2024-25_NHL_season
2024–25 NHL season
National Hockey League season
The 2024–25 NHL season is the upcoming 108th season of operation (107th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). Following concerns about an indefinite timeframe on a new arena, the Arizona Coyotes were deactivated and its players and personnel were transferred to a new expansion team in Utah. The regular season is planned to begin on October 4, 2024, when the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils are scheduled to play the first of two games in Prague, Czech Republic, as a part of the 2024 NHL Global Series.[1] The Stanley Cup playoffs are then planned to begin in April 2025, ending with the Stanley Cup Finals in June.
| 2024–25 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice Hockey |
| Duration | October 4, 2024[1] – June 2025 |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 33 (32 active) |
| TV partner(s) | Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports (Canada) ESPN/ABC/ESPN2, TNT/TBS (United States) |
| Streaming partner(s) | Sportsnet+, Amazon (Canada) ESPN+/Hulu, Max (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Stanley Cup | |
| NHL seasons | |
← 2023–24 2025–26 → | |
Utah expansion and Arizona Coyotes deactivation
On April 13, 2024, it was reported that, with the NHL's permission, the Arizona Coyotes were making efforts to relocate to Salt Lake City, Utah, following concerns about an indefinite timeframe on a new arena and the effects of continued play at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena.[2] The sale, which involved the NHL buying the franchise from Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, then reselling it to Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), was finalized on April 18 after the NHL Board of Governors voted to establish a team in Utah, with the Coyotes' hockey assets;[3] however, rather than formally relocate, the Coyotes franchise was instead marked "inactive", with Utah considered an expansion team in a similar situation to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Meruelo subsequently remains on the NHL Board of Governors as an observer, retaining the rights to the Coyotes brand with a five-year window to complete a new arena and "reactivate" the Coyotes as an expansion team.[4] Of the reported $1.2 billion sale price,[5][6] $1 billion was paid to Meruelo, with $200 million paid to the NHL's other owners as a relocation fee.
The as-yet-unnamed Utah NHL team will play home games at the Jazz's home arena, the Delta Center. Renovations will be required to make it the team's permanent home, similar to the renovations made to Climate Pledge Arena before the Kraken began play in the NHL.[7]
Entry draft
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft is scheduled for June 28–29, 2024, at the Sphere in Paradise, Nevada.[8]
The regular season is planned from October 2024 to April 2025.
International games
The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils are scheduled to play their first two regular season games against each other on October 4 and 5, 2024, at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. Then, the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers are scheduled to play two games on November 1 and 2, at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.[1]
Outdoor games
The league has scheduled the following outdoor games:
- The 2025 NHL Winter Classic will be held on December 31, 2024, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the St. Louis Blues.[9]
- One NHL Stadium Series game will be held on March 1, 2025, at Ohio Stadium on the campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, with the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Detroit Red Wings.[10]
4 Nations Face-Off
Instead of the All-Star Game, the league hold a new 4 Nations Face-Off tournament as a preview for the NHL's return to Olympic participation in 2026. Four teams representing NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will play a total of seven games from February 12 to 20. Games will be held in one American city and in one Canadian city, to be announced at a later date.[11]
| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2023–24 coach | 2024–25 coach | Notes |
| Buffalo Sabres | Don Granato | Lindy Ruff | On April 16, 2024, one day after the conclusion of their season, the Sabres fired Granato. In just over three-and-a-half seasons with Buffalo, Granato totaled a 122–125–27 record, with no playoff appearances.[12] Ruff, who had previously coached Buffalo from 1997 to 2013, and most recently served as head coach of the New Jersey Devils from 2020 to 2024, was named head coach on April 22.[13] |
| Los Angeles Kings | Todd McLellan Jim Hiller* |
TBD | McLellan was fired on February 2, 2024, with the Kings holding a record of 23–15–10; despite a 20–7–4 start to the season, the team went 3–8–6 in the 17 games preceding his dismissal. In four and a half seasons with Los Angeles, McLellan posted a 164–130–44 record, reaching the playoffs twice but failing to advance past the first round. Hiller, an assistant coach, was promoted to interim head coach.[14][15] |
| New Jersey Devils | Lindy Ruff Travis Green* |
TBD | Ruff was fired on March 4, 2024, after the Devils started 30–27–4. In just over three-and-a-half seasons with New Jersey, Ruff totaled a 128–125–28 record, with one playoff appearance. Green, the associate coach, and previously head coach of the Vancouver Canucks from 2017 to 2021, was promoted to interim head coach the same day.[16] |
| Ottawa Senators | D. J. Smith Jacques Martin* |
TBD | Smith was fired on December 18, 2023, after the Senators started the season 11–15–0. In just over four seasons with Ottawa, Smith compiled a 131–154–32 record, with no playoff appearances. Martin, a senior advisor to the coaching staff who previously served as the team's head coach from 1996 to 2004, and most recently served as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens from 2009 to 2011, was promoted to interim head coach.[17] |
