A Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers revealed in breaking news that, despite the franchise’s needs, he wants to stay and play alongside Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Matthew Tkachuk in the 2025-26 NHL season.

As the NHL offseason winds down and we all start to think about what's to come next season, hope always reigns supreme. Usually, anyway.

The 2025-26 NHL season will begin at Amerant Bank Arena, where the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 7 as part of a season-opening tripleheader, the league announced Monday.

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, center, instructs Cale Makar (8), Gabriel Landeskog (92) and others during a time out in the third period in Game 7 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Dallas Stars Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

With NHL free agency in the final stages of wrapping up, it’s not too early to look ahead to the start of the 2025-26 season. The NHL announced today that it’ll begin the 2025-26 season with a tripleheader on Tuesday, October 7th. The tripleheader will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN in the United States and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.