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.
Photo caption: Feb 8, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with center Aleksander Barkov (16) and center Carter Verhaeghe (23) after scoring against the Ottawa Senators during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
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.
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).
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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.
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.
— 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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
The Islanders weren't listed as the opponent for any one of the other 31 NHL teams, so it's possible that their home opener against the Devils is also their season-opening game.
The 2026-27 season will be 84 games, with the full schedule to be released at 1 PM ET on Thursday.
The Islanders opened the 2025-26 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 11: Kris Letang #58 and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice for warmups prior to the game against the New York Rangers at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 11, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The NHL announced the first games for teams in the 2026-27 season, full schedule to follow tomorrow.
The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves with a marquee opening matchup, they’ll start the year in Philadelphia on Wednesday September 30th for a rematch of last spring’s first round playoff series in a nationally televised game on TNT. The Pens will hold their home opener a few days later on Saturday October 3rd back in Pittsburgh against the Montreal Canadiens.
The above also announces that Pittsburgh will be on the road to be a part of Washington’s home opener on October 7th.
This NHL season starts earlier than most in recent memory, the league has shortened the preseason and added two more regular season games to boost the schedule to 84 games for the first time since 1994. The additional games allows each team to play all members of their division four times – in past seasons under and 82 game schedule there was a rotation of playing two rivals only three times.
Key dates for signature events have also been announced. The Pens won’t be participating in any international or outdoor games this season, after going to Sweden last year.
October 25, 2026: 2026 Heritage Classic (Winnipeg Jets vs. Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg) November 12 & 14, 2026: NHL Global Series Helsinki (Seattle Kraken vs. Carolina Hurricanes at Veikkaus Arena, Finland) December 18 & 20, 2026: NHL Global Series Düsseldorf (Chicago Blackhawks vs. Ottawa Senators at PSD Bank Dome, Germany) December 31, 2026: 2027 NHL Winter Classic (Utah Mammoth vs. Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City) February 7, 2027: 2027 NHL All-Star Game (UBS Arena at Elmont, NY) February 20, 2027: 2027 NHL Stadium Series (Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX)
With the season starting earlier and no condensed scheduling needed to account for an Olympic stoppage, teams should be in-line for lengthy breaks during the year and avoid situations like last year when the Pens played 17 games in the month of March. We’ll see those splits and the full schedule upon tomorrow’s release.
Mar 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Gavin Brindley (54) looks on during a face-off against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Recently in a series of press conferences, Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic set up his offseason message to the fanbase and managed expectations about heading into the 2026-27 season with a worse roster on paper. The salary cap was blamed, naturally, but this year’s buzz words given in an attempt to soothe any worries were centered around an incoming youth movement to fill the gaps.
“If we’ve got to start out with some kids this year to see what they got, what they can do, we’re perfectly happy with that as well.” — Joe Sakic
The youth movement concept is great in theory. A rapidly aging roster is in need of an infusion of new faces, competitive energy and cheap contracts which will outperform their cost. Colorado would benefit from some younger players under their control in the short term even if they are starting with a group of kids that are closer to unrestricted free agency than drafted prospects would be. The Avalanche have also been missing the spark young players can provide plus the possible benefit of untapped upside.
Who are the possibilities?
Joe Sakic mentioned these guys as young players the organization is looking to help fill the gaps at the NHL level to start the year:
Gavin Brindley Taylor Makar TJ Hughes Matt DiMarsico Fedor Svechkov Zach L’Heureux
It is interesting the youths Sakic mentions as having a chance to fill their roster holes at forward are all new to the organization which contain three players (Fedor Svechkov, Zach L’Heureux and Gavin Brindley) they acquired via trade within the last year (four if we include recently signed Fabian Lysell who is also in the mix), two recent college free agent signings (TJ Hughes and Matt DiMarsico) and one with obvious familial connections (Taylor Makar). The Avalanche have an uncanny ability to cycle through their options every two years, which is why last year’s crop of budding NHL forwards need not apply to the current opportunity at hand. Those who previously saw NHL action with the Avalanche include Ivan Ivan, Zakhar Bardakov, Chase Bradley, Jason Polin and Matt Stienburg, who all were not retained and signed elsewhere this summer.
Those departures make sense as a player gets two years at most to hold the organization’s attention before their window of opportunity shuts, which is why a bunch of new options were needed for the next season’s experiment. Taylor Makar could be an exception if he makes the jump to the NHL permanently because he was drafted in 2021, though has only played one year of pro hockey so far. Since the Joe Sakic management era began in 2013 there hasn’t been an acquired player who was property of the organization longer than two years that developed internally and then went on to complete a full NHL season in Colorado. It is understood that the NHL is unforgiving and moves at a rapid pace but that timeline is a tough ask for development, especially in draft picks.
