The 2026-27 NHL schedule will carry a long list of first returns, with former captains, franchise fixtures and Cup winners stepping back into familiar buildings in new colors. Some reunions arrive before October is out; others will hang over the season until the final month. Here is the rink-book rundown of the notable homecomings.
October brings early reunions
Radko Gudas gets the first one when the Florida Panthers visit the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 4, Florida’s third game. Anaheim moved its captain of the previous two seasons to the Panthers on June 29, ending a three-year Ducks run in which the hard-edged defenseman posted 47 points, 281 penalty minutes, 420 blocks and 657 hits.
That same night, Vincent Trocheck and the Utah Mammoth head to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers. Trocheck supplied 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games for New York last season, and he cleared 50 points in each of his four Rangers seasons. He was a major option in every situation, from special teams to the faceoff circle, where he finished above 56 percent each year.
Brady Tkachuk’s first trip back to Ottawa is set for Oct. 21, when Florida visits the Senators. The June 21 trade sent the longtime Ottawa captain to the Panthers, where he joined brother Matthew. Ottawa drafted Tkachuk fourth overall in 2018, and he left with 213 goals, 463 regular-season points in 572 games and seven playoff points in 10 outings. He wore the Senators’ captaincy for five seasons.
Quinn Hughes returns to Vancouver on Oct. 25 as a member of the Minnesota Wild. The Canucks dealt Hughes in December, early in his eighth NHL season, and he did not play another game in Vancouver after the move. He will face the Canucks twice this season. The 2018 seventh-overall pick remains Vancouver’s leading-scoring defenseman with 432 points, including club records at the position in assists with 371. His 61 goals rank sixth among Canucks blue-liners, and he won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24.
Patrick Kane’s Chicago return follows on Oct. 29, with the Blackhawks visiting the Detroit Red Wings. Kane signed a two-year deal with Chicago on July 23 after three seasons in Detroit, where he still produced 57 points in 67 games last year. The 37-year-old spent 15 full seasons with the Blackhawks before his February 2023 trade to the Rangers, won three Stanley Cups in Chicago, and ranks third in franchise goals with 446, second in assists with 779 and second in points with 1,225.
Frederik Andersen will be back in Raleigh on Nov. 21 when Edmonton plays Carolina. The Oilers signed the goaltender for one year on July 1. Andersen had been outstanding during Carolina’s run to the Stanley Cup, going 13-2 with a 1.89 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and three shutouts before an injury knocked him out midway through the Final. The Hurricanes still went on to win the Cup. Across five Carolina regular seasons, he went 98-49-10 with a 2.45 GAA, .906 save percentage and nine shutouts; his playoff mark there was 32-14 with a 2.07 GAA, .909 save percentage and five shutouts in 48 games.
Jordan Kyrou will see the St. Louis crowd from the visiting bench on Nov. 28, when the Washington Capitals meet the Blues. Traded to Washington on June 23, Kyrou had spent his first eight NHL seasons in St. Louis. He hit 70 points three times, piled up 378 points in 488 games and led the Blues with 168 goals during that stretch.
Mats Zuccarello’s Los Angeles Kings visit Minnesota on Dec. 22. The winger signed a one-year contract with Los Angeles on July 1 after seven seasons as a Wild favorite. In Minnesota, he led the club in assists with 271, ranked second in points with 389 and placed second in power-play scoring with 140 points. He also contributed 25 postseason points in 37 games.
Boone Jenner closes the calendar year with a Dec. 31 return to Columbus as a Capital. He signed a four-year Washington contract on July 1 after 13 Blue Jackets seasons, the last five as captain. Jenner recorded 13 goals and 38 points in 67 games last season and departed as the franchise leader in games played, with 808. His 212 goals, 209 assists and 421 points each rank third in club history. Columbus will get an earlier look at its former captain when it visits Washington five days before the New Year’s Eve meeting.
Winter and spring homecomings
Darnell Nurse’s first Edmonton return is scheduled for Jan. 13 with the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers traded Nurse on July 1 following more than a decade with the club, though San Jose will host Edmonton first on Oct. 10 in the Sharks’ fifth game. Nurse ranks second among Edmonton defensemen in games played with 798 and fifth in points with 324, on 88 goals and 236 assists. He also owns Oilers records for blue-line blocks, 1,467, and hits, 1,692. He was part of Edmonton teams that reached the 2024 and 2025 Cup Finals, both losses to Florida.
Mason McTavish will return to Anaheim on Jan. 14 after the Ducks traded him to St. Louis on June 26. He played his first five NHL seasons in Orange County, collecting 77 goals and 181 points over 304 games. McTavish also helped Anaheim reach the playoffs last season, its first berth since 2018.
Anders Lee’s homecoming comes Feb. 15, when Utah visits the New York Islanders. Lee signed a three-year deal with the Mammoth on July 1 after 14 Islanders seasons, including eight as captain. A sixth-round selection, 152nd overall, in 2009, Lee finished fifth in Islanders games played with 923, fourth in goals with 308 and 10th in points with 549. He reached at least 20 goals nine times and added 21 playoff points in 46 games.
March 6 features two particularly emotional stops. Sergei Bobrovsky and the Toronto Maple Leafs will be in Florida after the goalie signed a three-year Toronto contract on July 1, ending a seven-year Panthers tenure that produced two Stanley Cups in three Final appearances. During the 2024 and 2025 championship runs, Bobrovsky went 32-15 with a 2.26 GAA, .910 save percentage and five shutouts in 47 playoff games. His 201 regular-season victories with Florida trail only Roberto Luongo’s 230 in franchise history.
Also on March 6, Brendan Gallagher and the Vancouver Canucks visit the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal traded its longest-serving player to Vancouver on June 29 following 14 seasons with the Canadiens. Gallagher totaled 246 goals and 487 points in 911 regular-season games, then added 14 goals and 34 points in 79 playoff contests. He was part of Montreal’s 2021 run to the Cup Final, where the Canadiens fell to Tampa Bay in five games.
Pavel Dorofeyev’s New York Rangers will be in Vegas on March 13. The Golden Knights traded him on June 26, after which he signed a seven-year Rangers contract. Dorofeyev had paced Vegas in goals in each of the last two seasons, scoring 35 in 2024-25 and then a career-high 37 last year. He also led the club with 20 power-play goals and 30 power-play points while producing 64 points in 82 games. His 12 playoff goals helped Vegas reach the Cup Final last season.
John Carlson will have an early matchup with Washington when the Capitals visit Tampa Bay in the Lightning’s second game, before his listed return date of March 15. Carlson was moved to Anaheim on March 5 after 17 Capitals seasons and then signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay on July 1. Washington selected him 27th overall in 2008, and he left as the organization’s leading defenseman in goals with 166, assists with 605, points with 771, power-play points with 273 and games played with 1,143. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.
Alex Tuch returns to Buffalo on March 18 with Washington. The New York native joined the Capitals through a June 24 sign-and-trade that included an eight-year contract. He had spent five years with the Sabres after arriving in the 2021 Jack Eichel trade, recorded at least 30 goals and 60 points in three of his last four Buffalo campaigns, and helped end the club’s 14-year playoff drought last season. Washington will face Buffalo twice before Tuch’s first game back at KeyBank Center.
Jacob Markstrom’s reunion waits until April 4, when Florida visits New Jersey. The Panthers and Devils will play three times, but the first two meetings are in Florida. Markstrom was traded to the Panthers on June 30 after two Devils seasons in which he posted 49 wins and five shutouts while dealing with injuries.
