The NHL announced the schedule for the 2025-26 season's opening night on Monday. The Florida Panthers will raise their second-straight Stanley Cup banner against the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins traveling to New York to take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Opening night will conclude with the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Los Angeles Kings.

All games will take place on Tuesday, October 7, on ESPN.

This will be the second straight season that the Penguins will open with the Rangers. The Rangers came to PPG Paints Arena on October 9 to start the 2024-25 season and thrashed the Penguins 6-0. The game was virtually over by the end of the first period since the Rangers scored three goals in the opening frame. 

This year's version takes on a much bigger meaning, as former Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will face his old team immediately. He led the Penguins to two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, along with seven total playoff appearances. Sullivan is also the winningest and longest-tenured head coach in franchise history.

He appeared set to be the Penguins' head coach for an 11th-straight season before he and the Penguins agreed to part ways on April 28. It was a tough decision, but one that's for the best, as the Penguins have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and haven't won a playoff series since 2018. They are also in a rebuild and won't be genuine contenders for a bit. 

"I talked to him every day throughout the year, and worked together every day throughout the year, and there were times throughout the year where I started to think that it may just be time for a number of reasons," Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas told reporters regarding the decision. "It's a lot to ask of somebody when they've done such a long and successful job here to be managing that and continue to transition the team through."

The Rangers, who fired Peter Laviolette after missing the playoffs this past season, wasted no time and hired Sullivan to be their next head coach on May 2. They believe he can unlock more of their players' potential and help them return to the playoffs this upcoming season. 

It's poetic that Sullivan will face his former team right at the beginning of the season after all the success he had with the Penguins during his 10-year reign as head coach. He will have the opportunity to coach against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust (unless Rust gets traded), all players with whom he won championships. It will also be bittersweet for those four players since they loved having him behind the bench. The NHL loves a good storyline, and they are getting one by scheduling these two teams on opening night. 

Sullivan changed the way the Penguins played in 2016 with a super aggressive forecheck and stingy defense. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks remains the perfect example of what his system looks like when it's functioning at its best. The Penguins overwhelmed the Sharks in the offensive zone, doubling them up in 5v5 high-danger chances, 18-9. None of the Sharks' HD chances came in the third period. Heck, they only had three total scoring chances at 5v5 in that period despite being down a goal.

Penguins Will Open 2025-26 NHL Season Against RangersThe Pittsburgh Penguins will open the 2025-26 NHL season against one of their biggest rivals.

Even outside of the Sullivan factor, the Rangers are one of the Penguins' biggest rivals and have been for several decades. The rivalry has intensified significantly since the two teams met in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The Penguins had a 3-1 series lead over the Rangers and looked destined to move on to the second round before the Rangers stormed back to win the series in seven games. Since then, a lot of the regular-season games between the two sides have been nasty. 

The Rangers won't have Penguins-killer Chris Kreider for any of the matchups this season, which is a big deal. Kreider has nine goals and 12 points in his last 10 games against the Penguins, but was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in June. Instead of facing Kreider three to four times a season, the Penguins will only get to see him twice this year.

That said, the Rangers still have several players who can cause you trouble, including Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller, Vincent Trocheck, and Adam Fox, among others. It's going to make for an entertaining start to the season and has the added fuel of the Sullivan factor.

Sullivan won't receive his video tribute from the Penguins right away, as the game will be at MSG, but it will come as soon as the Rangers play in Pittsburgh for the first time. The rest of the 2025-26 NHL schedule will drop on Wednesday.

(Data via Natural Stat Trick). 

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Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers will soon have to focus on re-signing their captain, forward Connor McDavid, and while they have plenty of time to get that done, there is already speculation surrounding him, and the Los Angeles Kings have been linked to him.

Johnston talking about how teams would be stupid not to plan for McDavid UFA no matter how slim the chances (SDPN): "I'm sure it has occurred to the Kings, I'm sure it has occurred to the Rangers, you don't think Julien BriseBois down in TB is looking at his long-term roster?"

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) July 16, 2025

Chris Johnston doesn’t connect the Kings to McDavid directly, but he mentions that they are probably watching what’s going on. With every day that goes by, worry begins to grow amongst Oilers fans, and the Kings could try to take advantage.

General manager Ken Holland, who worked with the Oilers previously, could look to convince McDavid to join the Kings if they can find a way to make the money work.

Now, everyone knows McDavid will re-sign with the Oilers at some point. However, until it’s made official, everyone in the NHL will plan for the small chance that he hits free agency, including the Kings.

