Find out everything you need to know ahead of the 2026/27 NHL season including dates, teams and history.
Carolina Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup holders after ending their 20-year drought with a 4-2 success over Vegas Golden Knights.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2026/27 NHL season.
NHL 2026/27 dates
The NHL regular season is scheduled to begin on 29th September and conclude on 10th April 2027.
The Stanley Cup playoffs will then commence at the end of April and will wrap up with the Stanley Cup Finals in June.
NHL 2026/27 schedule
The NHL 2026/27 regular season will consist of 1,344 games as each team play a total of 84 games, an increase of two compared to the previous season.
At the end of the campaign, the three highest-placed teams in each division and two wild card teams per conference enter the playoff elimination tournament to determine the Stanley Cup champion.
NHL 2025/26 teams
The NHL features 32 teams in the 2026-27 season, split evenly across Eastern and Western Conferences with four divisions.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- Detroit Red Wings
- Florida Panthers
- Montreal Canadiens
- Ottawa Senators
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
Metropolitan
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
Western Conference
Central
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
- Utah Mammoth
- Winnipeg Jets
Pacific
- Anaheim Ducks
- Calgary Flames
- Edmonton Oilers
- Los Angeles Kings
- San Jose Sharks
- Seattle Kraken
- Vancouver Canucks
- Vegas Golden Knights
NHL history
Established in 1917 as the successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA), the National Hockey League rapidly expanded during the 1920s and grew again in the 1960s amidst the threat of the Western Hockey League by accommodating 12 teams.
By 1974, following the additions of the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts, the league was up to 18 teams and by the turn of the century, nine more teams were added to the NHL.
A 31st franchise was added in 2016 in the shape of the Vegas Golden Knights before Seattle Kraken expanded the league to 32 ahead of the 2019/20 season.
The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful team in NHL history having won the Stanley Cup 24 times and made the Final an additional 11 times.
Florida Panthers went back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, but Carolina Hurricanes are the side now aiming to secure the Stanley Cup in successive seasons.
NHL previous winners
- 2026 - Carolina Hurricanes
- 2025 - Florida Panthers (2)
- 2024 - Florida Panthers
- 2023 - Vegas Golden Knights
- 2022 - Colorado Avalanche (3)
- 2021 - Tampa Bay Lightning (3)
- 2020 - Tampa Bay Lightning (2)
- 2019 - St. Louis Blues
- 2018 - Washington Capitals
- 2017 - Pittsburgh Penguins (5)
- 2016 - Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
- 2015 - Chicago Blackhawks (6)
