Report: NHL looking at expanded schedule for 2026-27 season

According to a report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the NHL is considering an expansion of the league's regular season from 82 games to 84 games for the 2026-27 season.

From LeBrun's column for The Athletic today:

But where the makeup of the NHL schedule matrix gets really interesting is 2026-27, when there will be a new CBA extension. There are lots of ideas being thrown around right now, and there could be some major changes.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association could agree, as mentioned previously, to go to an 84-game season and shorten the preseason. One new idea being discussed is starting the regular season earlier — sometime in late September — and still ending the Stanley Cup Final around the same time in late June.

So in other words, they’d extend the calendar on the regular season to create a schedule that’s not quite as jam-packed and also takes into account best-on-best hockey breaks every two seasons for the Olympics and World Cups, as well as accommodating 84 games.

The idea that was discussed by the league and NHLPA last year of ending the season two weeks earlier — around June 10 — appears to be dead (sad face from me). Looks like we’re stuck with late June hockey going forward. Even with the regular season potentially starting in late September, the playoffs would still need to go into late June under this proposal. It’s quite a change in terms of the overall calendar, that’s for sure. If it happens.

Also on the table in discussions about the schedule matrix is whether to change the formula so that teams don’t necessarily have to play at least one game in each NHL arena every season. There are some teams pushing for more divisional and rivalry games. Having said that, some teams won’t want to go two years without seeing Connor McDavid in their building or a strong-drawing team like the New York Rangers or Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens, so, not surprisingly finding unanimity has not been easy in these discussions with teams, which has been an issue forever.

The bottom line is, while next season will be more of the same, it sure sounds like a lot of potential changes are being discussed for 2026-27.

- Pierre LeBrun

Hey, Gary... here's an idea: Get the game of hockey out of the month of June.

Casual sports fans aren't interested in watching an ice sport once school is out, the BBQ is fired up and the lake is calling. Hell, I'm as big of a hockey fan as you'll find on this planet and even I have a tough time giving a damn about the Stanley Cup Final once we get into the month of June. 

Start the season in September and end it in May. Please. Play 82 games or 84 games, I don't care. Just get the Stanley Cup outta June!