The Carolina Hurricanes ended their Stanley Cup drought in June, and they will raise their championship banner a month from now on Sept. 29.
The NHL 2026-27 regular season will get underway that day, kicking off a change to a longer 84-game schedule – up from 82.
Training camps will open in mid-September, and the shortened preseason schedule will begin on Sept. 19.
There will be no in-season international tournament this season, but the NHL All-Star Game will return for the first time since 2024 and feature an international theme.
Here is when the NHL regular season begins and the key dates for the 2026-27 season:
When does the NHL regular season begin?
The 2026-27 NHL season starts on Sept. 29 with the following five games. There will be an ESPN tripleheader in the United States and a Sportsnet
doubleheader in Canada.
All times Eastern
- Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m. (ESPN): A meeting of the last three Stanley Cup winners. Carolina will raise a Stanley Cup banner for the first time in 20 years. Both teams lost their longtime goalies (Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky, Carolina's Frederik Andersen) to free agency.
- Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (Sportsnet): No. 1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna makes his NHL debut. The Canadiens reached the conference finals last season.
- New York Rangers at Boston Bruins, 8 p.m. (ESPN): Pavel Dorofeyev makes his Rangers debut after his draft-day trade from the Golden Knights
- Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m. (Sportsnet): Vancouver's Manny Malhotra makes his NHL head coaching debut and must try to figure out how to slow down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Coach Mike Babcock is returning to the NHL with the Oilers.
- Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN): New coach Ryan Craig takes over a Vegas team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. Injured Connor Bedard won't be playing for the Blackhawks until November.
When will all 32 NHL teams be in action?
All 32 teams will be in action on Oct. 13 and April 10.
When does Brady Tkachuk return to Ottawa?
The former Ottawa Senators captain will return on Oct. 21. He was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he's joining brother Matthew.
When does Quinn Hughes return to Vancouver?
He never did last season after his blockbuster trade to the Minnesota Wild. He will this season on Oct. 25.
When is the Heritage Classic game?
The Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens will play in the outdoor Heritage Classic on Oct. 25 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
When is the Hockey Hall of Fame induction?
Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Cindy Curley, Keith Tkachuk and Brian Burke will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 9. The Hall of Fame game will feature the New Jersey Devils playing at the Maple Leafs on Nov. 7 in Toronto.
When is the NHL Global Series?
The Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken will play in Helsinki, Finland on Nov. 12 and 14.
The Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks will play in Dusseldorf, Germany on Dec. 18 and 20.
When does Frederik Andersen return to Carolina?
Stanley Cup-winning goalie Frederik Andersen, who signed with the Edmonton Oilers, will return to Carolina on Nov. 21.
When is the Stanley Cup Final rematch?
The Golden Knights host the Hurricanes on Dec. 20. Carolina will host Vegas on Jan. 17.
When is the Winter Classic?
The Winter Classic will be on New Year's Eve at University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche, starting at 6 p.m. ET.
When is the NHL All-Star Game?
The NHL All-Star weekend will be Feb. 5-6, at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The skills competition is on the 5th and the All-Star Game will be on the 6th. There are new formats this season.
When is the Stadium Series game?
The Dallas Stars and Golden Knights play in the outdoor Stadium Series game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Feb. 20.
When does Sergei Bobrovsky return to Florida?
The two-time Stanley Cup winner, who signed with Toronto in the offseason, will return on March 6.
When does John Carlson return to Washington?
The Capitals' all-time top-scoring defenseman was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks last season and will return with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 15.
When the 2026-27 NHL season end?
It will end on April 10 with all 32 teams in action.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does the 2026-27 NHL season start? Here are the key dates
