Here’s the Kraken’s expanded 84-game schedule for 2026-27

The NHL is returning to an expanded 84-game slate for the first time in more than three decades.

Jul 16, 2026, 11:02 AM

Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle skates during a 2025 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The NHL unveiled its full 2026-27 regular-season schedule on Thursday morning as the league returns to an expanded 84-game slate for the first time in more than three decades.

The Seattle Kraken open on the road against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 1 and the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 3. The Kraken then face the Flames in their Oct. 4 home opener and host the reigning Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 6.

As previously announced, the Kraken will head to Finland for two games against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14 as part of the NHL’s Global Series.

The Kraken’s full 2026-27 schedule can be found here.

Block off your calendars. It’s almost hockey season.@AlaskaAir | https://t.co/lVt5DySkFR pic.twitter.com/Ptrq401F3Y

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 16, 2026

The NHL is returning to an 84-game regular season – up from the previous 82-game slate. The regular season opens Sept. 29 and runs through April 10, as the league’s 32 teams will combine to play a total of 1,344 games. It’s the league’s first 84-game season since 1993-94.

The increase from an 82-game slate, which had been the standard since the mid-’90s, was agreed upon by team owners and players in the last round of talks on a collective bargaining agreement. The intent is to provide more space between the end of the Stanley Cup Final and the draft in late June before free agency commences July 1.

When the Florida Panthers and Oilers went the distance in ’24, there were just three days between Game 7 on June 24 in South Florida and the first round of the draft on June 28 in Las Vegas. After defeating Vegas to win the Stanley Cup last month, the Hurricanes will raise their second championship banner on Sept. 29 against Florida.

NHL’s opening night on Sept. 29, which features five games, matches the earliest start date in NHL history and is the first time the regular season begins in North America before October. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings played games in London on Sept. 29 and 30, 2007.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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