Everything you need to know about the NHL 2024-2025 season: participants, format, schedule

The 108th season of the National Hockey League kicks off on October 4th. Thirty-two teams will vie for the coveted Stanley Cup, but first, a thrilling regular season awaits. The Dailysports team brings you all the essential information about the NHL 2024/2025 season.

NHL 2024/2025: what changes to expect?

Among the significant changes is the dissolution of the Arizona Coyotes franchise, with all players from the team relocating to the newly formed Utah franchise, which will compete in Salt Lake City. Additionally, the salary cap and floor have been raised, with the cap now set at $88 million and the floor at $65 million.

Moreover, the 2024/2025 season will not feature an All-Star Game. Instead, it will be replaced by a Four Nations Tournament involving Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the USA, scheduled to take place from February 12 to 25, 2025, in Montreal and Boston. This tournament is seen as a preparatory event for the 2026 Olympics.

NHL 2024/2025: who was the first overall draft pick?

The NHL Draft took place on June 28-29, and the first overall pick was central forward Macklin Celebrini from Boston University.

• Read also: The NHL regular season 2024-2025: standings, schedule and results

NHL 2024/2025: tournament structure

The tournament is divided into two conferences: the Western and Eastern, with 16 teams in each. Each conference is further split into two divisions (eight teams each).

Each team will play three or four games against other teams in its division (a total of 26 games) and will face every team in its conference, outside its division, three times (24 games). The remaining games will consist of inter-conference matchups (32 games), allowing each team in the league to play every other team twice.

In total, each team will play 82 games during the regular season. At the end of these matchups, 16 teams will qualify for the playoffs, known as the Stanley Cup playoffs, featuring the eight best teams from each conference.

Notably, some matches may take place outside the teams' home arenas. For example, the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils will play two games in Prague, Czech Republic, while the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers will face off in Tampere, Finland.

NHL 2024/2025: participants

This season will see 32 teams competing, with 16 in each conference.

Western Conference participants:

Southern Conference participants:

NHL 2024/2025: when will the matches take place?

The NHL regular season is scheduled from October 4, 2024, to April 17, 2025. The timing of the Stanley Cup playoffs remains uncertain, but the trophy's holder is expected to be determined in June 2025.

NHL 2024/2025: who is the favourite?

Bookmakers consider Edmonton Oilers as the main favourite to win the Stanley Cup with odds of 9. Next are the Florida Panthers with odds of 11 and the Dallas Stars with odds of 12.