The Los Angeles Kings are that much closer to returning to the ice at Crypto.com Arena.
The NHL released its 2026-27 schedule for all 32 teams on Thursday, July 16. It’s a new look for the league’s calendar, with each club set to play 84 games — four of which will be against each division opponent — and the season opener scheduled for Sept. 29.
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The Kings are coming off an up-and-down 2025-26 season in which they fired head coach Jim Hiller on March 1 after a prolonged slump left them out of the playoff picture. They rebounded under interim head coach DJ Smith with an 11-6-6 record to close out the season and qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs in Anze Kopitar’s last ride. They were swept in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche.
This year, the Kings and new head coach Peter Laviolette will open the season how the last one ended — against the Avalanche. They follow that Sept. 30 game in Denver with a trip to Northern California to face the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 3 before returning to LA to host the Florida Panthers on Oct. 6.
With the full slate of Kings games officially set, here’s a look at the top five best matchups on their 2026-27 schedule.
Sept. 30 at Colorado Avalanche
What better way to start off this list than with the season opener. The Avs won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and looked to be well on their way to another championship last season as winners of the Presidents’ Trophy (best record in the regular season). They made quick work of the Kings in the first round but ultimately suffered the same fate themselves, being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals.
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Laviolette will get a chance to start his reign on a strong note if he can lead the Kings to a win in Denver.
Oct. 3 vs. Florida Panthers
The Panthers have been the perennial power in the NHL, winners of back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and ’25 though injuries and inconsistent play last season led them to miss the postseason for the first time since 2019. In fact, Florida became the first defending champion to miss the playoffs since … the 2015 Kings.
LA has 10 back-to-backs this season in total, though none (at this point in time) carry more weight than their rivalry series against the Ducks in late November. The Kings have had success in the Freeway Face-Off, but that fortune flipped in 2025-26 when the Ducks won three of the four meetings. LA’s lone victory was a decisive one — a 6-1 thrashing on Dec. 27, 2025, in which Alex Laferriere scored his first NHL hat trick.
1 / 28
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers.
(Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks.
(David Gonzales, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Simon Nemec was traded to the Calgary Flames.
(Ed Mulholland, Imagn Images)
5 / 28
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth.
(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)
6 / 28
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward JJ Peterka was traded to the Boston Bruins.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason McTavish was traded to the St. Louis Blues.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Mavrik Bourque was traded to the Nashville Predators.
(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Bowen Byram was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Timothy T. Ludwig, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Alex Tuch joined the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade.
(Winslow Townson, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jordan Kyrou was traded to the Washington Capitals.
(Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goalie Jacob Markstrom was traded to the Florida Panthers.
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Blake Coleman was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Keegan Kolesar was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
(James Guillory-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward William Eklund was traded to the Ottawa Senators.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darren Raddysh joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade deal.
(Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Keito Newman, IMAGN IMAGES)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson was traded to the New York Rangers.
(Stan Szeto, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was traded to the New York Rangers.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Dennis Schneidler, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Frederik Andersen signed with the Edmonton Oilers.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Viktor Arvidsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
(Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason Marchment signed with the San Jose Sharks.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman John Carlson was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jack Roslovic signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Perry Nelson, Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jaden Schwartz signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
(Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Ian Cole signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
Kings fans should circle this matchup on their calendars for two reasons: It’ll mark fired coach Hiller’s return to Los Angeles with the Maple Leafs after he was hired on June 17, and it will be their first chance to get a look at 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna.
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From first glances at a top prospect to a potential last glance at a legend. Alex Ovechkin signed a one-year contract extension to stay with the Caps for his 22nd season, but his future after that remains up in the air. This could be the last time fans at Crypto.com Arena get to see the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, who enters the season needing 11 goals to break Wayne Gretzky’s record for combined regular season and playoff goals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking the best games on the Kings 2026-27 NHL schedule
