The Pittsburgh Penguins will open the 2025-26 NHL season against one of their biggest rivals.
The NHL announced on Monday that the Penguins would play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden as part of a triple-header on October 7. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
This is the second season in a row that the Penguins and Rangers will play each other on opening night. The two teams met in Pittsburgh last year on October 9, resulting in a 6-0 win for the Rangers.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan will get to coach against his former team for the first time after he was let go by the Penguins on April 28. Sullivan then took the Rangers' head-coaching job later that week on May 2.
The rest of the 2025-26 NHL schedule will be revealed on Wednesday, July 16.
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues announced the team’s 2025 preseason schedule on Monday that includes the Ottawa Senators for the first time.
The Blues will play six preseason games, including home and away games against the Chicago Bl;ackhawks and Dallas Stars, while hosting the Senators at Enterprise Center. There is also a road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The NHL will announce its full 2025-26 regular-season schedule on Wednesday noon (CT).
The Chicago Blackhawks will open the 2025-26 season against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on October 7th, 2025. Ahead of the game, the Florida Panthers will raise their second straight Stanley Cup championship banner.
The NHL announced this as part of an opening night triple-header to open the season. This is the first of three games. The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the New York Rangers following the conclusion of Chicago and Florida, followed by the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Los Angeles Kings as the nightcap.
This is another example of the NHL using the Blackhawks in big moments, regardless of the team’s status as far as their roster. Chicago hockey fans are going to tune in and help make it a special opening night for the league. This isn’t the first time that they have been the opponent for a championship banner raising night.
Over the last handful of years, despite each team's standings position, the Blackhawks have played the Panthers tough. We'll see if they can keep that mentality going on opening night.
The rest of the regular season schedule for 2025-26 will be revealed on Wednesday at noon CT.
It was reported last week that several clubs, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, were believed to have an interest in Erik Karlsson.
The 35-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman has been the frequent subject of trade speculation stretching back to last season.
The Penguins' acquisition of Matt Dumba from the Dallas Stars last Thursday has some observers wondering if the move foreshadows a possible Karlsson trade.
Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review believes the acquisition of the right-shot Dumba indicates that Karlsson's exit is pending. He also thinks Dumba can be flipped at next year's trade deadline for a draft pick.
The Hockey News’ Kelsey Surmacz also suggested Dumba's addition could set the stage for Karlsson's departure. She noted a lot would have to happen for that to fall into place, including the blueliner waiving his no-movement clause and the Penguins retaining part of their $10-million share of his $11.5 million average annual value.
TSN's Chris Johnston claimed that Karlsson is willing to waive his no-move clause but only for a few teams. Surmacz wondered if the Carolina Hurricanes or the Maple Leafs would be interested, or if a reunion was possible between Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators.
It's been rumored that Karlsson would prefer to join a team that provides him with a shot at winning the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes would be the best bet in that regard. The Leafs are a strong regular-season club, but they've only won two playoff series in the last eight years.
Karlsson maintains a home in the Ottawa area, and the Senators are a young team on the rise. However, they're currently not in a position to help him scratch that Stanley Cup itch.
Turning to the New York Islanders, we noted some recent speculation suggesting they may have had some trade conversations regarding Ilya Sorokin. Stefen Rosner provided a strong rebuttal as to why they wouldn't move their 29-year-old franchise goaltender.
Sorokin's agent, Dan Milstein, wasted no time swatting down the trade conjecture. On Thursday, he reminded everyone that his client has a full no-movement clause. Milstein stated that Sorokin “has never been part of any trade discussions – not at any point.”
Sorokin also weighed in on the issue, telling RG.Org's Sergey Demidov he was surprised how seriously some people took the rumors, despite knowing about his no-trade protection.
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Swiss club HC Davos has signed three of its key
forwards to three-year
contract extensions – Czech
Filip Zadina, 25, Canadian
Adam Tambellini, 30,
and Swede Simon Ryfors, 27.
“We
are delighted that Simon, Filip, and Adam have so clearly committed
to HCD and are planning their future with us,” said
club sports director Jan Alston. “All three are hungry for
more, and we expect a high level of play from them over the next
three years.”
