The Florida Panthers are set to make history by raising their franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup banner at their 2024-25 home opener at Amerant Bank Arena on Oct. 8, 2024. This momentous occasion comes less than two months after the Panthers clinched their maiden Stanley Cup victory on June 24.
As the new season approaches, players will soon gather for optional 'captains' skates' before the formal training camps kick off. Pre-season games are scheduled to run from Sept. 21 to Oct. 5, leading up to the Panthers' banner-raising ceremony as part of a North American opening-night triple-header on ESPN.
While the regular season will commence overseas, the league will not venture as far as Australia this fall. Instead, the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres will open the season at O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia on Oct. 4 and 5.
Adding to the international flavor, the Sabres will conclude their training camp in Germany and make history by becoming the first NHL team to play in Munich on Sept. 27 against Red Bull Munich of the DEL.
Further global engagement will see the Panthers facing off against the Dallas Stars in a two-game series at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland on Nov. 1-2.
Looking ahead to 2025, the NHL is gearing up for the '4 Nations Face-Off,' an international event featuring teams from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland. The tournament will take place in Montreal and Boston in February, culminating in a championship match on Feb. 20.
The league has also announced a 106-game pre-season schedule, including visits to non-NHL venues such as the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, where the Los Angeles Kings will play two games.
Neutral-site games will also take place in Orlando and Salt Lake City, where the newly formed Utah Hockey Club will make its debut in pre-season matchups against the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings.
Following the season opener in Prague, the NHL's North American schedule will kick off with a triple-header on Oct. 8, featuring matchups between the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Kraken, the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, and the Utah Hockey Club and Chicago Blackhawks.
Due to the '4 Nations Face-Off,' the NHL will skip the All-Star weekend in 2024-25, with plans to resume the event in early 2026 at UBS Arena hosted by the New York Islanders. Only two outdoor games are scheduled for the upcoming season, promising an exciting year ahead for NHL fans worldwide.