| San Jose Sharks | David Quinn | TBD | On April 24, 2024, one week after the conclusion of their season, the Sharks fired Quinn. In two seasons with San Jose, Quinn posted a 41–98–25 record, with no playoff appearances.[18] |
| Seattle Kraken | Dave Hakstol | TBD | Hakstol was fired on April 29, 2024, a week and a half after the conclusion of Seattle's season. The franchise's first head coach, Hakstol recorded a 107–112–27 record in three seasons with the Kraken, leading the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 2023.[19] |
| St. Louis Blues | Craig Berube Drew Bannister* |
TBD | Berube was fired on December 12, 2023, after the Blues started the season 13–14–1. In parts of six seasons with St. Louis, Berube compiled a 206–132–44 record with four playoff appearances, leading the franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2019. Bannister, previously the head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, was promoted to interim head coach.[20] |
(*) Indicates interim
| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2023–24 general manager | 2024–25 general manager | Notes |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Jarmo Kekalainen John Davidson* |
TBD | Kekalainen was fired on February 15, 2024, after the Blue Jackets began the season 16–26–10. Kekalainen had served as general manager of the Blue Jackets since 2013, overseeing five playoff appearances, including the franchise's first playoff series win in 2019. Davidson, the president of hockey operations, was named interim general manager.[21] |
(*) Indicates interim
- This will be the first season for Fanatics as the official apparel provider of the NHL under a 10-year contract, replacing Adidas, which was the official apparel provider on a seven-year contract from the 2017–18 season.[22]
Canada
National
This will be the 11th season of the 12-year Canadian national broadcast rights deal with Sportsnet. This includes Sportsnet's sub-licensing agreements to air Saturday Hockey Night in Canada games on CBC Television and French-language broadcasts on TVA Sports.[23] Games will be streamed on Sportsnet+, with national games available on the Standard level, out-of-market games on the Premium tier, and via authenticated streaming on participating teams.[24]
This will be the first season of a two-year sub-license for Amazon Prime Video to air Prime Monday Night Hockey, replacing Rogers Monday Night Hockey on Sportsnet.[25]
Personnel
Prime Monday Night Hockey will feature a new broadcast team, to be announced at a later date.[25]
United States
National
This will be the fourth season of the league's seven-year U.S. national broadcast rights deals with the ESPN family of networks and TNT Sports.[26] ESPN's contract allows at least 25 exclusive games per season on ABC or ESPN (including ABC Hockey Saturday on selected Saturdays), up to 75 exclusive games streamed on ESPN+ (also simulcast on Hulu), out-of-market games streamed on ESPN+ (under the NHL Power Play branding), exclusive rights to the opening night games and the Stadium Series, and simulcasts/alternate broadcasts on other ESPN networks.[27] TNT Sports' contract allows for up to 72 games per season (some may be non-exclusive broadcasts and thus blacked out in local markets), including Wednesday night games, selected Sunday games, the Winter Classic, simulcasts/alternate broadcasts on TBS and TruTV, and the rights to stream its games on Max.[28] The rights to the eight-day Four Nations Face-Off tournament, replacing ESPN's broadcast of All-Star Weekend this season, will be decided at a later date. As per the rotation, TNT will hold rights to the Stanley Cup Finals this season.
Local
Bally Sports will be rebranded before the start of the season.[29]
The Chicago Blackhawks will begin a new agreement with a new, yet-unnamed network operated by Standard Media, replacing NBC Sports Chicago as the team's regional broadcaster.[30]
The Seattle Kraken will begin a multi-year agreement with Tegna to start airing games on Tegna's Seattle broadcast stations KING and KONG, replacing Root Sports Northwest as the Kraken's regional broadcaster, and syndicate the telecasts to other stations across the team's broadcast territory. Amazon Prime Video will also stream Tegna's Kraken games within the team's territory.[31]
As part of the asset transfer, the Utah expansion team received the Arizona Coyotes' existing broadcasting contract with Scripps Sports. KUPX-TV in Salt Lake City, which had been televising Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights games, will become the Utah team's new flagship station.[32]
Personnel
The Boston Bruins will have a new TV play-by-play announcer this season following the retirement of Jack Edwards.[33]
The Columbus Blue Jackets will have a new TV play-by-play announcer this season following the retirement of Jeff Rimer.[34]
- "2024 Global Series to feature Sabres, Devils, Panthers, Stars". NHL.com. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- "Coyotes bid Arizona farewell with bittersweet win over Oilers". ESPN.com. April 17, 2024. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
There could be a new arena -- eventually. Meruelo had been pursuing a tract of land in north Phoenix to build it. When delays pushed the land auction until June, the NHL and the players' association got cold feet about continuing to play at Mullett Arena, the loud-but-bandbox-sized venue shared with Arizona State University. Meruelo was adamant about not selling the team despite constant offers since he bought in 2019, but he also didn't want the players stuck playing in a 5,000-seat arena -- by far the NHL's smallest -- that wasn't up to league standards. With no guarantee he would have an arena and with no other options, Meruelo agreed to sell the franchise.
