- The NHL released its full 2026-27 schedule Thursday, an 84-game slate for every team
- The league called it the biggest schedule in its history at 1,344 total games
- Read below for the key dates worth circling, from Tkachuk’s return to a last Sid vs. Ovi
The NHL dropped its full 2026-27 schedule on Thursday, and every team is playing 84 games for the first time in 33 years.
The league last ran an 84-game season in 1993-94. The two extra games this time are a home-and-home against a division rival, which pushes the leaguewide total to 1,344 games across 194 days. The NHL is calling it the biggest slate in its history.
The league made it official Thursday afternoon:
We circled the dates that actually matter, and most of them are reunions and rivalry games, from Brady Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa to a Stanley Cup Final rematch and a possible last Crosby-Ovechkin duel:
Here are the dates to circle:
- Oct. 13 & April 10: NHL Frozen Frenzy, all 32 teams in action on one night
- Oct. 21: Brady Tkachuk’s first game back in Ottawa since the trade
- Oct. 25: Heritage Classic, Jets host the Canadiens in Winnipeg
- Dec. 21: Stanley Cup Final rematch, Golden Knights and Hurricanes
- Dec. 31: Winter Classic, Avalanche visit the Mammoth in Salt Lake City
- Feb. 5-6: All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena on Long Island
- March 6: Sergei Bobrovsky’s return to Florida
- April 4: Crosby vs. Ovechkin, maybe for the final time
Tkachuk’s night in Ottawa lands Oct. 21, his first trip back since the trade to the Panthers. That building will not be quiet.
The big one comes late. Crosby and Ovechkin could meet for the final time April 4, both grinding through a 22nd season, with Ovi already eyeing his potential last home games in Washington.
The schedule leans international too, with a batch of Monday matinees built for European primetime:
Opening night is Sept. 29, with the Hurricanes raising their Cup banner against the Panthers, a matchup we already broke down.
It all ends April 10, when every team hits the ice for the season’s second Frozen Frenzy.
