoming an Original Six opponent in Boston for what should be one of the most anticipated home openers in recent years.
The matchup gives Minnesota fans an early opportunity to see Bill Guerin's revamped roster on home ice after an offseason that included several notable changes.
The Bruins also figure to be looking for a strong start after an eventful offseason of their own, making the Oct. 3 contest an intriguing early-season measuring stick for both clubs.
Wednesday's announcement only reveals each team's opening games, but anticipation won't have to wait much longer.
The NHL is expected to unveil the complete regular-season schedule on Thursday, providing Minnesota with its full 84-game roadmap for the 2026-27 campaign.
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The Boston Bruins returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2025-26 NHL season and took a meaningful step toward becoming a contender in the Eastern Conference again.
Can they build on that success and make back-to-back postseason appearances?
The 2026-27 regular season schedule was released Wednesday afternoon. The league is using an 84-game schedule for the first time since 1994, which means each team will play 42 home games and 42 away games.
This change will result in the regular season beginning Sept. 29, which is going to feel early for a lot of people.
Let’s look at the biggest takeaways from the Bruins’ schedule, including notable dates and events that fans should circle on their calendar.
Home opener
The Bruins’ home opener is also their first game of the season. They will host the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Sept. 29. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET as part of ESPN’s Opening Night tripleheader.
Black Friday matinee
The Bruins will play the rival Toronto Maple Leafs in their Black Friday matinee. Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 27.
No outdoor games
The Bruins will not take part in the Winter Classic or any other outdoor game next season.
They played in the 2026 Stadium Series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and lost 6-5 in a shootout at Raymond James Stadium. Boston’s six outdoor game appearances are tied for the second-most behind the Chicago Blackhawks (seven).
Patrice Bergeron night
The Bruins will honor Patrice Bergeron and retire his No. 37 to the TD Garden rafters before their Dec. 1 game against the Colorado Avalanche.
David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
Bergeron won the 2011 Stanley Cup title with the Bruins.
Rivalry games
Two of the Bruins’ biggest rivals — the Maple Leafs and Panthers — both took a step back last season and missed the playoffs. As a result, their games against the Bruins didn’t have the same level of intensity and fireworks compared to years prior.
But both the Leafs and Panthers should be much better next season. The Panthers, who were decimated by injuries last season, are again one of the Stanley Cup favorites, especially after trading for top-six forward Brady Tkachuk.
The Bruins-Canadiens rivalry should be awesome in 2026-27 after losing some of its fire lately. Both of these rivals are playoff-caliber teams again.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Friday, Nov. 27 at Boston
Saturday, Jan. 30 at Boston
Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Toronto
Monday, April 5 at Toronto
Montreal Canadiens
Thursday, Nov. 12 at Boston
Wednesday, Jan. 6 at Montreal
Wednesday, March 10 at Montreal
Tuesday, March 30 at Boston
Florida Panthers
Sunday, Nov. 8 at Boston
Tuesday, Dec. 8 at Florida
Tuesday, Dec. 15 at Boston
Friday, April 9 at Florida
Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand won the 2025 Stanley Cup title with the Panthers.
All-Star Game returns
The last NHL All-Star Game was in 2024. It was replaced by the 4 Nations Face-off in 2025 and skipped in 2026 when NHL players returned to the Winter Olympics.
But the All-Star Game is back for 2027 and it has a new format.
According to the league, the game “will feature five teams – Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a ‘World’ team comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four teams – competing in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament. Each team will consist of 11 players: nine skaters and two goaltenders.”
UBS Arena, which is the home of the New York Islanders, will host the event. It is scheduled for Feb. 6.
Longest road trip
The Bruins’ longest stretch away from home is four games, and they have three of them.
The first is Oct. 13 through Oct. 20 and includes matchups against the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars.
The second is Feb. 17 through Feb. 22 and features games versus the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken.
The third is the last four games of the season, and it’s all division opponents — Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Notable Western Conference opponents in Boston
Here’s a look at when a couple prominent teams and/or players from the Western Conference make their only trip to TD Garden of the season.
