Deep into its offseason, the NHL has given fans something to look forward to this fall.On Wednesday, the league unveiled dates for the home openers of all 32 teams, including five premier matchups to kick off the 2026-27 season on Sept. 29. Headlining opening night is the presumptive debut of recent No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna, whose Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. Eastern.A few hours earlier, the Carolina Hurricanes will raise their 2026 Stanley Cup banner at home against an old playoff foe, the Florida Panthers. It also will mark the Panthers debut of Brady Tkachuk, who will get an early crack at revenge after the Hurricanes swept his former team this spring, before the winger engineered a trade to join brother Matthew in South Florida.The rest of the five-game slate will see the Boston Bruins hosting the New York Rangers in a matchup of Original Six franchises; the Vancouver Canucks visiting the Edmonton Oilers in another battle of Canadian clubs; and the Chicago Blackhawks welcoming the Vegas Golden Knights.NHL free agency: Early winners and losersShayna Goldman and Madison EadesThe season chugs along from there, beginning with a pair of first-round playoff rematches on Sept. 30: An intrastate rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, with the former having eliminated the latter in six games, and the Colorado Avalanche’s home date with their recent sweep victims, the Los Angeles Kings.Another fascinating home opener to watch: Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 7. It remains to be seen if this NHL season will be, in fact, Ovechkin’s last. But at least it’ll start against a familiar foe.Meanwhile, the last team to play its home opener will be the Panthers on Oct. 10, when the Tkachuks take on fellow Olympic gold medal-winner Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild.