Following the release of the 2025-26 schedule, the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins are projected to have the highest travel mileage among all 32 NHL teams.
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a league characterized by extensive travel, with teams spread across North America from the west coast of the United States to the eastern provinces of Canada. Each season, teams undertake significant travel commitments, which influence player fatigue, team performance, and logistical planning. The release of the 2025-26 schedule has highlighted that the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to rack up the highest travel mileage among all 32 teams. This projection underscores the league’s geographical challenges and the unique circumstances that impact certain teams more than others. This analysis explores the reasons behind these high travel totals, examining league geography, scheduling factors, logistical considerations, and the implications for the teams involved.
The Geography of the NHL and Its Impact on Travel
League Layout and Regional Clusters
The NHL’s 32 teams are divided into four divisions within two conferences: the Eastern Conference (Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions) and the Western Conference (Central and Pacific Divisions). Geographically, the league spans from the California coast to the northeastern United States, and from the Canadian Atlantic provinces to the Canadian Prairies and Pacific Northwest.
Eastern Teams: Tend to be concentrated in the northeastern U.S. and Canadian cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, and Boston.
Western Teams: Are spread across the U.S. West Coast, Pacific Northwest, Western Canada, and the Great Plains, including teams like Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, San Jose, and Los Angeles.
Because of this distribution, intra-division and intra-conference travel can be relatively short, but cross-country or inter-division trips often involve long flights and significant mileage.
Specifics for Edmonton and Pittsburgh
Edmonton Oilers: Located in Alberta, Edmonton is geographically isolated from many other teams, especially those in eastern Canada and the eastern U.S. The Oilers are part of the Pacific Division, which includes teams like Vancouver, Calgary, Los Angeles, and San Jose, but also has to travel extensively for matchups outside their division and conference, particularly to the eastern U.S. and Canadian teams in the Atlantic Division.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Situated in Pennsylvania, the Penguins are in the Metropolitan Division, close to other eastern teams like Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. However, they also face significant travel demands for inter-division games, especially against western teams like San Jose, Los Angeles, and Canadian franchises.
Schedule Structure and Its Influence on Mileage
How the NHL Schedule Is Formed
The NHL’s schedule is a complex puzzle designed to balance competitive fairness, travel logistics, rivalries, and TV broadcast considerations. It typically involves:
Division Play: Teams play multiple games against divisional opponents, reducing travel.
Conference Play: Teams face other teams within their conference, with varying travel distances.
Inter-Conference Play: Less frequent, but often involves long trips, especially for teams in the East to reach the West and vice versa.
Special Events: All-Star games, international games, and other events can influence travel patterns.
In recent years, the league has moved toward more geographically aligned scheduling to reduce travel burdens, but some teams inherently face longer trips due to their location.
Factors Leading to High Mileage for Edmonton and Pittsburgh
Edmonton: As a western Canadian team, Edmonton’s schedule involves frequent long-distance trips eastward, especially to the Atlantic Canadian teams and eastern U.S. cities. The Oilers also often travel to western U.S. teams, but the need to cross the entire continent for certain matchups leads to high mileage.
Pittsburgh: While centrally located in the east, Pittsburgh’s schedule often includes trips across the country to West Coast teams, which involve long flights and significant mileage. Additionally, if the schedule includes multiple trips to western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, these can add to the total.
Specifics of the 2025-26 Schedule and Travel Projections
Schedule Release Insights
While the detailed schedule for 2025-26 is not yet publicly available, preliminary analyses and modeling based on previous seasons suggest that the Oilers and Penguins will have the most travel miles. Factors influencing these projections include:
Number of Long-Distance Trips: Both teams are expected to undertake several trips spanning thousands of miles, often involving multiple consecutive games in distant cities.
Frequency of Cross-Conference Games: Teams with frequent inter-conference matchups, especially those involving western teams for the Penguins and eastern Canadian teams for the Oilers, will accumulate more mileage.
Road Schedules: The number of back-to-back road games and the length of road trips contribute significantly to total travel.