What does giving opportunity really mean?
This decade Logan O’Connor is the only developed forward who broke through to the Avalanche roster and the last of such graduation up front from the system since Mikko Rantanen in 2016. After signing as an undrafted college free agent his first year of pro hockey, O’Connor got the typical cup of coffee the Avalanche consider opportunity with the five game call-up treatment in early 2019 where he averaged less than six minutes time on ice. Then in his second season he played 16 games, scored two points and upped his average to over eight minutes a game. Usually at that point justifications that he didn’t make enough impact in those 21 games would crop up but in year three O’Connor saw his waiver exemption expire and the Avalanche chose to keep him full-time in the pandemic shortened year of 2020-21. That season a 22 game, five point campaign where he averaged near 11 minutes a game got O’Connor a three-year contract extension and the rest is history as the Avalanche were then committed and the right winger had solidified his place on the team.
If O’Connor represents a repeatable path to the Avalanche, at some point a commitment is required and none of the youth options cycled through the team in 2025-26 stuck when it came to staying in the lineup. Gavin Brindley offered a glimmer of hope in his 54 NHL games and saw the most time on ice given by Jared Bednar to a developing player at an average of 9:33 per game but he was then sent to the minors after the trade deadline passed. All other experiments barely eclipsed seven minutes per game including those with a half a season or more of NHL experience such as Ivan Ivan and Zakhar Bardakov.
In Nashville, both Fedor Svechkov and Zach L’Heureux averaged over 12 minutes of ice time in each of their NHL seasons, which sets up the expectation that if Colorado wants these two, or any of their other youth movement options, to continue growing their games in this new opportunity then that’s the level of usage they need to be seeing at minimum. This also means no exclusive fourth line roles, especially multiple young players put together and then marginalized together as the bench gets shortened after the first period of games.
What’s on the horizon?
Unless there are surprise injuries when training camp rolls around in September or Colorado signs another veteran by then, currently it stands that two forward positions on the fourth line are open for these young guns to grab. Waiver exemption can’t save everyone this time, however, as it means several of mentioned above inexperienced options are going to get cut from the opening night lineup. With the exception of Brindley, DiMarsico and Hughes all others need to pass through waivers if they are sent down to the Colorado Eagles. The two-year pacts and one-way price tag in the second years for Svechkov, L’Heureux and Makar act as basically waivers insurance as another team is unlikely to pick up the financial commitment on those contracts. Still, the Avalanche likely want to satisfy the optics for players they just acquired will be given the first chance to play in the NHL. Brindley and his aforementioned 54 games of experience with the Avalanche last season should have the inside track in the competition for an open roster spot but as the youngest at 21-years-old, is still waivers exempt and was recently demoted adds up to he’s the easiest to pass over.
Sakic already threw out the idea that the roster isn’t set because Colorado can just accrue cap space for the trade deadline and get in new players at a later time. Admitting it out loud before the youth movement process has even begun feels like a halfhearted attempt when a full organizational buy-in and commitment is required for the monumental task of getting a developing player across to the Avalanche finish line. The expectation always is for playoff teams to made additions to strengthen their roster at the trade deadline. But it should be just that: adding, not replacing.
🗣️ Joe Sakic
"We wanted to give ourselves some flexibility. You don't win on July 1st. We learned that along time ago. We want the ability to add a player at the deadline for whatever type of player we feel we need at that point"#GoAvsGo | Powered by @RefiJetpic.twitter.com/5jaqL8S1a8
A major change was announced on Wednesday for the Detroit Red Wings, as Steve Yzerman, who had been in place as general manager since April 2019, officially transitioned his role to senior advisor to Governor and CEO Chris Ilitch.
Yzerman was tasked with taking over a franchise faced with a long, difficult rebuilding process. And while there were several positives during that stretch, including the selections of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond in the NHL Draft, the Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all seven seasons he oversaw.
Ilitch acknowledged that the Red Wings, who now own the NHL's longest active postseason drought in the NHL, aren't where they expect to be as an organization that once set the modern standard of excellence and consistent contention.
“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” said Ilitch. “I’m looking forward to bringing in new leadership to build the championship-caliber organization Hockeytown deserves.”
During Yzerman's tenure, the Red Wings successfully rebuilt a prospect pipeline that was virtually empty when he took over. He also acquired sniper forward Alex DeBrincat via trade and convinced future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane to sign with Detroit.