Kings Miss Out On Rumored Defensive Trade TargetThe Los Angeles Kings were hoping they could land a defender who had been involved in trade rumors for weeks, but unfortunately, he re-signed with the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced on Monday (Jul. 14). Rumor: Former Ontario Reign Defender Has Interest From KHL's Avangard OmskA former defender who played for the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, reportedly has interest from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Former LA Kings Third-Round Pick Signs In SwitzerlandA former forward for the Los Angeles Kings has signed with the ZSC Lions in the National League (NL) in Switzerland.

We've gone through numerous names in each of our first two looks back at some of the legendary names to have donned the Winged Wheel in their careers that actually got their starts in the NHL with a different club. 

Names like Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull, Dominik Hasek, and Igor Larionov will always be special to Red Wings fans, especially for their key contributions to numerous Stanley Cup victories. 

Even so, there remain several more names that continue to hold special places in the hearts of Red Wings fans.

Mickey Redmond

He's one of the best known former Red Wings players to a multitude of generations, many of which watched his career with the Red Wings and many more who know him from his work as a longtime television color commentator. 

Redmond began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, where he won the Stanley Cup twice before a fateful trade to the Red Wings in the 1970-71 season in exchange for Frank Mahovlich.

While Redmond didn't win the Stanley Cup as a player with the Red Wings, he was still one of their most impactful players for several years. 

He also made franchise history by becoming the first Red Wings player to reach 50 goals scored in a single season. He was forced to retire at just 28 years old in 1976 owing to a back injury. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Chris Chelios

One of the longest-tenured players in NHL history, Chelios began his career with the Canadiens and also won the Stanley Cup with them in 1986 before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, his hometown team.

Chelios became known as one of the best defensemen in the NHL during his many years with the Blackhawks, and was even named their team captain.

But with the Blackhawks well outside of the playoff picture approaching the 1999 NHL Trade Deadline, Chelios was traded to the club he once infamously boasted that he'd never play for - the Red Wings. 

Chelios would eventually become a fan favorite in Detroit and would play the next 10 years of his career with the team, helping them to a pair of Stanley Cup wins in 2002 and 2008.

He would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. 

Brian Rafalski 

The Red Wings had a considerable hole on their blue line after the departure of Mathieu Scheider in free agency in the 2007 offseason, and they would fill it with arguably one of the best free agent signings in recent team history. 

Brian Rafalski, a metro-Detroit native, was obtained by GM Ken Holland and signed to a multi-year contract. He formed an instant connection with defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, with whom he was often paired, and helped the Red Wings advance to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, winning in 2008.

Rafalski had already won the Stanley Cup twice in his career as a member of the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and 2003; he was signed by New Jersey as an un-drafted free agent ahead of the 1999-2000 NHL season. 

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We're two weeks into what is officially the start of the new NHL season and we've seen quite a bit of movement on the player front.

The Carolina Hurricanes, for one, have added quite a bit, with two big additions in Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller.

But as is always the case, to make room for new players, old/former players have to find new homes too, so here's a look at where all the former Canes who played at least one game for Carolina have ended up this season.

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Brent Burns - COL
40, RHD

After three season in Carolina, the veteran blueliner is taking his talents to Denver, signing a one-year, $1 million deal with the Colorado Avalanche.

The beloved veteran will take on more of a depth role with the Avs and if he can stay healthy, I think he can make a play for the league's number one ironman the season after too.

Dmitry Orlov - SJS
33, LHD

The Russian blueliner is making his first foray into the Western Conference, signing a two-year deal with the San Jose Sharks after spending his entire career out East.

Taking a slight discount from his last deal, Orlov didn't sound too excited about his time in Carolina in his first San Jose media availability.

Riley Stillman - EDM
27, LHD

The Hurricanes' seventh defenseman will be looking for more opportunity up north, as he signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers.

The son of former Hurricane Cory Stillman, Riley has already been with quite a few different organizations.

Spencer Martin - CSKA (KHL)
30, G

The journeyman goaltender is heading overseas for the first time in his career and will be playing in Russia. Martin signed a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow.

He couldn't quite capture the same magic he found when he first arrived in Raleigh, but had solid AHL numbers. Regardless, it's a new challenge for a standup guy.

Yaniv Perets - LVP (AHL)
25, G

Things didn't go very smoothly for Perets in Carolina, as despite actually winding up playing in two NHL games, he mostly played in the ECHL over the last two seasons.

He signed an AHL deal with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers, and hopefully he'll be able to find a bit more opportunity for himself.

Ty Smith - Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
25, LHD

The Hurricanes acquired Smith as part of the Jake Guentzel deal two seasons ago and gave him a bit of a chance to see what he had this season.

He had some pretty good AHL numbers and got the chance to practice with the main club for a good chunk of the year, even getting into a few games along with some power play time.

