The NHL’s 2026-27 schedule is out, and the league wasted no time stacking the board with games that jump off the page. With the regular season expanding to 84 games, there’s room for more marquee nights - and this slate leans hard into rivalries, debuts, outdoor settings and a few emotional reunions.
The first one comes right out of the gate. On Sept. 29, the Carolina Hurricanes open the season at home against the Florida Panthers, and Raleigh will be buzzing for more than just opening night.
Carolina is set to raise its Stanley Cup banner after beating Florida in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, and the matchup adds another layer to a rivalry that has already turned nasty in a hurry. The Panthers knocked the Hurricanes out of the 2023 and 2025 Eastern Conference Finals before Carolina finally got over the hump last spring, so this one has the kind of edge that makes an opener feel bigger than a formality.
The very next night, the spotlight may shift to Toronto. The Maple Leafs are expected to introduce first-overall pick Gavin McKenna against the Montreal Canadiens, then potentially send him right back into the fire against the New York Islanders and reigning Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer the following evening. McKenna, taken No. 1 in the 2026 Draft, arrives with huge expectations, and those first two games are already shaping up as must-see TV for anyone wanting the first look at the league’s newest centerpiece.
A few weeks later, the emotion swings in a different direction when Brady Tkachuk returns to Ottawa on Oct. 21.
Tkachuk, now with the Panthers after being traded earlier this offseason, spent eight seasons as the Senators’ captain before heading to Florida to join his brother Matthew. That trip back to Ottawa figures to be loud, personal and impossible to ignore.
The outdoor schedule brings its own set of showcase games. The Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets will headline the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium on Oct. 25, marking the return of outdoor hockey to Manitoba for the first time since 2020.
Then comes Utah Mammoth’s first outdoor game, a Winter Classic meeting with the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Dec. 31.
The league will close out that run with the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars at AT&T Stadium in the Stadium Series on Feb. 20, a heavyweight Western Conference matchup on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
There’s also the kind of star power that never really gets old. On Jan. 3, the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Edmonton Oilers in a game that puts Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid on the same sheet again.
Crosby is entering his 22nd NHL season, and McDavid remains the league’s top offensive threat. Even now, that pairing still feels like a special event every time it happens.
The NHL’s international footprint is part of the mix, too. The Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken will play twice in Finland in November, while the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators head to Germany in December. Those games will give European fans a chance to watch Sebastian Aho, Tim Stützle, Connor Bedard and Kaapo Kakko on home soil.
The league has packed this schedule with more than just dates and destinations. It’s loaded with the kind of nights that give a season its shape: banner raises, first impressions, old faces in new places, outdoor stages and superstar showdowns. The countdown to puck drop is on.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Veteran Option Fans Didn't See Coming
The Canadiens summer has been quiet on the outside, at least when it comes to outside help. Montreal has not added any new NHL players in free agency beyond its own, which has kept the focus on internal moves and left plenty of room for speculation about whether the club is still looking for one more experienced piece to round out the roster.
One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Patrick Kane, whose recent production and veteran profile make him an intriguing fit for a team that could use more proven offense. The idea is not tied to any official move or commitment, but the possibility alone has created a little extra intrigue around how Montreal might handle its remaining forward spots if it decides to keep shopping. [Read more 🡒]
Former Canadiens Grinder Just Got A Rare Stanley Cup Honor
Nicolas Deslauriers has always been the kind of player teams appreciate when the games get heavy, and that reputation followed him to Carolina after the trade deadline. Brought in for depth and physicality, the former Canadien ended up part of a championship run and later got to spend a day with the Stanley Cup in North Wildwood, where he drew a big crowd of fans eager to see the trophy up close.
The celebration came with a little extra significance for Deslauriers, too, because the Hurricanes also locked him in on a new two-year contract during the title festivities. For a player who played only one playoff game, it was already a memorable finish to the season, and the unusual way his name ended up connected to the Cup only added to a day that felt bigger than his role on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Have Found Their Closest Thing To Shea Weber
Kaiden Guhles new two-year deal with the Canadiens is more than a routine piece of business for Kent Hughes. Montreal is betting on a young defenseman whose game has already drawn comparisons to one of the franchises most imposing blue-liners, with analyst Matthew Ohayon pointing to the kind of physical edge and presence that once made Shea Weber such a force in town.
The comparison comes with an important caveat, because Guhle does not bring the same offensive arsenal or the kind of legendary shot Weber had. Still, when he has been on the ice, he has shown why Montreal values him so highly, and his strong playoff work last spring only added to the sense that the Canadiens may have found a defender who can fill a similar role in a different way. [Read more 🡒]