Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, in his 32 Thoughts column on Dec. 21, noted how the NHL is looking to play the Global Series in Munich, Germany next season. The series has taken off in recent seasons and has been a success for the league, with fans overseas clamoring to see NHL teams and some of the star players who get to play in front of their home country.
In the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Jeff Marek, the two discussed briefly the teams that make the most sense to play in next season’s event, specifically if it takes place in Germany. The teams discussed either had current German stars on their teams or had a history of star players from the country, making them ideal teams to make the trip.
With the Global Series likely expanding and the World Junior Championship in full swing, it’s interesting to think about which matchups the NHL could provide for every country. Some teams have a unique history with a given country, and it’s only fitting that they play in the games as a result.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
This season, the games took place in Sweden. It was fitting that the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Minnesota Wild, four teams with iconic Swedish players, both from the past and the present, were the teams that faced off against one another. So, let’s look at the countries that can host the series in the future and what the matchups could be in those countries.
Czechia: Bruins vs Sharks
The most prominent player to come from Czechia in recent years is David Pastrnak. The Boston Bruins’ top-line forward has made his mark as one of the best skaters in the NHL with 321 goals and 341 assists in his career. Pastrnak’s homecoming would be a necessity, and on top of that, the team acquired Pavel Zacha in the 2022 offseason. The Bruins make all the sense to play in the country, but the question is, who would they play? The San Jose Sharks are in the opposite conference, but they are the best fit. Tomas Hertl has become one of the faces of the franchise in recent seasons and is the only player from Czechia to have 700 NHL games under his belt.
Denmark: Jets vs Kraken
Denmark isn’t a country that often comes to mind with a lot of hockey history, and understandably so. Only 18 players in the NHL’s history have come from the country. Despite the small number, there is a unique and fun story about how hockey became popular not just in Denmark but in a small town with a population under 100,000 (Herning) that produced five NHL players.
Frans Neilsen was the trailblazer and the longtime forward for the New York Islanders, who paved the way for Lars Eller, Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Frederik Andersen. With this in mind, there are a few intriguing matchups for a game in Denmark. The Islanders could make the trip, but two of the league’s top Danish players are on the Winnipeg Jets (Ehler) and the Seattle Kraken (Bjorkstrand), making them the two teams best suited for the trip.
Finland: Hurricanes vs Panthers & Predators vs Stars
There are a lot of teams with Finnish ties, with the country being one of the biggest producers of NHL talent from overseas. The NHL got it right in the 2022-23 season as the Colorado Avalanche faced the Columbus Blue Jackets with the teams featuring two of the game’s biggest stars, Mikko Rantanen and Patrik Laine. So, if the league chooses to play there again soon, the four teams that stand out have a surplus of great skaters from Finland.
The 2023 Eastern Conference matchup would be the perfect one for Finland. The Carolina Hurricanes forward unit is led by three of the best players from Finland, with Sebastian Aho leading the top line, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen are two viable scorers in the lineup. The Florida Panthers, who reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, were led by Aleksander Barkov, one of the best two-way centers in the league, and to add depth to their roster, they have Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola. A Hurricanes-Panthers game would not only be an intense matchup, but the two teams would field seven and possibly eight (if Antti Raanta is in the net) players from their home country.
The Nashville Predators played in the Global Series in Oct. 2022 against the Sharks, but they are a great team to make another trip overseas, especially for a game in Finland. Pekka Rinne is arguably the greatest player in the country, and he played his entire 15-year career with the Predators. Rinne’s influence clearly rubbed off in the net as Juuse Saros became his successor while Kevin Lankinen is the team’s backup. Along with a Finnish-heavy goaltending unit, the team has Juuso Parssinen, a 22-year-old forward, adding a spark to the offense.
The team the Predators would likely face would be their division rival, Dallas Stars, with three of their starting defensemen calling the Scandinavian country home. Esa Lindell, Jani Hakanpaa, and Miro Heiskanen lead the defensive unit, while Roope Hintz plays a significant role in the top six. A Predators-Stars matchup would be a fun one, and it would pair well with a Hurricanes-Panthers game and provide the crowd with two intense divisional games.