Despite that, it seems like the young blueliner will be heading overseas to play in Russia as per rumors.

Jack Roslovic - Unsigned
28, RW/C

The versatile forward joined Carolina on a one-year deal last year and managed to break the 20-goal mark and put up 39 points.

Despite that, he found himself relegated to the fourth line for most of the season (most of his goals came before December) and was even a healthy scratch for most of the postseason.

Roslovic finds himself in a weird spot because of that, but I'm sure someone will take a gamble on him. Just a bit weird that it's taken this long for him to choose a suitor.

Dustin Tokarksi - Unsigned
35, G

Tokarski wasn't sure if he'd even ever play professional hockey in North America again this time last year, but a goalie crunch in Carolina earned the veteran a tryout in the American League and he parlayed that into a few more games back in the NHL.

I'm not sure if the veteran will be so lucky again, but props to him on even getting the shot that he did last season.

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• Hurricanes Target Positional Depth In Opening Days of Free Agency
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• Hurricanes Sign Another RFA, Only 3 Remain Unsigned

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Award-winning TV writer and Boston Bruins fan Dave Flebotte passed away July 8 at age 65. The Boston native’s professional writing career saw him write and produce for popular shows including The Sopranos, Will & Grace, Boardwalk Empire and The Bernie Mac Show. 

But for this writer, Flebotte was a close friend and a passionate hockey fan. Flebotte was forever a supporter of his beloved Bruins, and he counted himself fortunate to see the B’s win three Stanley Cups. 

Flebotte was particularly proud that he got to write for The Hockey News.

In this exclusive column from The Hockey News’ special-edition 2009 book, Puck Funnies: Hockey Humor, Hilarity & Hi-Jinx, Flebotte’s talent at writing hilarious pieces was on full display. He was thrilled to write for THN, and THN was just as thrilled to have him as a contributor. He was also a lifelong subscriber, putting his money where his mouth was. He’s going to be missed.

On behalf of The Hockey News, our sincere condolences go out to Flebotte’s wife, Sandra, and his children, Zach and Emma.

#RIP Dave Flebotte, 65. The admired TV writer (‘Ellen,’ ‘Sherri,’ ‘Desperate Housewives,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ ‘The PJs,’ ‘Tulsa King’) died in Montana after a long battle with cystic fibrosis, his wife tells @THR. Had a double lung transplant 28 years ago. https://t.co/KtkSwQ2otv

— Mike Barnes (@MikeBarnes4) July 9, 2025

Please enjoy Flebotte’s column, which was deservedly Chapter 1 in the Puck Funnies book.

Dinner Is Bruin-ed

By Dave Flebotte

I love the Boston Bruins.

Since May 10, 1970, I’ve been an avid fan. It was Mother’s Day that day, and being Sicilian, my family’s gift to my mom was to let her prepare an enormous Italian meal and then let her clean up afterwards. I was in fifth grade and remember a jar of Ponds Cold Cream the size of her head being offered as a way of saying, “Thanks, Mom, for another great year of cooking, cleaning and quiet desperation.”

Aside from the stuffed artichokes, the thing that stands out about that day was the Bruins winning their first Stanley Cup in 29 years.

I watched it on a little black-and-white we kept in the kitchen to keep dinner conversation to a minimum. An uncle was watching it alone. Overtime had just started. Then an Orr-to-Sanderson, back-to-Orr later, it was over. All that was left was for the late Ray Lussier to capture Orr in mid-flight and my Uncle Charlie to scream the F-word at the top of his lungs. (In my house, the F-word was used as an expression of exultation, disdain and at times, affection.)

From that moment on, I was hooked. I bought my first copy of The Hockey News in ’72. Dale Tallon was on the cover and rumored to be coming to Boston. I never knew the publication existed. I borrowed fifty cents from my brother and ran back to the convenience store, where the clerk held it for me because even though there were three of them, I was sure they would fly off the shelf as soon as someone discovered, as I had, their existence. I took it back home, went up to my room and swallowed it whole.

It was a great time to be a Bruins fan. Two Cups in the first three years of my coming aboard. From Orr, Esposito, Cheevers, O’Reilly, to later, Bourque, Neely, Oates, Lemelin; all the way up to now with Savard, Chara, Lucic and Thomas. Only alcohol has been as good a friend to me as the Boston Bruins.

So when my pal, Adam Proteau, asked me if I’d be interested in writing an article for The Hockey News, it wasn’t a matter of if, but what part of Bruins history I’d write about.

My first draft, the words “The Canadiens suck,” written until I reached 1,000 words, was rejected. Though it did point to one of the greatest rivalries in professional sports, Adam found it a little too one-dimensional. So I started to think about who were some of my favorite players and what moments really stood out in the 39 years I’ve been following the team.