- Cotsonika, Nicholas. "'Utah's ready for a team,' new owner says". NHL.com. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- Wyshynski, Greg (April 15, 2024). "Everything we know about the Arizona Coyotes moving to Utah - How is the transaction going to work?". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
It's expected that the final transaction will include a clause that allows Meruelo to "reactivate" the franchise as an expansion team -- paying what's expected to be a $1 billion expansion fee if that happens -- between now and 2029 if his arena project is completed. All of the team's intellectual property -- including those iconic Kachina jerseys -- would remain with Meruelo. It's an agreement that evokes the deal made with the city of Cleveland when the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1995.
- Friedman, Elliotte (April 10, 2024). "NHL, Arizona Coyotes preparing for possible relocation to Utah". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- "Report: NHL, Coyotes make progress on framework for Utah relocation". Sportsnet.ca. April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- Kaplan, Emily; Wyshynski, Greg (April 10, 2024). "Coyotes could relocate to Salt Lake City as part of NHL plan". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- "2024 NHL Draft To Take Place At The Sphere In Las Vegas". TheHockeyNews.com. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- "2025 NHL Winter Classic Chicago To Host St. Louis At Wrigley Field". NHL.com. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- "2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series To Feature Detroit Red Wings Vs Columbus Blue Jackets At Ohio Stadium". NHL.com. February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- "NHL to hold 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in 2025". NHL.com. February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- "Granato fired as Sabres coach, no replacement named". NHL.com. April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- LaBarber, Jourdon (April 22, 2024). "Sabres hire Ruff as head coach". NHL.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- "McLellan fired as Kings coach, replaced by Hiller". NHL.com. February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- "Kings fire McLellan, name Hiller interim head coach". TSN.ca. February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- Morreale, Mike (March 4, 2024). "Ruff fired as Devils coach, replaced by Green". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- "Ottawa Senators relieve D.J. Smith of head coaching duties". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- "Quinn fired as Sharks coach, no replacement named". NHL.com. April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- "Hakstol fired as Kraken coach, no replacement named". nhl.com. April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- "Berube fired as Blues coach, replaced by Bannister". nhl.com. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- Merz, Craig (February 15, 2024). "Kekalainen fired as Blue Jackets general manager, Davidson to assume duties". NHL.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (March 21, 2023). "Fanatics to become NHL official on-ice uniform outfitter in 2024-25". NHL.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- Rosen, Dan (November 26, 2013). "NHL, Rogers announce landmark 12-year deal". NHL.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- Johnston, Patrick (June 15, 2022). "Canadian NHL fans won't be able to access NHL Live in 2022-23". The Province. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- "'Prime Monday Night Hockey' to air NHL games in Canada beginning next season". NHL. April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- "NHL moving to Turner Sports is $1 billion risk-reward for hockey". CNBC. April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- "NHL back on ESPN with 7-year multiplatform deal". ESPN. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- Wyshynski, Greg (April 27, 2021). "Turner Sports inks 7-year deal with NHL, will air 3 Stanley Cup finals". ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- Crupi, Anthony (March 1, 2024). "Diamond Sports Files Official Re-org Plan, Will Cut Ties With Bally's". Sportico. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- "Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox partnering with media group for new broadcast home". The Athletic. May 4, 2024.
- "Seattle Kraken Increases Broadcast and Streaming Access Through Partnerships With TEGNA and Prime Video". nhl.com/kraken. April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- "Utah NHL games to air free on Utah 16". Sportico. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- "Jack Edwards, Voice of the Boston Bruins, Announces Retirement at Conclusion of 2023-24 Season". nhl.com/bruins. April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- "Blue Jackets broadcaster Jeff Rimer to retire following 2023-24 season". nhl.com/bluejackets. October 11, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.