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Gary Bettman Makes Major Announcement About The 2025/26 NHL Season

Originally posted on Hockey Unplugged | By Tom Banks | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 11:43 AM ET

The NHL has less than a month before the Stanley Cup Finals, but thanks to Elliotte Friedman, we now know when next season will officially begin, and while this season isn't yet over, there's definitely fans whose eyes are already drawn to next season.

From the Global Series to the Four Nations to the Stanley Cup Playoffs chase, the 2024/25 regular season has been a major success for the NHL, and with the post-season right around the corner, things are just heating up.

With two tight, exciting Wild Card races, the chase to hoist Lord Stanley is hotly contested, but it's never too early to look towards the future, especially for Gary Bettman and the NHL owners.

Now, according to Elliotte Friedman, they have decided on an official start date for the 2025/26 regular season, with the NHL's top insider revealing that will come on October 7th.

This season, things started overseas between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils on October 4th, with the regular season in North America beginning with a triple header on October 8th, so this report from Friedman reveals that little has changed moving forward.

Friedman also notes that the NHL and the NHLPA will meet in early April to discuss the CBA, with plenty of changes potentially on the way with the current CBA running out in September of 2026.

As for the start of next season, many fans are still looking forward to the next month, with a record number of teams still in with a shot at making the post-season in 2024/25, but with an exciting summer ahead in the post-season and for off-season activities, the 2025/26 season is shaping up to be yet another great one for the NHL.

This article first appeared on Hockey Unplugged and was syndicated with permission.

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