What I realized was, it wasn’t just the stars who came to mind, but mostly it was the scrubs. The Bobby Schmautzes, Bruce Shoebottoms, and Greg Hawgoods that made up some of my favorite memories. 

So I decided on this: “Five Bruins I Love, But Who You Might Not Give A Rat’s Ass About.” You never asked for it, but here it is:

5. Bill Bennett. Who? In 1979, Bill Bennett played only seven games for the Boston Bruins. He had a goal and four assists, and that was that. Gone.

Why is he a Bruin I love? Because Bill wore No. 7 after ‘Espo’ was traded. I love that he had the balls to put it on, and I’m thankful that he wasn’t good enough to stick with the club and keep it. Had he found his way onto a fourth line and hung around, Ray Bourque may not have gotten the number.

Then, when the Bruins retired Esposito’s number, we’d have lost one of the greatest moments in Bruins history: Ray peeling off the No. 7 jersey and handing it to Phil while wearing his new number, 77, underneath.

How anticlimactic would that have been to watch Bill Bennett pull off his jersey to reveal the now-revered double-seven?  An angry Phil would’ve probably had Ken Hodge rip the jersey off Bennett’s back before he had a chance to give it to him.

4. P.J. Stock. When I’m feeling down or a wee bit blue – maybe my script just got thrown out, or my son asked me for an A-Rod T-shirt – nothing picks me up like going on YouTube and watching P.J. Stock go toe-to-toe with Stephen Peat of the Washington Capitals. 

Having won only one fight out of fifteen myself (that’s right Jeffrey Morgan, I’m talking about you, b----), I find something cathartic in watching five-foot-nothin’ P.J. Stock throw haymakers to the heads of behemoths without the use of a foot stool. Half Rock-em sock-em robot, half energizer bunny, he’d finish every fight with a little wave to the Garden faithful that said, “This ass-kicking’s for you.”

3. Normand Leveille. No. 19’s career was cut short due to a cerebral hemorrhage in ’83, just 75 games into his tenure as a Boston Bruin.

His arrival was just after Don Cherry’s Lunch Pail Gang had ruled the roost in Boston from the mid-to-late seventies. Hard-nosed, gritty players were their calling card. No real superstars, just good old plain folk who skated their wing, punched you in the face and out-hustled everyone else,

Leveille was something new to Boston when he came aboard in ’81. Something we’d only seen in a Canadiens jersey. Our very own “Flying Frenchman!” He would zip into corners of the old Garden with someone in hot pursuit, then suddenly stop short, throwing his shoulder backwards into their chest and them onto their asses.

Add to that he had a real knack for the net, like a physical Yvan Cournoyer. His loss was definitely the greatest tragedy to hit the B’s ever (apologies to superstar Bruins goaltending prospect Ian Young and the eye injury that ended his career before his first pro game). Way too short a time in a B's sweater, but really sweet.

2. Wayne Cashman. ‘Captain Cash’ patrolled the left wing with Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge from the late 1960s until their departure in ’75. His sweater doesn’t hang from the Garden rafters, and he’s never been brought up as a Hall of Fame possibility, but still is one of the all-time great Bruins.

Cashman exemplified what it meant to be a Big Bad Bruin in the ’70s: fearless, a ton of heart and the ability to put the puck in the net. He wasn’t one of those dimestore Flyers who would amass 300-plus minutes but couldn’t hit the side of Kate Smith. He owned  the corners. He was a lot like O’Reilly (too obvious a choice), but where Terry skated with all the elegance of a drunk driver taking out a row of mailboxes, Cash was smooth.

My favorite Cashman moment: during a nationally televised afternoon game against the Flyers at the Spectrum, he goes out of his way on his first shift to fly across the ice and nail Dave Schultz, then just glares at him. Message sent.

1. Ron Grahame. Grahame was a goalie for the Bruins in the ’77-78 season. That was the year the Bruins used three goalies full-time. (Gilles Gilbert and Cheevers were the other two.)

The previous off-season, Grahame was signed as a free-agent defector from the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. His first and only year with the Bruins was solid – but that’s not why he’s No. 1 on my list.

He earned it because that summer Harry Sinden sent him to the L.A. Kings – where acting GM George Maguire was accepting the Baz Bastien Trophy as Worst GM Of All-Time – for the right to draft Ray Bourque.

The rest is Bruins history. Ray played 20-1/2 seasons for the B's before finally bringing the Cup home to Boston. Albeit, in a Colorado Avalanche jersey.

Still, it’s hard to stay mad at Harry after that one.