The NHL season will break from Feb. 6-Feb. 25 so that NHL players can compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The NHL trade deadline is Mar. 6, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET. The NHL regular season will conclude with six games on April 16, 2026.

The 2026 NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers will take place at loanDepot Park in Miami, home of the MLB's Miami Marlins, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET. It's the first outdoor NHL game in the state of Florida and the southernmost one in league history.

The 2026 edition of the World Juniors will be played in the Twin Cities, with Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul — home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild — hosting Group A games and most of the knockout round. Group B games and two quarterfinals will be played at the University of Minnesota's 3M Arena in Minneapolis.

After the Calgary Flames traded Tkachuk to the Panthers in the summer of 2022, he instantly changed the fortunes of the franchise. Florida has reached the Stanley Cup Final in each season with him on the roster, and Tkachuk has 88 goals and 166 assists in 211 games. In the postseason, Tkachuk has 25 goals and 69 points in 67 games.