The NHL has officially announced the first three games of the 2025-26 regular season, with the remainder of the schedule to be unveiled on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Florida Panthers host the Chicago Blackhawks at 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 7. On that night, they will raise their 2025 Stanley Cup banner.  The Pittsburgh Penguins will visit the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 pm. ET.

The remaining NHL schedule, including the Toronto Maple Leafs' full 82-game schedule will be unveiled on July 16. If you were wondering why it's taken a long time for the schedule to be released, you aren't alone. Historically, the full schedule has been released in an around the NHL Draft.

According to THN's Karine Hains, the Leafs will open their regular season on Oct. 8 against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena. 

There is hope that a later schedule release will allow the strategically book premier matchups with players joining new teams via trade and free agency. For example, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy hinted on an appearance with Leafs Morning Take that he wouldn't be surprised if his team took on the Maple Leafs early in the schedule. On June 30, the Maple Leafs completed a sign-and-trade with Vegas that saw star forward Mitch Marner depart Toronto after nine seasons with the club.

(Top Photo Credit:  Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)