And just like that, we’re officially talking about next season already.
Don’t worry, there’s still a lot of offseason moves to discuss this summer. First up is the NHL Entry Draft this coming weekend, which kicks off Friday night with Round 1.
Then comes Development Camp at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo next week — your last chance to see actual hockey players on the ice until September. We have more information on that event up here:
UPDATED: LA Kings 2026 Development Camp — Scrimmage Schedule and Roster Preview
Next up will be free agency in early July, followed by what should be a fairly quiet August. Things will then ramp back up in September, leading to the NHL’s return to an 84-game regular-season schedule. They haven’t tried something like that since the mid-90s. Now, back then, it was to accommodate each team playing a pair of games in neutral site arenas. For example, the Kings played real games — not preseason games — in places like Milwaukee and Sacramento.
This time around, the push to 84 games was done in partnership with the NHLPA as a way to reduce the number of preseason games. This will make it a little tougher for players on the bubble of making NHL rosters, as they won’t have as many opportunities to play during the exhibition season and possibly impress coaches and management. We’ll deal with that topic in September though. For now, here’s the schedule, followed by some additional information related to 2026-27.
2026 Preseason Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6pm
Empire Classic
Kings vs. Vegas
at Toyota Arena in Ontario
Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7pm
Kings vs. Utah
at Crypto.com Arena in DTLA
Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7pm
Kings vs. Anaheim
at Honda Center in Anaheim
Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1pm
Kings vs. Anaheim
at Crypto.com Arena in DTLA
Other 2026-27 Schedule Notes
— The full regular-season schedule is expected to be released later this week
— Opening Night is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30 (trivia note: the last time the Kings opened in September was 2007 in London)… UPDATE: We’re hearing the Kings will open their 2026-27 season in Colorado against the Avs
— Rookie Camp will begin shortly after Labor Day weekend, followed by Main Camp with the NHL players around Thursday, Sept. 17
— There’s also the annual Rookie Faceoff tournament scheduled for San Jose this year, see more information here:
REPORT: NHL Rookie Faceoff Tournament Headed Back to San Jose, Will Double in Size
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
Salary Cap Crunch: Where Kings Stand Entering 2026 Offseason, Plus Likely Roster Moves
Hockey’s Best Kept Secret is Happening This Weekend in Florida
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