The NHL started to release part of its schedule for the 2016-17 season on Monday afternoon when the home openers for every NHL team were announced.
The rest of the NHL schedule will be announced on Tuesday.
We do know the season will kick off on Wednesday, Oct. 12 with four games, including the first ever game at the Edmonton Oilers' new home (Rogers Place) when they host the Calgary Flames in the battle of Alberta. That same night the Chicago Blackhawks will host the St. Louis Blues, while the San Jose Sharks take on the Los Angeles Kings. We are also expecting to get our first look at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft (likely to be Auston Matthews) when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Ottawa Senators.
The next night the Pittsburgh Penguins will celebrate the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history when they have their banner raising ceremony against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a rematch of their great second round series from the 2016 playoffs.
Here is when ever team will open their home schedule.
| Team | Date | Opponent |
| Anaheim Ducks | Oct. 23, 2016 | Vancouver Canucks |
| Arizona Coyotes | Oct. 15, 2016 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Boston Bruins | Oct. 20, 2016 | New Jersey Devils |
| Buffalo Sabres | Oct. 13, 2016 | Montreal Canadiens |
| Calgary Flames | Oct. 14, 2016 | Edmonton Oilers |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Oct. 28 2016 | New York Rangers |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Oct. 12, 2016 | St. Louis Blues |
| Colorado Avalanche | Oct. 15, 2016 | Dallas Stars |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Oct. 13, 2016 | Boston Bruins |
| Dallas Stars | Oct. 13, 2016 | Anaheim Ducks |
| Detroit Red Wings | Oct. 17, 2016 | Ottawa Senators |
| Edmonton Oilers | Oct. 12, 2016 | Calgary Flames |
| Florida Panthers | Oct. 13, 2016 | New Jersey Devils |
| Los Angeles Kings | Oct. 14, 2016 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Minnesota Wild | Oct. 15, 2016 | Winnipeg Jets |
| Montreal Canadiens | Oct. 18, 2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Nashville Predators | Oct. 14, 2016 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| New Jersey Devils | Oct. 18, 2016 | Anaheim Ducks |
| New York Islanders | Oct. 16, 2016 | Anaheim Ducks |
| New York Rangers | Oct. 13, 2016 | New York Islanders |
| Ottawa Senators | Oct. 12, 2016 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Oct. 20, 2016 | Anaheim Ducks |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Oct. 13, 2016 | Washington Capitals |
| San Jose Sharks | Oct. 12, 2016 | Los Angeles Kings |
| St. Louis Blues | Oct. 13, 2016 | Minnesota Wild |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Oct. 13, 2016 | Detroit Red Wings |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Oct. 15, 2016 | Boston Bruins |
| Vancouver Canucks | Oct. 15, 2016 | Calgary Flames |
| Washington Capitals | Oct. 15, 2016 | New York Islanders |
| Winnipeg Jets | Oct. 13, 2016 | Carolina Hurricanes |
The Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes have to wait the longest before they play in front of their home fans.
The Ducks open the season with a lengthy east coast road trip (that has them as the visiting team in four different home openers for other teams) and will not play a home game until Oct. 23 when they host the Vancouver Canucks.
Carolina has even longer wait as it does not play a home game until Oct. 28 against the New York Rangers.
The other notable home opener on the list is on Oct. 17 when the Detroit Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators. The Red Wings will be kicking off their final season at Joe Louis Arena before moving to their new building in 2017-18.
