10 Best NHL Return Games to Watch in 2026-27

The NHL offseason is near its sunset, with many of the marquee free agents already picked up and the NHL Draft finished up. However, with the schedule released, there’s a good chance to see some interesting narratives forming from games.

We’ve seen spiteful energy before from a scheduled game, such as when John Tavares returned to New York after signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was met with several boos from the crowd. There was also the time Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2025 playoffs with the Dallas Stars.

There have also been some emotional returns from the past couple of seasons. Patrick Marleau was teary-eyed in his return to San Jose after also signing with Toronto, along with Joe Pavelski after he signed with the Stars.

Returns in sports are a juicy narrative, and there are plenty of star players who headed to other places returning to the place they called home. Here are the ten best return games of the 2026-27 season.

HM: William Eklund vs. San Jose Sharks: Oct. 31, 2026

Eklund’s storyline isn’t about what happened in San Jose, but rather what could’ve been. Eklund had slotted well alongside Macklin Celebrini, with Eklund’s playmaking helping Celebrini break the record for most points in a single season by a San Jose Shark (115).

However, with the Sharks drafting Ivar Stenberg to play alongside Celebrini, they decided to move Eklund and a few prospects for the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Eklund was traded to Ottawa to replace Brady Tkachuk somewhat (more on this later).

Eklund never had any playoff goals or memorable clutch moments in San Jose, but it’ll be cool seeing him reunite with teammates. This is a rivalry that will be more cemented with hindsight

10. Valeri Nichushkin vs. Colorado Avalanche, Feb. 15, 2027

Nichushkin was a key contributor for the Avalanche for years. Although he was signed in the 2019 offseason instead of being drafted by the team, he had many important moments with the club.

He had 131 goals and 283 points in 404 career games and seven seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. He also had 27 goals and 40 points in the playoffs with the Avalanche, including 15 points in Colorado’s Stanley Cup-winning season and nine goals in eight games during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, with the Avalanche potentially working on a Cale Makar extension, they had to clear cap space. So, they traded Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a second-, third-, and fifth-round pick. If the Columbus Blue Jackets start to live up to their potential, Nichushkin’s return to the Avalanche could be one with playoff implications.

9. Mats Zuccarello vs. Minnesota Wild: Dec. 22, 2026

Similar to Nichushkin, Zuccarello wasn’t the franchise superstar for the Minnesota Wild. However, he was a fan favorite with the Wild, and his departure will be an emotional one.

The Wild signed Zuccarello in the 2019 offseason, similar to Nichushkin. Unlike Nichushkin, Zuccarello was a playmaker and a great complement to his teammates. He was great at finding Kirill Kaprizov for awesome goals, and his endearing personality and short stature earned him the nickname “The Hobbit”.

It will be emotional seeing Zuccarello return to Minnesota in a Kings uniform. He didn’t win a Stanley Cup with the Wild, but it will still be sad seeing him don a new uniform, especially if he’s around a milestone.

8. Boone Jenner vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Dec. 31, 2026

Jenner has been a steady presence of leadership for the Blue Jackets since the 2020s. He became the team captain by the start of the 2021-22 season, but he’s been a part of the leadership core since he made his debut in the 2013-14 season.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets never made it past the second round in his 13-year tenure, and he joined a rival in the Metropolitan Division by signing with the Washington Capitals. Jenner is nowhere near what he was in his prime, but he will still be an important part of the Capitals’ forward core. On Dec. 31, 2026, however, he will earn an emotional tribute. Jenner has played the most games of any player for the Blue Jackets, with 806.

7. Jordan Kyrou vs. St. Louis Blues, Nov. 28, 2026

Kyrou is a franchise superstar unlike the previous two players on the list. He also started out his NHL career with the Blues, starting as a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

He’s been through it all with the Blues. He got into a publicized fight with a teammate in practice in his first season, the same season the Blues won the Stanley Cup. He also saw the Blues move on from the coach who brought them there (Craig Berube), and his reaction to the firing caused a saga where Blues fans booed him.

Safe to say, he’s been with the Blues through thick and thin, and when he returns to the Blues as a member of the Capitals, he’s going to probably get a tribute video too.

6. Rasmus Andersson vs. Calgary Flames, Feb. 1, 2027

Andersson was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 18, 2026, and he’s been through a Stanley Cup Final appearance alredy with Vegas. However, he’s never returned to Calgary since.

