NHL releases 2025-26 schedule: Important dates you need to know
On Wednesday, the National Hockey League officially released the schedule for the 2025-26 season.
Here’s a list of key dates for the 2025-26 season:
- Oct. 9: Potential for Matthew Schaefer’s NHL debut
- Oct. 11/28: All 32 NHL teams in action
- Nov. 14/16: 2025 NHL Global Series in Sweden (Nashville Predators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Nov. 21: Nikolaj Ehlers returns to Winnipeg
- Jan. 2: NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot Park (New York Rangers and Florida Panthers)
- Jan. 23: Mitch Marner returns to Toronto
- Jan. 19 – Jonathan Toews returns to Chicago
- Feb. 1: NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins)
- Feb. 6-24: Olympic Break
- April 12: Noah Dobson returns to Long Island
- April 16: Regular Season Ends
There are several key matchups that will be worth watching this year. One of the most anticipated games will be on Jan. 15, when the Vegas Golden Knights host the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will be the first time Mitch Marner will face his former team, after a sign-and-trade deal that saw him head to Vegas with an eight-year contract in tow. Marner will then come to Toronto for the first time, a little over a week later, on Jan. 23.
Another couple of important matchups will feature the rematch from the last two Stanley Cup Finals. The Florida Panthers will take on the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 22 in Sunrise, before the Oilers host the Panthers on March 19.
There will also be two nights when all 32 teams will be in action. The first will be on Saturday, Oct. 11, and the other on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The 2025 NHL Global Series will take place at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on November 14 and 16, as the Nashville Predators meet with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The New York Rangers will face the Boston Bruins in the annual Thanksgiving Showdown on Black Friday, Nov. 28.
The annual NHL Winter Classic will take place on Jan. 2, 2026, when the defending champion Panthers will host the Rangers in Miami. That won’t be the only outdoor game in the Sunshine State, as the Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Bruins on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series.
Hockey Day in Canada is set to take place on Jan. 17, in which all seven Canadian teams will be in action.
There are also many important dates that will occur during the regular season. For the first time in 11 years, NHLers will be competing at the Winter Olympics, with the best players in the league getting the chance to represent their countries at Milan Cortina. The Olympic Break will take place between Feb. 6-24.
The opening night of the upcoming season is set for Tuesday, Oct. 7, with a trio of games on tap. The Panthers will raise their Stanley Cup banner before taking on the Chicago Blackhawks. Then, the Penguins will face the Rangers, before the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche meet in the nightcap.