Germany: Red Wings vs Senators & Oilers vs Sharks
The Detroit Red Wings played the Ottawa Senators in the Global Series on Nov. 16, a game the Senators took 5-4 in overtime. It’s unlikely the NHL would want to have a repeat matchup, but two of the best German players in the league are on these Atlantic Division teams. It would only be fitting for a two-way defenseman and 2022 Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider to go up against Tim Stutzle, a young forward with 80 goals and 130 assists in four seasons.
A Red Wings-Senators matchup is a given, and similarly, it would only be appropriate for the best German player in the NHL to play in his home country. Leon Draisaitl is arguably one of the five best forwards in the NHL and won the Hart Trophy in 2020. He leads the Edmonton Oilers’ high-powered offense along with Connor McDavid, making them the ideal team to play in Germany against one of their Pacific Division rivals.
The Sharks aren’t the first team to come to mind when it comes to notable players from Germany. However, they are a team with unique ties to the country. Their owner, Hasso Plattner, grew up in Germany, and his company SAP is not only the sponsor of the Sharks’ home arena but also one of the prominent arenas in Germany, the SAP Arena in Mannheim. As a result, they would be a perfect team to play in the game, especially if they can play against the Oilers in the series.
Sweden: Canucks vs Rangers & Flames vs Lightning
Sweden, like its neighboring Scandinavian country Finland, has a lot of history and a lot of teams to choose from to make the trip. The country gave the NHL Nicklas Lidstrom, Borje Salming, Mats Sundin, and Daniel Alfredsson, just to name a few of the iconic players, and as a result, the league might need to make several trips to Sweden.
The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks are the next two teams in line from a legacy standpoint. The Rangers’ offense is led by Mika Zibanejad, but their goaltending unit was led for over a decade by Henrik Lundqvist, one of the greatest in league history who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. They would face the team they beat in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, but not because it’s a nostalgic rematch. The Canucks were led for 17 seasons by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, with the two brothers helping the team reach the Final in 2011. A bonus is that the Sedins appeared to pass the torch of great Swedish forwards, with Elias Pettersson emerging as one of the best in the game and leading a resurgent team to the top of the Western Conference.
Interestingly, a 2004 Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Calgary Flames and the Tampa Bay Lightning also has more than enough current players who represent Sweden. The Lightning have been fueled by the great two-way play of defenseman Victor Hedman while the Flames captain, Mikael Backlund, and two of their top skaters, Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Andersson are from the country. The two teams would make for a great matchup and, better yet, would be able to play the Canucks and Rangers as conference matchups to provide the fans with multiple games in one week.
Switzerland: Devils vs Predators
The New Jersey Devils appear to have a monopoly on Swiss talent in the NHL. They selected Nico Hischier as the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and the two-way center is now the team’s captain. Jonas Seigenthaler is a staple of their defense. At the 2023 trade deadline, they acquired Timo Meier from the Sharks, and goaltender Akira Schmid also calls Switzerland his home.
The Devils would be the first team in line to play in Switzerland, and it would make sense for them to face arguably the best player to come from the country, Predators’ defenseman Roman Josi. The 2020 Norris Trophy winner and constant finalist for the award, Josi is wrapping up a remarkable career, and he singlehandedly makes the Predators a great team to make the trip.
On a side note, if the NHL ever makes the trip to Switzerland, they should consider playing an outdoor game in the Swiss Alps the same way the league played an outdoor game at Lake Tahoe in 2021. If the league wants a specific location, St. Moritz, a ski resort city that hosted the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics, is a great spot with the Kulm Olympic Ice Rink already in place.
Other Notes About Future Global Series Matchups
Both Latvia and Norway are in the World Juniors but unfortunately, don’t have a lot of players currently in the NHL or a history of sending players to the league from their respective countries. However, considering the youth and prospects that have made their marks with Latvia and Norway, that might change soon.
Likewise, the NHL has gone overseas to Europe but hasn’t played in the other continents and likely won’t until a few countries start producing NHL-level talent. It would be great to see the league expand the Global Series to South America, Asia, Africa, or even Australia, but for now, the idea doesn’t appear like a reality. The NFL and MLB have notably played around the world in recent years, but the NHL has to find countries with ice hockey rinks in place and places with hockey history.
Is there a matchup you would like to see in the Global Series? Let us know in the comments section below.
