Overview

• The season opener on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. ET will see the Florida Panthers host the Chicago Blackhawks on ESPN with a banner-raising ceremony at Amerant Bank Arena.
• ESPN’s opening night tripleheader continues with the New York Rangers facing the Pittsburgh Penguins at 8 p.m. ET and the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET.
• Panthers general manager Bill Zito re-signed key free agents Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand to preserve the back-to-back champions’ core.
• The 2025-26 campaign is the NHL’s last 82-game regular season before expanding to 84 games under the new collective bargaining agreement in 2026-27.
• A scheduled midseason break will enable NHL players to participate in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, marking the league’s return to Olympic competition since 2014.