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers: Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights: Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche: Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. ET
Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild: Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. ET
Regular season finale
The Bruins’ final regular season game is Saturday, April 10 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road.
The B’s have a brutal final 10 games of the season. They play the Buffalo Sabres (twice), Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and the Lightning (twice).
The Montreal Canadiens were one of the teams connected to Anthony Mantha when he was on the free agent market. However, the veteran winger ended up signing a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.
While Mantha is off the board, the Canadiens still have some other UFA forward options to consider if they want to add to their group. Let's take a look at two free agents they should consider signing because of it.
Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane is the top UFA left and would have the potential to be a very good addition to the Canadiens' top six. The veteran forward is still effective at this stage in his career, posting 16 goals and 57 points in 67 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings. Former Canadiens star Chris Chelios recently said that Kane is choosing between the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres. Even if this is the case, the Habs should consider making a real push for him while he remains on the market.
Michael Bunting
Michael Bunting may not offer the same kind of offense and experience as Kane, but he could still be a solid addition to Montreal's roster if signed. If the Canadiens brought him in, he would give them a forward who can chip in decent secondary scoring in a third-line role. He would also give them another pesky forward who isn't afraid of the physical side of the game. In 74 games last season split between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, he posted 14 goals and 33 points.
After a successful 2025-26 season, the Buffalo Sabres will be looking to take another step forward in 2026-27. If they hope to do that, they will not only need their top players to be at their A-game but also their young players to hit new levels.
Because of this, let's look at three Sabres who have the potential to have breakout years next season.
Konsta Helenius
Don't be surprised if Konsta Helenius has a big breakout year for the Sabres in 2026-27. The 2024 first-round pick left a solid first impression this past campaign with Buffalo. In his first nine career NHL games, he recorded one goal and four points. He also scored two goals in four games during the playoffs for Buffalo and had 63 points in 63 AHL games with the Rochester Americans. With all of this, there is a lot to like about the young forward's game.
Noah Ostlund
Noah Ostlund took a nice step in the right direction with his development last season. He proved that he is ready for the NHL, as he recorded 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games for Buffalo. With that, the 2022 first-round pick undoubtedly has the potential to hit a new level next season for the Sabres. It would not be surprising if he hit the 20-goal and 45-point marks at least.
Olen Zellweger
New Sabres defenseman Olen Zellweger is another breakout candidate to watch on the Sabres. The 22-year-old defenseman has shown promise early on in his career, and he could elevate his game after getting a fresh start with the Sabres. He should receive more consistent playing time with the Sabres than he did on the Anaheim Ducks. In 76 games last season for Anaheim, he posted seven goals and 22 points.
The NHL released its 2026-27 regular-season schedule Thursday as the league expands its campaign from 82 to 84 games.
San Jose will open the season at home against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 1 at SAP Center. The Sharks swept the Panthers 2-0 in their 2025-26 regular-season series.
The Sharks will stay at home to host the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 3.
San Jose’s first road game is Oct. 5 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
The Sharks have two six-game road trips — one within the first two weeks of the season — and two five-game road trips. Additionally, they’ll have a seven-game homestand in late January through mid-February.
San Jose will end its campaign with a three-game homestand: against the St Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and the Anahaim Ducks for the regular-season finale.
When the Montreal Canadiens were manhandled by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, it was obvious they could have used more grit and physicality and needed more balance on the blueline. To truly contend, Martin St-Louis needs a defense corps he can trust and to spread ice time across. Overplaying the likes of Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson can work in the regular season, but deep in the playoffs, when everyone is playing through bumps and bruises, there needs to be more players the bench boss can rely on.
Arber Xhekaj didn’t play a single game against the Hurricanes in the third round. St-Louis preferred to use Jayden Struble, which shouldn’t have surprised anyone since the coach gives him more ice time than Xhekaj. While he may trust Struble more, the fact is that the Canadiens really could have used Xhekaj’s physicality in that series.