Projected Mileage Estimates
Based on historical data and modeling, the following are approximate projections:
Edmonton Oilers: Likely to surpass 25,000 miles during the season due to multiple trips across the continent, especially trips to eastern Canada, the U.S. East Coast, and the West Coast.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Estimated to also exceed 25,000 miles, driven by long trips to the West Coast, Canadian teams, and distant western U.S. cities.
These figures are comparable to previous seasons’ high travel teams, where teams like the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks also logged extensive mileage.
Logistical Challenges and Implications
Player Fatigue and Performance
High travel mileage leads to increased fatigue among players, which can impact on-ice performance, injury risk, and recovery times. Teams with extensive travel often need to implement rigorous rest and recovery protocols, schedule strategic practice sessions, and manage player workloads carefully.
Team Operations and Costs
Long trips increase logistical complexity, including transportation arrangements, accommodation, practice scheduling, and team catering. These factors increase operational costs and require meticulous planning.
Fan Engagement and Local Economies
Teams traveling more have less time for local fan engagement and community events. Conversely, extensive travel can also diminish home-ice advantage if players are fatigued upon return.
Broader League and Competitive Impacts
Competitive Balance
High travel demands may give an advantage to teams better equipped with resources to manage fatigue and logistics. It can also influence standings, especially if travel fatigue impacts player performance during critical parts of the season.
League Scheduling Strategies
The league is continuously refining scheduling policies to minimize travel disparities, but certain teams, especially those at geographic extremes, will always face high mileage. The 2025-26 projections reinforce the ongoing challenge of balancing competitive fairness with logistical realities.
Specific Factors for the 2025-26 Season
Possible Expansion or Reorganization: League expansions or divisional realignments could influence travel patterns, potentially reducing mileage for some teams or increasing it for others.
International or Special Events: Any international games or special events scheduled during the season could further impact travel demands, especially for teams like Edmonton and Pittsburgh.
Technology and Transportation Advances: Improvements in aircraft technology, travel amenities, and scheduling efficiency may mitigate some travel fatigue and operational costs over time.
Team-Specific Strategies to Manage High Travel
Edmonton Oilers
Schedule Optimization: Minimize back-to-back long-distance trips where possible.
Rest and Recovery: Emphasize player health and recovery protocols.
Travel Support: Use advanced planning and support staff to mitigate fatigue impacts.
Focus on Home-Away Balance: Maximize home-ice performance to offset fatigue from extensive travel.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Strategic Trip Planning: Cluster long-distance games to reduce overall trips.
Player Management: Rotate players to prevent fatigue during demanding stretches.
Use of Technology: Leverage data to optimize travel and recovery schedules.
Emphasize Home Ice: Capitalize on home games to build momentum.
Future Outlook and Evolving Trends
Impact of Schedule Reforms
The NHL continues to explore innovative scheduling models, including more geographically aligned games, to reduce travel burdens and improve player welfare.
Sustainability and Environmental Concerns
As environmental awareness grows, the league and teams may prioritize reducing travel-related carbon footprints, potentially influencing future scheduling and travel planning.
Technological Enhancements
Emerging transportation technologies and data analytics promise to improve travel efficiency, reduce fatigue, and optimize team performance during high-mileage seasons.
Conclusion
The projection that the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins will have the highest travel mileage in the 2025-26 NHL season underscores the league’s ongoing geographical and scheduling challenges. For Edmonton, their location in western Canada necessitates extensive travel eastward for games, especially against eastern teams, leading to significant mileage. Similarly, Pittsburgh’s central location in the East means frequent long trips to the West Coast and Canadian teams, resulting in high travel demands. These extensive travel requirements influence team performance, operational logistics, and player health, highlighting the importance of strategic planning and league scheduling reforms. As the league continues to evolve, balancing competitive fairness, logistical efficiency, and player well-being remains a core focus, especially for teams like Edmonton and Pittsburgh, who face inherent travel challenges due to their geographic positions.