While last offseason's acquisition of John Gibson proved to be a pivotal move, not every gamble in net paid off. Yzerman previously traded for goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso, though neither ultimately delivered the results the organization had hoped for.
Neither did the 2025 re-acquisition of Petr Mrazek; he was later dealt to Anaheim for Gibson.
At the same time, several of Yzerman's decisions drew criticism, including the contracts given to J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp, the trade that sent Jake Walman away, and reports that Detroit passed on an opportunity to acquire former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes.
The Red Wings are also still navigating the fallout from captain Dylan Larkin's public trade request, and it remains to be seen whether the leadership change will have any impact on that situation.
On paper, the partnership between the Red Wings and Steve Yzerman appeared to be a perfect fit. But ultimately, the NHL is a results-oriented business.
Although Detroit made steady progress under Yzerman, it became increasingly difficult to ignore division rivals pulling further ahead, especially as the Red Wings suffered three consecutive late-season collapses in March.
In the end, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for seven straight seasons meant that a change was necessary.
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Steve Yzerman talks to fans about the 1997-98 Stanley Cup run during a ceremony honoring that championship run Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena.
Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Steve Yzerman abruptly stepped down as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, a stunning midsummer change of a franchise great leaving the job after seven seasons and zero playoff appearances.
Yzerman’s resignation to transition to an advisory role to CEO Chris Ilitch comes several weeks after captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin’s trade request came to light. The Red Wings’ decade-long playoff drought is the longest active drought in the NHL and in the organization’s storied history.
The team says its search for a new head of hockey operations is already underway and that Yzerman will continue to be in charge on a day-to-day basis until his successor is determined.
“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” Ilitch said in a statement. “Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization.”
Yzerman spent his entire 22-year Hall of Fame NHL playing career with Detroit, captaining them to the Stanley Cup three times. He was an accomplished GM with Tampa Bay, building the core that eventually won back-to-back championships, before taking over in Detroit in 2019, where success on the ice has not materialized.
“This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as general manager,” Yzerman said. “My commitment to the Red Wings and this community will never waver, and I look forward to supporting the organization in whatever role is needed to achieve our collective goals.”
With the 46th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected goalie Drew Commesso. Since then, the 23-year-old goaltender has been showing promise with his development.
Due to this, Commesso has now earned some praise. This is because the Blackhawks' young netminder made Scott Wheeler's top 20 NHL goalie prospect rankings for The Athletic.
Commesso just made the cut, as he was given the No. 20 spot. When noting that he played well last season with Chicago when given the chance, it makes sense that he was featured on Wheeler's rankings.
Commesso appeared in a career-high three games with the Blackhawks last season, where he posted a 2-1 record, a 2.31 goals-against average, and a .918 save percentage. He also most notably put together an impressive 36-save shutout against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 10. With this, the Norwell, Massachusetts left a strong impression in his limited appearances with the Blackhawks last year.
Down in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs last season, Commesso had a .901 save percentage and a 3.08 goals-against average in 37 appearances. This was after he had an 18-15-6 record, a .911 save percentage, and a 2.54 goals-against average in 39 games for Rockford in 2024-25.
With how Commesso has played, it is fair to wonder if he could earn a spot on the Blackhawks' roster in the near future. Blackhawks backup goalie Arvid Soderblom is entering the final season of his contract in 2026-27, after all.
Executive Vice President and GM Steve Yzerman is moving on from his roster managerial role, the team announced the morning of July 15. Yzerman will remain with the organization as an advisor to the team's Governor and CEO Chris Ilitch and handle day-to-day operations, but the Wings are beginning the search for a new roster manager.
The move comes while star center Dylan Larkin's trade request hangs in the ether, which has proven to be difficult to comply with. Reports indicate Larkin's trade destinations list includes the Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, and Florida Panthers, with the Dallas Stars also floated as a candidate (though the latter is unconfirmed).
Yzerman joined the organization after a wildly successful tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning in April 2019, sparking enthusiasm among a fanbase that hadn't made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. He failed, however, to make the postseason in his homecoming, and the historically successful Red Wings now have the longest active drought in the NHL at 10 seasons after the Buffalo Sabres ended their drought last season.
"Steve's lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization,” Ilitch said in a statement released by the team July 15. “We are thankful for Steve’s hard work and dedication as General Manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs – here with the Red Wings family.”
"I am sincerely grateful to Chris and the entire Ilitch family,” Yzerman said. “This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as General Manager. I've appreciated every experience throughout the years, and I’m extremely proud to remain part of this great franchise.”