That date will come a year after his trade, when the Golden Knights play the Flames on Feb. 1, 2027. Andersson, who played nine seasons with the Flames, will get the chance to reunite with the fanbase like his former pairing mate MacKenzie Weegar.

Andersson got his call about a potential trade while he was at a wedding. “I told Connie (Flames GM Craig Conroy), ‘I understand the business side of it, and you have a great offer for me, but at this moment if you really want to trade me I’ll give you a list of seven teams that I would re-sign with,” Andersson said, “I was close with a couple teams after that, but they couldn’t figure out next year. It went into July and every time my phone rang I thought, ‘is it time?’ After July 15, I didn’t hear anything, so when I went back to Calgary, I just wanted to focus on what I could control.”

5. Anders Lee vs. New York Islanders: Feb. 15, 2027

Anders Lee is one of the most beloved players from the New York Islanders. Lee has been the captain since John Tavares parted ways with the organization in the 2018 offseason, and now, Lee has departed the organization too.

He signed with the Utah Mammoth in the offseason, ending a tenure that lasted 923 games, ranking fifth among all Islanders skaters all-time. Lee was around for the Islanders’ best years under Barry Trotz, including a run to the Semifinals in 2021 and an Eastern Conference Finals run in 2022. His return will be full of emotion, making an intra-conference game all the more impactful.

4. Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Florida Panthers: March 6, 2027

When the Florida Panthers signed Bobrovsky to a massive seven-year, $70 million contract, it was the piece that was supposed to send the Panthers over the top. Fast forward to the end of it, and Bobrovsky was, indeed, the piece to send the Panthers over the top.

It took a little bit, but the Panthers transformed into a Stanley Cup contender with Bobrovsky on the force. In the years they won back-to-back Stanley Cups, Bobrovsky was great, posting .906 and .915 save percentages in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 playoffs, respectively.

Bobrovsky led the Panthers to heights never even thought of, and even if he had a rough exit, with a .877 SV% in the 2025-26 regular season, he is still beloved in Florida. However, his return to the Sunshine State will take place near the end of the season, near the playoff chase.

3. John Carlson vs. Washington Capitals, March 15, 2027

Carlson had a premature farewell when the Washington Capitals traded him to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. That ended a 17-year tenure with the organization, and he ended up with the second-most games played of any Capitals player (1,143) behind Alex Ovechkin. He also finished with the most points for any Capitals defenseman.

However, Carlson never got to return to Washington or even play the Capitals during his brief tenure in Anaheim. He signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2026 offseason. Now, he’ll reunite with his team in Washington deep into the season. It’s also a potential playoff matchup, with the Capitals and Lightning both vying for high playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference.

2. Quinn Hughes vs. Vancouver Canucks, Oct. 25, 2026

Hughes’ return to Vancouver is going to bring several complex emotions. The Canucks had a disastrous 2025-26 season, with an aging core and poor transactions holding back the roster. So, to kickstart a rebuild, Patrick Allvin traded away captain Quinn Hughes.

The trade has resulted in tons of criticism from Canucks fans of his former role in the Canucks organization. “I’d see stuff like ‘He doesn’t care anymore,’” Hughes said (from ‘Months after trade, Quinn Hughes reflects on what led to the end of his Canucks tenure,’ The Athletic, April 2, 2026), bringing up the criticism he’s faced from Canucks fans unprompted, “but go watch my last game against Buffalo and you tell me that I didn’t care.”

Ever since his trade to the Wild, he has won a gold medal with Team USA in the Olympics against Canada, potentially fueling the fire in Vancouver. Safe to say, not everyone will be welcoming his return to Vancouver, and it’ll be interesting to watch either way.

1. Brady Tkachuk vs. Ottawa Senators, Oct. 21, 2026

Finally, we have to address the Brady Tkachuk trade. This was the biggest trade of the 2026 offseason, coming seemingly overnight. It all started with Tkachuk indicating that he would not sign an extension with the organization.

Now, Brady Tkachuk reunites with his brother, and the Ottawa Senators are left with another superstar-sized hole in their organization, similar to the departure of Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza.

Some fans have already been asked to turn in their Tkachuk jersey for another jersey. Some people within the organization, including Travis Green, have expressed their opinions about Tkachuk leaving. The podcast with his brother is sure to draw a crowd of angry Senators fans. All of it will come to a head on Oct. 21.