NHL considers adding more rivalry games next season

The NHL’s play schedule could look a lot different next year as officials from the league consider increasing the number of geographical rivalry games.

The decision to add more games to the NHL’s regular play comes with a number of potential benefits, namely that it could reduce travel demands on teams and significantly increase revenue across the league. 

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski provided more details of the league’s plan on December 16th, noting that the regular season would be increased from 82 games to 84 games. 

Each team currently plays either three or four games against its divisional rivals for a total of 26 games played during a regular season. 

Teams also play three games against nondivisional teams within their own conference for a total of 24 games played. 

Finally, another 36 games are played at home and away against teams from other conferences to complete the 82-game regular season. 

“In the Metropolitan Division,” Wyshynski pointed out, “the New York Rangers play the rival New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers only three times each.”

“The Rangers' Dec. 22 game against the Islanders is the last time the teams will meet in the 2022-23 regular season,” Wyshynski added. 

According to Wyshynski, this seems like a major problem for both fans and players. But the addition of two extra regular season games could solve the issue. 

The bump to 84 regular season games would allow the NHL to keep its current schedule format and would allow every team to visit its opponents at least once, but it would also give divisional rivals at least four games against each other every season. 

Rivalry games are often a team's most lucrative with publicity and hype about the battle to come selling more tickets than an average game. 

“Games against divisional rivals typically draw larger crowds and bigger audiences on national and local television,” Wyshynski noted.

Depending on the market and a team's current popularity and performance, rival games can command very high prices for attendance. Take for example the New York Rangers' rivalries against the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders. 

“Three of the top-seven most expensive Ranger games [in 2020], in terms of the average ticket price, have been against the Islanders and Devils,” according to Forbes Justin Birnbaum.

But just how will all this work? The 82-game season is already a grueling slog for players and their families. 

One proposed solution is to shorten the preseason schedule to accommodate the 48 new games that would be played. 

It wouldn’t be the first time the NHL played an 84-game season either. Back in the 1992-1994 seasons, the league added two neutral site games to each team’s schedule. 

The NHL has yet to publicly comment on any future changes to the league's schedule, but there are reasons to be hopeful for more hockey. 

The decision to add more games was not discussed at the NHL's recent board of governors meeting in Florida but it is expected to be on the agenda for their meeting in March.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has previously opposed adding a team to the Stanley Cup playoffs but an unnamed league source has told ESPN that Bettman is open to the idea of expanding the regular season. 

"I think it's really the simplest way to go," the NHL source told ESPN reporters. So maybe we are in for a treat in the 2023-2024 regular season.