The puck drops for the 2024-25 NHL season in Prague, Czechia with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils hitting the ice for the NHL Global Series on Friday, October 4.
Action begins in North America on Tuesday, October 8, with a three-game slate that includes the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers raising their championship banner and hosting the Boston Bruins.
The nightcap also has superstar Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks jumping the boards against the Utah Hockey Club for their home opener at the Delta Center and the first NHL game in the Beehive State.
Here are the rest of the important dates to mark on your calendar ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Tuesday, October 22: NHL Frozen Frenzy
All 32 teams will hit the ice for a 16-game slate, and the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the New Jersey Devils in a key Eastern Conference battle that headlines the early wave.
The Edmonton Oilers host the Carolina Hurricanes in a clash of Stanley Cup odds contenders during the late window.
Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2: Champs go to Finland
The Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers will play a pair of games in Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland in the second half of the 2024 NHL Global Series. Both teams feature star Finns, too.
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov and Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen are the marquee names, with Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Roope Hintz, and Esa Lindell also all hailing from Finland.
Friday, November 8: Hockey Hall of Fame Game
The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Detroit Red Wings in the Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Scotiabank Arena. Players Natalie Darwitz, Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Shea Weber, and Krissy Wendell-Pohl will be officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, November 11, plus Colin Campbell and David Poile in the builder category.
Introducing the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024! 👏#HHOF2024 | #HHOF pic.twitter.com/jpVpB8QdWT
— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) June 25, 2024
Friday, November 29: NHL Thanksgiving Showdown doubleheader
The NHL Thanksgiving Showdown dates back to 2011, and it’s been a doubleheader since 2022. This year four American teams will hit the ice with the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Boston Bruins, and the Stars hosting the Colorado Avalanche.
Monday, December 16: Rematch rivalry
The Panthers visit the Oilers in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. The Edmonton brass made numerous offseason additions to the lineup to bolster the secondary scoring and complement superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
All eyes will be on Rogers Place to see if the hometown Oil can avenge last season’s finals loss.
Friday, December 20 to Friday, December 27: Holiday roster freeze
A roster freeze is applied to all players on an NHL active roster, injured reserve, or with non-roster and injured non-roster status with respect to waivers, trades, and loans, subject to the exceptions provided for in CBA Article 16.5 (d).
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Winter Classic rings in the New Year
Wrigley Field will play host to the Discover NHL Winter Classic featuring the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. The NHL has hosted an outdoor regular-season game to kick off the new year annually since 2008, and what better venue than the Friendly Confines?
Officially scoring this one a W
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 8, 2024
Coming soon ➡ 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field ❄️ Let’s do this @cubs! pic.twitter.com/N6KPad7ALW
Saturday, January 18: Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada
All seven Canadian teams are in action, with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Boston Bruins in the afternoon, and the action continues with All-Canadian matchups between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets, and Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Canmore, Alberta is the host city.
Monday, February 10 to Friday, February 21: 4 Nations Face-Off
The NHL will pause for a best-on-best tournament between the top players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. There will be seven games played over a nine-day period in both Montreal and Boston.
BEST. ON. BEST. 🔥
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 8, 2024
The 4 Nations Face-Off is coming this February 🌎 @NHL_On_TNT pic.twitter.com/h3pd3MWnE9
Saturday, March 1: 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series
The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets will play outdoors at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State University football team.
A raucous crowd fills The Horseshoe for Michigan-Ohio State Big Ten games, and the venue will host the NHL Stadium Series for the first time to kick-start the stretch drive on March 1.
Friday, March 7: NHL Trade Deadline
The cutoff for NHL teams to make trades is Friday, March 7 at 3 p.m. ET, and it’s the last chance for Stanley Cup contenders to beef up their rosters and acquire the missing pieces to bolster their lineup.
Thursday, April 17: Last day of the regular season
The final day of the 2024-25 NHL regular season features a six-game slate that includes the Washington Capitals visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Caps captain Alex Ovechkin is chasing down the all-time goals record and only needs 42 to pass Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career tallies. Pens superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will also both reach major milestones this season, with Crosby set to surpass 1,600 career points and Malkin positioned to score his 500th goal.
Will we see history from Alex Ovechkin this season? 8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/3vBxJlvWIm
— NHL (@NHL) September 26, 2024
Saturday, April 19: NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin
The second season starts with eight Round 1 matchups, and the chase for the Stanley Cup is down to 16 teams. Preseason betting favorites include the Oilers, Devils, Stars, Panthers, and Avalanche.
July 1: Free agency beings
The 2025 NHL Draft is likely to involve a number of big-time transactions, and the beginning of free agency on Tuesday, July 1 is a second opportunity for teams to revamp their rosters and bring in talent. More than 100 players were signed for over $1 billion in the first 12 hours of free agency this summer.
To be determined
-
2025 NHL Draft Lottery
-
2025 NHL Awards
-
2025 NHL Draft