St-Louis has often said that he doesn’t want his players to take themselves out of the play by chasing the big hit, and while that’s something number 72 was often guilty of in previous years, he tidied up that side of his game this past season. That wasn’t enough to really earn him the pilot’s trust on the back end, though, and with Josh Anderson out of the lineup with an illness and Alexandre Texier injured, the blueliner made it clear he’d be willing to play on the wing if the team needed him to.
On March 29, St-Louis took him up on the offer and played him on the fourth line against the Hurricanes. The Canadiens won that game 3-1 with Xhekaj skating on the fourth line with Joe Veleno and Brendan Gallagher. The winger for the day spent 5:11 on the ice across six shifts and didn’t look out of place, landing five hits and blocking one shot.
The Sainte-Flanelle have a congested blueline, and they need some sandpaper up front. If Xhekaj gets into a fight and must sit for five minutes, it’s easier to handle if he’s a fourth-line winger than if he is on the blueline, especially if there’s another defenseman in the box.
At 25, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman would no doubt like to establish himself as a regular NHLer rather than a fringe player who needs to sit every now and then, alternating with fellow blueliner Struble. This would also open the door for Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher to enter the rotation.
So far this offseason, Kent Hughes has been unable to get some outside help to improve his roster, but if the Canadiens manage to reach a new deal with Xhekaj, moving him up front might address two of their big issues: getting tougher and having a more balanced blueline that the coach trusts and can spread the ice time more evenly. It worked for Dustin Byfuglien and the Chicago Blackhawks back in the day; why couldn’t it work for the Habs? Of course, Xhekaj won’t end up on the first line as Byfuglien did with Jonathan Toews and Patrik Kane, but a transition to the fourth line would still help the Canadiens.
It could also be interesting to see what a line featuring the Xhekaj brothers would look like in the NHL, but it would certainly bring a lot of physicality and grit. If training camp starts without the Canadiens getting any outside help, this is an idea worth exploring for the Habs.
Oliver Bonk is a prospect whom the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping will emerge as a key part of their roster. There is no question that the 21-year-old defenseman has plenty of potential, and he had a nice start to his professional career in 2025-26.
In 46 games down in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Bonk posted six goals, 13 assists, and 19 points. He also made his NHL debut in the Flyers' season finale against the Montreal Canadiens, where he scored a goal and recorded an assist. With that, it is clear that he left a strong first impression with the NHL club.
Yet, now that Bonk has completed his first AHL season, it would not be surprising if he takes a major step forward with his development next season. The 21-year-old blueliner has great upside, and it would be huge for the Flyers if he can break out for them next season.
Bonk showed a lot of potential during his OHL career with the London Knights. During the 2024-25 season with the OHL club, he posted 11 goals, 29 assists, and 40 points in 52 games. He also had 24 goals and 67 points in 60 games with London during the 2023-24 season.
It will now be interesting to see how Bonk's season goes in 2026-27. There is a lot to like about his game.
Earlier this off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost goalie Stuart Skinner to the Winnipeg Jets in free agency. With Skinner no longer in Pittsburgh, it has opened the door for Sergei Murashov to fight for a spot on their NHL roster.
Murashov is the Penguins' top goalie prospect and has the potential to become a good goalie in the NHL. Because of this, the 22-year-old has now received some praise.
Murashov was given the No. 8 spot on Scott Wheeler's top NHL goalie prospect rankings for The Athletic.
With how well Murashov has been developing his game, it is entirely understandable that he has been ranked among the top goalie prospects in the league.
Murashov appeared in his first five career NHL games last season with Pittsburgh, where he posted a 1-1-2 record, a 2.56 goals-against average, and an .897 save percentage. He most notably, however, put together a 21-save shutout against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 16.
Down in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2025-26, Murashov had a 24-9-4 record, a .919 save percentage, a 2.20 goals-against average, and four shutouts. With numbers like these, he undoubtedly showed great promise last season.
It will now be interesting to see what Murashov can do next season on Pittsburgh's roster.
The Seattle Kraken kicked off their fourth straight season by welcoming Professional Women’s Hockey League Seattle Torrent head coach Christine Bumstead to development camp.
