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NHL Releases Key Dates for Upcoming Season

The NHL's latest season is approaching, and the league released several key dates in the league calendar.

Jacob Punturi

Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates winning the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates winning the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The 2024-2025 NHL season is rapidly approaching. The annual NHL/NHLPA Media Tour just kicked off, players are returning to their respective cities, and training camps are right around the corner. With the regular season looming, we now know what the season's calendar will look like all the way through the end of the Stanley Cup Finals.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared some of the most important dates for the upcoming season. He highlighted the key ones via his X account. The season kicks off on October 4 and 5, with the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres dueling it out in Prague as part of the NHL's Global Series. The NHL's Four Nations Face-Off was already planned, with the tournament taking place between February 10 and 21, 2025. The annual holiday roster freeze will also take place at the end of the calendar year.

The trade deadline, one of the NHL season's biggest dates, is slated for March 7, 2025. This season's deadline hopes to follow up or outperform last years' trade marathon that finished with 23 trades. With some of the best players in the league like New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin and Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner in the last year of their current deals, the trade speculation leading up to the deadline will be constant.

The regular season and playoffs are seemingly running further into the summer months, and that trend continues this year as well. The regular season won't end until the middle of April, with the last possible day for games being April 17, 2025. The postseason will begin just two days later, and the last possible day for the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals is June 23, 2025.

With the calendar locked in, the Florida Panthers now know the schedule for their Stanley Cup title defense. This seasons figures to be an exciting one, as the Panthers have plenty of challengers coming for them. Now that all of the dates are known, the 2024-2025 NHL season is nearly ready to begin.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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