It’s interesting
that Zadina chose to sign long-term in Davos after last summer, when
the Czech winger was reportedly close to signing with his hometown
club Dynamo Pardubice, but a sticking point was term – the club
wanted a multi-year deal but Zadina, then 24, wanted to keep his NHL
options available and chose the shorter-term offer from Davos.
Presumably, this contract contains an opt-out in case he receives an
NHL offer.
Last season, Zadina
had 43 points in 53 National League regular-season and playoff games.
He also had four points in three games in the
Spengler Cup, which Davos hosts annually.
In addition to
Tambellini and Ryfors, Zadina’s teammates in Davos this season will
include ex-NHLers Joakim Nordström, Brendan
Lemieux, Rasmus
Asplund and Klas Dahlbeck.
Originally from Pardubice, Czechia, Zadina went
overseas at age 17 to play junior hockey
for the QMJHL’s
Halifax Mooseheads. After winning the
league’s rookie-of-the-year award and making the first all-star
team, he was drafted sixth overall by the Detroit
Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Between 2018 and 2024, Zadina played 262 NHL
games for the Wings and
San Jose Sharks, recording 91 points and 40 penalty minutes. In
2023-24, his last NHL campaign to date, Zadina hit career highs in
games played (72) and goals (13).
Internationally, Zadina performed brilliantly for the Czechs at
the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, recording eight
points in seven games as the Czechs finished fourth. In his only
senior-level World Championship to date in Riga in 2021, Zadina had
four points in eight games.
Explaining the story behind Detroit's 'Hockeytown' slogan and how it could return for the Red Wings Centennial season.
The Detroit Red Wings are celebrating their 100th anniversary with some new Centennial themed things heading into the next season like new jersey patches, events for fans and most notably a potential change back to a historic centre ice logo.
Fans will remember the historic run of Detroit dominance when the Red Wings were winning Stanley Cups with the famous "Hockeytown" across the winged wheel at centre ice. Detroit had become the hub of hockey excellence and just as the Red Wings on the rise back to hopeful Stanley Cup contention, the franchise asked the fans if they want to have their signature slogan back on home ice.
The term “Hockeytown” became synonymous with Detroit and the Red Wings, but its origins are more recent than people may believe. The Red Wings first introduced “Hockeytown” as a marketing slogan in 1996, a pivotal time when the team was building toward Stanley Cup contention like they are today.
The branding campaign was created to rally the fanbase and solidify Detroit’s image as the top hockey city in the country. The phrase quickly gained traction among fans and the hockey world alike as the Red Wings entered a dominant era, led by several legends.
Sources indicate that the slogan was first prominently painted at center ice during the 1996–97 NHL season, the same year the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup since 1955, cementing the truth of the name that Detroit indeed was the home of hockey. It became a defining visual of Detroit hockey throughout the late 1990s and 2000s.
The “Hockeytown” branding remained at centre ice in famous Joe Louis Arena for over two decades, through the Red Wings’ multiple Stanley Cup wins in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. When the team transitioned to the newly built Little Caesars Arena in 2017, they initially kept the tradition alive by incorporating the same branding at center ice for the arena’s debut season.
However, by the summer of 2018, just before the 2018–19 season, leaked photos showed that “Hockeytown” was no longer part of the ice design. The organization confirmed the change, stating they wanted to “debut a fresh, new look” at center ice with the decision drawing criticism and confusion from long-time fans.
The Red Wings never officially abandoned the term publicly, but they quietly distanced themselves from the formal branding. The trademark for “Hockeytown” was listed as cancelled in 2018, according to records and reports published on Detroithockey.net and The Comeback, signaling a notable shift in the franchise.
Despite its removal from center ice, the identity of “Hockeytown” never truly disappeared. It remains deeply embedded in the culture of Detroit and is still featured prominently in merchandise, team videos, and local landmarks like the Hockeytown Café.
The name persists not just as a marketing slogan but as a badge of honor that reflects Detroit’s generational passion for hockey.
As the team enters their 100th season, the Red Wings asked fans whether the “Hockeytown” logo should return to center ice. Whether or not the logo returns to centre ice, the meaning of “Hockeytown” remains very much alive in the hearts of Detroit fans.
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