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Stars Have Toughest Travel Schedule in NHL

The Dallas Stars will cover more ground than any other NHL team in 2024-25.

Nick Horwat

May 29, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Dallas Stars celebrate a goal by defensemen Esa Lindell (23) during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
May 29, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Dallas Stars celebrate a goal by defensemen Esa Lindell (23) during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports / Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
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One of the most complex parts of any given NHL season is the amount of travel teams have to take, and the Dallas Stars are receiving the short end of the stick in 2024-25. To follow up their Western Conference Final appearance, the Stars will cover the most distance of any team in the NHL.

According to TJStats on Twitter, the Stars will accumulate 56,700 miles for their 82-game regular season. As one of the remote teams in the league, the Stars usually have a ton of ground to cover, but this upcoming season will see them travel more than any other team by quite a bit of ground.

Falling into second place is the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at 51,100 miles.

The Western Conference usually has a more demanding travel schedule than the Eastern Conference, thanks to how spread out the cities are. Eight of the 10 teams with the most travel come from the Western Conference.

The Panthers and fellow Florida state team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are the Eastern Conference team with the most rigorous travel load.

The Arizona Coyotes have relocated and are now the Utah Hockey Club, and they’ll have quite the ground to cover in their first year. Utah sits fifth in the ranking with 48,700 miles in their first season.

Thanks to the density of teams in the eastern portion of North America, Eastern Conference Squads have far less travel to worry about. Each of the 10 teams with the least travel comes from the Eastern Conference, including seven of the eight teams in the Metropolitan Division.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will travel the least distance for the 2024-25 regular season, at 31,700 miles.

Every NHL team plays each other at least twice per season, making travel time heavy for any team. However, the small changes to inter-conference scheduling are what make the numbers change every year.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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