The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement expanded the 2026-27 regular season from 82 games to 84.
As a result, the 2026 preseason will be shorter.
Training camps opened on Sept. 17 and the first preseason games will be on Saturday, Sept. 19. The preseason schedule will end one week later.
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Each team will play four games, except for the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, who are playing five. Those teams are taking part in the annual Kraft Hockeyville game on Sept. 21.
Here are the dates, times and locations for the NHL preseason schedule before the 2026-27 regular season opens on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $20.8 million (figures from puckpedia.com)
(Marc DesRosiers, Imagn images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $20.8 million (figures from puckpedia.com)
(Marc DesRosiers, Imagn images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $19.1 million
(Marc DesRosiers, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $17.7 million
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
Connor Bedard, Blackhawks, $17 million
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $16.5 million
(Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
G Igor Shesterkin, Rangers, $15.85 million.
(Dennis Schneidler, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
RW Alex Tuch, Capitals, $15.7 million
(Winslow Townson, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
LW Kyle Connor, Jets, $15 million
(James Carey Lauder, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $14.25 million
(David Gonzales, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
10 (tie). C Martin Necas, Avalanche, $14 million
(Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
10 (tie). RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $14 million
(Lucas Peltier, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
10 (tie). Pavel Dorofeyev, Rangers, $14 million
(Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
13 (tie). C Logan Cooley, Mammoth, $13 million
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
13 (tie). D Thomas Harley, Stars, $13 million
(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C/RW William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $12.5 million
(Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12.15 million
(Wendell Cruz, Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
17 (tie). LW Jason Robertson, Stars, $12 million
(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
17 (tie). RW Adrian Kempe, Kings, $12 million
(Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
17 (tie). LW Artemi Panarin, Kings, $12 million
(Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
17 (tie). D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $12 million
(Rob Gray, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
17 (tie). D Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $12 million
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
17 (tie). D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $12 million
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
23 (tie). RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11.25 million
(Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
23 (tie). RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $11.25 million
(Robert Edwards, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $11.08 million
(Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
26 (tie). D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11 million
(Morgan Tencza, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
26 (tie). D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11 million
(Sergei Belski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
26 (tie). D Darren Raddysh, Maple Leafs, $11 million
(Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
26 (tie). C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11 million
(Bob Frid, Imagn Images)
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Top 30 NHL salaries for 2026-27 season
26 (tie). D Jacob Trouba, Sharks, $11 milllion
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
NHL preseason schedule
All times Eastern
SATURDAY, SEPT. 19
Montreal (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Toronto (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 20
MONDAY, SEPT. 21
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Washington, at Hershey, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m.
Montreal vs. Ottawa, at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Utah at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
Ottawa (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Toronto (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Carolina vs. Nashville, at Greensboro, North Carolina, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
Calgary at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 25
Boston at Washington, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Winnipeg at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 26
Carolina at Nashville, 3 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 6 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Montreal (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Ottawa (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m.
When does the 2026-27 NHL regular season begin?
The 2026-27 NHL season will begin on Sept. 29 with five games on opening night:
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does NHL preseason start? Here’s the full 2026 schedule
