NHL 2026/27 Season Opens Sept. 29 With Hurricanes Defending Stanley Cup

The championship made Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour the fourth person in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with the same team as both captain and head coach, TechRadar reported. Hurricanes center and captain Jordan Staal was named MVP in the victorious season and is expected to lead players including Nikolaj Ehlers, Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere in a bid for a second straight title.

Among the teams expected to challenge Carolina are the Florida Panthers, who were denied a three-peat, and the Golden Knights, the defeated finalists. The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild could also make deep postseason runs if Jason Robertson or Matt Boldy perform at a high level, while the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens will try to end Canada's 34-year wait for a Stanley Cup.

For viewers, TechRadar reports that several countries offer a limited number of NHL games on free-to-air channels and streaming services. Free streamers carrying NHL coverage in their own language include CCTV in China, SVT Play in Sweden and TV24 in Switzerland. In the United States, there is no free NHL coverage as such, so the only way to access free coverage is through free trials offered by certain OTT cable alternatives that carry NHL broadcasting channels, such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.

National coverage in the US is shared across ABC and ESPN with 53 games, TNT with 72 games, and the ESPN app, Hulu and Disney Plus with 47 games, totaling 172 regular-season games, according to TechRadar. Cord cutters can use Sling TV, whose Sling Orange package costs $4.99 a day, $14.99 a week or $45.99 a month and carries ESPN and TNT. An Orange + Blue plan costs $60.99 a month and includes ABC in selected cities. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo also carry ABC, ESPN, TNT and ESPN Unlimited access, except that Fubo currently does not carry TNT, and each offers a free trial to new users.

Regionally, the official NHL website says more than 1,050 out-of-market games will be available this season through NHL Power Play on the ESPN app, TechRadar reported. Access requires an ESPN Unlimited plan starting at $31.99 a month or $319.99 a year.

In Canada, national games are shared by Sportsnet and its Sportsnet+ streaming platform, Amazon Prime Video and TVA. Sportsnet+ costs C$29.99 a month; Amazon Prime costs C$9.99 a month or C$99 a year; and TVA Sports Direct costs C$17.99 a month or C$179.99 a year. TechRadar notes that a VPN can be used to tune back in to preferred NHL coverage when geo-blocking restrictions prevent access.

In the UK, NHL.TV on DAZN offers every regular-season, playoff and Stanley Cup game for £22.99 a month or £119.99 for a full season pass. Premier Sports will show as many as 15 games each week and costs £18.99 on a rolling monthly basis, or £13.99 a month with a one-year commitment or £150 upfront. From January 17, 2027, free-to-air ITV4 and its online ITVX platform will air selected weekend NHL games throughout the season.

TechRadar recommends Norton VPN as a way to watch streams from anywhere, citing its speed, reliability, worldwide server locations and ability to protect up to 20 devices under the Ultimate plan. It lists a 60-day money-back guarantee, a 64% saving on the Ultimate plan, a price of $4.49 a month and an exclusive discount for TechRadar readers.