Edmonton Oilers begin NHL season in September for first time ever
The Edmonton Oilers will kick off the 2026-27 regular season earlier than usual.
The NHL is expanding to an 84-game schedule this upcoming season, and that means some changes had to be made. Oilers fans are used to the season starting in early October, but that will no longer be the case this time around.
Instead, Edmonton will kick off next season at home against the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 29, which also happens to be the NHL’s opening night across the league.
This is the first time in franchise history that the Oilers will begin their regular season schedule in September.
Counting down the days ⏳
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— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 15, 2026
This will be a critical day for the franchise, and one that fans will be looking forward to after a short-lived playoff run this past spring. It will also mark the start of the Mike Babcock era for Edmonton, which is a move that was met with a lot of controversy last month.
Most fans will be happy to know that this new schedule format will cut down the number of preseason games played. The Oilers appeared in seven preseason games last season, but will only play in four this September.
That wasn’t the only bit of scheduling information revealed on Wednesday morning. After opening the season on Sept. 29, the Oilers will then head on the road to Vancouver to take part in the Canucks’ home opener on Oct. 1.
The NHL is set to release the entire season schedule on Thursday.