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2025-26 NHL Teams: A Complete Divisional Breakdown
As the anticipation builds for the 2025-26 National Hockey League (NHL) season, understanding the team landscape is crucial for fans, analysts, and those involved in sports betting. This comprehensive guide details the 32 teams currently slated to compete,organized by their respective divisions within the league’s two conferences.The information, current as of October 19, 2025 19:16:04, provides a printable and easily savable resource for tracking your favorite teams throughout the season. The NHL’s structure, dividing teams into the Eastern and Western Conferences, and further into four divisions per conference, impacts playoff seeding and rivalries, making it a key aspect of the league’s dynamic.
NHL Conference and Division Structure
The NHL operates with a two-conference system – Eastern and Western – each containing four divisions. This setup, designed to balance competition and reduce travel, influences the playoff format. Teams primarily compete within their division and conference during the regular season. The current divisional alignment, established in recent years, aims to foster more intense regional rivalries and create a more compelling viewing experience. Recent data from the NHL indicates a 7% increase in viewership for divisional matchups compared to cross-conference games in the 2023-24 season, highlighting the impact of this structure.
Eastern Conference
the Eastern Conference is traditionally known for its physical play and intense goaltending. Here’s a breakdown of its four divisions:
Atlantic Division
| Team | City |
|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Boston, MA |
| Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo, NY |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, MI |
| Florida Panthers | Sunrise, FL |
| Montreal canadiens | Montreal, QC |
| Ottawa Senators | Ottawa, ON |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Tampa, FL |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, ON |
Metropolitan Division
| Team | City |
|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | raleigh, NC |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Columbus, OH |
| New Jersey Devils | Newark, NJ |
| New York Islanders | Elmont, NY |
| New York Rangers | New York, NY |
| Philadelphia Flyers | philadelphia, PA |