Burnstead joins the Kraken to bring a different perspective on the game for the young prospects.
"As coaches, we're always looking to grow and learn, too,” Kraken director of player development Cory Murphy said to NHL.com. “When you bring new voices in with that kind of experience to add to the camp and provide their feedback and their voice, I think it makes us all better.”
Bumstead has several connections with the Kraken, beginning officially in June when she was named head coach of the Torrent. Bumstead had served as assistant bench coach in the team's first season, where they went 8-1-5-16.
According to NHL.com, Kraken assistant general manager Alex Mandrycky invited Bumstead to join the development camp staff.
Bumstead explained the perspective she brings to camp.
“The PWHL game is different than the NHL game,” Bumstead said to NHL.com. “That's also something that we can share and provide – the different little nuances within our game or the little nuances within our athletes and how we develop them. You have to work with those players …they're very successful and elite where they're playing, but you want to craft them and develop them to be elite and successful here as a Seattle Kraken or as a Coachella Firebird, right? So that's something that's important, and we are able to have those conversations between the dev staff and me.”
Murphy went on to explain further the benefits of having Bumstead around at development camp.
“Just getting a different perspective, you can see the passion comes out right away,” Murphy said. “We had (Bumstead) running the bench, and you could see her getting prepared and the competitive fire. It was great to have her on the ice. I’ll be following the Torrent for sure.”
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have reached a four-year contract agreement with forward Trevor Zegras with an average annual value of $9.125 million, the team announced on Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old Zegras had a career-high 26 goals and 67 points last season, the second-most on the team. He added two more goals and four assists in the playoffs.
“We’re thrilled to have Trevor committed to our organization for the next four years,” general manager Danny Briere said in a statement. “The growth he showed this past season, proving that he is the skilled player he entered the league as, reinforced our belief that he will be an impact player for the Flyers for the years to come."
Selected ninth overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL draft, the 6-foot, 185-pound Boston University product has played in 349 career NHL games, and has 93 goals and 160 assists for 253 points. He has 60-plus point seasons in three of his six seasons in the league.
Zegras has also represented the United States on five occasions, most recently at the 2024 World Championships where he had a goal and an assist in eight games. He also played in back-to-back World Junior Championships in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, he helped the U.S. win gold and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player with seven goals and 18 points in seven games.
Curtis Douglas, the newest Seattle Kraken forward, is no stranger to a long road to the NHL.
After being selected 106th in the 2018 NHL Draft, the forward spent two seasons in the OHL before moving on to four seasons in the AHL. He made his NHL debut in 2025-26 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, seven years after he was drafted.
“There were times when I’ll admit, I thought it might not work out for me,” he told NHL.com. “But I never stopped trying.”
Douglas signed as a free agent with Toronto on March 22, 2022, before being traded to Arizona for Conor Timmins on November 23, 2022, and then he was transferred from Arizona to Utah on June 13, 2024.
After that, Douglas was claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay from Utah on October 6, 2025.
Three days later, Douglas made his NHL Debut against the Ottawa Senators on October 9, 2025. Douglas skated for five minutes in his first game, then appeared in 29 more games that season with the Lightning.
In the 2025-26 season, the 6-foot-9 center recorded two assists.
He was then claimed off waivers by Vancouver from Tampa Bay on March 6, 2026.With the Canucks, Douglas appeared in 14 games, recording one goal and one assist.
“This whole process doesn’t really feel real yet,” Douglas said. “I don’t think it will feel 100% real until I put the jersey on. If you were to have told me last year, after I got sent down by Utah that I’d go on to play 40 NHL games, I think I would have probably slapped you across the head. It was pretty special the whole year, and I’m just in awe about the whole experience with Tampa, Vancouver and now this next chapter with the Kraken. I’m just so excited.”
Douglas signed with the Kraken on July 1, 2026.
Seattle Kraken General Manager Jason Botterill announced the team had agreed to terms with Douglas on a two-year contract ($1.25M AAV).
When the announcement was made, Botterill released a statement on the signing.
“Curtis adds size and a strong physical presence to our forward group,” Botterill said to NHL.com. “He competes with an edge, brings energy, and is difficult to play against. We look forward to seeing him in our lineup next year.”
Douglas is a tall presence on the ice, as one of the tallest players in NHL history. He is known for his grit, dropping the gloves in his first NHL shift.
He will now join the Kraken for the next few seasons as the 26-year-old continues to grow in the major leagues.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have some incredible coaching staffs, some incredible mentors that were basically telling me, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get your foot in the door, and the way to do that is to throw your weight around and to fight a little bit more than maybe you want to,’” Douglas said.
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A prodigy is defined as a person, especially a highly talented child, who exhibits extraordinary abilities or skills far beyond what is typical for one's age.
Macklin Celebrini is no longer a child, but the prodigy title still applies. He's only 20 years old.
Celebrini just accomplished another feat ― gracing the cover of EA Sports' NHL 27. He's the youngest ever to appear on the video game's front page.
The cover features two different looks: one of Celebrini donning the teal and black home jerseys as he looks to the rafters; and another in their crisp white away jerseys as Celebrini screams in celebration.
The next generation is here. Macklin Celebrini is the youngest NHL cover athlete in history.
The Philadelphia Flyers' goaltending is looking strong heading into the 2026-27 season. Dan Vladar proved last season that he can be a legitimate NHL starting goalie, and the Flyers also acquired Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer.
While the Flyers now have a strong Vladar-Woll tandem, they also have an exciting goalie prospect in Yegor Zavragin. The 20-year-old has the potential to emerge as a good goalie in the NHL later down the road.
Because of this, Zavragin has now been named among the best goalie prospects in the NHL.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic gave Zavragin the No. 10 spot on his top 20 NHL goalie rankings.
With how Zavragin has performed in Russia, it makes sense that he has been named one of the NHL's best goalie prospects. The 2023 third-round pick had a solid season in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg in 2025-26, posting a .919 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average in 12 games. He also had an impressive .949 save percentage and 1.44 goals-against average in 18 games for SKA-VMF St. Petersburg of the VHL last season.
With numbers like these, it is hard not to feel excited about Zavragin's future with the Flyers. It will be interesting to see how he performs next season in Russia. If he has another year like he had in 2025-26, it should only create more optimism about his future in Philly.
Earlier this off-season, the Buffalo Sabres acquired defenseman Louis Crevier as part of the trade that sent Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks. While Crevier was not the main piece that the Sabres got back for Byram, he is still a player who Sabres fans should be excited about.
Crevier just put together an impressive breakout year with the Blackhawks in 2025-26. In 78 games with the Original Six club, he posted new career highs with seven goals, 18 assists, 25 points, 95 blocks, and 124 hits. With numbers like these, he provided some solid offense and grit from the blueline for Chicago. If he translates this kind of play over to the Sabres, he should be a strong addition to their roster.
Furthermore, with Crevier being only 25 years old and still in the early stages of his NHL career, he has the potential to hit a new level with the Sabres. If he improves his game as he continues to gain more experience, he very well could cement himself as a key part of the Sabres' top four.
Crevier is also one of the biggest defensemen in the NHL, standing at 6-foot-8. Big right-shot defenseman who throw the body are always valuable to have, and Crevier fits that description nicely.
Overall, there is a lot to like about the Sabres' decision to acquire Crevier. If he builds off his impressive breakout year as a Sabre, he should become an important blueliner on their roster.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will open the 2026-27 season against their biggest rival.
The NHL announced on Wednesday that the Penguins will open the regular season in Philadelphia against the Flyers on Sept. 30.
It will be the first time the two teams have played since the Flyers knocked the Penguins out in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Puck drop will be at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
The 2026-27 season will start with a tripleheader on Sept. 29. The Carolina Hurricanes will raise their Stanley Cup banner against the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. ET before the New York Rangers play the Boston Bruins at 8 p.m. ET.
Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks will play the Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m. ET.
David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
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